What is Heartburn?

HEARTBURN (GERD)

The main symptoms are persistent heartburn and acid regurgitation. Some people have GERD without heartburn. Instead, they experience pain in the chest, hoarseness in the morning, or trouble swallowing. You may feel like you have food stuck in your throat or like you are choking or your throat is tight.

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Most of the time, patients will see medical doctors for help.  The drug they usually prescribe them is a PPI (protein pump inhibitor).  It literally stops your acid production in your stomach which in effect stops most digestion of your food.  Why?  Everything digestive in your body starts with acid production.  If no acid production, no digestion.  The known side effects of the PPI's are osteoporosis, anemia, loss of muscle mass, dementia, kidney problems and early death.

Now to illustrate what is going wrong, we will start with the nerves.  The nerve system of the body goes to all organs and tissues in the body. The nerves most effected are from the mid-back and go to the stomach area.  The medical profession has found that after the age of 35 the production of HCL (stomach acid) decrease until we reach 65-70 when we literally have no stomach acids.  If your spine has what we chiropractors call a vertebral subluxation, it can decrease the nerve supply to the stomach and therefore decrease stomach acids.  

When a person has a lack of acid, they tend to migrate to easily digestible foods like carbohydrates. When proteins (beef, chicken, fish) and carbohydrates mix with no stomach acids the stomach churns and the carbohydrates will start to ferment which creates gas and expands the stomach above the diaphragm creating a condition called a hiatal hernia and therefore GERD.  So the problem is not too much HCL acid but acids of fermentation from NOT enough stomach acids, contrary to popular belief.   

Also the stomach needs to reach a low pH so that when the stomach empties it stimulates the bile and pancreatic juices to dump and neutralize the stomach acids. So no acid stimulation, no fat digestion, protein or carbohydrate digestion i.e. no digestion of food.  

What do we do that is different?  A three-pronged approach:  1. we will check your spine for vertebal subluxations that decrease the nerve function to the stomach, 2. check your stomach for a hiatal hernia and adjust the spine and pull down the stomach and 3. after that we will recommend nutrients to add stomach acid so you can now start to digest your food.  

The results usually are quick to notice.  But like most things, to regain your health will take time to overcome years of malnutrition and/or foul nutrition from eating processed/boxed food and not digesting your food. 

If you need help putting together a healthy diet to increase your energy and help your digestion contact our office at 858-452-2202 or email us at ditzlerspeaks@yahoo.com. We are located at Ditzler Family Chiropractic 3202 Governor Drive #200 San Diego CA 92122.