The medications have not reduced the rate of esophageal cancer rather they have increased 350% since 1970. People taking such drugs have also been noted to be of increased risk of pneumonia, weight gain, and other risky side effects. Other observed side effects include atrophic gastritis and gastric cancer, increase in gut permeability and food allergies, and possibly increased polyps of the stomach and colon. Insufficient acid can also lead to an intestinal bacterial imbalance, manifest as symptoms consistent with irritable bowel syndrome or severe life-threatening infections. Calcium deficiencies can lead to osteoporosis and increased fractures. Without adequate acid, there is reduced absorption of key nutrients including calcium, magnesium, vitamin B12 and others. Therapy is aimed at strengthening every aspect of digestion.Ĭonventional treatment intentionally interrupts one of the central aspects of digestion and not surprisingly carries some serious complications, based on the normal benefits of physiological stomach acid.
Reflux is a common complaint, affecting more than 10 percent of US adults on a daily basis, and up to a third of us at some time. When the reflux contents are actually low in acid, the person experiences less acute pain, but perhaps more voice or throat symptoms. Sometimes the reflux travels all the way up to the throat and larynx, causing a sore throat or hoarse voice. Stomach acid flowing into the esophagus causes a variety of symptoms as described above, usually depending on the degree of acidity of the liquid that is refluxed upward. The contents of the stomach, which are normally acidic, spill upwards into the esophagus that lacks the protective lining present and protective in the stomach. GERD stands for gastro-esophageal reflux disease, perfectly describing just what is happening. Usually this only occurs (and is identified) when the reflux is very symptomatic. The pain can radiate up to the neck or throat, and if it’s bad enough to take your breath away, you’ll be on your way to the hospital to have your heart checked out.Īt its worst, the liquid refluxed is highly corrosive and causes permanent damage to the lower esophagus, creating pre-cancerous cellular changes called Barrett’s esophagus.
Pain sitting behind the chest bone, or in the upper abdomen, can be stabbing, burning and relentless. It all passes, so you don’t worry about it. Perhaps you have just a nagging cough, a hoarse voice, or an occasional sharp pain in your chest after eating. Reflux can be a totally silent illness, with symptoms so mild or confusing that you barely think about it.