Low Acid, digestion and more
These boys of mine are just not getting better! Arghhhh.... Spencer especially is suffering so much and nothing is helping, not even the $1100 antibiotics he just finished up. His problems have consumed my mind, I mean, whatever part of my sane mind is left.
Last night I was at Barnes and Noble just killing time before meeting some friends and I came upon the most amazing and interesting magazine called The Well Being Journal. I had no business spending $6 for a magazine but it just may have been the best investment ever!
What caught my attention was an article about proper digestion, stomach acid and acid-suppressing drugs. The article talks about how so many people take acid- suppressing drugs because of acid reflux complaints, heartburn and ulcers. My kids have been on Nexium for years! I can't remember when they weren't on some kind of antacid. The article states that 90% of people that complain of acid reflux actually have normal acid production. Insufficient acid in the stomach is actually much more common and presents with the exact same symptoms as too much acid!
I have had some bad problems with canker sores over the past few years and have narrowed the cause down to certain foods like chocolate, caffeine, sugar substitutes and salt. Two years ago, I read about low acid and asked my doctor about supplementing with an acid and he sort of laughed and didn't think it would work. I started on an acid I found at the health food store myself but then scared myself out of taking it because if you don't need it, it can cause even bigger problems and you can take too much. Now, I'm starting to rethink things.
The symptoms of low acid are chronic diarrhea, gas, bloating, excess sense of fullness, nausea, bacterial overgrowth, gut imbalances, parasites, fatigue, food allergies and intolerance like gluten, frequent infections, nutrient deficiencies like B12, folate, iron, calcium, zine, malnutrition, malabsorption and the list goes on and on. Spencer has just about 100% of these symptoms.
It goes on to talk about all the problems antacids cause like increased pneumonia, bone fractures, C-Diff, low levels of magnesium...Spencer has all of these too!
This might just explain the issues we have been dealing with and why it isn't getting any better. I have also thought about babies with reflux and the seemingly growing crowd of people with so called gluten intolerance. Maybe the real problem is too little acid, not too much. It makes total sense in babies who just might not be completely developed in their gut.
What if all this time, we have actually been doing more harm than good? It's not just Spencer but all the little SDS kids I know who are all in the same boat! What if giving our infants all these antacids are actually setting them up with respiratory problems and host of other issues because it lowers their immune system? It's kind of scary that doctors don't do more to educate people or themselves and the question gnaws at me, Why do I always have to be the one to figure out the problems and have to report and make suggestions to the doctors? Something isn't quite right about that! You would think after all the specialists we have seen, one would have thought about testing for low acid production. This may not be the problem at all but it's worth a shot and easier to believe than a bunch of the other ideas they have thrown at us.
I really hope this is not just another dead end. Spencer passed on in the kitchen on Friday afternoon. It's getting scary.
Last night I was at Barnes and Noble just killing time before meeting some friends and I came upon the most amazing and interesting magazine called The Well Being Journal. I had no business spending $6 for a magazine but it just may have been the best investment ever!
What caught my attention was an article about proper digestion, stomach acid and acid-suppressing drugs. The article talks about how so many people take acid- suppressing drugs because of acid reflux complaints, heartburn and ulcers. My kids have been on Nexium for years! I can't remember when they weren't on some kind of antacid. The article states that 90% of people that complain of acid reflux actually have normal acid production. Insufficient acid in the stomach is actually much more common and presents with the exact same symptoms as too much acid!
I have had some bad problems with canker sores over the past few years and have narrowed the cause down to certain foods like chocolate, caffeine, sugar substitutes and salt. Two years ago, I read about low acid and asked my doctor about supplementing with an acid and he sort of laughed and didn't think it would work. I started on an acid I found at the health food store myself but then scared myself out of taking it because if you don't need it, it can cause even bigger problems and you can take too much. Now, I'm starting to rethink things.
The symptoms of low acid are chronic diarrhea, gas, bloating, excess sense of fullness, nausea, bacterial overgrowth, gut imbalances, parasites, fatigue, food allergies and intolerance like gluten, frequent infections, nutrient deficiencies like B12, folate, iron, calcium, zine, malnutrition, malabsorption and the list goes on and on. Spencer has just about 100% of these symptoms.
It goes on to talk about all the problems antacids cause like increased pneumonia, bone fractures, C-Diff, low levels of magnesium...Spencer has all of these too!
This might just explain the issues we have been dealing with and why it isn't getting any better. I have also thought about babies with reflux and the seemingly growing crowd of people with so called gluten intolerance. Maybe the real problem is too little acid, not too much. It makes total sense in babies who just might not be completely developed in their gut.
What if all this time, we have actually been doing more harm than good? It's not just Spencer but all the little SDS kids I know who are all in the same boat! What if giving our infants all these antacids are actually setting them up with respiratory problems and host of other issues because it lowers their immune system? It's kind of scary that doctors don't do more to educate people or themselves and the question gnaws at me, Why do I always have to be the one to figure out the problems and have to report and make suggestions to the doctors? Something isn't quite right about that! You would think after all the specialists we have seen, one would have thought about testing for low acid production. This may not be the problem at all but it's worth a shot and easier to believe than a bunch of the other ideas they have thrown at us.
I really hope this is not just another dead end. Spencer passed on in the kitchen on Friday afternoon. It's getting scary.
I hope you are onto something that will help. I have read the same thing. I took antacids for awhile and when I quit taking them, my acid went away! I was perpetuating the cycle by taking them and they really do have some scary side effects. Most doctors don't know enough and they are way too into drugs. But there are definitely drugs that are needed-there just needs to be a balance, right? Good luck! You deserve some.
ReplyDeletewow what a find! Hopefully this will lead to helping them for the better. I"m hoping by your comment on Spencer "passing on" was actually passed out...passed out would be a lot better than passing on. ;) but yes both are scary. Hopefully you guys cam get this all figured out.
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