We all know the body makes stomach acid.  But when we hear about stomach acid, it’s usually how people have “too much” acid and that’s why they are dealing with heartburn or acid reflux issues.  There is a lot of brilliant marketing by the pharmaceutical companies when it comes to stomach acid and why it might be a good idea to turn acid off, and I believe it the same way I believe that a mime is a talented artist.  In week two, I explain why people really get heartburn and reflux, but let’s first look at why “turning off” your stomach acid with drugs is one of the worst possible things you can do for your long-term health.

 

Hydrochloric acid (HCL) is the protector of the human body.  Let’s say you are eating at the buffet and you’re taking in viruses, bacteria, and microorganisms because you scoop up the salad the kids sneezed on a few minutes earlier.  While you eat from this salad bar, you are taking in all this filth and you are eating undercooked hamburger and chicken drumettes that were dropped on the floor.  The truth is you don’t really know what you are getting.  Keep in mind that I worked at a salad bar when I was a kid, and my only rule was that being funny in front of the cute waitresses was far more important to me than delivering clean, sanitary food to all the redneck patrons that came in on coupon night.  Your food doesn’t even need to be dropped on the floor by a zit-faced high school kid to have bacteria or other little creatures on it.  Even the food you clean and prepare at home can have some little ninja-like varmints that make it through the cleaning process.

 

Why We Need Stomach Acid

 

That’s where HCL becomes such a hero.  Anything that comes into YOU (any microorganisms, bacteria, or other types of bad guys) is going to die in an acid bath.  That stomach acid is the protector of the mechanism that is YOU.  The hydrochloric acid function of the stomach is your knight in very disgusting armor.  When you take a drug that turns that barrier off, you’re opening the door to anybody that wants to come in and raid the pantry (you are the pantry in this scenario).  That’s why two people can eat the same meal and one will get food poisoning and have projectile fluids coming out of both ends, and the other person will just say, “The fish didn’t taste right, did it?  Oh, and sorry about your luck.”  One person had the proper level of stomach acid to kill whatever little creatures were still living on that fish; and the other person is praying to the porcelain god, vowing to never eat seafood again.

 

The point is, you want that acid function to be in the stomach because it is the gatekeeper.  It’s the lock that keeps all the hoodlums out.  I don’t want you to think that taking medication for acid reflux or heartburn is the only reason a person may lose that acid function.  There are many ways a person can produce less than the proper levels of acid.  There are also many reasons the acid function may not fully recover for years, or even decades.
The body needs minerals in order to generate stomach acid.  However, the body needs stomach acid in order to fully break down foods and pull minerals out of those foods.  Without digestion, you can’t assimilate minerals, but without minerals, you can’t create proper digestion.  See how someone could be screwed with a capital “F” for a long time?  Using HCL supplementation can allow you to manufacture proper digestion so you can pull the minerals out of the food you are eating.  Once the body has enough minerals, the stomach can often begin to make an appropriate amount of HCL.  At this point, the HCL supplementation can often be reduced until the body is making plenty of its own HCL—and then the supplementation can be removed altogether.  Depending on your mineral reserves, food choices, and many other factors, this process can take weeks, months, or longer.  In week two, I will show you specific steps you can take to increase your stomach acid if this is appropriate for you.