If you’re over 40, you might remember television commercials stating “I’m not a doctor, but I play one on TV.” Then the actor would to give you medical advice about certain drugs that he said would be helpful. Today, things are much different. Today you have an actor playing Larry the Cable Guy telling you to take a certain drug for your acid reflux. WHAT?!? This guy doesn’t even pretend to know what he’s talking about. He pretends to install cable television, but this guy is giving medical advice?!? Oh boy!
Why are people taking medical advice from this guy?
Here are 5 things Larry the Cable Guy doesn’t know about acid blockers:
- The symptoms of too much acid and not enough acid are the same.
- Most people with acid reflux don’t have enough stomach acid.
- Most people with insufficient stomach acid (naturally or due to taking acid blocking drugs) become deficient in many nutrients starting with Vitamin B12 and Magnesium.
- The manufacturers of acid blockers suggest a standard dosing maximum of 8 weeks of usage.
- Acid blockers are linked to neuroendocrine tumors, bone fractures, C. diff infections, and atrophic gastritis.
Intrigued? Allow me to explain a little more about the symptoms of acid reflux, heartburn, and esophagitis. When you don’t have enough stomach acid and you eat foods that require stomach acid for proper digestion, that food ROTS in your stomach. It putrefies. The acids that are generated are fermentation acids, not digestive acids. That putrefied food eventually leaves your stomach and gets into your intestines and causes inflammation because it was not properly digested. Your small intestine is then unable to fully extract and absorb the nutrients from your food and deficiencies begin to develop. The inflammation in your intestines can lead to “leaky gut” (intestinal permeability) and food allergies/sensitivities and a weakened immune system. This cascade of dominoes continues, but you get the picture.
Getting off acid blockers can be tricky because after long term use, some damage to your stomach lining and intestines may have occurred and a repair program may need to be implemented. We take clients through a process using a variety of digestive enzymes, stomach acid supplements, herbs such as deglycyrrhizinated licorice, marshmallow root, and slippery elm bark, as well as gut building supplements like colostrum and glutamine. We strongly recommend working with a knowledgeable wellness professional to support you through this process (which typically takes about three months). Our goal is always to help the body to restore its ability to manufacture sufficient stomach acid and to naturally support the digestive process.
>To learn more about stomach acid supplementation, click here.
>To learn more about the side effects, warnings, and contraindications of your acid blocker, click here.
>To schedule a consultation with a wellness professional, click here.