This may be why the Protexid didn’t seem to work. If it strengthens the LES, it couldn’t do that if I don’t have one.

I dont have heartburn anymore because of this – turned out for me to just be a pinched nerve / mechanical issue and not actually anything else.

Next time you get a bad case of heartburn try the cobra-like position I described above and see what happens! YMMV of course but its worth a try…

But then I realized that the sort-of-constant chest pain that I’d been having (a nuclear stress test came out normal) had disappeared. When I was ’scoped a few years ago, they found an esophageal ulcer. So maybe the Protexid did do something. Difficult to know.

While I was taking it, I seemed to be sleepy all the time, and that’s the main reason I stopped when I still had a few left. Then I realized the ND meant “nondrowsy.” The main difference between the two is that the regular contains more folic acid. That implies that high levels of folic acid make one drowsy. Is that true?

Please don’t cancel my order–please just ship me one of each.

Thank you for your kind consideration.

No problem. When this happens, we just ship two anyway.

I ordered and received a free bottle of Protexid and Protexid ND – thanks. I have problems swallowing pills of almost any size – can the Protexid capsule be opened and mixed with water or some other liquid?

I’ve been suffering with GERD for around 15 years and taking Prevacid most of that time. It eliminates all symptoms and I practically never have heartburn, even if I eat something really spicy. Without medication I had heartburn almost every time I ate something. Still, a natural solution that doesn’t alter stomach acid would be nice. When you radically alter the acid production in the stomach, that has to affect other things.

The Protexid should work okay if you mix it with water – I don’t know how it would taste, though. Let me know.

I still believe the majority of GERD sufferers have low stomach acid. You’re right that the immediate reason for GERD is a malfunction of the LES, but this would probably not happen if the contents of the stomach 1. did not get over-stuffed and 2. moved on after a few hours as they normally should. I’m not an expert, but that sounds sensible. And as I’ve stated in my first post, even low amounts of acid are enough to burn the esophagus and the throat, which have no protective lining.

If the problem were merely with the LES, and not the stomach contents, then why would eating carbs (presumably with fiber as well) notoriously cause a GERD episode, as stated by Dr. Eades and others, whereas they don’t get it otherwise?

Another indication that low stomach acid is the cause of GERD is that stomach acid production on average decreases (–drastically: from 175mg/hr to 50mg/hr) as people get older, and yet this is the time that most people start to get heartburn. I know Eades is big on “correlation does not mean causation”, but this well-known fact sure does fit the theory.

That’s not to say that the LES is not a part of the problem. Jonathan Wright also says that certain things can damage or irritate the LES, like food allergens (dairy), alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, mint, onions, medications such as NSAIDs, and so on. (I’m not so sure of the validity of these though- he also condemns fats, which as we should know, was the primary source of calories for primitive humans). His protocol is to stop offending foods, test stomach acid levels (which, to account for the rare cases where HCl might actually do harm, he recommends everyone do first), and then start supplements, usually including HCl.

But if GERD is an indication not just of an irritated LES, but of low stomach acid, this is a serious concern. The stomach makes HCl for many reasons. Vitamin B12, for example, requires a complex series of steps in order to be absorbable through the intestines, and this is why B12 has been shown to be poorly absorbed by both people who take Prilosec and people with atrophic gastritis. You will improve your total digestion and health, not just GERD, by correcting low stomach acid.

If I were a GERD sufferer, and were afraid to try HCl or vinegar (even though Kevin Trudeau has publicly recommended vinegar for heartburn on his infomercial- probably because it works), I would find a place that tests stomach acid using the “capsule” test, which has been around since the 60s. Jonathan Wright says his patients were usually astounded by the results.

Some of what I learned about sleep breathing conditions and airway spaces from Dr. Park was key in my recent decision to seek out an orthodontist with an unconventional treatment approach for my son that didn’t require pulling healthy teeth to eliminate crowding (which reduces space for the tongue, potentially creating breathing problems) or retracting the upper front teeth. Rather, we went with an approach that works with my son’s growth potential to guide his arches the way they should have grown, thereby creating adequate space and width for the secondary teeth and tongue, thereby allowing proper oral posture throughout the day and night for the rest of his life and for better health.

http://www.facefocused.com/jrcmp.html (an article about the orthotropic approach to orthodontics that leads to better oral posture and greater airway space)

I don’t have any affiliation with Dr. Park other than as an a reader. I simply think many of the readers here would find Dr. Park’s view of breathing issues and health interesting, thought-provoking, and informative.

Some people don’t have enough stomach acid. For them, adding acid would help. Others have plenty of stomach acid but the LES is letting it into the esophagus. For them, adding acid would make it worse.

There’s betaine and betaine-HCL. According to the ingredients, the Protexid contains the betaine without the HCl.

Few people noticed my comment. One person, “nonegiven”, said that he had tried “something natural before, it was either bromelain or betaine or something”, so maybe I didn’t make one thing clear to begin with. HCl means Hydrochloric acid, which is what is supposed to be in your stomach to begin with. That’s why it makes sense to put it there, as opposed to just “something natural”. (The “Betaine” part just means it was derived from beets, which is said to be most effective, and pepsin is an enzyme which is normally produced by the stomach, unless a bacterial infection is suppressing it, which as I understand is also the cause of the low stomach acid.)

Only a few other people have mentioned something to resolve their LOW stomach acid. “Sandy Sommer” said that she relieves GERD with apple cider vinegar. “Rita” is the only person here who said she takes HCl to relieve GERD. “Grandma Ann” said she tried HCl, but was afraid to take too much. I’d like to know how much she tried. I can attest from my own experience that taking 2-3 pills per meal, which was about 1000-1500 mg of HCl, for at least a month, is not harmful. I have never been hurt by HCl, though I did get a “warming” sensation sometimes. Your stomach is tough and is built to withstand HCl. I can almost guarantee, unless you have a full blown ulcer, that a single pill (500mg) is not going to hurt you.

Scott Isaacs didn’t recommend HCl, but recommended gentian and skullcap, with the function of the gentian being to stimulate HCl, along with the rest of the digestive tract. This seems to be on the right track. Also, it appears from certain comments that HCl is an ingredient in Eades’ Protexid. I would venture to say that this is a primary reason why it works.

Aside from that, nobody has made any mention of LOW stomach acid being the problem with GERD. The theory fits nicely with the fact that carbs cause GERD episodes, as carbs (and fiber) soak up stomach acid, and also promote overeating; and also, fiber expands, which could fill the stomach too full and cause back-up. The stomach will not release its contents to the intestines unless the pH is acidic enough, so the contents stay in the stomach far too long, eventually refluxing (especially while lying down) and causing GERD. Carbs and fiber also feed pathenogenic bacteria, and over time they can infect the stomach and suppress stomach acid. I’ll remind you again, according to the doctor Jonathan Wright which I mentioned in my last post, he has tested the stomach acid levels of hundreds (thousands?) of GERD sufferers, and 9 times out of 10 their stomach acid is TOO LOW, not too high.

I’ll also remind you that I’m not a doctor, and I’ve never had GERD myself. I’m simply writing because this theory seems to be rather unknown, including to Dr. Eades, and it would be very easy to test it. HCl is common and cheap in any vitamin shop.

And I’m also writing because, even you manage to stop your refluxes, this will not solve the problem of low stomach acid!!! Low stomach acid can result in nutritional deficiencies, as it fails to initiate other digestive processes, and leaves room open for further bacterial infestations, which common medicine now recognizes is the cause of ulcers. I’m only repeating the things which I have read in the books I mentioned in my previous post, but the theory makes sense to me. I’m curious as to whether HCl will really work, so please give it a try.