Question
What is the cause of GERD, too little or too much stomach acid?
Answer
Too little stomach acid
The root cause of GERD is too little stomach acid or HCL. GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease, occurs when stomach acid moves up into the esophagus (the tube that connects your mouth to your stomach). During normal digestion, foods pass into your stomach through the LES or lower esophageal sphincter, also called the cardiac sphincter. After food passed through the LES, it closes. However, it can weaken or relax when it shouldn’t, which allows contents of the stomach to spill into the esophagus. Increasing stomach acid can tighten the LES.
In the stomach, the epithelial lining produces cloudy mucous that is two-layers. A viscous, insoluble top layer and bicarbonate-rich bottom layer. When ph is greater than 4 in the stomach, acid can penetrate the mucous lining and damage it. When the ph is less than 4 the acid in stomach cannot penetrate the mucous lining. This is why drugs that treat GERD merely make the issue worse and only treat the symptoms, not the root cause.
Proper HCL production requires several things. Water, being properly hydrated, is necessary for production of HCL. Dehydration creates insufficient acidic stomach acid, so the ph increase. HCL is produced in response to AcH, histamine (so anti-histamines will block and reduce the amount of acid) and gastrin. If all 3 aren’t present, HCL production is minimal.
HCL helps to create a gastric ph of 1.5-3.5, which is important because this begins the process of denaturing, breaking down protein. The proper acidity of the stomach is what converts pepsinogen to pepsin, which ultimately helps break protein down to its smaller, absorbable, components. It does not matter what you eat if you cannot absorb it. The proper acidity of the stomach also helps to kill pathogens on food that if reach the small and large intestine can begin to take up residence and cause issues.
Symptoms of low stomach acid include: bacterial/fungal overgrowth and increased parasitic infections, yeast infections, bad breath and malodorous sweat, belching or gas hour after eating, bloating mid-upper abdomen, darrhea, fatigue, food sensitivities nausea and/or vomiting, strong desire to skip breakfast or other meals, nutritional deficiencies, sleepiness after meals, rectal itching, unexplained hunger and of course GERD.
How do you test for low stomach acid? There are several ways. The Heidelberg stomach acid Test uses small capsule with a radio transmitter that records the ph of stomach as you drink solution of sodium bicarbonate. The baking soda test. For this test, the stomach must be empty of food, so first thing in morning is good time. In a glass of 8-10 ounces water, stir in 1 teaspoon of baking soda. Then think hard about what you are going to eat, smell food, which activates the cephalic phase of digestion, which increases HCL production. Wait 15 minutes. If acid is in your stomach it will react with sodium bicarbonate to produce Co2 that will cause you to burp.
You can increase stomach acid production in several ways that include adding lemon in water, drinking fermented unfiltered raw apple cider vinegar in water to name a couple. You can do these first thing in the morning or before eating.
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