the purple pill

[Guest guest]

Does anyone have some documentation regarding Nexium......a friend of mine takes it twice a day and I tell him it is absolutely the wrong thing to do but he won't listen.

[Guest guest]

Nexium - very scary drug! It kills the acid in your stomach - and our

bodies NEED acid in our stomach to digest the food. So he's going to

end up with more problems than he has now by taking the Nexium. He

will end up with a lot of digestive problems because the food is going

through without being digested. Acid in the stomach is also there

because it kills pathogens - the bacteria that causes pneumonia. So

if there's no more acid to kill off the bad bacteria in your stomach,

it will find its way back up into the lungs and possibly cause

pneumonia. People that take acid blockers have a greater chance of

getting pneumonia. There's a product that I use occasionally for

heartburn - called " Contain " - it doesn't do anything to the acid in

your stomach - it puts a gel barrier on the top of the contents of

your stomach and keeps it down there while the acid does its work and

digests the food - http://tinyurl.com/h2al

 

Here's an article I have about foods and heartburn. I think I have

another one I'll send in another email.

 

Carol

 

YOUR FOOD ARSENAL FOR HEARTBURN

by Susan Rutter - author, publisher, nutritionist, and instructor

 

The burning discomfort of heartburn, or acid reflux, is familiar to

many people on a daily basis. Heartburn is usually triggered by eating

and occurs when stomach acid washes up into the digestive tube

(esophagus), burning the back of the throat. The fiery pain may

radiate across the chest, traveling from behind the breastbone to the

neck. Belching, flatulence, or nausea may accompany acid reflux, and

the burning distress may last from one to four hours.

 

Recurring indigestion (occurring at least twice a week) is medically

termed gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, and may be quite

severe. Symptoms include painful heartburn, increase salivation, a

chronic hoarse voice, and regurgitation. Left untreated, corrosive

stomach acid may gradually erode the delicate lining of the esophagus,

a process that is linked to esophageal cancer. Fortunately, consuming

healing foods and altering eating habits can help quell fiery heartburn.

 

What Causes It?

 

A muscular valve at the bottom of the esophagus, the lower esophageal

sphincter (LES), serves as a gatekeeper to the stomach and seals off

its contents, blocking backwash into the esophagus. Numerous factors,

however, may weaken the LES, or cause it to relax, resulting in

heartburn. (Hiatal hernia is another cause of GERD).

 

Smoking and excess abdominal pressure from pregnancy or obesity may

weaken the LES, preventing this valve from closing tightly. Certain

foods and medications may relax and open the LES, allowing stomach

acid to splash into the esophagus.

 

Additional heartburn triggers include acidic foods (tomatoes and

citrus fruits and juices), which may promote excess stomach acid and

irritate a damaged esophageal lining; and overeating, tight-fitting

clothes, and lying down or bending over after eating, all of which may

push stomach contents upward.

 

Several dietary changes are recommended to help prevent heartburn

flare-ups and to minimize irritation to the esophagus. Though

scientific data are scant, simple alterations to eating habits, such

as eliminating trigger foods, may prevent reflux. Common heartburn

triggers include coffee (both decaffeinated and regular), alcohol,

peppermint, chocolate, onions, and tomato products. If irritating

foods and beverages must be part of the menu, eat them in very small

portions. Drink beverages between meals, instead of with them, to

suppress reflux. In addition, remain upright for up to an hour after

eating and don't eat for two to three hours before going to bed.

 

Many experts recommend eating small, low-fat meals each day. Large

meals distend the stomach, increasing the chance of reflux. Smaller

portions, consumed more frequently throughout the day, may be easier

to digest, preventing heartburn distress. Eating slowly is important

as well, because eating too fast (and too much) can overload the LES

muscle, pressuring the valve to open and propel acidic juices into the

esophagus. A low-fat diet is thought to prevent heartburn, since

high-fat foods may exacerbate acid reflux by prolonging digestion and

weakening the LES valve.

 

Some experts believe soothing, mild ginger tea may help protect

against heartburn. Though quite spicy on its own, ginger is thought to

strengthen the LES valve, preventing acid backwash into the esophagus.

 

Studies have linked obesity with an increase incidence of heartburn,

so maintaining a healthy weight is important for heartburn prevention.

Too much weight around the abdomen appears to stress the LES valve,

allowing stomach contents to seep out. Fiber-rich foods may assist

weight loss by improving feelings of fullness without encouraging

over-indulgence in extra calories.

 

Eating a diet rich in high-fiber complex carbohydrates may ease

digestion and help prevent heartburn. Experts suggest centering meals

around such low-fat complex carbohydrates as beans, vegetables, and

whole grains.

 

, bungalojil wrote:

>

> Does anyone have some documentation regarding Nexium......a friend

of mine

> takes it twice a day and I tell him it is absolutely the wrong thing

to do but

> he won't listen.

>

[Guest guest]

Antacids-Acid Blockers: Do They Help You or Kill You?

by David Gawain - Certified Nutritional Microscopist

 

A study published in the October 27, 2004 edition of the Journal of

the American Medical Association found that the use of certain drugs

that suppress stomach acid production was associated with an increased

risk of pneumonia. Specifically, taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)

such as Nexium and Prilosec was associated with a four times higher

incidence of pneumonia. In addition, those taking certain H2 blockers

also had an increased risk.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\

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JAMA. 2004 Oct 27;292(16):1955-60.

