Why You Should Use Apple Cider Vinegar Instead of Antacids or Baking Soda for Indigestion and Heartburn
| Written by Thomas Corriher Monday, 09 November 2009 11:10 |
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Almost everything you have been told about heartburn, indigestion, and common stomach ailments are lies. Indigestion is not caused by excess acid in the stomach, nor is acid reflux. In fact, the worst treatment for these problems is taking any type of antacid ― whether prescribed or not.
Being acidic is the natural state of the stomach, so there is no such thing as an excess of acid or acid buildup in regards to the stomach. This is like claiming that the lungs suffer from excess oxygen, or the blood has an excess of red cells. Attempting to neutralize stomach acid to treat an uneasy stomach is as effective as treating an excess of blood cells with leaches in the long term. Both cases would be demonstrations of using poor medicine to treat only the symptoms of relatively nonexistent medical conditions which the establishment either cannot accurately diagnose, or finds it too unprofitable to do so.
The truth about most stomach disorders is that they are caused by not having enough acid, so the industry has made fools out of most of us. The true reason behind acid reflux and indigestion is that when the stomach is lacking enough acid, it must churn violently to make the best use of its limited acid during these times of deficiency, which in turn causes pressure and back flows of the existing acid.
Antacids seem to work because they render the acid being spewed by the churning stomach as less potent, and therefore less painful. In the rare cases when acid is actually being overproduced by the stomach, it is usually the body attempting to overcompensate for antacids having been routinely administered. The effects of taking antacids eventually snowballs, preventing proper digestion, temporarily eliminating the symptoms only, and eventually causing the very excess acid problems which the treatments originally had been meant to stop. Moreover, to recreate acids which have been neutralized, the body must carry out a set of chemical reactions which causes the rest of the body to become acidic, which is quite unhealthy.
The next time that you have indigestion problems, try the experiment of giving your stomach the acid it needs. Take one tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar, and follow with a glass of water. (Please purchase the Apple Cider Vinegar in glass containers.) Your stomach churning and pain will subside within minutes, unless the problem is ulcers. The result is likely to amaze you, especially if you have been suckered for years by antacid advertising, as we once were.
Of course, no pharmaceutical company will make billions from this, and none of them will ever be able to become the gate keeper of this remedy by getting a patent to monopolize Apple Cider Vinegar. Regulatory agencies will not be able to profit from this either. Therefore, do not expect to read about this in the medical journals, or to ever hear it reported in the media.
Why Stomach Acid Deficiency Happens
Nowadays our diet hardly mimics the flora of Eden. Even when we try to eat well, our foods are saturated with insecticides, lack Omega-3, have hydrogenated oils, growth hormones, are raised in nutritionally deficient soils, have so called "flavor enhancing" excitotoxins, and are genetically modified ― typically without any labeling. Sometimes the food is even radioactive ("irradiated"), and let's not even mention that processed foods are doubly laced with fluoride from the water used to process them, or the bleachings.
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Labeling laws have even been rewritten to help manufacturers deceive us about 'all natural' labels, so now the word 'natural' is routinely used to mask chemically engineered ingredients. Always read the ingredients of any food item or supplement that is marketed as natural. The goal of the involved powers-that-be is to engineer cheap, mass producible foods, which are highly addictive, and keep us ignorant of it.
These foods line the aisles of typical grocery stores. Even colorings have been altered from being natural, and in some cases they are petroleum based. In the tap water, we have chlorine and fluoride in addition to hundreds of other toxins. Some of these are poisonous heavy metals ― which accumulate over years since they cannot be flushed by the body. Even when not consumed orally, these enter our bodies through absorption into our skin, and in our lungs through the water mist of showers ― both direct paths into the blood. Even contact lens solutions contain mercury ("thimersol"), and baking powders contain aluminum, as ways to net those of us who do not use vaccines. Sneaky, eh?
The end result of our accumulated toxicity and everything mentioned above is that our body chemistry has been artificially altered to become acidic. The relationship between an acidic body and illness has long been established, and the medical term for this condition is acidosis. Acidosis ironically leads to an acid deficiency in the only organ requiring acid: the stomach. The toxicity of the majority of foods in a typical diet causes the body to become more acidic during digestion, and this includes most tap water. A body which is acidic (which is most bodies) destroys its own cells, has a crippled immune system, ages rapidly, experiences skin and hair problems, has metabolic and weight regulation problems, is disease prone, is prone to allergies, cannot effectively absorb nutrients, cannot effectively flush toxins, cannot properly cope with cholesterol, cannot properly regulate minerals such as calcium, and most importantly, cannot maintain high levels of oxygen.
