Most products on the market today sooth heart burn symptoms, partially through the dilution of your stomach acid, whilst not dealing with the underlying issue. In this article we look at why it’s important not to dilute your stomach acid and how you can fix the root cause.
We have to take antacids to help with heartburn, right?
Ask most people and they’ll tell you that the best way to help with heartburn is to take an antacid or, if you’re lucky, a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). In other words, we generally think that heartburn is caused by too much acid and that this acidity has to be lowered in some way.
It’s certainly true that acid reflux has to be dealt with. If the esophagus, throat or teeth are continually exposed to the strong hydrochloric acid from the stomach, it will damage the delicate tissues and teeth and cause health problems down the line.
So, is stomach acid really the enemy here? Is the only way to deal with acid reflux to reduce the acidity levels? The simple answer is no.
Acid reflux does not occur because of acidity being too high. If it did, every teenager would suffer from terrible heartburn which they would slowly grow out of. This is simply because we naturally have very strong stomach acid levels when we are young, and they steadily decline as we get older.
But if it’s not the acidity levels that cause the heartburn, what does?
We all have a lower esophageal sphincter (LES) where our esophagus and stomach connect. This is a small but firm muscle that is meant to open and close to let contents into the stomach but not out again, acting like a one-way gate. When we suffer from acid reflux it’s because the muscle lacks strength and cannot keep the gate closed, causing the contents to flow back.
So how to antacids and PPIs help?
Antacids
Antacids are simply acid neutralisers. Usually made from some kind of basic salt like calcium carbonate, magnesium hydroxide or aluminum hydroxide. One very popular antacid on the market also combines this neutralizing effect with a physical barrier that prevents the reflux.
PPI’s
Proton Pump Inhibitors are prescription medicines that do not neutralise acid. They prevent the stomach parietal cells from doing their normal job which is to secrete acid to digest food. This lowers the overall acidity in the stomach.
Why it may be bad to tamper with the acid levels?
The stomach acid serves many purposes. Three of the core reasons are:
- To protect from infection by killing bacteria
- To digest the protein in food
- To assimilate B12, iron, calcium, magnesium and other important nutrients.
Continuous overuse of antacids or PPI’s is becoming more of a concern in today’s medical world as the importance of good gut health becomes clearer.
How can REZCUE help heartburn?
REZCUE is a natural, effective solution to heartburn. Instead of eliminating the stomach acids, it soothes and protects the mucosal lining of the whole GI tract. It does this through the dual action of Zinc L-Carnosine and L-Glutamine. These are natural compounds of zinc and naturally occurring amino acids.
When the membranes are healthy and nourished, they function better. They can easily contain the natural levels of acid where it is expected and let the stomach acid do all the jobs it was designed for.
