I am hoping for some guidance. I've been off PPI's (given for gastritis) for about 8 months now, and H2 blockers for 3.5. I was on them for a combined 18 months total and regret every minute of it. The rebound was horrific and long lasting even though I tapered very slowly. The gastritis appears to be gone (I haven't gotten an endoscopy, but no longer feel the symptoms).
I do still have acid reflux and LPR from the PPI use. It typically manifests as chest pain/heartburn. I am very careful about what I eat. The chest discomfort, more on the far left side, is pretty much all day (my therapist thinks anxiety plays a role, and he may be right, as I am prone to anxiety disorders such as OCD).
My naturopath thinks I have low stomach acid and undigested protein is causing the pain. She based this on the fact that I'm type A blood, 54 years old, plus based on my symptoms and muscle testing she performed.
She is encouraging me to take Betaine HCI with pepsin.
As a former gastritis sufferer I'm a little afraid to do so, but would welcome the relief if it works. My naturopath says the Betaine won't cause gastritis.
I was wondering if you think it would be wise to get a Heidelberg acid test first to see if I really do have low stomach acid before taking Betaine? If I indeed do have low stomach acid, do you think I should start with either Apple Cider Vinegar, lemon juice or even Swedish Bitters before going to HCI Betaine?
Or if I do have low acid, can it correct itself with just time and patience?
Thanks so much.
question for Wayne & others regarding stomach acid
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HI Suzy,
I'm only going to comment on the hydrochloric acid part....I am 49 and did the menopause thing and now after visiting with a new Nutritional Therapy Practitioner I am slowing using Gastrazyme (all natural I checked closely and it tastes like alfalfa - you would need to have had livestock to fully understand LOL) to increase my HCL acid....I also have some Beta TCP it tastes like a dirty beet to help my gallbladder breakdown Omega 3 and 6's (I take that gradually now too).
I have not been offered Betaine HCI....but I do understand that Apple Cider Vinegar if you do not react to it, a teaspoon a couple times a day is supposed to help too.
Your Naturopath needs to do lingual and reflex testing on you.....that process worked like a charm on me, and I am not sure if it is a new thing or not but that is how I figured out my acid was low without being invasive to my body.
Good Luck
Erica
I'm only going to comment on the hydrochloric acid part....I am 49 and did the menopause thing and now after visiting with a new Nutritional Therapy Practitioner I am slowing using Gastrazyme (all natural I checked closely and it tastes like alfalfa - you would need to have had livestock to fully understand LOL) to increase my HCL acid....I also have some Beta TCP it tastes like a dirty beet to help my gallbladder breakdown Omega 3 and 6's (I take that gradually now too).
I have not been offered Betaine HCI....but I do understand that Apple Cider Vinegar if you do not react to it, a teaspoon a couple times a day is supposed to help too.
Your Naturopath needs to do lingual and reflex testing on you.....that process worked like a charm on me, and I am not sure if it is a new thing or not but that is how I figured out my acid was low without being invasive to my body.
Good Luck
Erica
To Succeed you have to Believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a Reality - Anita Roddick
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Hi Erica. Is reflex testing muscle testing? What is lingual testing? I read that the Heidelberg is the gold standard for confirming low acid. It's not overly invasive (like an endoscopy). You swallow a capsule that monitors your ph and then they pull it back out.
I tend to be all for alternative things but for some reason am a little leary of muscle testing as being accurate, hence my thoughts of a more definitive test before I introduce acid-producing substances.
I have Gastrazyme but haven't been using it. I didn't know it increases HCL. I thought it was more for healing of the stomach.
How much Gastrazyme do you take? What were your symptoms of low acid? Thanks!
I tend to be all for alternative things but for some reason am a little leary of muscle testing as being accurate, hence my thoughts of a more definitive test before I introduce acid-producing substances.
I have Gastrazyme but haven't been using it. I didn't know it increases HCL. I thought it was more for healing of the stomach.
How much Gastrazyme do you take? What were your symptoms of low acid? Thanks!