The Aftermath of Weak Stomach Acid, Antacids, or Baking Soda Use
Donna Gates, from bodyecology.com explained that, "There are two main consequences of low stomach acid: 1. You become protein malnourished. When your stomach acid is low, you are not able to digest protein. Improper digestion of protein creates toxins in your intestines that can set the stage for illness and disease. Improper digestion of protein also creates acidic blood, since protein is by nature acidic. 2. You become mineral deficient. As your blood becomes more acidic, it will look for minerals from anywhere in your body, in order to get your blood to its more ideal alkaline state. Acidic blood robs your body of minerals, even taking minerals from your bones (which is important to know if you want to prevent osteoporosis).
"Low stomach acid eventually creates a vicious cycle: low stomach acid = low minerals = acidic blood. This cycle continues because acidic blood further creates low minerals and low stomach acid. Once this vicious cycle has started, there is a cascade of consequences:
"You could eat plenty of protein and still be protein malnourished. This raises cortisol levels (stress or death hormone), thereby raising your blood glucose (blood sugar levels). Elevated cortisol adversely affects your behavior and temperment.
"Eventually, your adrenals become depleted (adrenal fatigue) and DHEA, the youth hormone, is suppressed, leading to premature aging.
"Low DHEA and high cortisol affect your brain and behavior, but that's not all. The vicious cycle of low stomach acid affects your inner ecosystem too. Low stomach acid can lead to more bad guys (pathogenic bacteria, candida and viruses) than good guys (healthy microflora), thus lowering your immunity.
"Here are some of the common symptoms and disorders caused by low stomach acid: Bloating, belching, and flatulence immediately after meals, heartburn (often thought to be caused by too much stomach acid), Indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation, undigested food in stools, acne, rectal itching, chronic candida, hair loss in women, multiple food allergies, iron deficiency, weak, peeling, or cracked fingernails, chronic fatigue, adrenal fatigue, dry skin, various autoimmune diseases".
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The Relationship Between Body pH and Disease (and other facts you're not supposed to know)
Comments (23)
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2010-04-27 09:37:45 | Thomas Corriher
Thanks. I wouldn't change a thing. Using a glass container and keeping it stored in the fridge is the way to go. It's what we do too. As for the hernia, you will just have to experiment to see what works best for you.
Like most of the things we write about, most people have trouble believing us. They have been brainwashed into believing that if they just keep pumping more money into the machine that somehow things will eventually change. They don't realize that they are being conned, or that the system is broken by design. The new health care law is a great example of this, and of rewarding those who made it the way that it is. Modern health care is more like gambling at a crooked establishment than it is about science. I'd feel more hopeful about the population if we could find some way to jam all the televisions, so that people would be forced to begin thinking and seeing things for themselves again. Waking up is a bit like taking the red pill from the movie 'The Matrix'.
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2010-04-29 14:25:22 |IP:204.11.6.xxx| Kyle - H+ Blockers
Hi,
I was once a chronic sufferer of acid reflux and have used many, many, treatments (alternative and conventional).I agree with your take on OTC antacids, they only mask the pain. Even mainstream medicine is battling within the ranks about too much acid/ not enough acid. If you're in the kind of pain I was, downing ACV might suck even more - especially on an empty stomach. That's more of a preventive measure.
My most recent treatment put me on a proton pump inhibitor, PROTONIX. It made me hold a bit of extra water and would give me headaches if I didn't drink enough, but it worked. The doctor only kept me on it for 3 months. I've been off of it for a month now, and am adjusting my diet to prevent this from happening again.
My doc totally agrees with the hollistic approach, but sometimes treating a symptom is necessary, especially when that symptom can burn a hole in your stomach. Now that my body is healed, and the mucus is returned, apple cider vinegar and a good diet can keep it that way.
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2010-05-13 14:07:32 |IP:24.123.240.xxx| Spreading The Word
Apple cider vinegar is a good treatment but if you want a cure, buy four bottles of low sodium V8 juice. Add salt to it and drink two glasses a day, make sure you finish all four bottles. You will not get heartburn again unless you do something to mess yourself up, such as taking Antibotics.
