ANTACIDS AND CHILDREN JUST DON’T MIX

On a recent vacation I visited a family fair where rows of booths addressed various children’s health issues. Imagine my surprise when I turned a corner and found one hawking lansoprazole (Prevacid), a high-powered acid-suppressant known as a proton-pump inhibitor (PPI), for pediatric gastroesophageal reflux (GER), also known as GERD in those with the disease.

When I was young, a little Pepto Bismal was standard fare for all kids’ tummy aches. It seems, however, that the pharmaceutical companies are upping the ante… and now, instead of soothing an irritated stomach, they are going to change the natural function of children’s digestive systems. This seemed a perfect subject for this month’s Digestion Connection discussion with Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND.

Not surprisingly, Dr. Rubman told me that acid suppressants (such as PPI drugs Prilosec and Prevacid) — relieve heartburn by decreasing stomach acid production and antacids (such as Mylanta and Maalox) neutralize stomach acid. These drugs, he says, should rarely be taken by children, just as they should rarely be taken by adults.

It’s all marketing, hucksterism and salesmanship, now at the cost of even our children’s health and well-being, warns Dr. Rubman. He adds that not only are these drugs often unnecessary, they are actually harmful to our health — and our children’s health. Truth be told, digestive difficulties are also likely to develop due to insufficient rather than excess stomach acid, says Dr. Rubman.

There are many acid reflux remedies available, and it seems like there are more being released every day. Although there are plenty of prescription medicines to treat acid reflux, or heartburn as it is often called, more and more it seems that people are turning to acid reflux home remedies as an alternative to these kinds of treatments.

I am not really sure why this is so, but acid reflux remedies made of herbs, minerals, and the like are more and more popular as time passes. This seems strange to me, as many of the traditional over the counter acid reflux remedies are made of pretty natural stuff anyway. I have heard that tums is basically chalk, and I have even heard of activated charcoal being used successfully as an acid reflux remedy. So why all of this searching for alternatives when many of the common choices seem to work so well?

An even more important question is: why not use one of the best acid reflux remedies available? By that I mean, why not use a sane, healthy diet that creates less stomach acid. This seems to be the best of the acid reflux remedies which I have come across so far, and I can not be the only one out there who thinks so. Eating a lot of grains, fresh vegetables and a few fruits, and little fat or grease or meat, can do a lot to treat heartburn.

Making sure that you do not overeat, and that you have several small meals over the course of the day rather than just having one great big one can also work wonders for your acid reflux. But no. People would rather go on just as they always have, eating foods that simply are not that good for them, and then treating the symptoms with acid reflux remedies, instead of the cause, which is simply unhealthy eating habits. It is enough to make you sick about some people, if you ask me!

Of course, some people really do suffer from acid reflux disease for other reasons than just poor dietary habits. If you are one of these people, and are simply the victim of an overactive stomach, then there is nothing else for it than to treat your condition with the remedies that you find. Otherwise, you are at risk of all kinds of other health problems caused by the excessive stomach acid.

Indigestion Medications Can Cause Anemia

I have written many times about the assorted risks of acid-suppressing drugs. Here’s one risk I havenot yet spoken about — people on proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as esomeprazole (Nexium), omeprazole (Prilosec) and lansoprazole (Prevacid) run the risk of becoming anemic (due to an iron deficiency) due to inadequate stomach acid. And, worse, these people can not adequately absorb traditional iron supplements that are the traditional treatment for anemia.

Since the symptoms and problems associated with anemia are considerable, ranging from fatigue to weakened immune function and mental ability, not being able to “fix” it with iron supplements can be a big problem for the millions of acid-suppressant users who are at risk. Those who have had gastric bypass surgery are also at risk because the part of the small intestine that absorbs iron best is bypassed with the surgery.