Four Steps to Optimize Digestion
It’s Almost Never Too High
I’ve worked with hundreds of clients and most ALL of them need digestion support. IF you have indigestion, heartburn, or acid reflux, the western medicine approach is to block acid, but that only stops the symptoms and does not address the root problem (And spoiler alert, it likely creates some problems for you too!). Typically when stomach acid is too low, folks will get heartburn, indigestion and acid reflux. It is almost never too high, it is just in the wrong place. It doesn’t belong in the esophagus. Stomach acid naturally declines as we age, which is why, as folks age, we see more people with indigestion, heartburn and reflux. But blocking the acid will not do anything to address that concern.
The Problems Blocking Stomach Acid Can Create
What the acid neutralizers, PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors), H2 blockers, and motility enhancers neglect to do is address the root cause. Typically the root cause is too low of stomach acid, not too high. The pH of the food bolus (aka digested food in your stomach) needs to be very low to trigger the next step in the digestive process. If it is not the right pH, food can sit for too long causing belching, bloating, gas. Every step in the digestive process is triggered by the correct pH — which does change during the digestive process — but if the starting pH isn’t correct, the entire process will be impacted.
Why We Want A Really Acidic Stomach
When the stomach is acidic enough (aka the pH is very low), food will be broken down into the small enough usable parts for the body. We are NOT what we eat, we are WHAT WE ABSORB. If food is not broken down into the small enough usable parts, long term we can start to get nutrient deficiencies, calcium, iron, & b vitamins to name a few.
Low enough pH will also help to control for opportunistic bacteria, parasites, fungi, SIBO, etc. You also have the ability to to digest protein properly because you have enough Pepsin.
Four Steps to Optimize Digestion
First, eliminate any known triggers of indigestion/bloating/belching etc.
From there, start with digestive bitters to stimulate digestive juices to flow on their own (Bitters include: herbal tinctures and/or bitter foods like arugula, dandelion, endive, escarole). Try this for about a week and note any changes to digestion.
If you do not see enough of a positive change, then, try adding 1 tbsp of apple cider vinegar in 4 oz of water OR half of a lemon, juiced, in 4 oz of water shortly before each meal. Try this for about a week and note any changes to digestion.
This may or may not be “enough”, some people will need to take a stomach acid supplement (HCl). Personally, I take a Betaine HCl supplement with each meal and noticed improvements in my digestion, BUT we always start with lemon in water or apple cider vinegar in water first.
A few important noes about why most people need more acid, not less: the correct pH of the food is what triggers each next step in the entire digestive process. If the pH is even a little too high, all of the downstream digestion processes will be less optimal.
If more support is still needed, consider adding in digestive enzymes with meals. Try this for about a week and note any changes to digestion.
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