Got Heartburn?
By Dr. Mercola
Despite the name, heartburn doesn’t affect your heart, but rather your esophagus in the area of your chest around your heart. You’ll feel a burning sensation in your chest and maybe experience a sour taste in your mouth. Some people find that the pain lasts for just minutes and others experience the pain for hours.
Occasional heartburn is common and usually not serious. However, if you experience it frequently, it can lead to inflammation of your esophagus and, over a long period of time, to esophageal cancer.
One of the most common prescriptions written for heartburn are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Some of these drugs are available over-the-counter and others are prescription only.
While these drugs are easily accessed and often provide some relief, they have been associated with chronic kidney disease (CKD), sometimes leading to kidney failure.1
Bone broth can help rebuild the tissue in your stomach lining. Bone broth naturally contains gelatin and cartilage, essential building blocks for tissue growth. It also increases gastric acid secretion, normally inhibited by PPIs and H. pylori bacteria.21 The broth contains glutamine, which plays a small but important role in cell metabolism and cell growth in the small intestines.22
Vitamin D is important to address any bacterial overgrowth in your body. Optimized vitamin D levels can be obtained through daily sun exposure or through the use of an oral vitamin D3 supplement. It’s important to remember to take vitamin K2 with your vitamin D3 to reduce the risk of hardening of the arterial walls.
A tablespoon of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in 6 ounces of water daily can help to balance your gastric acid production and create an inhospitable environment for helicobacter pylori growth.
Ginger root also has a protective effect on your gastrointestinal tract. Put two slices of fresh ginger root in 16 ounces of hot water and allow it to steep for about 30 minutes. Drink it about 20 minutes before a meal. In one study, the use of ginger root proved six to eight times more potent in the treatment of heartburn than Prevacid.23
Sources and References
- 1 Proton Pump Inhibitor Use and the Risk of Chronic Kidney Disease. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(2)
- 2 Heartburn | Overview. (2016). Familydoctor.org. Retrieved 2 May 2016
- 3 Heartburn Risk factors – Mayo Clinic. (2016). Mayoclinic.org.
- 4 Proton pump inhibitors: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia. Nlm.nih.gov. Retrieved 2 May 2016
- 5, 6 Proton Pump Inhibitors May Increase Risk for Kidney Disease. (2016). Medscape
- 7 Proton pump inhibitor and histamine 2 receptor antagonist use and vitamin B12 deficiency. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 8 Vitamin B12 deficiency can be sneaky, harmful – Harvard Health Blog. Harvard Health Blog.
- 9 FDA Drug Safety Communication: Low magnesium levels can be associated with long-term use of Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs (PPIs). (2016).
- 10, 11 Office of Dietary Supplements – Magnesium. (2016). Ods.od.nih.gov.
- 12 Publications, H. (2016). Proton-pump inhibitors – Harvard Health. Harvard Health
- 13, 14 Proton Pump Inhibitors and Histamine-2 Receptor Antagonists Are Associated With Hip Fractures Among At-Risk Patients. Gastroenterology, 139(1), 93-101
- 15, 16 Proton Pump Inhibitor Usage and the Risk of Myocardial Infarction in the General Population. PLOS ONE, 10(6), e0124653
- 17 Press Release: The 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine to Barry J. Marshall and J. Robin Warren.
- 18 Overlapping gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome: Increased dysfunctional symptoms. World Journal of Gastroenterology
- 19 Helicobacter pylori and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- 20 The possible role of Helicobacter pylori in GERD. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- 21 Stimulation of gastric acid secreted by glycine and related oligopeptides in humans. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.
- 22 The effects of glutamine on intestinal epithelial cell proliferation in parenterally fed rats. Gut, 44(5), 608.
- 23 Inhibition of gastric H+, K+-ATPase and Helicobacter pylori growth by phenolic antioxidants of Zingiber officinale. – PubMed – NCBI. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
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