New Reasons To Avoid Heartburn Drugs, Plus Natural Ways To Get Relief

Most people have experienced some form of indigestion in their life—you know, the acidic burn following pizza, wine, and ice cream that serves as a painful reminder that you can't eat like a college kid anymore. It's estimated that at any time, 25% of all adults in the U.S. suffer from frequent bouts of heartburn, aka acid reflux or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Once in a while, it's no big deal; the issue is when it becomes the norm. As the name implies, GERD is the refluxing of the gastric contents of the stomach into the esophagus. Unlike your stomach, though, your esophagus is not equipped to withstand that kind of acidity. This damages esophageal cells, causing pain in the short term and, if it continues to happen over many years, can even potentially lead to esophageal cancer.

None of which sounds very fun, does it? The even bigger problem, though, is that many mainstream docs are treating GERD with medications called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) that may do more harm than good and that don't do anything to address the root cause (which, as a functional medicine consultant, I find quite problematic). 

In fact, a brand-new study1 found that PPIs (which include Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, and Prevacid) may actually increase your risk for developing allergies you didn't previously have, likely by altering the stomach's delicate balance of acids and enzymes in a way that interferes with the immune system, while another study from this year found that these drugs may increase risk of heart disease, kidney disease, and stomach cancer. 

As mentioned above, the current standard treatment for chronic heartburn or GERD in conventional medicine is to prescribe medications that lower stomach acid production, called PPIs. In fact, studies have shown that around 15 million prescriptions are written each month for one particular brand, making it the fourth most commonly prescribed medication in the country.

Many people are under the assumption that acid reflux is caused by too much acid in the stomach, which is why the practice of prescribing PPIs makes sense at first glance. But that's not the true cause. The issue, rather, is that the stomach's contents are making their way past the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) into the esophagus. 

The reason people have improved symptoms with acid inhibitors is because they stop nearly all production of acid in the stomach, and without that acid present, even when food continues to reflux into the esophagus, it no longer produces the symptoms of heartburn. 

In reality, people with GERD may actually produce too little stomach acid. In fact, it's known that stomach acid production often decreases with age, while the incidence of GERD increases with age8, suggesting that excess stomach acid isn't the issue. 

Since low stomach acid can be a contributor to heartburn and lead to inadequate digestion and nutrient absorption, consider taking a supplement to boost stomach acid and digestive enzyme production. A good first option: digestive bitters. If that's not quite enough, try taking a digestive enzyme supplement containing Betaine-HCl11 with meals (under the supervision of a functional medicine provider). 

If, for whatever reason, you must go on a PPI, it's important that you stay on it for ideally no longer than six to eight weeks to avoid side effects and that you supplement with Betaine HCI and digestive enzymes during meals to make up for your diminished stomach acid. You may also want to consider a high-quality multivitamin and multimineral supplement, as your body will have a harder time absorbing these nutrients from food.