"I ate too much, I ate too fast, and everything I’ve eaten has turned to gas."

I penned these words over forty years ago, because of my eating, no, my over-eating a wonderfully cooked Thanksgiving meal. This was before I entered the field of nutrition. Since then I have learned how to eat more efficiently thus enabling my body to handle the carbohydrates, proteins, and fats that I put into it. Well, most of the time.

This past Thanksgiving, and especially the couple of weeks leading up to and through Christmas, was one of continuous get-togethers with family and friends. Yes, there was lots of food, and I did partake, however, I knew how and what to eat so that I didn’t fall prey to the results of over-eating. Unfortunately, many of those with whom I socialized with did state, some or all of the words I had penned over forty years earlier.

"I ate too much, I ate too fast, and everything I’ve eaten has turned to gas."

Most called it acid indigestion or too much acid resulting in heartburn. They complained of its symptoms; including burping, belching, sour stomach, nausea, stomach distention, a bad taste in one’s mouth, nausea, extra upper and/or lower gas, rumbling noises in the stomach, and maybe even diarrhea. That’s when the assortment of antacids were passed from one to another and eaten as one would eat candy at a child’s birthday party. Anything to stop the build up of acid and its resulting discomfort.

I never had that problem. Why? I learned from past experience to do what’s right for my stomach.

First, I don’t believe in antacids. It has nothing to do with my not investing in this multi-billion dollar a year industry.* Okay, so what if the doctors recommend them, does that make it necessarily right?

"But," you say, "they contain calcium, and everybody needs calcium."

I concede that most people could use extra calcium in their diet. In fact, many, if not most of the people need the other minerals as well.

"Then why are you against the use of antacids?" I’m asked.

Question, what is an antacid?

According to books on anatomy, the prefix ant-, or anti-, means against. Therefore, an antacid is against acid, or aids in the reduction of it.

"Then that’s good. Isn’t that what we want, to get rid of too much acid and its accompanying symptoms?"

If you are about 32 years of age or younger, I might agree, however, most of those with whom I shared this past Thanksgiving and Christmas, were somewhat older. In their cases, I would have to disagree with that statement.

"But I’m under age 32, so it does pertain to me, and I could use the extra calcium. That’s why my doctor recommended this particular brand of antacid. I get the benefit of an antacid, and the extra calcium"

Yes, calcium does lessen or buffer gastric acid, specifically; hydrochloric acid (HCl), however, if one doesn’t have enough HCl in their stomach, the absorption of calcium cannot take place. Calcium, along with iron and other important minerals, require an acidic stomach and the addition of antacids interfere with their being absorbed by the body. In other words, you can’t have it both ways.

"I’m over 32 years of age. What does that have to do with acid indigestion?"

Through years of misusing the stomach with improper eating habits, chances are that those over 32 years of age do not have enough stomach acid.

"You’re, wrong, I have an ulcer. The acid burned a hole in my stomach."

Hydrochloric acid serves many purposes. It, along with enzymes, serve to break down the foods we eat enabling us to digest, and eventually assimilate this food. HCl works on protein. Interestingly, the cells of the stomach’s linings are, to a great extent, made up of protein, thus one could conclude that HCl, since one of its primary purposes is to digest protein, could and would digest the lining of the stomach. It doesn’t because there is another set of cells in the stomach wall that are busily secreting mucus. This mucus, constantly flowing across the surface of the stomach’s lining, protects it from the action of acids and enzymes.

"Then HCl acid does cause stomach ulcers."

Ulcers are caused by bacteria in the stomach which attacks and destroys this mucus thus allowing a gap in the lining of the wall to happen. This gap enables the HCl to reach the actual lining and create an ulcer.

Another function of HCl is to sterilize the food and liquids we eat. In other words, it serves to destroy bacteria in the stomach so that this harmful bacterium doesn’t reach the small intestines where it would cause havoc in the rest of the body. If one has adequate HCl, bacteria would not be able to eat the mucus lining, thus an ulcer couldn’t occur.

Or,

"You’re wrong; I know I have too much acid. I have a hiatal hernia and I can taste the acid going up into my throat."

The warmth of the stomach, sugar, and bacteria forms gas. If one has adequate HCl, gas couldn’t form and go up into the throat (esophagus) because HCl destroys bacteria.

"Okay then, what about all of those symptoms I have?"

Those are pretty much the same symptoms for an inadequate amount of hydrochloric acid.

"Does that mean if one has acid indigestion, one should go to the local vitamin store and buy some HCl?"

No. (Although it is available in pill form)

Indigestion may be a symptom of something other than a deficiency of HCl. It could be caused by swallowing air, improper food combing, disorders with the gallbladder, liver, or pancreas, to name a few.

"So what could one do?"

This is the first of many self-tests I will include in subsequent newsletters.

Stomach Acid Self-Test

According to the book Prescription for Nutritional Healing; one should take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice. If this makes your indigestion go away, then you need more stomach acid. If it makes your symptoms worse, then you have too much acid, and you should take care not to take any supplements that contain HCl.

If the test is positive in that you need more HCl, talk to a health professional as what to take.

Incidentally, some other deficiencies of an inadequate amount of HCl are: sinus and throat congestion, overgrowth of yeast infection, bad breath, food allergies, and even extreme fatigue. February’s newsletter will go further into this fascinating world of digestion.

Why don’t you enter www.vitaminstories.com, tab Contact, and request a Body Language Questionnaire to determine other deficiency symptoms of HCl plus 35 other nutrients? It’s free, and will be emailed to you for you to answer in the convenience of your own home. Instructions are included.

Did you know a deficiency of HCl can be seen if you know what the symptoms are, even by you? Stories 45 through 49 in my book, Look at Me, I’m Talking to You, relates to what I looked for to determine a deficiency and the role this supplement played as related through these stories.