Hi Suzy,
There are reflex points that get tested (not muscles) while you hold certain agents in your mouth, and then again after you spit them out. I was blown away at the accuracy of this testing, and I would not have believed anyone had I not done it for myself.
In theory one would take a Gastrazyme with each meal to help the stomach produce adequate HCL during a meal, I have been taking one during my largest meal of the day and getting my body to understand that it isn't something it needs to be on high alert about. It is a fairly new thing for me. I just felt like I wasn't breaking things down very well after eating safe foods - food sat longer in my stomach (checking BM to see if I had any undigested particles in toilet).
I had been supplementing with cholestyramine to aid the absorption of bile before it hit the Large intestine too, but after this Flu hit me and I stopped everything for a good week, I haven't added it back in just yet, I want to give the gastrazyme a chance to see if maybe my low acid has been a cause for improper breakdown or food particles hence the passing of extra bile. Who knows...I'm still experimenting now that I'm feeling better this week. ;-)
There are reflex points that get tested (not muscles) while you hold certain agents in your mouth, and then again after you spit them out. I was blown away at the accuracy of this testing, and I would not have believed anyone had I not done it for myself.
In theory one would take a Gastrazyme with each meal to help the stomach produce adequate HCL during a meal, I have been taking one during my largest meal of the day and getting my body to understand that it isn't something it needs to be on high alert about. It is a fairly new thing for me. I just felt like I wasn't breaking things down very well after eating safe foods - food sat longer in my stomach (checking BM to see if I had any undigested particles in toilet).
I had been supplementing with cholestyramine to aid the absorption of bile before it hit the Large intestine too, but after this Flu hit me and I stopped everything for a good week, I haven't added it back in just yet, I want to give the gastrazyme a chance to see if maybe my low acid has been a cause for improper breakdown or food particles hence the passing of extra bile. Who knows...I'm still experimenting now that I'm feeling better this week. ;-)
To Succeed you have to Believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a Reality - Anita Roddick
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Hi Suzy,
If excess gastric acid were your problem, is should have stabilized by now. If a deficiency of gastric acid is the problem, then it's not likely to get any better with time. I don't recall if you're taking a magnesium supplement, or how much you're taking if you are taking it, but heartburn/acid reflux can be a symptom of chronic magnesium deficiency. And your doctors will never associate magnesium deficiency with GI symptoms, so they won't be any help with that potential problem.
If you want to test your magnesium level to verify a deficiency, don't uses the serum test that all doctors order — it's worthless unless you are completely out of magnesium. Order an RBC (red blood cell) magnesium test. And don't take a magnesium supplement before you have the blood draw, because if you take a supplement that will skew the test results.
And yes, anxiety can cause those symptoms. Anxiety is another common symptom of magnesium deficiency.
Yes, testing your stomach acidity might be a good idea to remove any doubt.
I have no experience with any of the supplements suggested by Erica, but if properly used, it's certainly not impossible that some of them might help. I'm a bit concerned about "natural" ingredients, though, because unless they are specifically defined, they could be derived from anything, including wheat germ (gluten), and they virtually always contain soy, because soy is one of the cheapest feedstock materials for making natural ingredients. And this can still be true even if the product is certified to be free of gluten, dairy, soy, etc., because the industry doesn't consider those derivatives to be allergens because of the processing involved.
Regarding the use of Betaine HCL: Most of the "natural" treatments (such as apple cider vinegar) are relatively weak acids. So if they seem to help, then you are probably very low on stomach acid. The beauty of Betaine HCL is that it's relatively easy to determine the dose needed to optimize your gastric acid level, ranging from mild to very potent. (There are treatment instructions available that will allow you to determine the exact dose of Betaine HCL that's optimal for you).
Tex
If excess gastric acid were your problem, is should have stabilized by now. If a deficiency of gastric acid is the problem, then it's not likely to get any better with time. I don't recall if you're taking a magnesium supplement, or how much you're taking if you are taking it, but heartburn/acid reflux can be a symptom of chronic magnesium deficiency. And your doctors will never associate magnesium deficiency with GI symptoms, so they won't be any help with that potential problem.
