That was me, of course. I was on Prilosec for over a year, taking a pill every single night to control my stomach acid. It's so simple! You take this magic pill, and you don't have heartburn! It worked!
It worked, as in "I didn't have heartburn." Does that mean it's working? Unfortunately, as I've discovered, the answer is an emphatic NO. Never mind the potential side effects of long-term use of these pills. You're welcome to look those up on your own. The focus of this post is on a fun subject called hypochlorhydria.
Hypochlorhydria is where your stomach produces too little acid. Simple enough. Let's go over the symptoms. We have reflux, heartburn, excess gas, bloating...hey...wait a minute. These are the exact symptoms I was having when I went to the doctor in the first place. They put me on Prilosec, and it fixed me!
Yeah, it sure did fix me. Every time I tried to stop Prilosec, I had an unquenchable heartburn that only...Prilosec could cure. Funny thing, that.
So how did I happen upon a subject like hypochlorhydria? As it turns out, Sasha was having severe digestive issues last year, and through the magic of the Internet, we stumbled upon low acid as a possibility for her woes. While you can get tested for hypochlorhydria, your primary doctor probably won't do it. "Heartburn? Take this pump inhibitor. That'll fix you up." Instead, you'd do well with visiting a naturopath, or...
I wasn't a big fan of naturopathy at the time, so we decided to place Sasha into the role of guinea pig to see if she did indeed have low stomach acid. The test? Take stomach acid pills (Betaine HCl)--the complete opposite of a Prilosec pill. If you do have low stomach acid, the pill will help. If you don't have low stomach acid, the pill causes heartburn. We figured that if heartburn cropped up, we'd neutralize with an antacid and call it a failed experiment.
So she tried it. One pill with a meal, and no heartburn at all! The next step was to try two pills with the next meal. Again, no heartburn at all. The final test was with three pills. With not even a hint of heartburn, it was then safe to say that her stomach wasn't producing enough acid.
She stayed on the regimen for a few months, and gradually her stomach began to produce more and more acid. As she started getting heartburn again, she reduced her acid pill dose. Eventually, she was off the pills all together, essentially cured of her acid-related woes.
In my case, I weaned myself off of Prilosec about a month ago with pretty good results...for about two weeks. Then, I started having a bit of mild heartburn. Then, moderate heartburn. I wanted to go back on the Prilosec, honestly, but in the back of my mind, I also suspected that I could also be under-producing. I decided to try the test--one pill with a meal. No extra heartburn. Two pills? Nothing. Three pills? Again, nothing. Lo and behold, I wasn't producing enough acid. It makes sense, though, having taken Prilosec for so long. Additional research yielded that hypochlorhydria and thyroid disease often go hand-in-hand. Maybe I never needed that Prilosec after all...
So what on earth does this have to do with my Paleo journey? Stomach acid is required to properly break down foods. If you aren't producing enough acid, your food isn't being broken down properly. Your food is undigested and passing through your intestines. Irritations, anyone? In addition, if your food isn't broken down, you aren't absorbing those nutrients. Be Paleo all you want--if your body isn't absorbing nutrients, the diet isn't working to its potential.
In a nutshell, if you've ever had chronic digestive issues, be they heartburn, GERD, indigestion, or whatever, then it's worth your time to explore the possibility of hypochlorhydria.
DISCLAIMER: This was my story, and what worked for me might not work for you. If you do suspect hypochlorhydria, the best thing you can do is find a trained physician who can help you in your diagnosis.
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