The cloride,(Potassium cloride) in the V8 and salt will lower the ph in your stomach and take care of the heartburn. This worked for me five years ago and I have not had heartburn since. Good Luck
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2010-08-24 19:34:56 | Thomas Corriher
Taking V8 is a really bad idea. It is owned by the Campbell's company (one of the evil empires of the processed foods industry).
The author at http://www.ezhealthydiet.com/v8-juice.html did an excellent job of explaining the situation.
Quote:Nothing, and I mean nothing, can replace the fresh, nutritious enzyme rich juice you get from juicing carrots and other vegetables in your juicer. V8 is a concoction made from processed (heated) juice concentrate or reconstituted vegetable juice with added salt (why does Campbell's add salt?) and "natural flavorings." Natural flavorings are nothing more than repackaged MSG...
Here are the ingredients of a can of V8 Juice straight from the label:
Tomato Juice from Concentrate (Water, Tomato Paste), Reconstituted Vegetable Juice Blend (Water and Concentrated Juices of Carrots, Celery, Beets, Parsley, Lettuce, Watercress, Spinach), Lemon Juice from Concentrate (Water, Lemon Juice Concentrate), Salt, Natural Flavoring, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Citric Acid.
There isn't any packaged juice that will replace fresh natural juice straight from a mix of carrots, apples, celery and whatever else you choose to mix in your juicing beverage. Once juice is cooked above 118 degrees F or processed, as it is in Campbell's V8, the life giving nutritious enzymes are destroyed.By the way, "Natural Flavoring" is a way of hiding unnatural ingredients. You see, the F.D.A. won't give a reasonable and definitive definition for the meaning of "natural", so companies may hide any ingredient using the term "natural". This is normal and legal!
The main ingredient, "water", is likely tap water. Notice it isn't even filtered.
We wrote about the word games and manipulation games in the article: http://healthwyze.org/index.php/deceptive-organic-and-all-natural-food- labeling.html
Quote:"Even if people interpret it ["all natural"] in different ways, it doesn't mean there is confusion out there. If there was, then we would definitely raise it as a priority".
― Geraldine June, F.D.A. Food Labeling and Standards DepartmentGeorge Orwell would be so proud!
If you are going to juice, then do it right. Don't allow them to deceive you that they have a quick fix for you, or that anything they do is for your benefit, or the benefit of your health.
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2010-05-14 13:51:28 |IP:24.123.240.xxx| Spreading The Word
Sorry Thomas
It looks like I pressed the wrong button. Let me start by admitting that I am one of the worlds worst communicators. I am very familiar with Campbell's and would never recommend anyone use their products thinking it was food. I would be the first to tell people that there is no nutritional value what so ever in their products. The only things that I share in these forums are the things that I have experienced myself. I do not post anything that I have been told or have read unless I have experienced it working myself. Allow me to tell you about myself, I am male, age 55, I avoid all meat, refined food, and dairy with the exception of fat free cottage cheese that I blend with my flax oil. I take no medications, doctor myself, grow much of our own food in our organic garden, and I buy organic whenever possible. There are no chemicals in our house, we use only one product for all of our cleaning. I know that you disagree with vegetarians, but this has worked for me for many years. My point is, I am not one of the normal people that are going through life with brain fog. I apologize to you and all of your readers if they suspected that I was promoting V8 juice as healthy. I was only offering the readers a cure versus a treatment. If anyone tries this, they need to know that it is the low sodium version of V8 juice to use, and add about one eighth teaspoon of salt to the juice. It is the Chloride in the product that enables it to work, and the low sodium V8 is loaded with a form of potassium chloride that the body can use to produce the hydrochloric acid that is needed to lower the ph in the stomach. This will eliminate the heartburn and need for the apple cider vinegar treatment. As far as using apple cider vinegar, I add organic apple cider vinegar to a glass of water every night. The choice seemed simple to me, either drink garbage for a week and eliminate the heartburn, or continue to treat it on a daily basis. Again, I apologize to anyone who misinterpreted my intent.
