Today it is very common for people to suffer from heartburn and other types of gastric upset. Common symptoms include burning in the upper chest, belching, gas, bloating, nausea from supplements, stomach pain and more. Most stomach problems have one common root cause, and it isn’t too much acid.

Most often the problem is in fact too little stomach acid.

“Okay, you’re whacked. That can’t be.”

Hold on, give me a minute to explain.

When we eat a meal, our stomach produces stomach acid (Hydrochloric acid, or HCl) to help break it down. However most people today, upwards of 98% of the population, produce too little stomach acid. When that happens, food isn’t completely digested, and for some can even lead to physical pain following meals.

“So how does low stomach acid cause heartburn and acid-reflux?”

When you eat a meal, protein specifically, it remains in the stomach until it has been sufficiently broken down by the stomach acid. If your acid levels are low, that takes much longer and is much harder on the body. Food sometimes will start to ferment in the stomach, producing gas, which can cause belching and bring some of the acid up into the esophagus where it can burn and cause damage.

If your stomach acid levels were normal, the protein would be broken down in a timely fashion, and would leave the stomach without symptom.

“What are some of the other dangers associated with having low stomach acid?”

The biggest problem associated with low stomach acid is nutritional deficiencies. Today it isn’t uncommon for non-vegetarians to end up with Vitamin B12 deficiencies. Also, upwards of 70% of the population is deficient in both zinc and magnesium. Stomach acid is required for the absorption of dozens of nutrients. Which means that if you have low stomach acid (and you probably do) you aren’t getting the nutrients you should out of your food, or any other supplements you take.

“What can I do about it?

The first thing you need to do is test your acid levels. This is a simple test that takes 7 meals to complete. You can read more about the test here. Once you’ve found out how much acid you aren’t making, you need to compensate for it at every meal. In my opinion, this one thing, along with quality food, is probably the best thing you can do for your nutrition and health.

You can purchase an HCl Test Kit here.

I highly recommend you seek out an experienced practitioner to walk you through this process. If you are in the Fresno-area you can book your free consultation here or email me at aaron@synergy-pt.com. If you are outside the Fresno-area, click here to find a Biosignature Practitioner in your local area.