I have seen 1000’s of patients from all around the world. They come to me for many reasons such as high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol, and concern about a heart attack.

But if you ask people the two health problems they fear most, the answer is always the same.

Stroke and Dementia.

Sure, no one wants a heart attack or to be diagnosed with cancer. But it is the paralysis from a stroke or not being able to recognize family members and become a “burden” that keeps a patient following my directions.

Sadly, millions are taking proton pump inhibitors and are markedly increasing their risk of dementia. Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid, and others are in this category. Often they are prescribed for heartburn and described by doctors as a safe option, more effective than antacids or acid blockers such as Zantac and Tagamet.

But would you take these drugs if you knew that dementia was 44% more likely?

That’s what I thought.

According to a new study in the prestigious medical journal JAMA, dementia was much more common in those on acid-blocking drugs. 44% more common. This needs to be national news immediately. Millions are on these drugs.

Yes, the class of drugs known as Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI’s), are linked to dementia, and also to osteoporosis and vitamin deficiency. I can’t imagine any circumstance where these drugs are heart healthy.

You see, whoever built us, gave us stomach acid for a reason. Stomach acid, produced in the stomach, is meant to digest our food and kill off bad bacteria and parasites that may be on our food. In a delicate dance of the body, the acidic stomach contents are dumped into the alkaline small intestine for further digestion and absorption of proteins, fats, carbs, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

The problem is not too much stomach acid, but too little.

The drug marketers are clever. They make us think acid is the problem, when in fact, acid is the solution.

The alkaline secretions from the pancreas and liver are only effective when they meet acidic stomach contents. THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN WHEN WE STOP ACID PRODUCTION WITH DRUGS.

That’s right. PPI’s stop stomach acid production. They inhibit the enzyme responsible for making acid. This is a very bad thing and your typical medical doctor forgot what they learned in medical school physiology.

Here is the answer: Improve your digestion, don’t stop it.

Action Plan:

1. Eat Paleo. By following the wisdom of our hunter-gather ancestors, digestion normalizes and symptoms go away.
2. Avoid drinking large amounts of fluid around meals. Water dilutes digestive juices.
3. Take probiotics.
4. Use digestive enzymes. We recommend Digest, from The Drs. Wolfson. This supplement contains betaine HCL, ox bile, and digestive enzymes.
5. Apple cider vinegar from Bragg’s is great for occasional heartburn. You can also sip it between meals.

Speak with your prescribing doctor and get off the drugs. See a holistic doctor. An excellent book on this topic is by Jonathan Wright MD, Why Stomach Acid is Good for You.

If you are interested in traveling to our office, let’s talk on the phone for 10 minutes to find out if my practice is right for you. I have been very successful getting patients off just about any drug.

Source:

http://archneur.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2487379