Heartburn: It’s Really Not What You Think It Is!

“This article is a MUST read if you are experiencing heartburn”

If you are reading this article, I would imagine that you, or someone you know, is experiencing heartburn. If you do experience heartburn, you’re certainly not alone! Heartburn is one of the most common symptoms experienced by humans.

We know this is the case because heartburn (antacid) medications have consistently been among the top-selling drugs on the planet over the last twenty or more years. In fact, brands such as Nexium and Prilosec have been among the top three biggest selling drugs in some years.

But heartburn is NOT a Nexium or Prilosec deficiency and antacid medications can cause a lot more problems than they solve because they simply do not address the root cause of the symptoms.

As you’re about to learn, “heartburn” is caused by many different factors, including food allergy, gluten intolerance, H pylori infection and Candida overgrowth.

What Is Heartburn?

“Heartburn” and ‘indigestion” are not medical terms, but are commonly known terms that describe gastrointestinal distress. They usually refer to an acidic, burning sensation in the chest.

The symptoms may create a sour or strange taste in your mouth, a sensation of burning or gurgling in your belly, belching, burping, nausea, feelings of fullness or that your stomach isn’t emptying when you eat.

According to Dr. Leo Galland, MD, heartburn and indigestion might even be symptoms or signs of a more serious medical problem like a heart attack, gallbladder disease Helicobacter pylori infection or ulcer.

So it’s very important if you have these symptoms to make them seriously and to NOT accept antacid medications as your only treatment.

Doctor’s Terminology

The symptoms described above may be described as “Upper GI Symptoms” and are often attributed to one of three conditions:

• Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD), which is the backflow of stomach juices into your oesophagus.
• Gastritis, which simply means “inflammation of the stomach”.
• Functional Dyspepsia, which is a broad term describing symptoms that are not the result of GERD, gastritis, ulcers, gallbladder disease or any other obvious cause.

Heartburn & Upper GI Symptom Treatments

Almost all the treatments for heartburn and associated symptoms are based on reducing the amount of acid in your stomach using antacid medications.

There’s one problem with this.

The symptoms are HARDLY EVER caused by too much acid!

Instead, they are caused by normal (or even low) acid levels that are simply irritating sensitive tissues. Heartburn can also be caused by other things irritating sensitive tissue, including foods, medical drugs and chemicals.

The True Causes of Heartburn

Heartburn and Upper GI Symptoms can be caused by the following:

• H pylori infection
• Other bacterial infections (e.g. Campylobacter)
• Candida overgrowth
• Parasite infection
• Cigarette smoking
• Alcohol consumption
• Low stomach acid levels, which lead to improper digestion of food and putrefaction
• Malfunction of the sphincter (trap door) that separates the oesophagus and stomach
• Poor oesophageal motility
• Medical drugs
  • Antidepressants
  • Calcium channel blockers
  • Beta-blockers
  • Progesterone
  • NSAIDs (e.g. aspirin) and other anti-inflammatories
• Foods
  • Cow’s milk foods
  • Gluten (bread, cereals, pasta, baked goods – anything made with wheat, barley or rye flour)
  • Processed foods (literally all can cause problems)
  • Chocolate
  • Fried, oily and greasy food
  • Spicy foods (chilli, curry, etc)
  • Vinegar

It should be glaringly obvious to you that the list of heartburn causes above does not include “antacid deficiency”.

You CANNOT properly address heartburn, GERD and similar symptoms by using antacid medications alone. Sure, the meds can help reduce the severity of symptoms, but they do not address the root cause of the problem.

In order to remove the heartburn and GERD safely and permanently, you must:

• Alter your diet appropriately (a step-by-step plan is available in The H Pylori Diet)
• Stop smoking and drinking
• Consider reducing or eliminating drugs that could be irritating your stomach (discuss with your doctor)
• Removing H pylori, Candida and parasites if they are present
• Chewing your food properly
• Using digestive enzyme supplements
• Supplementing with soothing and gut healing nutrients and herbs

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