Stomach acid is not bad. It’s true, pharmacy shelves lined with acid blockers tell you different, the mountain of prescriptions provided by doctors indicate otherwise. But really, stomach acid is actually your friend. Furthermore, if you are complaining of frequent heartburn, you may need more stomach acid, not less.

To know for sure, your doctor should perform a gastrin level test, first thing. This should be done prior to prescribing pills. Pills should be reserved for the relatively small group of people actually tested and found to need them. Unfortunately, doctors are automatically offering popular acid-blocking medications, rather than offering information and encouragement regarding healthy eating.

Consider the signs of low acid. Do any of them sound familiar?

o   heartburn

o   irritable bowel syndrome

o   burping

o   cramps

o   food sensitivities

o   increased risk for autoimmune disorders

o   gallbladder disease

o   pancreatitis

o   cancer

Misdiagnosis and misunderstanding of the problem is becoming more and more widespread across the nation because of acid-blockers. The following list of medical conditions are caused by insufficient acid as well:

•       Hashimoto’s thyroiditis

•       Osteoporosis

•       Elevated homocysteine

•       Rosacea and acne

•       Rheumatoid arthritis

•       Eczema and psoriasis

•       Yeast infections

•       Adrenal exhaustion

•       Vitiligo

How can you restore your health? Increase your acid. There are a variety of ways to do this:

ü  ACV: Apple cider vinegar is a popular remedy as it provides various acids, like “acetic” acid. Still, drinking ACV long-term may not be practical. It might be too caustic for many people.

ü  Supplementation: Health food stores offer a vaiety of digestive acids such as “betaine hydrochloride,” “betaine with pepsin” or “trimethylglycine.” Be cautious with these. Consult a doctor first. Start slow with low amounts, increasing to the amount that brings relief and no more. Also, acid supplements should always be ingested at the end of each meal. Supplements like betaine are enhanced by a healthy diet. Consider gluten and casein reduction.

ü  Other: It may be worthwhile to try probiotics, digestive enzymes, ginger, cayenne pepper, glutamine, bile salts and/or DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice) for relief as well.