As you may or may not know from my previous blog’s, the pharmaceutical industry definitely has a place in emergency situations, but a good majority of the time is way over utilized leading to many problems, a lot they don’t even warn you about.  This being because bigPharma is all about the bucks.

Proton pump inhibitors, or acid reducing medications like zantac, prilosec, prevacid, nexium, tums ect…. are a class of pharmaceutical drugs that are used for almost any gastrointestinal complaint.  A lot are over the counter now.
In the UK, doctors issue more than 50 million prescriptions for PPIs every year.

Scientists have been studying the connection between PPIs and food allergies, because they already know  through research that PPI’s can have other side effects such as a greater risk for heart disease, increase the chance for dementia, chronic kidney disease, nutritional deficiencies and infections such as salmonella, pneumonia and Clostridium Difficile.  

PPIs reduce the amount of acid in the stomach, which is “desirable” for patients with gastric ulcers. However, In 15% of patients they found sensitizations to foods that had previously been fine with before taking the medication.  Foods like potatoes, tomatoes, celery.  So, there’s a a high risk of developing an allergy with these medications.

Nature provides it’s own protection in the stomach, but we deactivate that when we take these drugs.  The stomach produces enzymes and those enzymes have the task of breaking down proteins that we ingest through our food.  But the enzymes work only in an acidic environment. Your stomach actually loves acid, after all it sits in a pool of it!
When we take these drugs we neutralize the acid, and the enzymes can’t do their jobs.  Proteins get through undigested and we can become sensitized or develop allergies.

If you have digestion issues to begin with, most the time the stomach acid is just not in that optimal acidity that we need it to be in.  This is often times because of stress, lack of exercise and most commonly the typical poor american diet of sugar, carbs and processed foods. 

If the acid isn’t being used because the acidity isn’t right, then yes it will rise and give you acid reflux.  And over time ulcers can result.  But, the less acid you produce, the worse the problem becomes.  That’s why many individuals have such a hard time coming off of these drugs.  They are so depleted in the acid, that its hard to recover from.

It’s actually quite an easy fix, and one I see daily in my office.  You need to first heal the lining of the stomach and esophagus, and then use some quality supplementation to stimulate the acid to be produced again, and in the right acidity level.  Changing the diet is also a must.  Over time, the stomach gets the memo and continues to produce the adequate acid without the need for the supplement.

Allergies are also on the increase in children.  We know there are other factors now such as vaccinations creating so many allergies because of the food proteins in them mixed with the chemicals, GMO foods, ect. but if a pregnant woman takes a PPI there is an increased risk of the unborn child developing a food allergy. 

PPI are prescribed for 60-70% pregnant women. This being because heart burn can be a common symptom during pregnancy as the child pushes on the stomach and diaphragm. This medication not only impacts the immune system of the women ( acid kills bugs), but also on that of the unborn child. Studies have shown that during the time when the stomach’s own defenses are neutralized, the way may be paved for sensitization to allergens. 

There are many natural options during pregnancy as well to help with the symptoms, and most women say after the baby is born the symptoms go away.  But, who do you know that has been told that they may have some of these symptoms by taking this medication?

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The stomach is our first stop for digestion, and some would say the most important.  If we don’t digest our food, then we don’t absorb it on down the line in the intestines.  This is something I always start with with any nutritional protocol.  You’d be surprised what can all change when you can properly digest your food!

I also see a ton of neck and shoulder issues arising from stomach dysfunction.  
Believe it or not, the stomach nerves have a referral type pain in the neck and the shoulders.  Often times, this can be just the ticket for fixing these complaints.

I hope this was helpful to you this week.  Please always do your research.  There are risk to every single pharmaceutical drug that you take. My goal is to find root causes instead of bandaids, but nature does provide us with options when we need them!.  Nature first and drugs last.

OIL OF THE WEEK

On the spotlight this week is DoTerra’s Ginger Essential Oil. Newly sourced from Madagascar, dōTERRA Ginger essential oil is derived from the fresh rhizome of the ginger plant—the subterranean stalk of a plant that shoots out the root system. A featured ingredient in many Asian dishes, Ginger has a hot, fragrant flavor when used as a kitchen spice. In Western tradition, Ginger is most often used in sweets—gingerbread and ginger snaps being two examples. Internal use of Ginger is best known as a digestive aid and for helping to ease occasional indigestion and nausea.* Ginger essential oil can also be applied topically or inhaled for a soothing aroma.*  Uses During a long car ride, diffuse or place a drop of ginger in the palm of your hand and inhale. Apply over lower abdomen for a soothing massage. Use Ginger essential oil in your favorite sweet and savory dishes. Directions for Use Diffusion: Use three to four drops in the diffuser of your choice. Internal use: Dilute one drop in 4 fl. oz. of liquid. Topical use: Apply one to two drops to desired area. Dilute with doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil to minimize any skin sensitivity.