If you want to test your magnesium level to verify a deficiency, don't uses the serum test that all doctors order — it's worthless unless you are completely out of magnesium. Order an RBC (red blood cell) magnesium test. And don't take a magnesium supplement before you have the blood draw, because if you take a supplement that will skew the test results.
And yes, anxiety can cause those symptoms. Anxiety is another common symptom of magnesium deficiency.
Yes, testing your stomach acidity might be a good idea to remove any doubt.
I have no experience with any of the supplements suggested by Erica, but if properly used, it's certainly not impossible that some of them might help. I'm a bit concerned about "natural" ingredients, though, because unless they are specifically defined, they could be derived from anything, including wheat germ (gluten), and they virtually always contain soy, because soy is one of the cheapest feedstock materials for making natural ingredients. And this can still be true even if the product is certified to be free of gluten, dairy, soy, etc., because the industry doesn't consider those derivatives to be allergens because of the processing involved.
Regarding the use of Betaine HCL: Most of the "natural" treatments (such as apple cider vinegar) are relatively weak acids. So if they seem to help, then you are probably very low on stomach acid. The beauty of Betaine HCL is that it's relatively easy to determine the dose needed to optimize your gastric acid level, ranging from mild to very potent. (There are treatment instructions available that will allow you to determine the exact dose of Betaine HCL that's optimal for you).
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Gastrazyme Ingredient list:
Biotics Research corporation
Vit A - 3500 IU
Gamma Oryzanol (from rice) - 100mg
Chlorophyllins (from mulberry leaf) - 20mg
Vitamin U Complex (DL-methylmethionine sulfonium chloride) - 10mg
Superoxide Dismutase (from vegetable culture) - 15 mcg
Catalase (from vegetable culture) - 15 mcg
Other ingredients: Cellulose, modified cellulose gum, silica, and magnesium stearate (vegetable source).
If this is your ingredient list in your gastrazyme product, experimenting can't hurt. I also take 10,000 Vid3 and 500-700 Elemental Mag daily too ;-)
Good luck,
Erica
Biotics Research corporation
Vit A - 3500 IU
Gamma Oryzanol (from rice) - 100mg
Chlorophyllins (from mulberry leaf) - 20mg
Vitamin U Complex (DL-methylmethionine sulfonium chloride) - 10mg
Superoxide Dismutase (from vegetable culture) - 15 mcg
Catalase (from vegetable culture) - 15 mcg
Other ingredients: Cellulose, modified cellulose gum, silica, and magnesium stearate (vegetable source).
If this is your ingredient list in your gastrazyme product, experimenting can't hurt. I also take 10,000 Vid3 and 500-700 Elemental Mag daily too ;-)
Good luck,
Erica
To Succeed you have to Believe in something with such a passion that it becomes a Reality - Anita Roddick
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
Dx LC April 2012 had symptoms since Aug 2007
That's a tough question. Maybe. It may depend on what caused the gastritis, because there are various causes. Based on the research I've seen, the cause is typically not due to too much acid from normal production.
The Betaine doesn't actually contain acid — it promotes acid production in the stomach. The instructions say to take it (if I recall correctly) about 10 minutes before a meal. Taking it much later will reduce its effectiveness, but it might still help — if you're short of gastric acid.
Tex
The Betaine doesn't actually contain acid — it promotes acid production in the stomach. The instructions say to take it (if I recall correctly) about 10 minutes before a meal. Taking it much later will reduce its effectiveness, but it might still help — if you're short of gastric acid.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Suzy,
And remember that Betaine HCL only helps if the meal contains a significant amount of protein. Protein digestion requires adequate gastric acid. Carbs don't need much.
This blog describes a simple test for determining whether you might be short of gastric acid.
Betaine HCL for Increasing Stomach Acid
Tex
And remember that Betaine HCL only helps if the meal contains a significant amount of protein. Protein digestion requires adequate gastric acid. Carbs don't need much.
This blog describes a simple test for determining whether you might be short of gastric acid.
Betaine HCL for Increasing Stomach Acid
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.