July 6, 2017 general

The public is being bamboozled to death by the makers of Nexium, Prevacid, Prilosec, Protonix, Zegerid and the other 24-hour acid blocking heartburn drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPI’s). Their advertising clearly implies that anyone who gets heartburn should be on the drugs just in case. What is wrong with that? A HECK OF A LOT!

• This text that is fine print on the back of the box should be in bold on the front of the box:

The box shown holds 42 pills. How many people understand that it is a year’s supply?

• We need a good amount of stomach acid to digest protein, absorb minerals, make vitamin B12 and protect us from disease-causing bacteria.
• Therefore, it is just common sense that if you shut down your acid for 24 hours a day for an extended time, there will be a price to pay in your health. Even in the first edition of my book, Natural Alternatives to Nexium 10 years ago, scientific evidence was beginning to showing serious side effects from long term use. I’m talking big problems like dementia, hip fracture and pneumonia. By the time I did the second edition there were a lot more studies. A recent study shockingly comes right out and says they can significantly shorten our lives. STUDY. (This made bigger news in the UK where the media isn’t so dependent on drug advertising.)
• The drugs don’t even address the root cause of the pain. The problem is seldom the presence of stomach acid, it is that it is going where it doesn’t belong—into the esophagus. Sorting out the various reasons for that was a main point of my book and is covered in the class on heartburn in my Digestive Health Course (that is both online and in DVD’s. Use the code HBN20 to save 20%).
• Even if you take the PPI’s for just a few weeks, it becomes very hard to get off them. Study subjects that didn’t have heartburn to begin with had it after a month on the drugs!
• The best doctors don’t recommend proton pump inhibitors. Caring but uneducated docs probably know it isn’t a good idea but just don’t know the alternatives. It doesn’t help that these formerly prescription drugs are just sitting on pharmacy shelves like they are safe.
• Here are some free tips to help with heartburn without the drugs. Cut back on starchy carbs and sweets. Swallow Dr. Ohhira’s Probiotics daily, and chew one or two at the first sign of trouble. Use Lily of the Desert Aloe Vera stomach formula. There is a lot more information on heartburn in the Digestive section of the Library on this website:

Note: The pills in the background of the graphic came from a lawsuit website. That should tell us something.