Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines
Special from Bottom Line's Daily Health News
February 13, 2006
A recent headline in the Wall Street Journal declared "Heartburn is on the rise." By some estimates, 15 million Americans, or 5.5% of the population, suffer some degree of heartburn daily. According to Daily Health News contributing editor Andrew L. Rubman, ND, this is a tenfold increase over the past five to 10 years. Additionally, an estimated 40 million to 60 million Americans suffer from heartburn at least once a month. Match this data with the fact that prescription heartburn medications (commonly known as antacids) are the second largest selling drugs of all time -- second only to the No. 1 top seller cholesterol-lowering statin drugs -- and it seems like a match made in medical heaven.
When I read this information, I wonder what's really going on. Why is heartburn on the rise? Is it as simple as the high stress world we live in combined with an aging population? Given that an increasing number of children are also being given antacids, it has to be more than stress and age.
TREATMENT THAT DOESN'T MAKE SCIENTIFIC SENSE, BUT MAKES DOLLARS AND CENTS FOR THE DRUG COMPANIES
As a subscriber to Daily Health News, you know that I am a healthy skeptic when it comes to many pharmaceuticals. When it comes to heartburn medicines, I am especially concerned. These drugs are "dream" medications for the drug companies. Once you start on them, you may never be able to stop. They work by temporarily easing the symptoms, but in doing so, they make the cause of those symptoms worse -- so you end up in a cycle of relieving and then worsening symptoms.
For the inside story on this repeating cycle of heartburn, I spoke with Dr. Rubman, who said there are four main reasons for the rise in heartburn...
FACTOR # 1 -- OBESITY
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an alarming 60 million adults are considered obese in the US... and the percentage of overweight young people has more than doubled in the past 20 years.
It is known that heartburn can result from weight gain from overeating. Even small changes in weight -- as little as 12 pounds -- can be associated with an increase in heartburn.
So if you're carrying around excess pounds and you have chronic heartburn, losing the weight could help.
FACTOR # 2 -- STRESS
A survey from the National Heartburn Alliance found that 58% of heartburn sufferers identify "hectic lifestyle" as a contributing factor to their heartburn... and 52% point to work-related stress as a heartburn aggravator.
While stress is a normal part of life, many people find that increased stress has an impact on their health. When under stress, stomach acid production is affected. Less acid is made with meals when it is needed, and some is produced on an empty stomach, when none is needed, leading to increased pain. Additionally, we know that stress can lead to behaviors that may trigger heartburn, such as smoking, increased alcohol consumption and overeating.
FACTOR # 3 -- PAIN MEDICATIONS
As the huge baby boomer population ages, along with their parents, so comes the more frequent use of medications. A number of medications can cause heartburn. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen, aspirin and other pain medications (other than acetaminophen), can cause heartburn. Some antibiotics and iron supplements can also aggravate symptoms because they irritate the lining of the stomach. Aspirin, in particular, usually causes gastric bleeding, a fact sometimes ignored by many physicians.
FACTOR #4 -- ANTACIDS
Antacids actually increase the experience of heartburn rather than cure it.
Your stomach produces acid during meals -- and that's a really good thing. Without stomach acid you cannot dissolve the food you eat -- or extract the essential nutrients you need, not only for optimal health, but just to survive. As Dr. Rubman put it, "If you want to shorten your life, neutralize or suppress your stomach acid. I know of no biochemists who would ever use proton-pump inhibitors or antacids with meals."
And this is exactly what the popular heartburn medications do -- decrease or even eliminate stomach acid. What's more, Dr. Rubman says the suppression of stomach acid can cause permanent impairment of the stomach's ability to make adequate acid for digestion on an ongoing basis. Additionally, if your food is not effectively broken down by your stomach acid to be properly digested, it is more likely to weaken your lower esophageal sphincter, which makes acid reflux more likely to occur.
Even the makers of these antacids recommend that people use them for only 14 days. But many doctors keep their patients on them indefinitely.
The good news is that the rise in heartburn is primarily linked to causes of our own making. That means we can make more healthful choices to reduce the chances of heartburn. There are also more healthful ways to manage it when it does occur. For Dr. Rubman's all-natural suggestions for heartburn relief and prevention, see Daily Health News, August 9, 2004.
Source
- Andrew L. Rubman, ND, adjunct professor of clinical medicine, Florida College of Integrative Medicine, Orlando, and director, Southbury Clinic for Traditional Medicines, Southbury, Connecticut.
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