There are many remedies for the symptoms of heartburn, reflux and indigestion. While some of those are prescriptions or symptom-masking options, they do not get to the heart of why you have indigestion, heartburn or reflux in the first place. While the meds sop up excess “acids” and make you feel better, they are not solving anything. The problem is still there, still waiting for you to step in and remedy the cause.
You first need to do some investigative work. Ask, “Do I have sufficient acid and alkaline enzymes to digest the foods I am eating?” If not, why not? “Do I have proper function in the stomach, small and large intestines, liver, gallbladder and pancreas to handle what I am putting into my gut?” If not, why not? “Which system isn’t doing its job?” For instance, a gallbladder that is making stones or not working properly may not be a gallbladder issue, but an issue further up, likely the stomach. Insufficiency at the stomach level could be failing to communicate proper digestive directives to the gallbladder and/or pancreas. If this is the case, taking it out does nothing to solve the original issue – insufficiency at the stomach level.
If there is insufficiency at the stomach level, why? What does the stomach need? What is missing? Or what are you putting in it that is interfering with proper function, or causing you to use up nutrient reserves to handle? These are important questions to be asking and getting answers to, rather than to just take a drug to minimize your body’s attempt to get your attention – a.k.a. symptoms. While it is sometimes necessary to take a drug, it should only be taken for no longer than 2 weeks. Because while on them you are not really digesting, it is important to get digestion moving along quickly. I am not telling you to stop taking your acid-stopping medications. However, when you address the causative factors in your digestive distress and remedy them, you will naturally find you no longer need them. But please, don’t just stop. This is something that needs to be addressed and not allowed to progress into a more serious condition, such as Barrett’s Esophagus. Minor digestive distress can quickly evolve into more serious digestive complaints. We don’t want to let it get that far. It is important that you learn normal digestive physiology, especially taking a look at factors that interfere with proper digestive health, then take a positive action towards changing that once and forever.
©2020 Holly A. Carling, O.M.D., L.Ac., Ph.D.
