STORY AT-A-GLANCE
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) inhibit acid production in your stomach and are routinely used to treat acid reflux. An estimated 15% of the U.S. population are on PPIs. Antacids like Tums neutralize acid in your stomach but don’t block production. They’re the least harmful, as their effects are temporary. Be sure to read the ingredients list, however, as many acid neutralizing medications contain aluminum hydroxide, a toxic compound that impairs your body’s zeta potential
If you regularly suffer from heartburn or acid reflux, inhibiting acid production is actually the last thing you want to do
Acid reflux occurs when contents from your stomach back up into your esophagus, causing stomach acid to irritate the lining of your esophagus. However, excess acid is not the problem. Low acid is, because the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is pH sensitive and only closes once sufficient acidity is present in the stomach
Other causes of heartburn include hiatal hernia, medications and foods that relax the LES, foods that irritate the stomach, obesity, smoking and helicobacter pylori infection
PPIs and antacids are inadvisable as none of the potential underlying causes involves excess stomach acid. What you need is more acid. Long term use of PPIs can compromise your health, as insufficient stomach acid has been linked to asthma, GI-related issues, skin diseases, depression, gallbladder disease, migraines, macular degeneration, osteoporosis and a variety of autoimmune conditions