If you?re asking how heartburn feels you obviously have never experienced it.

Imagine nearly the most corrosive substance know to man, hydrochloric acid (HCL) splashing up into your sensitive mouth area, again and again and again.

Why does this happen?

Besides the fact that we eat too many processed foods, Americans have been lied to by antacid manufacturers. These so-called antacids actually produce what?s called a stomach acid rebound affect.

You see, the layers of your stomach are very complex and don?t have any problem holding down a bubbling cauldron of caustic acid so powerful it will ?etch? a glass window.

All this volcanic, blistering nasty stomach acid is kept down below by muscular valve called the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES). Now I see two schools of thought which describe exactly how the stomach acid gurgles its way past this esophageal flap.

One idea claims that the stomach acid over powers it, weakens it and allows the forbidden elixir of brimstone and digestive acids to eat their way up into your more sensitive oral cavities.

The other more feasible explanation of how the bubbling curd works its way upward into your mouth, nose and middle ears is because the undigested stomach contents are bulging and piling upward forcing the flap to compromise its integrity.

You see, in actuality most people have difficulty properly digesting food when they get older because they suffer from mineral and nutrient deficiencies. These nutritional deficits are caused from eating a lot of enzyme-barren foods, forcing the pancreas to make enzymes that are usually hidden within raw fruits and vegetables. This also taxes the bile producing gall bladder of important minerals necessary to make stomach acids.

So now here we are, gut full of food eaten days ago, maybe longer, just slowly fermenting like a cow?s belly, simply because there?s no more stomach acid or enzymes left to break it all down faster.

This bulk, presses up ward causing gas, heartburn and acid indigestion, cramps, flatulence and the rest of it. But what?s bad is the body is working hard to produce a much needed ?mega burst? of gastric acid and when it lets it go, it has nowhere to go but up, because your stomach is already stuffed to the brim.

In this case ?the brim? is referring to the Lower Esophageal Sphincter (LES).

Now use your imagination. What?s going to happen is noxious stomach acid, from your guts HCL surge, is going to shoot straight up where it should never be. The deep burning sensation is your flesh being etched, blistered and chemically peeled away; the rancid disturbing taste is horribly indescribable.

Over time you?ll experience gum disease, loss of tooth enamel and permanent ?non-kissable? breath. In fact your breath may get so bad no one will want to even talk with you without a ten foot pole to keep a safe distance.

I haven?t even touched on the damage the gastric fumes and stomach acid particles have on your lungs.

This acid reflux situation is so serious it can end up mutating your throat?s tender lining into cancerous leather capable of handling large gulps of hydrochloric and sulfur acids.

Once your throat cells have transformed to literally become more like the stomach lining your Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is likely to progress into throat cancer . . . not a good situation and I don?t want to even imagine what that feels like.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist

Stomach acid is created by special cells (parietal) located within the third layer of tissue at the upper part of the stomach. The stomach acid making cells are a vast network produces stomach acid into the lumen of the stomach.

The stomach acid has a very acidic pH of 2 to 3, .01 being the most acidic ph you can get on the scale 6.9 pH is the weakest possible acid. The stomach acid cells also create bicarbonate helping to maintain a higher alkaline blood pH.

The strong stomach acid causes proteins to break down to the molecular level revealing the peptide bonds. Enzymes then interact to further breakdown proteins.

Stomach acid activates the enzyme pepsin to digest the bonds between the sequences of protein building blocks known as amino acids (proteolysis). Stomach acid naturally protects the gut from invasion from infectious bacteria and other harmful organisms, that?s why a proper pH balance is vital.

Stomach acid production takes place in multiple steps. Charged ions of chloride and hydrogen from excess stomach acid (HCL) produced from within the parietal cells are mixed in the secreting cell network within the inner lining of the upper stomach, diluted and released.

Stomach acid is then released into the lumen of specialized glands and gradually reaches surface layer of the stomach lining at a higher pH, slightly less acidic than in the network of secreting cells..

The strongest stomach acid used for digestion (pH 2) is about 3,000,000 times more caustic than anything found in bloodstreams pH. ?The strongest stomach acid produced in your stomach acid cells has a pH of 0.8 and is then ultimately diluted to around pH 2 and 3 in the stomach.

There are three phases of stomach acid production:

1. The cephalic phase: 30% of the stomach?s acid is created by chewing, tasting and smelling foods.

2. The gastric phase: 60% of the excess stomach acid production is triggered from actual food being digested in the stomach

3. The intestinal phase: the remaining 10% of excess stomach acid is produced when chyme enters the small intestine.

Truth is if you?re over 40 years old the probability you have excess stomach acid production is quite low. You lose about 10% to 15% of your stomach acid production every ten years, because of loss of minerals, nutrients and cofactors your body used up digesting cooked and processed foods all those years.

This often gives the symptoms misdiagnosed as an excess of stomach acid production because of all the bloating, acid reflux surges and heartburn.

Bottom line is only about 5% of the people who think they suffer from excess stomach acid production really do. The remaining 95% of people actually need an excess production of digestive acid.

The main cause of acid reflux is improper chewing and from combining the wrong foods. Other cause of acid reflux, heartburn and acid rebound is from taking antacids.

Picture all that undigested food bubbling and rotting inside your stomach pushing acid reflux up into the throat, burning away the lining of your throat, mouth and sinus linings . . .eventually creating a deadly situation.

Don?t take drugs and surgery as the final answer- if they worked 30% of the US population and 60 million people with arthritis, due to a lack of excess stomach acid, wouldn?t be suffering like they are.

You were born to heal,

Todd M. Faass?

Health Ecologist