What is low stomach acid and what are the symptoms?

The MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR antacid industry has you believing that stomach acid is bad for you. While you may use antacids for heartburn relief or indigestion, they are not a cure for what causes these problems in the first place. 1. Indigestion

2. Heartburn

3. Bloating

4. Reflux

Is it from HIGH STOMACH ACID ONLY? NO its not.. A lot of the time it is caused by low stomach acid called HYPOCHLORHYDRIA. And it affects half our population. So treatment and medications that further lowers stomach acid can make your digestion worse!!! WHY IS STOMACH ACID GOOD FOR YOU? Stomach acid or HYDROCHLORIC ACID (HCI) is a very powerful digestive agent, and much more important than you realise. WHAT ARE THE FUNCTIONS OF STOMACH ACID OR HYDROCHLORIC ACID?

1.Breaking down proteins (meat, chicken, fish, nuts, cheese, eggs etc) into essential amino acids and nutrients your body needs in order to stay healthy. 2. Stimulates your pancreas and small intestines to produce the digestive enzymes and bile necessary to further breakdown the carbohydrates (sugars), proteins (meat, chicken, fish etc) and fats you eat. 3. Prevents disease by killing pathogenic bacteria and yeast normally present in food. 4. As you age your stomach acid tends to decrease anyway. Add a poor diet of processed foods (bread, rice, sweets, chocolates etc) and stress and you may find that you have both digestion and immune system problems.

This is the cycle of what happens when you have low stomach acid: YOU BECOME PROTEIN MALNOURISHED 1. Toxins build in the intestines creating illness and disease in the gut 2. The blood becomes very acidic causing uric acid and lactic acid build up 3. Body creates acidic blood (uric acid) You become mineral deficient. Body takes calcium, magnesium and other minerals from the bone to neutralise the acidity, can cause Osteoporosis long term. Once this has started the body starts a string of problems: 1. You eat plenty of proteins and still are protein malnourished. 2. Cortisol levels rise in the body (stress hormone) 3. Blood glucose level rises in the body (sugar imbalances occur) 4. Behaviour and moods change 5. Adrenals become depleted and the body goes into adrenal fatigue 6. DHEA (youth hormone) is suppressed and therefore leads to premature aging. 7. Low DHEA and high cortisol affect your brain and behaviour. 8. Low stomach acid and high cortisol lead to more bad guys then good guys in the gut thus lowering your immune system SYMPTOMS OF LOW STOMACH ACID: 1. Bloating 2. Burping 3. Gas in the stomach after meals or during meals 4. Heartburn (often thought to be from high stomach acid) 5. Indigestion 6. Diarrhoea 7. Constipation 8. Undigested food in the stool 9. Undigested food coming up into the mouth after eating 10. Acne 11. Rectal itching 12. Chronic Candida 13. Hair loss 14. Multiple food allergies 15. Iron deficiency 16. B12 deficiency 17. Zinc deficiency 18. B6 deficiency 19. Weak, peeling, cracked fingernails and toe nails 20. Chronic fatigue 21. Adrenal fatigue 22. Dry skin (eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis)Various unexplained auto immune diseases 23. Erratic sleep patterns 24. Cravings for sugar and unhealthy food

HEALING DIGESTION: 1. Reduce intake of sugars including fruits 2. Eliminate processed foods 3.No Dairy products 4. No tea/coffee/caffeinated products 5. No yeast products 6. No wheat/gluten 7. No peanuts/peanut butter 8. No pistachio nuts

9. Take a digestive enzyme that will suit your blood type. Some do well with Betaine and some don’t so be careful which products you take. 10. Must do a parasite cleanse to kill any parasitic infections 11. Clean the liver and gallbladder 12. Take a good quality LIVE probiotic 13. Get rid of heavy metals 14. DO NOT TAKE A PPI (Nexium, Gaviscon, Rennies, Altosec etc as this lowers the stomach acid more) REMEMBER 70 – 80% OF YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM IS FOUND IN YOUR GUT 95% OF YOUR SEROTONIN IS MADE IN YOUR GUT – THAT’S YOUR HAPPY HORMONE!