Heartburn means too little acid

By Mike Ventresca, Vital Choice Healthstore

If you suffer from heartburn, you have likely taken an acid neutralizer. After all, acid indigestion must mean the body is producing too much stomach acid, right? Nope. Surprisingly, it’s been shown that most people with heartburn have too little stomach acid, not too much.

Here’s how it works in a nutshell. When you eat, your body produces acid. This acid production sends a signal to a valve in your lower esophagus to close, keeping the acid in your stomach where it belongs. However, if your acid production is deficient or suppressed, you’re still producing acid, it’s just not enough to send the message to close the valve. This allows acid to creep up the esophagus. Any amount of acid in the esophagus will cause the damage and pain we know as heartburn.

What can you do? While hardly scientific, one at-home test that many use is the vinegar test. The idea is to add something acidic at the end of your meal like a vinaigrette, lemon juice, or apple cider vinegar (mixed in water).

Most people find they feel no change or sometimes even a little better. If this is the case, more acid is likely warranted.

The next step would be a digestive supplement with betaine HCL, a source of hydrochloric acid.

To that end, we have had great results with a product called Superzymes. Superzymes combines digestive enzymes with betaine HCL, pepsin and bile to enhance digestion and increase stomach acid.

For more information or to further discuss your digestive needs, please stop in.

Mike Ventresca is the owner of Vital Choice Health Store, 9243 Sprague Road in North Royalton’s Timber Ridge Plaza. Call 440-885-9505 or visit VChoice.com. This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.