Risk of community-acquired pneumonia and use of gastric

acid-suppressive drugs.

Laheij RJ, Sturkenboom MC, Hassing RJ, Dieleman J, Stricker BH, Jansen JB.

Department of Gastroenterology, University Medical Center St. Radboud,

Nijmegen, The Netherlands. R.Laheij

CONTEXT: Reduction of gastric acid secretion by acid-suppressive

therapy allows pathogen colonization from the upper gastrointestinal

tract. The bacteria and viruses in the contaminated stomach have been

identified as species from the oral cavity.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between the use of

acid-suppressive drugs and occurrence of community-acquired pneumonia.

CONCLUSION: Current use of gastric acid-suppressive therapy was

associated with an increased risk of community-acquired pneumonia.

Read entire report here:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve & db=pubmed & dopt=Abstra\

ct & list_uids=15507580

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^\

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Did you know that most infective organisms enter your body through

your mouth. Our stomach acid, besides being part of a critical step of

the digestive process, also acts to disinfect the stomach contents and

kill most of the bacteria, viruses, or fungal organisms that enter the

stomach. The loss of this very important function leads to a higher

rate of infection.

 

Our stomach acid is essential to our digestive process and forms a

critical part of the overall immunity of our body to infectious

disease. Stomach acid has somehow come to be viewed, by the majority

of the clinical medical profession and the public as well, as being

undesirable. We're now accustomed to treating the condition referred

to as indigestion by administering some compound or drug that reduces

stomach acid. Stomach acid does not cause stomach ulcers. The truth is

recent research has shown that the principal cause of stomach ulcers

is a bacterium called H. pylori which infects the stomach lining. In

spite of this knowledge, it is a very widely held misconception that

stomach ulcers are caused by stomach acid. In recent times, the main

compounds that have been used to reduce stomach distress has been

simply alkalizers that react with the stomach acid and neutralize it.

 

However, late in the 1970s, pharmaceutical researchers found a way to

interfere with the fundamental mechanism that the body uses to make

and secrete acid. This development resulted in the production of four

new drugs, which became widely and erroneously hailed as ultra cures.

In reality, these four drugs - Tagamet, Zantac, Pepcid, and Aczid -

are like so many drug approaches -- treat only the symptoms and not

the causes of the disease. Moreover, the worse fears about the

infective consequences of cutting off the supply of hydrochloric acid

with these drugs have been confirmed. In numerous research studies,

these acid blocker drugs have been shown to cause bacterial overgrowth

in the stomach, an increase in the risk of stomach cancer, an increase

in pneumonia infections in hospitals, and sometimes fatal shock

syndrome in hospitalized patients.

 

I am referring to studies published in peer review medical research.

In 1980, the British Medical Journal Lancet, published an article

entitled " Effect of Cimetidine on the Gastric Bacterial Flora " .

Cimetidine is the generic name for the drug Tagamet. In that article

it was shown conclusively that this drug caused bacterial overgrowth

in the stomach. In 1982, a similar study was published in the magazine

Infection and Immunity called " The Effect of Cimetidine and Antacid on

Gastric Microbial Flora. " In that study, it showed again that the

administration of this drug allows undesirable bacteria to grow in the

stomach. In other words, antacids and acid blockers turn the stomach

into a fermenting tank for disease-causing bacteria.

 

In 1987, in the New England Journal of Medicine, a prestigious U.S.

publication, a major study was published entitled " Nosocomial

Pneumonia in Incubated Patients Given Sucralfate as Compared with

Antacid or Histamine Type Tube Blockers " . Nosocomial is a word that

means " caused in the hospital " . In this context it means that the

patient came in without an infection but got one while in the

hospital. Antacids or the acid blocker drugs were tracked down as the

cause of a large number of the cases of pneumonia that developed in

the hospital.

 

Several other studies show the connection between infections and acid

blockers. In 1992, a publication of a study in the journal Clinical

Infectious Diseases was entitled " Septisemia and Shock Syndrome Due to

Veridan Streptococci: A Case Controlled Study " . Veridan Streptococci

are organisms that are well known to dentists. Streptococci are the

most commonly occurring bacteria in the mouth and are generally not

believed to carry any threat of infection. This research showed that

if you are taking these acid blocker drugs so that this organism which

is normally in your mouth isn't disinfected by the stomach acid, you

get an infection from it. In fact, you get what is called " shock

syndrome " . The symptoms are body rashes, altered heart rates, and very

frequently " death " . I don't know about you, but I don't consider

" death " to be a symptom.

In light of all the research I've just cited, showing the really

serious life threatening effects of the administration of these type

of drugs, why do you suppose the drugs are still on the market? Why

hasn't somebody sounded the alarm? I am sounding the alarm! I can not

tell you why nobody has drawn attention to these effects before this

time. All I can say is that there are a lot of powerful economic

forces behind these drugs. These drugs - Zantac, Tagamet, Pepcid, and

Aczid - were administered only on a prescription basis up until 1995.

