Back in medical school
we learned to prescribe proton pump inhibitors (such as Prilosec) for
heartburn. Then, when patients got osteoporosis, we were supposed to prescribe
bisphosphonates (like Fosamax)—which cause ulcers, jaw bone destruction, and
many other problems—and horse urine hormones (Premarin)—which cause breast
cancer, heart disease, and strokes. Then, when patients had their heart attack,
we were supposed to prescribe statin drugs (such as Zocor)—which cause liver
damage, depression, diabetes, muscle damage
(including the heart muscle), hormone deficiencies, and so forth. You get the
picture.
Prescribing
acid-blocking drugs to treat heartburn is based on the presumption that there
is too much acid in the stomach. To be sure, a gastroenterologist could do a
scope and place a pH probe in the stomach to monitor its acidity for 24 hours.
In practice, I have never seen this done. Doctors will often prescribe
acid-blocking drugs after seeing abnormalities in the esophagus or stomach
during a scope procedure but, again, they are making the assumption that too
much acid is the cause of those abnormalities, which is anything but
scientific.
Like depression, ADHD, headaches, chronic fatigue syndrome, and the rest
of today’s vogue illnesses, heartburn is not a disease at all. It is merely a
symptom of an underlying imbalance. Paradoxically, most people with heartburn
do not have too much stomach acid. Instead, many have too little. But when any
acid at all gets into the esophagus—where it doesn’t belong—it can cause
intense burning, chest pain, difficulty swallowing, chronic coughing,
hoarseness, etc.
In combination with other agents, acid blockers are very effective in
the treatment of ulcers. Healing occurs in a matter of weeks. Unfortunately,
many patients first present to us after decades of treatment with these drugs,
which were originally FDA-approved for treatment courses lasting eight weeks.
What their doctors did not know is that the human body requires stomach acid to
digest proteins and absorb vitamin B12 (think fatigue and anemia) and key
minerals, such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, chromium, molybdenum,
manganese, and copper. Most people were never warned that long-term suppression
of stomach acid can cause osteoporosis, yeast overgrowth, hair loss, charley
horses, food allergies, rashes (including hives), diarrhea, constipation, weak
fingernails, acne, asthma, bloating, belching, gas, gallbladder problems,
autoimmune diseases, thyroid disease, and much more. Most of these effects
don’t even make it to the rapid-fire list of dangers you hear during the last
10 seconds of the commercial telling you how your life is going to be
transformed by that purple pill. Unfortunately, because many of these effects
take years to develop, people don’t realize they were caused by the magic pill
that keeps their heartburn away.
Before you or someone you love reaches for any magic pill
to make your symptoms go away, seek out a doctor who is trained in finding and treating the causes of
gastrointestinal symptoms, not just suppressing them. Alternatively, if
bloating, belching, gas, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, or any other symptom
has become such a way of life for you that you have convinced yourself it is
normal, think again. While you may think they are just annoyances you have to
live with, in reality they signal imbalances that can eventually lead to
serious diseases, such as colon cancer. A little detective work and a few
changes now may not only make the symptoms go away but also save you a lot of
money, unnecessary procedures, and serious diseases in the long run.
Dr. Andrew is board-certified in Family Medicine and has additional
training in Functional and Anti-Aging Medicine.
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