Mary's Herbs is your source for homeopathics, herbs, supplements, nutrition, and iridology.
List of Health Conditions from A to Z
       



Heart burn, Understanding the causes heartburn, acid reflux, GERD as well as the misuse of antacids, list of natural solutions to help with heartburn.

ANTACIDS ..... Do they really work?

by Nicole Reed (Keller)

Did you know that as many as 13% of adult Americans reported taking antacids two or more times per week?  As many as 7%  of adult Americans have a daily occurrence of heartburn." (A. Minocha MD.; FACP, FACG, University of Oklahoma Health Science Center)

What do antacids supposedly do?  Antacids are supposed to neutralize acid in the esophagus and stomach and stop heartburn and GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux).  An antacid combined with a foaming agent is believed to form a foam barrier on top of the stomach that prevents acid reflux from occurring.

Do we really believe that this would really work to cure?  Let's look at this from the digestion point of view.  Digestion starts in the mouth and chewing food we eat.  Our saliva has a huge part in our digestion also.  When the food is swallowed, the stomach takes over and secretes HCL (hydrochloric acid ) we need to digest our food.  It will be canceled out by the antacid.

If our body is healthy and working properly, it should be able to produce all of the enzymes and digestive acids in the proper quantities to have the proper digestion it needs.  However, it's sad to say most people do not produce the right amounts of these digestive acids and enzymes.

Many therapies are used such as antacids like Tagament, Zantac, Axid, Pepcid.  Along with these antacids are side effects, warnings, and precautions.  Such side effects are:  Diarrhea, altered calcium metabolism, a build up of magnesium in the body, nausea, headaches, and dizziness at first when the body is adjusting to the medication.  Also you may experience unusual bleeding or bruising, pounding chest pains, rash, difficulty sleeping, mental changes, or extreme weakness while taking antacids.

There are also precautions to worry about and these are: if you have kidney or liver disease, pregnant or breast feeding.

So now that you know what all antacids do and how non-effective they are, don't you think that there just might be a better, safer and effective way to rid your body of heartburn caused by acid?

There are many natural ways to rid your body of heartburn caused by acid such things are; better food combining, stop the cause of where most of the poor digestion and acid originates.

There are some foods that have been known to help with better digestion those foods include: papaya, strawberries, pineapples and yams.  

Coffee, tea, soda and antacids would be best to terminate because they are contributors to poor digestion.

Some herbs and digestive enzymes that will help with better digestion are:  Food Enzymes, Proactazyme, Leguzyme, Digestazyme, Safflowers, PDS, Chinese Anti Gas formula (formally Chinese Anti-Gas (formally AG-C)), Acidophilus, Anti Gas Formula (formally Anti-Gas Formula (formally AG-X))

Aloe Vera, Slippery Elm as a drink (the last two help coat the esophagus and stomach as a protectant against acid eating through),

My favorite is Papayamint, now it is Stomach comfort.  Phenomenal combo.

Take care of your digestion and hopefully you will never begin to have a problem like the 7% of Americans who have heart burn.

 

The focus of this site is to "educate, validate, and suggest alternative methods for the treatment of health conditions," which are not readily available to those who go through mainstream programs.

To help ensure good results, high quality foods and supplements are vital. Knowing that the cost of supplements can get overwhelming, we provide a wholesale store.

This is a courtesy, not a requirement for you to ask your questions. We are here to help people, not just gain customers.

If you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

***When working with natural health it is beneficial that you have an understanding of the signs of a healing body. ***