The Cause of Acid Reflux, Heartburn & GERD

I’ve had someone close to me suffering with this and thought that you or someone in your family may be suffering from this as well. My friend got to having such bad heartburn that he quit eating anything spicy. Even high acid food like tomatoes and many other things in his diet would trigger acid reflux. Another friend of mine is taking anti-acids but doesn’t seem to think it is fixing anything because the symptoms come right back when he stops the medications. 

Healthy vs GERD graphic

If you look up GERD (Gastro Esophageal Reflux Disorder) You will find that it is the loss of pressure between the sphincter and the stomach. Medical experts say it is a relaxation of the sphincter (valve) at the top of the stomach. 

Heartburn is often a symptom of GERD caused by acid reflux. So it appears as if all of these issues are linked back to this one root cause.

Esophagus, esophageal sphincter, pyloric sphincter

Are you struggling with any of these symptoms? If so, you may learn from the struggles my friends have experienced.

Another friend of mine was having digestive issues, so he cut all fermented foods out of his diet. It worked to an extent, but limited a lot of foods he could eat because he also had to also remove many raw foods from his diet as well. 

I don’t know if you’ve thought about how frustrating this is, but for me when I want to eat healthy, having handy raw foods around just makes things easy. Would you agree? It is easier to eat healthy when you can prepare a nice bowl of fresh vegetables you can grab a few pieces of throughout the day… They are just so handy!

Healthy stomach, GERD Stomach, Acid Reflux

The medical research will say these 3 issues are caused by pregnancy, smoking, obesity, Hiatal hernia etc… so there is not a lot of information or data out there about the actual causes of this combination of digestive issues. 

Instead, the research talks about the risk factors, the related triggers and medications for relief but no answers to the cause. 

Tums antacid

There are basically 3 types of medications people end up using for Acid Reflux, GERD & Heartburn: 

  1. The Protein Pump Inhibitors
  2. Tums, which is calcium carbonate
  3. Also the H2 Receptor blocker

All 3 of these reduce the acid in the stomach and have pretty scary side effects…

Vitamin B12 supplement

Side effects of PPI (Protein Pump Inhibitors) are:  

  • C. DIFF (bacterial infection)
  • Osteoporosis (degenerative bone issues)
  • Decreased B12
  • Decreased Magnesium
  • Allergy Reactions
  • Heart Attacks

Side Effects of Tums (too much Calcium Carbonate)

  • Gas
  • Nausea
  • Kidney Stones
  • Allergies
  • Constipation

Side Effects of H2 Receptor Blockers

  • Decreased Sex Drive
  • Insomnia
  • Muscle pain
  • Vomiting
  • Constipation

All of these medication types also cause a condition called  “Achlorhydria” – A condition where you don’t have acid in your stomach anymore. You could also have decreased Achlorhydria – which is a decreased amount of acid in your stomach. 

The side effects of not having acid in your stomach are:

  • GERD
  • Acid Reflux
  • Heartburn
  • Decreased B12
  • Constipation
  • Decreased Magnesium & 
  • Decreased Zinc

So the medications that are supposed to treat the symptoms actually add to the problem. 

So what causes Acid Reflux, GERD & Heartburn? 

Is it too much acid? That is more of a sour stomach that can lead to gastritis. Probably not…

Stomach, sphincter, healthy, GERD

With all of these, you are having too much of the stomach acid splashing up into the valve on the top of the stomach. 

So what causes this? 

Autonomic Nervous System problems and a few other physical conditions that cause low stomach acid include:

  • H-pylori – (a bacteria)
  • Zinc deficiency – this is a very good remedy for ulcers & gastritis
  • Decreased Potassium, Sodium 
  • Decreased Chlorides (needed to make the acid)
  • Decreased Iodine
  • Decreased D3 
  • Also Hypothyroid
  • Antacids 🙂

YOU need nutrients to build stomach acid!

Organic Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar Bottle

So if lack of stomach acid is causing the condition, adding acid back into the diet can often make these conditions go away. Things like apple cider vinegar or Betaine HCL can help bring stomach acid levels back to normal.

So there is a relationship between the stomach acid and the sphincter valve. If the stomach acid stays the right pH (between 1-3) the valve will stay closed nice and tight. 

Apple Cider Vinegar

If you have these make sure you fortify your body with:

Zink, Potassium, Sea salt, Iodine, and B3

I hope this has been helpful in your day. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar once or twice a day in a glass of water does wonderful things for the digestive system. Another is organic lemon juice is very good for this. The lemon juice also defends your body from making kidney stones. 

I look forward to hearing from you. Let me know if you want further product recommendations and I will get those over to you. 

Until Next time, this is Nurse Mary and Be – Well!