Focus On Your Esophagus For Real Relief

Every year, Americans spend over $200 billion taking dangerous medications that aren’t intended for the condition they’re trying to treat.

And some of the most misused drugs on the market are heartburn medicines packaged under well-known names like Nexium, Prilosec, or Prevacid.

Doctors prescribe these pills – or consumers turn to heavily advertised over-the-counter versions – because they contain protein pump inhibitors (PPIs) that block the production of excess stomach acid.

It’s understandable why you think you’d need one of these drugs…

If you eat a modern American diet, you’re probably familiar with the burning pain that can hit you in the chest after a meal and last for hours.

My patients tell me they’d try anything to cool the fire.

But here’s what my patients and most people don’t realize: PPIs are targeting the wrong organ.

This means that out of the millions who take them every day, 70% are getting all the risks that come with this dangerous drug but no real benefit.1

Studies show that PPIs can:

  • Increase your risk of dementia by 38% and Alzheimer’s by 44%2
  • Increase your risk of heart attack by 20%3
  • Significantly increase the risk of hip fractures4
  • Raise your risk of kidney problems, bone fractures, and certain cancers5
  • Increase the risk of pneumonia by almost 12%6

In fact, taking these drugs in high doses gives you a 2.6 x higher risk of death.7

Like I said before, PPIs focus on the wrong organ. They work by targeting stomach acid production. But your stomach isn’t the problem. It’s doing its job properly.

The real problem is happening in your esophagus. Let me explain…

Heartburn isn’t caused by too much stomach acid. It’s caused by too little.

You need stomach acid to digest food and absorb nutrients. This acid also protects your digestive

tract from dangerous bacteria linked to ulcers.

Heartburn is a direct result of the inefficient closing of your lower esophageal sphincter (LES).

Your LES is a small muscle that opens and closes to allow food to move from your esophagus into your stomach. But thanks to our modern grain-heavy diet, it’s overwhelmed and overworked.

And when the LES doesn’t close completely, food, bile, and acid flow back into your esophagus, causing painful heartburn and indigestion.

In addition to the nightly pain and discomfort of heartburn, prolonged exposure to acid in the cells of the esophagus can produce precancerous changes. This condition, called Barrett’s esophagus, is a precursor to cancer of the esophagus.

And esophageal cancer is increasing at an alarming rate.

I tell my patients to neutralize acid and find relief by shifting attention to healing the esophagus.

Focus on your esophagus for real relief

Here are three natural alternatives to PPI drugs that keep your stomach safe and your esophagus functioning as nature intended without any adverse side effects:

    1. Relieve symptoms with D-limonene. In one study, 90% of people who were supplemented with this orange peel extract reported complete relief of their heartburn symptoms in just two weeks. What’s more, the effect lasted for six months after they stopped taking it.8 I recommend taking 1,000 mg every other day for 20 days and then taking a maintenance dose as needed.
    2. Soothe your esophagus with licorice extract. A study has shown that DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice extract) can block inflammation and reduce heartburn without disrupting gastric acid production.3 In a randomized study, researchers gave 50 patients either DGL or a placebo. The volunteers who took the licorice extract reported a 51% reduction in symptom scores, compared with 29% in the placebo patients.9 I recommend 75 mg of DGL taken with food twice a day.
    3. Protect your LES as you sleep: If you’re still suffering from symptoms, I suggest taking melatonin before bed. You may know this as a sleep hormone, but it also helps normalize LES pressure to allow it to close more effectively. One randomized study compared melatonin to Prilosec for GERD patients. After just 40 days, 100% of the melatonin group had a complete remission of their symptoms. But only 65.7% of the Prilosec group found relief.10 Look for a melatonin spray, drops, or a sublingual that melts under your tongue. I recommend taking no more than 0.3 mg about 30 minutes before bedtime.

 

To Your Good Health,

Al Sears, MD, CNS

References:

1. Downey M and Gonzalez G. “Stop Heartburn Fast!” Life Extension. Feb. 2017 (2/8). Updated May 2022. Accessed August 11, 2022.
2. Haenisch B, et al. “Risk of dementia in elderly patients with the use of proton pump inhibitors.” Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci. 2015.
3. Ariel H, et al. “Cardiovascular Risk of Proton Pump Inhibitors.” Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2019 Jul-Sep; 15(3): 214–219.
4. Yang YX, et al. “Long-term proton pump inhibitor therapy and risk of hip fracture.” JAMA. 2006 Dec 27;296(34)2947-53
5. Drugwatch.com. “Proton Pump Inhibitor (PPI) Side Effects.” https://www.drugwatch.com/proton-pump-inhibitors/ Accessed on August 12, 2022.
6. Lin W, et al. “Association of Increased Risk of Pneumonia and Using Proton Pump Inhibitors in Patients With Type II Diabetes Mellitus.” Dose Response. 2019 Apr-Jun; 17(2): 1559325819843383.
7. Maggio M, et al. “Proton pump inhibitors and risk of 1-year mortality and rehospitalization in older patients discharged from acute care hospitals.” JAMA Intern Med. 2013;173(7):518-23.
8. Willette RC, et al. “Purified d-limonene: An effective agent for the relief of occasional symptoms of heartburn.” Proprietary study.” WRC Laboratories, Inc. Galveston, TX.
9. Raveendra KR, et al. “An Extract of Glycyrrhiza glabra (GutGard) Alleviates Symptoms of Functional Dyspepsia: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study.” Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2012;2012:216970.
10. de Souza Pereira R. “Regression of gastroesophageal reflux disease symptoms using dietary supplementation with melatonin, vitamins and amino acids: comparison with omeprazole.” J Pineal Res. 2006;41(3):195-200.