Turn on any media and suddenly, up pops an ad for acid blocking drugs, encouraging you to keep shoveling that pizza and take this purple pill for instant relief.
Sounds easy, but are there any dangers in using these acid blocking drugs to relieve daily heartburn? The answer is a resounding YES!
Heartburn is that burning pain in the chest and throat that occurs after a meal. It may include a bitter or acidic taste, hoarseness, or a cough. Over time, the reflux of stomach acid burns the delicate tissue lining the esophagus and can lead to dangerous changes in the cells lining the esophagus, including Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease or GERD, and increasingly, esophageal cancer.
Each month, 60 million Americans suffer from heartburn and at least 25% of Americans experience it weekly.
ENTER THE ACID BLOCKING DRUGS
Omeprazole (Prilosec) is in a class of drugs called “Proton Pump Inhibitors”, or PPIs, which reduce stomach acid output by 99%. For the record, there are now seven brands of PPIs, including Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, Protonix, Dexilant, Zegerid, and Aciphex.
These are among the most popular drugs prescribed in America, where Omeprazole alone accounted for $5.6 billion in retail sales in 2016, when it was dispensed more than 70 million times.
A RECIPE FOR INDIGESTION
Why do so many Americans struggle with heartburn? It’s simple: heartburn is a natural response to eating the Standard American (SAD) Diet: a man-made mix of sugar and refined carbs, artificial fats, processed protein, and booze.
This SAD diet isn’t real food to begin with, and when we eat this way, our stomach naturally rejects this “food” by sending it back up the nearest exit, burning the delicate esophageal tissues on its way out.
Is it any wonder that the acid-blocking drugs are among the most commonly prescribed meds in the US today?
A RECIPE FOR OSTEOPOROSIS
It’s a known fact that bone loss declines rapidly after age 50 as estrogen levels fall sharply. That’s also around the time that our years and years of poor diet takes its toll on our gut, and heartburn and reflux become an even bigger problem.
But what if taking that acid blocking pill reduces the absorption of calcium, magnesium and other nutrients essential to building healthy bone? It’s clear that we have a problem.
Bone loss is just one of the side effects when these medications used inappropriately.
The appropriate use of PPIs is for 4-8 weeks; the inappropriate use is to take them longer than that. I’ve seen patients on PPIs for ten+ years who can’t stop them without wicked heartburn.
Reducing 99% of stomach acid production has a range of negative consequences. (1)
Here are 7 solid reasons to wean off of the PPIs and address the underlying cause of heartburn.
Reduced absorption of minerals like calcium and magnesium, leading to increased fractures of the hip, wrist and spine and osteoporosis
Reduced absorption of essential nutrients like iron and vitamin B12, leading to anemia
Disruption of the gut microbiome and an increased risk of infections like C. difficile.
Kidney and liver problems
Interactions with a range of other common drugs
Increased risk of COVID-19, community-acquired and aspiration pneumonias
Withdrawal from PPIs leads to severe rebound acid secretion in many users, compromising their ability to discontinue their use
On July 30, 2020, the FDA added PPIs to its Watch List of drugs for which there is a potential sign of serious risk. (2)
What’s the solution to heartburn?
While PPIs reduce stomach acid output and temporarily relieve heartburn, their use does not address the cause. These meds are a tool to reduce severe symptoms: if needed, limit their use to the recommended 14–28-day treatment cycle, while making the dietary and lifestyle changes that make their daily, long-term use unnecessary.
After decades of helping people resolve chronic indigestion and heartburn, I’ve created this handy guide to help you make the dietary and lifestyle changes that are known to reduce the incidence of heartburn without the use of meds that cause additional problems.
What’s the solution to osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis is another chronic condition that requires dietary and lifestyle changes to slow or resolve. Our SAD diet is a major contributor to inflammation, blood sugar imbalances, food reactions, and ultimately bone loss. Read this blog post, which focuses on the dietary changes you can make to help slow it.
Preventing or slowing bone loss also requires hormonal balance, adequate minerals and vitamins, an active lifestyle with a range of weight bearing exercises, as well as getting adequate sunlight and a good night’s sleep.
To learn more, I urge you tune into this wonderful online series of lectures, running free this week: More Natural Approaches to Osteoporosis and Bone Health 2.0 by my colleague and physical therapist, Margie Bissinger.
Solving both osteoporosis and chronic heartburn can be challenging and will likely require the help of a practitioner trained in the dietary and lifestyle shifts needed to safely wean off of PPIs. If you know someone who needs help doing this, I’d love to support them through my functional medicine practice at the Marin Natural Medicine Clinic in Larkspur, CA
FEATURED PRODUCTS
My Soothe Heartburn Bundle offers the famed Greek Mastic gum resin alone in a potent form, and as a lozenge with DGL (or De-Dlycerrhizinated Licorice) to soothe the esophagus as it is swallowed. Zinc carnosine helps support tissue healing and reduce localized inflammation.
This Better Bones Bundle is a set of supplements is the perfect way to build stronger bones. It starts with 5,000 i.u. Vitamin D with vitamin K2 helps direct calcium into the bones.
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