That was the year that the patents began to run out on these drugs.

So, in order to maintain their market share, the drug companies had no

choice but to put these drugs on an over-the-counter basis. So they

requested that the FDA allow them to do that and the FDA consented.

 

So, the situation we find ourselves in now is that anyone can go to a

drug store and purchase one of these drugs that will shut off the acid

in the stomach and thereby remove a major barrier to infection. This

can be done by anybody whether or not they happen to be in a high risk

group to infection or not. And usually people are not even aware of

their risk to infection. Let's discuss some conclusion we can make and

some steps we can take. In spite of the grim outlook for the health of

our world, there are some very positive steps that you can take on an

individual level to improve your ability to resist infectious disease.

 

We have one very powerful resource available to us - " Our own Natural

Immune Defenses " . Here are some concrete steps that are recommended to

maximize your natural ability to withstand the threat of infectious

disease.

 

Step 1 - Use antibiotics wisely and VERY sparingly. If your doctor

prescribes an antibiotic, it's your right and responsibility to have a

discussion with him to satisfy yourself that you really do have an

infection, that the bacteria has been correctly identified, and the

antibiotic is the right one to kill that bacteria. Once you are sure

that the antibiotic is correct, follow the instructions exactly. One

of the biggest mistakes people make with antibiotics is that they stop

taking them as soon as they start to feel better, rather than

completing the course of therapy. Remember that antibiotics don't have

any effect on viruses or fungi. In fact, they frequently make those

infections much worse.

 

Step 2 - Do not use acid blockers or antacids. Stomach acid is

critical to both digestion and to immunity. This is a vital function

to the body that must be preserved.

 

Step 3 - Use friendly bacteria supplements. The friendly bacteria that

guard the intestine from colonization by infective bacteria are very

frequently depleted by all kinds of lifestyle factors including stress

- just everyday stress. Stress of your job, stress of getting through

traffic, etc. Whatever the stress, it has been shown that it reduces

the friendly bacteria content in your intestine. Also, another factor

that is very widespread in usage is carbonated beverages. They tend to

kill off and deplete our friendly bacteria. Chlorinated water is

another destructive force for our friendly bacteria. Many of the

preservatives that are in food and some of the chemicals that are in

our food supply also destroy a lot of friendly bacteria. Antibiotics

indiscriminately kill bacteria. Antibiotics kill our friendly bacteria

sometimes even more efficiently than the infective organism. It's very

important that the population of our friendly bacteria be kept at all

times at optimum levels to prevent infections from gaining a foothold.

 

Step 4 - Use a plant-based enzyme supplement each time you eat. The

fundamental cause of most digestive distress is not too much

hydrochloric acid. It is in fact an incomplete status of the digestive

process. In other words, the food doesn't get completely digested. The

distress of digestion can be reduced either by shutting down the

digestive process --- and this is what you happens when you take

antacids or acid blockers --- or by completing the digestive process.

You can complete the digestive process by having enough enzymes.

Plant-based enzymes reduce the occurrence of digestive dysfunction's

like heartburn, gas, and other food-related events, including food

allergies.

 

Step 5 - Pass this message along to others. Immunity disease is a very

personal matter, but in a sense we are globally interdependent. Every

life form, is a host for infective organisms. On a grand scale, it's

the sum of the immune defenses of all creatures that will restore a

healthy harmonious balance and allow us to coexist with the world of

microorganisms. My heartfelt wish is that you have complete success

in your own action plan to build your own immune defenses.

 

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We keep hearing more and more about the problems with heavy reliance

on medication - the drugs people take on a daily basis year in/year

out - to manage symptoms: The problems with hormone replacement

therapy, problems with antidepressants and suicide risk, the Vioxx

mess, Meridia, Crestor, Accutane, Bextra, Serevent, and now this

problem with chronic use of acid-suppression therapy.

 

Gastric acid is important in protecting us against infectious

microbes. When people block stomach acid production, it knocks out the

system that our body uses to destroy pathogen bacteria in the stomach,

and the bacteria comes back up and makes their way down into the

lungs. Are these bacteria smart? Not really. Are the heartburn drug

developers? For sure! Without an acidic environment in your stomach,

you'd never be able to properly digest your food. Stomach acid kills

germs that cause infections like pneumonia. Suppressing acid to

prevent heartburn and ulcers is not only ineffective for many people,

but also makes the body more hospitable to the infectious

microorganisms. " Gastric acid is an important barrier against

pathogen invasion through the gastrointestinal tract " , the JAMA study

finds. Keep the acid in your stomach to kill the pneumonia-causing

germs.

 

People are starting to realize there is a downside to all this symptom

suppression. Our healthy alternative for occasional heartburn and

acid reflux, " Contain " , might be attractive to people who are

concerned about respiratory infections, and are wondering what they

can take for their occasional gastroesophageal reflux. To get more to

the root of the problem, consider eliminating/adding certain foods,

and use our plant-based enzymes (E-12 Enzymes) and probiotics

(Acidophilus and Bifidus) on a daily basis.