où & quand by carmen maria, on Flickr
I have a question. If a lack of stomach acid can be dangerous because pathogens in the digestive tract are not being killed, is is possible that excess stomach acid is released when a pathogen is detected?
We don’t eat out a lot, but of the last 10 times we have, I have developed a very acid stomach followed by food poisoning symptoms 3 times. It seems to me that the logic would follow: body detects pathogen, releases extra stomach acid to kill it, stupid body owner takes measures to correct acid stomach instead of letting body do its job, pathogens get foothold, owner gets ill.
I don’t take OTC or prescription medications for stomach acid. My first line of defense includes lacto-fermented foods and cultured milk products in my daily diet. But, last night (after eating out) I did not want anything to eat or drink, so I downed a couple papaya tablets to put out the fire in my belly. And, sure enough, this morning I’m not feeling too hot.
Anyone have experience, research or wisdom for me?
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November 23, 2009 at 1:07 pm
gilliebean
Unfortunately, I don’t have any advice or information to offer, but I am grateful that you posted this. I will start paying attention to those feelings in mah belleh!
November 23, 2009 at 5:43 pm
Laurie N
I was just talking to a neighbor about a related topic. She had been having problems with acid reflux, and I was hypothesizing that if your body is having difficulty digesting a food (lack of acid, for instance) maybe it would work harder mechanically in its attempt to break down the food? She’s been on an extreme cleansing diet recently and I’m concerned that she may have knocked her internal flora and fauna out of whack.
I regularly run into similar problems (gut rot) when/if we eat out, leading me to largely avoid the practice. I wonder as I get older if my stomach is really that much less tolerant (I used to be able to eat just about anything) or if the food is getting worse.
November 24, 2009 at 12:17 pm
Marcy
If you get acid reflux, it’s from a lack of stomach acid, which as you mentioned would make you more susceptible to pathogens. You might want to get your HCL levels checked or talk to a nutritionist about supplementing HCL. Once you have low HCL, your body has trouble getting the zinc and B6 it needs to produce the HCL so the problem increases, but if you supplement and get your levels back up, the problem is solved. It only took me a few weeks to get my levels back up and reduce my supplements, but I’m not completely weaned yet.
November 28, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Does Prilosec increase vulnerability to Salmonella? « Local Nourishment
[...] November 28, 2009 in Health is Beautiful My recent thoughts on food poisoning and stomach acid led me to do a little research. I didn’t find anything addressing my specific question: If a lack of stomach acid can be dangerous because pathogens in the digestive tract are not being ki… [...]
December 1, 2009 at 7:20 am
sarah
Hi, a really good, natural remedy for stomach acidity is Neem. Its a herb used in Ayuveda. I had a look around and found some at http://www.ayurveda-yoga.co.uk. Though you may be interested! Good luck!
December 1, 2009 at 7:22 am
sarah
…..even more helpfully, here’s the exact link … http://www.ayurveda-yoga.co.uk/neem+.html
December 1, 2009 at 8:54 am
localnourishment
Thank you, I’ll look into it!