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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 killed, is is possible that excess stomach acid is released when a pathogen is detected?

But I did find some other interesting thoughts like:

• Salmonella bacteria cause much of the food poisoning in the world, including an estimated 1,400,000 cases of salmonellosis in the United States each year.
  
• People who ingest antacids or heartburn medicines can provide a better environment for the foodborne illness pathogen to survive by making stomach’s pH level a more suitable environment.
  
• 31 % of all deaths from food poisoning may be attributed to Salmonella.
• $13.1 billion will be spent this year on a particular class of prescription acid reflux medication

I’d have to assume there’s a pretty strong correlation between low stomach acid (and possibly acid reflux medications) and the inability to fight off minor salmonella infections. If your body can’t fight off pathogens, a small problem can become a big problem very quickly.

And with news that two-thirds of birds tested harbored salmonella and/or campylobacter (occurring most frequently in Tyson and Foster Farms birds) this is an issue that we can’t ignore.

It isn’t an either/or proposition, though. You can enjoy life without heartburn without taking medicines that might put you at risk for food poisoning. Here are a couple resources to get you started:

HartkeIsOnline has some great suggestions for helping acid reflux naturally.

My post “Hubby Speaks” about my husband’s experiences with his acid reflux since changing to a real and traditional food diet might inspire you.

Michelle at “Find Your Balance” has suggestions for fixing your digestion naturally.

What have you found that helps you? Have you been able to trace acid stomach to a certain food or foods? Are you in the process of rebuilding your system from Rx or OTC stomach acid drugs? I’d love to hear some more first-hand stories!

This post is part of Prevention Not Prescriptions.