Nagging feeling your chest? Can ya just taste the acid? Popping TUMS like candy? Alright this breakdown is for you.
Shall we start from the beginning... What is stomach acid anyway and why such a bad wrap? Stomach acid is a combination of hydrochloric acid (HCl) and pepsin. hydrochloric acid is a combination of hydrogen ions and chloride and because it contains so much hydrogen it makes the pH very very acidic.
If you remember or look at a pH scale you will see that stomach acid falls between battery acid and lemon juice and there is indeed a great reason for this.
Let us pause and consider that when our bodies were created/constituted/willed into existence there were no mistakes made. And if that is indeed the case then why is a majority of the population on some sort of antacid, H2 blocker or PPI such as TUMS, Prilosec, Pepcid, Nexium to essentially tamp down or "soothe" the acid that was put there in the first place.
Let us consider for a moment that stomach acid itself is not the villain BUT it is just in the wrong place at the wrong time. If we return to the idea that nothing in our body was created by mistake then we could conclude that the stomach which carries something essentially as acidic as battery acid also has a way to protect itself and that is where the mucosal barrier comes into play.
The stomach is lined with a thick and viscous layer to protect itself from essentially eating itself. If this mucous membrane becomes compromised we end up with ulcers in our gastrointestinal lining. Our mucosal barrier is quite the opposite of acidic and is very alkaline. It is made of water, phospholipids and bicarbonate. When hydrogen protons (from HCL) or pepsin(the enzyme that breaks down our protein in the stomach) comes in contact with this barrier it is neutralized on the spot - pepsin in contact with an alkaline environment turns into pepsinogen which is inactive and can no longer break things down and Hydrogen in contact with this barrier will turn into water and CO2 which we burp out. Our magical body knows what it's doing. If we have a breakdown in this mucosal barrier then we have nothing to protect the lining our stomach and all of that acid can directly come in contact with the lining of the stomach forming ulcers.
Why does our mucosal lining breakdown ? Alcohol, NSAIDS, corticosteroids, stress, and infections in the stomach. Other causes are dehydration...remember the lining is made primarily of water, if we are dehydrated our body will pull water from less important places (the stomach) in order to protect more vital organs...DRINK YO WATER.
While the stomach is lined with this ooey gooey layer that's not to say the rest of the GI tract is so where we run into trouble is when the acid from the stomach ends up in places it is not supposed to be. In GERD (gastroESOPHAGEAL reflux disease) you guessed it...the acid is refluxing/splashing back up into the esophagus. The esophagus which is not designed to have such acidic substances also wasn't created with the same mucosal barrier system as the stomach. If we put something as acidic as stomach acid in an environment
that isn't equipped to handle it is where we begin to see symptoms of GERD such as acidic taste in the mouth, heartburn, etc.
The next question we need to ask is, if we know what stomach acid is and where it is supposed to be, then WHY is it coming back up?
Where the bottom of the esophagus and top of the stomach meet there is a sphincter which opens and closes. Now it should only be open when we are eating to allow food to get into the stomach but sometimes the sphincter will open allowing that really acidic acid to flow back up the esophagus causing GERD symptoms (acidic taste, heartburn, dry cough, etc.) The stomach acid in this case is NOT the problem, it's the sphincter that has inappropriately opened.
Alcohol, smoking, carbonated beverages, and stress can all directly work on the sphincter to allow it to open and therefore stomach acid to splash back up the wrong direction. Other considerations is eating meals late. When we eat we should be sitting upright to allow gravity to work as it intended and food to pass in a top to bottom (literally) approach. If you eat a heavy meal and immediately lay down afterwards then you don't allow gravity to work as it intended you are increasing your chances of that food and stomach acid to press against the sphincter and reflux to occur. Last but not least....tight fitting clothes around the mid-waist (I love high waisted pants as much as the next gal but not your friend if you're having reflux)
So we know how, where and what but lets get to the why behind this magical corrosive liquid. Whenever we smell food, think about food or ingest food our body starts to create the environment to breakdown whatever is coming down the hatch. Our stomach is a first line of defense - that high acidity will kill of bacteria, pathogens, viruses, etc. in attempts to keep the rest of our body safe. Also, while our mouth releases enzymes to break down carbs and fats, our protein digestion doesn't start until it reaches the stomach and comes in contact with pepsin. The greater the acidity , the more efficient the protein digestion.
When protein is broken down into it's smallest form we get amino acids which can be reconfigured and used by the body for a slew of things. If we "neutralize" our stomach acid then we are in fact inhibiting our protein digestion as well as our first line of defense to kill of bacteria. There was no mistake made with this vat of acid that sits in our mid belly, it is literally there to protect us from the outside environment and that folks is something that should be revered not tamped down.
While reflux may just seem nagging and most people will try to counteract it with popping a daily antacid, there can be serious complications. As we discussed up above, stomach acid is only supposed to be in the ...STOMACH. That acid continuously splashing up into the esophagus creates scar tissue, if the esophagus is continuously exposed it will just create
more and more scar tissue which can lead to strictures and trouble swallowing, that high acidity can eventually breakdown the lining of the esophagus and perforate the wall and if the cells in the esophagus become continuously exposed to a hostile environment it doesn't allow the cells to reproduce appropriate and can lead to esophageal cancer.
Acid that has pushed its way up can get into the trachea(windpipe) leading to increased
asthma symptoms, coughing fits from the irritation of the acid in the throat as well as aspiration which could cause pneumonia in the lungs.
Other considerations is that if we do indeed decrease the amount of stomach acid using H2 blockers or PPI's then we are interfering with digestion. Remember we said that protein digestion begins in the stomach unlike the mouth as in carbs and fats. If we decrease the amount of acid, we decrease the amount of pepsin which is the enzyme that breaks down protein. Also by decreasing stomach acid we decrease our bodies natural defense system, allowing in pathogens and other nasty invaders.
So how can we continue to let the fire burn without feeling the effects?
First and foremost, drink more water. I try to get at least 2- 2.5L of water per day. This allows the body to maintain homeostasis without needing to pull water from "less important" places like the stomach. Obviously if you are outside in the heat or working out you may need to drink more water. Pay attention to your urine, it should be a light yellow to almost clear. If it becomes amber or dark yellow or has odor it means your urine is too concentrated and you should be drinking more
Build back up the mucosal lining by.....drinking lots of water, decreasing NSAIDs, cutting back on smoking, caffeinated drinks, alcohol and processed food that has an inflammatory effect to the stomach lining. Also, incorporating in herbal remedies
that are mucilaginous (kind of slimy) to coat the stomach . These include slippery elm, licorice root or marshmallow root tea as well as aloe vera. I would recommend tea over tinctures in this case because tinctures are typically alcohol based and could be more aggravating to your stomach.
Being aware of foods that trigger stomach acid and removing them temporarily just until you are able to heal your stomach - most common triggers are spicy foods, tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, red wine and frankly alcohol in general. Remember, you are unique and your food triggers are too...pay attention to what flares you up and causes your symptoms.
Wearing looser fitting clothing or at least clothing that isn't strangulating your midline
Sit up after eating for at least 1 hour to allow gravity to do its job and food not to come up the wrong direction and going to bed on an empty stomach.
Last but not least, be blessed not stressed friends.
Whether it's our physical or spiritual practice we should never be "dampening" our inner fire. Our bodies are serendipitously designed to deal with the outside world and by overriding our natural abilities we are indeed doing ourselves harm. Give the body the tools it needs and the right conditions and it will indeed surprise you. Take care, let your fire burn bright and heal your way to health.
XOXO
Hannah
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