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.

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".