How to fix it

Following the advice from the first two steps of the digestive process—getting into rest and digest mode and chewing foods well—will take you very far along the path to keeping your stomach acid at good levels. If, after taking those steps, you still feel symptoms of low stomach acid, you can take digestive bitters (a liquid tincture available at most health food stores), or you can take a small amount of fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Any of these strong bitter or sour liquids in just a small shot of water about fifteen minutes before meals can be helpful in stimulating HCl production. If your symptoms are severe, you may find that supplementing with HCl directly is most effective.

If you experience symptoms of low stomach acid like reflux, heartburn, or excessive fullness immediately after eating even though you have eliminated grains, legumes, sugar, and refined foods from your diet, it could be that your body needs more time to adjust before you will see the results of your dietary adjustments. If you have been on acid-blocking drugs, such as a PPI (Proton Pump Inhibitor), for an extended period of time, you will need to take further steps beyond simply increasing stomach acid to ensure you properly absorb and utilize nutrients from your food.

If symptoms of low stomach acid persist for longer than thirty days, there may be a more serious issue, such as a persistent gut pathogen (bad bug). In this case, I recommend working with a practitioner who understands your desire to maintain a whole foods diet and who will conduct a stool test to rule out H. Pylori, SIBO (Small Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth), or other problems. It is critical to resolve these issues in order to have full success with a nutrient-dense, whole-foods diet.

ways to support digestion, naturally

Reduce intake of carbohydrates, fiber, and sugar/sweeteners in all forms (including artificial), especially fructose. All of these promote dysbiosis, which is imbalanced gut flora. This means you are feeding the bad bacteria in your digestive system and allowing them to increase in numbers.

Lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. Try about 1 tablespoon in 1 ounce of water 10-20 minutes before a meal.

Digestive bitters. You can find these in tincture form (liquid in a dropper) in many health food stores. Dosage will vary and will be marked on the bottle.

You can find HCl supplements at any health food shop—usually as betaine HCl or as part of a combination of digestive enzyme support. I recommend only taking these supplements as part of a multi-pronged approach, understanding that rest and digest mode while eating, as well as chewing, are critical. You may take a low-dose of HCl per the instructions on the bottle and monitor your own symptoms thereafter. If you notice any “heat” or burning sensations in your upper gastric region, it means you have taken more than you need. If you take more HCl than you need but never feel a burning sensation, it may simply be a good sign of an intact mucosal lining.

In combination with supplemental HCl to combat feelings of acid reflux, I highly recommend adding mucosal lining support as well. Chewable deglycerized licorice (sold as DGL in most places), marshmallow root, slippery elm, and/or peppermint herbal tea are helpful. (See the “Repair” step in the Guide to Leaky Gut see here for more information.)

Here is an important caution, however, from integrative medicine practitioner Chris Kresser on HCl supplementation: “HCl should never be taken by anyone who is also using any kind of anti-inflammatory medication such as corticosteroids (e.g. Prednisone), aspirin, Indocin, ibuprofen (e.g. Motrin, Advil, etc.) or other NSAIDS. These drugs can damage the GI lining that supplementary HCl might aggravate, increasing the risk of gastric bleeding or ulcer.”*

*source: Kresser, Chris. “Get rid of heartburn and GERD forever in three simple steps.” April 16, 2010.
http://chriskresser.com/the-hidden-causes-of-heartburn-and-gerd

the part: liver and gallbladder

The liver is a reddish-brown organ that weighs about 3.5 pounds and sits in the upper right quadrant of the abdominal cavity, just below the diaphragm. The gallbladder is a much smaller (8cm x 4cm) pouch-like organ that sits below the liver and connects to the duodenum (part of the small intestine) via the common bile duct. The common bile duct also connects the gallbladder and the pancreas.

The liver is responsible for a lot of critical life functions like detoxification and protein synthesis, but it also plays a very large role in the digestive process. It produces bile, a soap-like substance that emulsifies dietary fats like butter, olive oil, and coconut oil—the way dish soap breaks up grease on a dirty pan—in order for you to digest and assimilate them into your body’s cells and tissues. Your gallbladder stores the bile and releases it based on signals from the brain that communicate the timing and quantity of bile needed to properly break down dietary fats. You couldn’t appropriately assimilate dietary fats, as well as fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K, without your liver and gallbladder.

NO GALLBLADDER?

If your gallbladder has been removed, you may find that a more moderate or even a low-ish fat intake helps you feel better. Focus on fats that are easier for your body to break down without the need for bile. Contrary to popular belief, saturated fats are easier to digest than unsaturated fats! This is because the actual chemical structure of saturated fats like butter and coconut oil is much shorter, and our bodies can disassemble them/break them down much easier than those made from longer chains like mono or polyunsaturated fats (such as olive or walnut oil).

what can go wrong?

The primary issue you may experience with your liver and gallbladder involves the signaling hormone cholecystokinin (CCK), which enables your brain to communicate with your gallbladder. If this process goes awry, you may feel pain or discomfort after a fatty meal in the area under your sternum (the large hard bone in your upper chest). This may indicate a chronic disruption in the normal flow of bile from your gallbladder or that gallstones have developed and are beginning to block the normal release of bile from the gallbladder. This blockage may occur within the gallbladder itself or in the common bile duct (the set of tubes that allow the liver, gallbladder, and pancreas to secrete into the small intestine).

Often, people attempt to eat a low-fat diet when these symptoms develop since they understand that the gallbladder is working in response to dietary fats. This approach only tends to make matters worse because, in an effort to eat less fat, they usually increase their intake of grains. Due to the introduction of this anti-nutrient food and the lower demand for bile secretion, the CCK hormone signals are only disrupted further. Then, the gallbladder fails to secrete enough bile, which begins to back up.

Another—and possibly earlier—sign of a malfunctioning gallbladder or gallbladder signaling problem is green, yellowish, or light-colored stool. This color pattern suggests that dietary fats have not been properly broken down before elimination, which may indicate that your bile production or secretion is impaired.
If all is working smoothly, you won’t feel any discomfort after a fatty meal, and your stool color will be normal. (Read more see here about identifying healthy stool.)

Bear in mind, too, that your liver serves many critical functions beyond digestion. It is also responsible for the uptake of fatty acids once they’re broken down in the small intestine. It is your liver that screens all incoming toxins to determine the proper immune response against possible invaders. Poor liver function can mean you won’t be able to fight infections with full strength. So, overwhelming your liver with antigens (compounds against which your body needs to launch an immune response), whether from environmental or dietary toxins, is not a good idea!

Дата добавления: 2015-11-14