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2010-05-14 15:14:54 | Sarah Cain
It seems like you missed the point of this article. Your stomach should be acidic. It is the natural state. Instead of re-writing what the article said well, here's a quote from above:
Quote:"The truth about most stomach disorders is that they are caused by not having enough acid, so the industry has made fools out of most of us. The true reason behind acid reflux and indigestion is that when the stomach is lacking enough acid, it must churn violently to make the best use of its limited acid during these times of deficiency, which in turn causes pressure and back flows of the existing acid."What the stomach needs is more acid, which is why apple cider vinegar helps people so much. This isn't a 'treatment', it's eliminating the cause. If V8 helps you, it is because it makes your body more alkaline. Your body pH has an inverse relationship with your stomach, so this would make your stomach more acidic.
I'll forgo the lecture on vegetarianism. I can understand how V8 would work, but it would be no more effective than making your own juice. In addition, your own juice would be much healthier. The main point is that it would work by acidifying your stomach, not alkalizing it.
On one last point, you should probably read the comments section of the Budwig article for information on why fat-free cottage cheese is not a good idea.
Take care.
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2010-10-30 11:25:12 |IP:66.226.34.xxx| Frederich
I think you have been too harsh towards "Spreading the Word". The poster did not state that V8 juice alkalinizes the stomach, as you implied. In fact, the poster said that it LOWERS the stomach's pH. Lowering pH means acidifying, not alkalanizing. Perhaps you are not too well versed in chemistry?
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2010-10-30 15:24:25 | Sarah Cain
Potassium chloride has a pH of around 7.4, which is what the poster claimed was altering the pH of his stomach. If that was the case, it would be alkalizing, not acidifying.
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2010-06-11 13:04:57 |IP:173.77.140.xxx| Mel
Question about candida and stomach acid. If sodium bicarb is good for killing candida, but also lowers stomach acid, is it a wise thing to take? (I have acid reflux and hiatal hernia. I also THINK that I have candidiasis). If so, when should it be taken? Between meals? Offset with ACV? Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks
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2010-06-11 10:05:00 | Sarah Cain
Baking soda is not necessary for killing candida, and would be particularly bad for your acid reflux. Follow this article, and you will be able to eliminate your candida without any problems:
http://healthwyze.org/index.php/curing-allergies.html
The fact that you have candida and acid reflux means that you probably have an acidic body pH. This may be helpful to you:
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2010-06-11 14:10:08 |IP:173.77.140.xxx| Mel
Thanks so much for your prompt responses (I'm new to the site)
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2010-06-11 14:23:15 | Sarah Cain
We answer quickly because we're needy and desperate for attention. Just kidding. We enjoy helping people.
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2010-09-09 12:02:33 | Barb
I could not eat a thing with out getting heart burn. Sometimes it was so painful I would grip the arms of a chair until the wave passed. I had all kinds of tests done. I used to take Zantac twice a day for years, Then someone told me about ACV. I bought a bottle of acv pills, I know they say the liquid is the best, but this works excellent as well. I stopped taking Zantac, and went through withdrawl symptoms. I still get acid reflux , and when I do I take a few pills and it is gone. I am so happy that I do not have to take zantac anymore. My husband was being discharged form the hospital a few years ago. And the discharge nurse was going over his medications that was prescribed for him to take when he gets home and one of them was PROTONIX. She said everyone in the world is taking this for acid reflux!! Now my husband has never complained, in the hosipital or at home about heartburn, yet they were prescribing it for him!! We never had that script filled. Can you believe that it was prescribed for him when he never had any symptoms?? Like putting a cast on an arm that is not broken. Barb
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2010-10-14 13:40:18 |IP:66.226.34.xxx| Anonymous
Hi Thomas and Sarah. Do you know if it is safe to drink apple cider vinegar when you are expecting? It is the ONLY thing that helps my heartburn, and other minor tummy upsets.
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2010-10-14 13:53:37 | Sarah Cain
Just get it in a glass container, and you should be fine. This will:
1. Ensure that you are buying from a company that cares something about quality, and
2. Ensure that toxins do not leach out of the cheap plastic containers that are used, which is especially likely with acidic liquids.
You should also work on your body pH, since your symptoms indicate that it is consistently acidic (and yes I realize that the pregnancy itself may be partly to blame). Correcting acidic pH is something we have written about before, but for quick-and-easy, try a juice drink consisting of pineapple juice, lemon juice, and orange juice. This will do wonders for you, and I suspect that you will soon find yourself addicted to it. Some addictions are good.
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2011-08-07 21:43:55 |IP:112.79.211.xxx| Vivek - Acv
Hi
Why do we need to get or keep the acv in a glass container . I have been getting in a plastic container as sold by the company American Garden ?
