★★★★★
Betaine HCL worked like a miracle for me too after many months of suffering from GERD (chronic heartburn or acid reflux). It felt like a rat was living in my tummy, gnawing my insides every day.
It is necessary to take 5-7 caps instead of the 1-2 the bottle says, and ONLY take it with protein meals, never with light meals. Made my suffering that lasted for months go away in several days. I still maintain my stomach health by using this supplement occasionally with a heavy meal. (If you take betaine HCl with a light meal you will probably feel burning in your stomach.)
If you have been suffering, you have got to try this method. The reason it works is because when we get older and the stomach acid level drops, the signal sent to the brain weakens and the sphincter closing the esophagus off from the stomach relaxes and lets a tiny bit of the very strong HCl (hydrochloric acid) through. It is counter-intuitive, but raising stomach acid during a protein meal will send a stronger signal, and the esophagus sphincter will shut tightly again.
Using a drug that shuts off stomach acid can be detrimental since stomach acid kills germs that you do not want entering your intestines, and makes minerals from food available to the digestion. Mineral deficiencies can start a new host of illnesses.
Actually, sipping a slightly strong ACV drink with a protein meal *might* create the same situation of raising stomach acid during a heavy, protein-laden meal. God bless!
Betaine HCl
★★★★★
I disagree with the thread that states you need to neutralize stomach acid to cure acid reflux, which is the ideology of mainstream meds like Prilosec. Doing so will only exasperate the condition. Hear is why.
Poor eating habits high in crabs cause an overgrowth of starch metabolizing bacteria, like h pylori, in the stomach. These bacteria actively lower the stomach acids to facilitate their own growth, which reduces the stomachs ability to do its job, digest food. If food does not reach a certain acid level, it will not be released into the intestines and will sit in the stomach like a rock. This causes stomach bacteria to begin metabolizing the food in the stomach, which causes a gas byproduct to build and resultant burping. The burping brings up gastric acids into the esophagus, and resultant GERD.
Curing GERD means healthy eating habits (low starch diet) and restoring stomach acids with HCL acid tablets. If your GERD has already progressed to stomach ulcers, you will first need to address that problem before re-acidifying the stomach. Worked like a charm for me.
Betaine HCl
★★★★★
Most common information in the internet is, GERD is because of the high stomach acid.
The real truth is if there is low stomach acid then the lower esophageal sphincter valve LES VALVE that is connecting the esophagus and the stomach opens and cause the food juices to flow upwards causing GERD or ACID Reflux.
The best emipirical test to confirm low stomach acid is the Betaine Hcl test. The test is done as:
Take 1 betaine hcl capsule with meals. If you are feeling comfortable, then take 2 betaine hcl capsules in the next meal. If you are feeling good then take 3 betaine hcl in the next meal. Now if you are feeling acid reflux or stomach burning sensation then drink a glass of water mixed with half teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize stomach acid.
Now, the result is you have low stomach acid and you have to take 2 capsules with your meal for some time.
Some people are very low in stomach acid for which they have to take 4 - 6 capsules. Try Betain Hcl with pepsin. Good Health
Betaine HCl
★★★★★
I Suffered terribly with GERD for a long time. A Dr Charles Duffy of Dallas Ft Worth Texas said in 30 years of practice ,the majority of his patients that had GERD were deficient in stomach HCL [hydro-chloric acid]. I was told to do this;get Betaine HCL[500 mg] capsules.To start, take 1 capsule fifteen minutes bsfore meal;next meal take 2, 15 minutes before; next meal take 3 as before.Keep doing this until you feel a peppery burning in stomach,esophagus.Then back off one capsule. This I did and my limit was 7 caps,then I backed off one. Amazing how this stopped the GERD.I then modified my diet to 75% raw food.
It did not take long before I was able to cut back on the Betaine HCL caps. I now follow "The Metabolic Typing Diet".
Harold
