There is much confusion over indigestion and heartburn. However, avoiding this confusion will help to successfully treat the condition.

Indigestion refers to an upset stomach with gastric complaints such as belching, nausea, discomfort or stomach pain that spreads across the chest, giving a feeling of food trapped in the stomach and, occasionally, vomiting. This condition is generally caused by too little stomach acid (hypochlorhydria).

Heartburn is a burning sensation in the stomach caused by too much stomach acid (hyperchlorhydria), inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis), stomach infection due to Helicobacter pylori, or an ulcer in the stomach (peptic ulcer).

As we can see, the two conditions are opposites. One with too much stomach acid and one with too little. Treatment can be complicated as there is a tendency to confuse the two.

Indigestion is helped by taking a stomach acid supplement, which if taken for heartburn could make the condition worse. Heartburn is usually relieved by taking antacids or alkalizers, but this approach to indigestion will reduce the already inadequate amount of stomach acid.

Dr Jonathan Wright, an internationally acknowledged expert on this subject, says that “encouraged by the legal drug industry, medical students are not taught that hypochlorhydria (inadequate stomach acid production) is treatable only with unpatentable, natural replacement therapies. Instead their education concentrates on hyperchlorhydria (excess stomach acid production) and its treatments with patentable acid blocker drugs and highly profitable over the counter antacids.”

It seems there has been a great deal of research carried out on the acid-alkali balance over the past 150 years. It was believed acidosis was so important that it was the primary cause of all illness and disease. The great Louis Pasteur was included in this debate, along with a contemporary of his, Claude Bernard.

This debate was taking place in the mid-1800s. Dr Bernard had a theory that the “internal environment”, as he called it, was the key to any disease of the body. Therefore if we were okay internally then we were less likely to catch anything.

Bernard’s work related more to the state of the body; one important factor was the alkalinity rather than the immune system. He believed the avoidance of toxins, good nutrition and a state of alkalinity was the answer. By contrast, Pasteur believed disease was caused by invading microbes and felt the immune system was the important factor which fought off all disease.

If there is insufficient or no stomach acid, the symptoms are caused in the following way:

The stomach is connected to the small intestine by the pylorus, which is controlled by a valve. This is programmed to open only when the stomach contents are well and truly acidic. The right level of acidity is necessary for it to be successfully neutralised by bile and pancreatic juice, which have a fixed alkalinity. So the valve stays shut till the right level of acidity is reached.

Drinking water, fruit juice or alcohol reduces the degree of acidity in the stomach. Therefore, the food may become trapped in the stomach for hours – sometimes even until the next day (hence the symptoms often occurring the following day after a rather hefty meal).

Consuming more food does not help. As the stomach expands, only burping can relieve the symptoms. If you are drunk or lying down, serious symptoms can cause choking.

In addition, expansion of the stomach causes pressure on the cardiovascular system, provoking palpitations and sweats. If it continues the stomach may send a message, in the form of nausea, to say that if all the food doesn’t move into the gut, it will have to go back out – and we know what that means!

To avoid serious indigestion, it is advisable to drink moderately when eating, eat food in small portions and chew well so that the stomach has less work to do. Wheat, rye, oats and barley require a lot of acid to prepare them for digestion in the small intestine, so consider that when looking at your diet.

Also, stomach acid secretion tends to decline with age. There are natural ways to improve your stomach acid production, gentian being one of them. However it is also said that gentian increases the appetite.

Homeopathic remedies such as carominthe may be taken alongside stomach acid supplements to stimulate stomach acid secretion.

In some cases, indigestion can be a sign of a more serious underlying health problem, such as stomach cancer.

Seek immediate medical attention if you have recurring indigestion and you are 55 years old or over; have lost a lot of weight without meaning to; find it increasingly difficult to swallow; persistently vomit; have iron-deficiency anaemia; have a lump in your stomach; or have gastrointestinal bleeding (which is bleeding in your stomach and intestines – you may see blood in your vomit or stools and you may feel tired, breathless and dizzy).

kathryn@maltanet.net