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Acid reflux is an extremely common health problem, affecting as many as 50 percent of Americans. Other terms used for this condition are gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or peptic ulcer disease.
Symptoms of acid reflux, or GERD, include heartburn, wheezing, tightness in your throat, or a feeling that food is stuck in your throat.
Typically, acid reflux is believed to be caused by excessive stomach acid production. However, this “conventional wisdom” has been shown to be incorrect, and widely used drugs to treat acid reflux may take an unsuspected toll on your health.
Aloe vera juice can be helpful for reflux, ideally made from home grown aloe with leaves that are 18 inches long before harvesting. Species that produce thick leaves are best. Aloe has many benefits including high amounts of an immune stimulating polysaccharide, especially mannose which has been shown to induce white blood cells to secrete interferon, tumor necrosis factor and beneficial cytokines.
The benefits come from the inner gel of the plant, not the outer leaf. The inner gel can be combined with a lime or lemon, and blended with a hand blender to make it more palatable when drinking. Aloe can also be beneficial for burns.
Widely Used Antacids Can Cause Vitamin B12 Deficiency
According to one recent study, long-term use of proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec, Prevacid, and Nexium (“the purple pill”)-drugs that suppress the amount of gastric acid your stomach produces-is associated with vitamin B12 deficiency.
Participants who took proton pump inhibitors for more than two years had a 65 percent increased risk of vitamin B12 deficiency, which can lead to a number of troublesome ailments, including:
Higher dosages were associated with greater risk. As explained by senior researcher Dr. Douglas Corley, a gastroenterologist at Kaiser Permanente:
“These types of antacids can cause a deficiency in vitamin B12 because the same cell that makes stomach acid also makes a little protein that helps vitamin B12 be absorbed.”