Burning in the chest up into the throat. The discomfort and uneasiness in the stomach after eating. These are just a few of the common symptoms that come to mind when you mention heartburn or acid reflux.

Over 60 million Americans deal with acid reflux at least once a month, and 60% of the adult population will deal with GERD within a 12 month period. That said PPI’s (proton pump inhibitors) are one of the top prescribed medicines. Instead of determining the specific triggers of the heartburn or utilizing some other natural ways to battle acid reflux or indigestion we are being prescribed a quick fix. Unfortunately those quick fix medicines PPI’s were only approved to be used for 4-8 weeks of continuous use. Past that time frame they have been shown to cause many other problems. You can read more about in these couple articles. (1) (2)

What Causes Heartburn or Acid Reflux?

Unlike the common line of thinking that it’s caused from too much stomach acid it’s actually the exact opposite. Heartburn, indigestion or GERD are actually caused by too little stomach acid. This is why the PPI’s are more of a problem than a solution to the problem. When we eat and the stomach doesn’t have enough acid to properly digest the food the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (that separates the stomach and esophagus) isn’t signaled to close. Without the Lower Esophageal Sphincter closed tightly it allows undigested food and acid back up the esophagus causing heartburn and indigestion. This slows down the digestive process. Then food sits in the stomach longer undigested creating gas which leads to more discomfort.

What Can You Do Before Grabbing a PPI?

• Find Your Trigger Foods – Write out what you’re eating throughout the day, and how you feel after you’ve eaten. See if you can pinpoint some of the foods that are triggering that initial uncomfortable feeling. Foods that contain caffeine, fried foods, packaged foods with artificial sweeteners, preservatives, flavorings, coffee, chocolate, alcohol, peppermint are among some of the foods known to trigger a reaction.
• Betaine HCL with Pepsin – Can be taken as a supplement. HCL is a main component to stomach acid. When taken it can improve the digestion of your food. Check with your naturopathic doctor or physician to see how much to take and if it’s okay to take if you’re currently taking any other type of medication, especially a PPI.
• Apple Cider Vinegar – The idea behind the vinegar is to increase your stomach acid. By giving your stomach more acid it helps to trigger your LES (Lower Esophageal Sphincter) to close up tightly. Take 1 Tbsp of raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar in 6-8oz of water. Keep doing this every 5 minutes until the acid reflux subsides.
• Lemon Juice – The idea is the same as the vinegar by increasing the acid in the stomach. Taking just 2 Tbsp mixed in a little bit of water to prevent or to stop heartburn once it has begun.
• Probiotic – Whether it be by eating or drinking natural probiotic foods like kombucha, kefir, sauerkraut, kimchi, or taking a probiotic supplement a probiotic can aid in healing the gut. It will increase the good bacteria improving the natural gut flora and crowd out the bad bacteria.
• Digestive Enzymes – These will help the body to digest the foods better in the stomach. They will help you to absorb nutrients from the foods and reduce the build up of acid.

There are other remedies to get rid of the acid reflux feeling like eating a tsp of good quality yellow mustard, drinking 1/2 cup aloe vera juice, chewing gum after eating, eating an apple or banana, drinking ginger root tea, and even mixing 1/2 tsp baking soda in 1/4 cup of water. The latter not being the best long term option, and none of which have been shown as beneficial to fix low stomach acid. If you’re really wanting to get to the bottom of your heartburn work with a physician to help you increase your stomach acid.

Disclaimer: Check with your physician before you make any changes to any medicines you’re currently taking or before adding any new supplements.