Digestion Issues

by Dr. Daniel Richter DC

Many people these days are experiencing digestion issues such as bloating and heartburn. It seems that the more people I talk to, the more I hear about them taking Prilosec – the little purple pill.  Unfortunately, Prilosec might be the absolute wrong thing to be taking.

Let's talk digestion in general terms: digestion first starts in the mouth were chewing and saliva start the breakdown process of the foods we eat. The swallowed food is then called a bolus and resides in the stomach where it is further broken down by powerful stomach acids and enzymes. As the bolus exits the stomach it enters the first part of the small intestines called the duodenum. In this section, additional enzymes and bile from the liver/gallbladder are added for further breakdown. From there, the  bolus of food, now called chyme, is passed into the small intestine where absorption of the nutrients takes place. It should be noted that the chyme should be acidic for this absorption to occur. Next, the unabsorbed parts of the chyme passes into the large intestine. The large intestine extracts water from the unabsorbed chyme before it exits the body.

Heartburn occurs when some stomach acid leaks back into the bottom of the esophagus and starts to eat away/digest the base of the esophagus. This is likely due to a weak stomach valve at the end of the esophagus, or the food/bolus not being digested properly and residing in the stomach. If the food is not  broken down properly, possibly due to not enough acid, the resulting bolus will sit there longer. The little available acid will get pushed into the esophagus and cause heartburn. Usually it's not because you have too much acid. To test this, place a tablespoon or two of apple cider vinegar in an eight ounce glass of water and drink with your meal. If your symptoms improve, you don't have enough acid in your stomach (remember Prilosec decreases stomach acid). Do this over a few meals to test for sure.  There is a simple all-natural solution to help with this problem if you find the vinegar test works.

If you get bloated after you eat certain foods you could have another problem. One possibility is a food sensitivity. A food diary might be a good place to start to track down what your sensitivity might look like. It could be gluten, yellow No. 5 food dye, dairy, MSG, or....etc..  Another possibility could be bad bacteria in the gut. There is a simple solution for this also...and its all-natural as well.

I'd be happy to discuss any digestion issue you might have to help get you back on track. Give my office a call at 920-553-0328.