If you are suffering from acid reflux, I highly recommend you read this article before rushing out to your doctor and getting prescribed a Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) drug such as Nexium.
These drugs are handed out like boiled lollies.
A staggering 19 Million prescriptions written in a calendar year!
I see people taking them for many years.
But did you know that these medications were never intended to be taken for more than a few weeks?
Read the product information, it’s mind boggling.
This is a massive health problem.
Long term use of these drugs has been associated with Vitamin B12, calcium, iron and magnesium deficiencies, increased risk of dementia, chronic kidney disease, osteoporosis, bacterial infections, increased risk of pneumonia and various gastric cancers, the list goes on…
These drugs do not treat the cause of reflux!
Why is that?
The real cause of reflux is not an over production of stomach acid, it’s actually not having enough.
Modern medicine lacks this understanding of the true reflux causes.
It just focuses on reflux symptom relief, which these drugs will often do.
Many people who try to come off Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) will get worse symptoms.
Because when they do, they get a rebound effect.
This then makes them think they need to stay on the drug because it’s working.
But it’s not fixing the problem, it’s just band aiding over it.
There can be many causes of reflux but the most common we see in clinic are-
• Gut infections including H pylori and bacterial overgrowths
• Low stomach acid production caused by nutrient deficiencies, therefore the food that sits in the stomach causes upward pressure, leading to rising stomach acid
• High carbohydrate diets (including sugar) leading to fermentation and gas by gut bacteria, also pushing stomach acid back up the oesophagus
• Stress, and eating in a rush, causes our body to produce insufficient digestive enzymes to help break down the food we eat
• Food intolerances
• Poor gall bladder function, due to its removal or poor liver function
• Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
• Obesity causing excess pressure in our stomach
I’m not writing this to scare you.
My aim is to educate you about this information.
You need to know this stuff and you should have been informed about it when first prescribed these acid blocking medications.
If you have been on this type of medication long term, I strongly suggest you speak to your prescribing doctor about the risks associated with it.
In most cases there are much safer alternatives, using specific herbs and nutrients, to manage your reflux.
Nutritional and naturopathic practitioners, such as us, have the knowledge to address the real causes of your reflux and help you safely come off these medications.
Treatment varies on a case by case basis, as the causes can be different
For further information please contact us and together we can help you regain your health.