Thanks
Vivek
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2011-08-08 00:04:48 | Thomas Corriher
Glass is always a wyze choice. However, there should be very little risk with the opaque plastics, like the plasics that are used for gallon milk jugs. B.P.A. is primarily a problem with clear plastics. We have written about common plastics before, if you want to be absolutely certain.
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2011-09-30 23:48:37 |IP:75.106.255.xxx| AKg - problem with acidic foods to begin with
I have to be careful of acidic foods because of a condition called 'interstitial cystitis'. Consuming fruit juices or ANYTHING tomato puts me into excruciating pain for up to weeks while I adjust my pH back to a manageable level. I was diagnosed with this 5 yrs ago and am just now starting to have issues again with acid reflux. I used to take ACV on a regular basis but stopped ALL acidic foods in an attempt to NOT take the medication they wanted me to take to regulate my symptoms. Noticeably in this 5 yr period I have also gained weight and have had bouts with irregularity. Eating coarser greens such as kale have helped a lot.
The symptoms I suffer from if I eat too many/much acidic foods are very similar to a urinary tract infection, affecting liver, kidneys and bladder. Depending on how fast I react to flush out my system, this will last weeks. I have to take pyridium just to go to the bathroom during this time as I am waiting for my system to decrease in inflammation. I know that this is quite personal but I am assuming that there are people who have these issues as well. I hope I'm not the only one at least... Thanks for the great information AND I hope you can provide me with some more non conventional information as well! Thank you!
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2012-01-22 16:41:38 |IP:154.5.0.xxx| Anonymous
This will help with cystis and the acid level in stomach (take a look into the causes of this such as pathogens)-pathogens can wriggle causiing ulcerations and stinging it is nessary but will subside with the use of coconut oil and fiber
drink 2 tablespoons of lemon with a tall glass of water first thing in the morning
add 2tsp of sugar to the mix the bad guys like sugar. it is still quite tart and will kill many offenders and get your bile juices going also helps get rid of internal edemas and swellings
1/2 an hour later take some virgin coconut oil this will sooth any ulceration that one may have in the stomach and intestines
also taking pysllium fiber
and even a cup of coffee 1 to 3 times a week to get further detox
i find coffee great but only in moderation
drink lots of water through out the day
do this for at least 3 weeks then once you start feeling better and only once you start feeling better follow it up with 2 more weeks.
stick to it
it works
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2011-12-04 23:24:01 |IP:96.236.139.xxx| Eric - Tablet/Capsules
My wife suffered terribly from heartburn to the point that she was convinced that she had massive ulcers. We try to use food based/natural treatments, but it got so bad she went for the prescription cures. We knew it would be bad, but she felt that there was no other choice. However, the prescription didn't work...and neither did the over-the-counter meds.
Finally, I found ACV (capsules) and they worked miraculously. Seriously ACV cured the acid reflux. Amazing.
Since then, I've research capsule/tablet types of ACV. Seems we've had the best results with ACV pills/tablets/capsules standardized to 35 percent acetic acid.
May not be as good as the liquid form, but we've had great reasults and it's much easier to consume.
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2012-02-01 07:03:58 |IP:56.0.84.xxx| Sherrie
Hello, I suffer from heartburn even after just
drinking water. I am 44 yrs old and I know I
don't drink enough water, but I was taking
zantac for my heartburn, but I still keep getting heartburn. My question is: Can I take the ACV on an empty stomache or should I mix with a glass of water and how much ACV and how much water (8oz or 16oz)?? Please help I am so tired of heartburn. I also have digestive problems. Please help I feel way too young to have all these problems.
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I am so glad hearing about stomach acid in your article, the lack of, or having too much of it, the effects of using over the counter remedies, and the domino effects it has. I do keep glass contained apple cider vinegar in my frig, (anything wrong about that)?
This article was very helpful. I knew vinegar was good for a body especially in helping to lose weight. I read allot about vinegar in a popular 'snoop' paper and kept it over the years. Knowing that, I began a regimine but didn't know it was best for indigestion. I use to drink a couple TBSP in a tall glass of water every morning but you say down the TBSP first and chase it with drinking water. What is the difference? I have a hernia. Will drinking this combination aide me with the problem? I also a semi-vegetarian. I love veggies and greens, especially chard. I am glad knowing why I always have internal problems and can easily fix most of them with this simple solution. Thank you so much.
Bet Taylor