The Pain and Agony of Aging Digestion

Have you ever been awaken in the middle of the night with heartburn or acid reflux?  If you have, you know how uncomfortable it can be.  It happened to me recently and I was actually quite scared because it was so painful in the center of my chest I thought at the young age of 50, I might be having a heart attack!  I survived the incident and realized in the morning when I was awake that it was only acid reflux and gave myself a reprimand for not having had my apple cider vinegar (ACV) before I went to bed.  I have noticed as I have aged I do not digest certain foods very well and that by drinking ACV before I go to sleep I no longer experience heartburn.

Quite by accident, I saw a magazine with an article on digestion and stomach acid.  I read in the September/October 2012 Well Being Journal, “Proper Digestion, Stomach Acid, and Acid-Suppressing Drugs”.  The bottom line is that heartburn is caused by too little stomach acid (HCI) not by too much.  Well, this is news.  The article continued to explain that in addition to heartburn and ulcers, a wide variety of symptoms and conditions are associated with low production of stomach acid, including but not limited to: constipation and diarrhea,; gas and/or belching; bloating, sense of excess fullness, and/or sleepiness after meals, nausea from eating fatty foods; candida overgrowth and other gut flora imbalances, including parasites; fatigue; food allergies and sensitivities; frequent infections; nutrient deficiencies, especially B12, folate, iron, calcium, and zinc; general malnutrition and poor nutrient absorption; weak or brittle fingernails, liver toxicity; and depression and anxiety.  Wow!  A lot of health concerns can be avoided by having the right amount of stomach acid to properly digest your food! 

HCI production lowers as we age to how do you prevent having low stomach acid?  Avoid eating when upset or distracted by other activities.  Chew your food well.  As a general rule, avoid drinking more than half a cup of water within 30 minutes before or 2 hours after eating a meal.  Add a little lemon or lime juice or raw apple cider vinegar in a small amount of water before eating to improve digestion by stimulating acid and bile production.  You can also take HCI supplements or eat foods that normalize acid production.  To read the entire article on how proper digestion works and what happens when things go wrong, see the September/October 2012 issue of the Well Being Journal at or email me (julie@anuyoubyjulie.net) to receive a copy of the article.

Health Tip:  Antacids Among Most Prescribed Drugs In The World– They Can Actually Aggravate Your Heartburn So Go Natural

When experiencing heartburn a glass of warm water with baking soda will naturally ease the pain!  Unpasteurized Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) is a natural way to prevent heartburn with added health benefits. Here is my blog that featured a article on the benefits of ACV.  Read it to enjoy the many benefits to your health and anti-aging program.