Acid reflux is the regurgitation of stomach contents (stomach acid, food, bile, secretions) up the esophagus. You may recognize it as heartburn or taste bitter acid in the back of your mouth.
Stomach acid aids digestion and protects your body from bad bacteria. The stomach lining protects the stomach from this corrosive acid. Unfortunately, your esophagus has no barrier to protect itself during bouts of acid reflux.
What is the difference between heartburn and acid reflux?
Despite the name, heartburn has nothing to do with your heart. Heartburn is a symptom of acid reflux. It is the tightness, burning and pain you feel when your stomach contents come up your esophagus. Pain results from the damage to your esophagus from the stomach acid.
Is the problem too much stomach acid?
Acid reflux is usually a result of poor digestion. But it may not be your body’s fault. If your stomach isn’t given the right tools (proper food, enzymes, nutrients) to do it’s job, it will react negatively.
Often people think the problem is too much stomach acid. This couldn’t be more wrong! Having stomach acid is both necessary and normal. Unfortunately, sufferers use anti-acid medications (Tums, Rolaids, Mylanta) to ‘turn off’ stomach acid. Once the acid is neutralized the heartburn stops, and they become convinced the problem was the stomach acid.
But now the stomach contains acid that can’t digest food properly, so it works on producing more acid. And the cycle continues resulting in long-term use of medications that do nothing to remove the cause of acid reflux!
What can I do to prevent acid reflux?
Western culture as a whole has a diet that consists of hard to digest food. Highly processed/refined foods are difficult for the body to break down because they contain little to no enzymes. By adding digestive enzymes to your diet you’re giving your stomach the right tools to properly digest your meals. This prevents acid reflux while improving your overall digestive health!
Digestive enzymes can prevent or minimize problems like acid reflux, heartburn, constipation, irritable bowel syndrome and bloating and gas. Be sure to take your enzymes 30 minutes before each meal and drink warm water instead of cold since cold temperatures can inhibit enzyme function.
From the moment you ingest food to the moment it leaves your body your digestion affects your overall health. At Colon Hydro Healing, I’m focused on what is leaving your body, but I want to give you the tools and knowledge to increase your digestive health from the start.
I offer the DigestMAX Ultra: Advanced Naturals digestive enzymes in my online store. A 1-month supply costs far less than a daily coffee and will help your stomach achieve balance and optimal health. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at (780) 906-2316.