Heartburn, Drugs, and Low Iron by: Rudy Silva

Most people and doctors think it is ok to use drugs for heartburn, acid reflux, or gastroesophageal disease. Drugs for these diseases should be used sparingly and should be watched closely by the doctor. Drugs should be used for a short time to give the patient time to heal any tissue damage caused by stomach acid going back into the esophagus. Even so, natural remedies can also heal tissue damage in the esophagus and cure heartburn.

Drugs are designed to neutralized or reduce acid strength or to stop the stomach lining from creating more acid. The stomach automatically produces more acid as it strength is reduced digesting food or by the use of by over the counter products and drugs.

The reduction of stomach acid can cause a major detrimental impact in your overall health. Stomach acid needs to be around 1.2 to 2.5 pH to do the hundreds of reactions that occur there. When these reactions do not occur, a cascade of unhealthy conditions begins. You won't see the detrimental health effect for short terms drug use but you will in long term use.

Here is but one condition that happens when your stomach acid is played with by over the counter drugstore products or by the numerous popular pharmaceutical drugs - anemia.

Iron is the center of the hemoglobin, red blood cell, and molecule. This molecule delivers oxygen to all of your cells as it travels through your blood system. The lack of iron in your body results in the lack of oxygen for your body and this condition is called anemia. When you lack iron, your body becomes weak and tired. Muscles become weak and you can become disoriented.

In some clinical studies, people with low stomach acid were found to be anemic. Here's how this happens. In order for iron to be absorbed into your blood it needs to be in liquid form and not precipitated, a solid, and not attached to another nutrient or fiber.

There are two types of iron - heme iron and non-heme iron. Heme iron comes from meat. When your stomach acid is low, meat heme iron will remain in as a liquid and not precipate, so there is no problem with meat heme iron and low stomach acid. The only problem is eating a lot of meat is that it is not an ideal diet for good health.

However, with non-iron coming from grains, vegetables, and fortified foods, stomach pH is important. When stomach acid is diminished, like when drugs and other drugstore products are used iron from produce and grains is also diminished. Stomach acid must separate the iron from produce and grain fibers and dissolve it so it becomes more absorbable.

So, if you tend to be anemic, or believe you have low iron, or suffer from feeling tired and in addition suffer from acid reflux or heartburn, stay away from acid reflux drugs and drugstore products. Move toward more natural remedies to solve your heartburn symptoms. Natural remedies maintain your natural stomach pH and allow you to gain the iron you need to produce and grains.