What did John L. Kitkoski, PhD, say about acid reflux? Not enough stomach acid... the stomach was not acidic enough to convert all the food to acidic, so there would be some acid-base reaction that bubbles up your esophagus. When he first told me, I understood the chemistry he was teaching me, but his solution was to take about 6 HCL tablets with half of a glass of milk. SCARY! Here my throat and mouth were burning like hell and he wants me to put in lots of hydrochloric acid!!! Lots... to bring the pH back down to VERY ACIDIC like it is supposed to be. I didn't do it... too chicken, until one night the reflux was sooooo bad, I got up and took the 6 HCL tablets with 4 oz of milk.. I figured being dead would be better than the acid reflux! 20 minutes later: No acid reflux!!! a miracle! They have stronger capsules (not tablets) nowadays, but maybe like me, getting rid to the fungus gets the stomach acid production back to normal. I had to take HCL when the eye surgery required antibiotics which allowed the fungus to take over again. It was only eye drops antibiotics... but the fungus bloomed there, then to my ears.. then all the way down my digestive track (as evidenced by sticky poop... tmi? )... And I started getting reflux again. After a year of killing of fungus, no reflux and do not need HCL any more.
John said anti-acids and acid blockers push the chemical equation the wrong way. Optimal stomach acid is down around 2! Some of the most acidic stuff on the planet! And when it is working right it starts the digestion of your food in your stomach. It is so acidic it changes all your food to acid (hence no acid-base reaction) then the gall bladder covers the food in bile from the liver and changes it to alkaline (basic) for its trip thru your intestines. If the food is not acidic from your stomach, the bile will make it too alkaline. Remember, for example lye is alkaline (basic) and it can burn like hell. Not good to have the food running thru your intestines to be too basic, (alkaline), either.
I think that is why so many people on anti-acids and acid blockers get IBS.
Good observation. Many others have found the same thing. I believe the reason is because carbohydrate malabsorption feeds small intestinal bacterial overgrowth - producing gas that drives acid reflux. I have listed nine bullet points of evidence withh numerous references for my theory in an article on GERD and asthma at DigestiveHealthInstitute.org.
Norm Robillard, Ph.D.
Founder Digestive Health Institute