Heartburn is a fairly common problem experienced in western society, but what is it really?

The Merck Manual defines it as “Reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus leading to localized infection.” It can be painful, as acid is making contact with the cells of the esophagus and causing a burning sensation.

Ask almost anyone and they will say the cause for this is “Excessively High Stomach Acid levels.” Extensive marketing campaigns have been launched and maintained for decades to drill this idea into our heads. As a result we have been brainwashed into believing something that is the opposite of what is actually happening. And sadly, we follow up by taking pharmaceutical drugs designed to inhibit stomach acid production.

The truth of the matter is that heartburn, (technically: Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease; GERD), is due to a relaxation of the sphincter connecting the stomach and esophagus, which is caused by low stomach acid levels. The low stomach acid levels reduce the tone and tightness of the sphincter, allowing contents to flow backwards; and as a result we see the typical heartburn symptoms.

Dr. Wright at the Tahoma clinic has been testing for stomach acid levels in patients since 1976. He has found that in thousands of heartburn cases more than 90% show low stomach acid production.

Personal experience as a herbalist and experience from fellow Herbal Colleagues back up the findings of Dr. Wright. Continue reading →