The pain associated with acid reflux can range from mild discomfort in the upper chest to chest pain so bad you’re wondering if you’re having a heart attack. 

Either way, taking care of family, work, and social obligations leaves you little time for worrying about what you can and can not eat or having trouble fasting your paints after lunch. This blog will help busy working women understand the basics of what is going wrong in their stomachs and what to do about it. 

I have had many clients come into my office over the years looking for relief from acid reflux.  Here are some of the symptoms they feel on a daily basis:

• A burning sensation in your chest (heartburn), usually after eating, which might be worse at night.
• Chest pain.
• Difficulty swallowing.
• Regurgitation of food or sour liquid.
• A sensation of a lump in your throat.

For 95% of busy working women, the number one thing you need to do is add more acid to your stomach.

I know this sounds crazy.  You already feel the burning from the acid in your stomach, and I’m suggesting you add more.  Yep!  Here why.

First, it’s useful to remember how the digestive system works.  Click here for a 2-minute digestion refresher video.

Your stomach sits right under your breastbone and acts like a bowl or a sack.  The parietal cells in the stomach produce Hydrochloric acid.  When food moves from your esophagus, it’s supposed to plop into a pool of acid in your stomach.

Once in the stomach, the hydrochloric acid breaks the food into the appropriate size for the rest of the system to manage.

Problem #1

You don’t have appropriate amounts of acid to break down your food.

When you throw food into the trash, it beings to rot and purify.  The smell that your trash gives off happens because, in the decomposition process, gasses are released.  Well, the same thing happens in your stomach without appropriate amounts of acid.

The food in your stomach rots and gives off gasses.  The build-up of those gasses is a significant reason your stomach bloats after eating.  As a result, you could have a heavy “stuck” feeling in your upper abdominal area that worsens as you move around.

Problem #2

Inappropriate amounts of acid don’t encourage the closing of the lower esophageal sphincter.

There are many triggers for the bottom of your esophagus to close.  One reason is the presence of appropriate amounts of acid in the stomach.  You see the stomach has a lining that protects it from the acid it holds.  Your esophagus not so much.  So, the body naturally works to keep food and stomach acid in the stomach and not going up the esophagus.

Without appropriate amounts of acid, the small about of acid in your stomach has a chance to Travel into the esophagus and cause burning and discomfort.

Problem #3

Long-term use of proton pump inhibitors can lead to a reduction in calcium absorption and an increase in bone fractures.

Hydrochloric acid is an important factor in your body’s ability to absorb calcium.  Without intestinal calcium absorption, you will be more susceptible to osteoporotic fracture.  Check out this 2010 article from the NIH 

#1 Solution – Add more acid to your stomach by taking a shot of apple cider vinegar with the “mother” in it.

Take a shot glass and add two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and a tablespoon of water before your next meal.  Doing this you will increase the amount of acid your food comes in contact with in your stomach.  If you are indeed low in hydrochloric acid you will immediately notice that your food is not feeling heavy and stuck, but you don’t have the feeling of burning in your upper chest.  If your hydrochloric acid levels are not low you will feel a similar burning feeling, and you will know that you have a different concern than what has been discussed here.

In 17 years of clinical practice, I have worked with only two women who were not helped by increasing their hydrochloric levels.  The other 98% of women used the apple cider vinegar at home and also kept a bottle of Zypan in their purses.  Zypan is a whole food nutritional product tablet that makes it easy to increase their stomach acid levels on the go.  You can learn more about Zypan here.

Need some support?

After 17 years of focusing on women’s health and wellness, I’ve learned that none of us have time for more complications in our lives.  Effective and sustainable self-care needs to be simple for us to be consistent.  Whether you managing chronic pain or you’re just tired of starting and falling off your wellness plan, again and again, I’m here to help.  Call 410-296-4028 or the application below to schedule your free consultation.  I look forward to talking with you.

Cara-Michele Nether Self-Care Consistency Partner

Growing up, my dad told me that our job in life was to care for each other. I watched the adults working hard to create more opportunities for themselves and their families. Ms Ruby, my maternal grandmother, came to live with us when I turned five, making our home the natural hub during the holidays. Having my mom's six siblings and their for extended weekends was bittersweet. I was excited to see everyone, but I resented the pressure it put on my parents. Especially my mom.

For 19 years, I've worked in women's health as a licensed acupuncturist, functional nutrition counselor, and personal trainer. In 2020, the pandemic allowed me to document all the information and strategies I'd been using to help women integrate into their daily routines.

The Strength & Vitality Accelerator is a 12-month training for women 45-65 on the slow-drip process of mastering consistency practices around the foundations of health and wellness. Our Consistency Framework provides a safe community and work pace for the exploration needed to craft daily routines that fit women's individual circumstances and develop the skills needed to get back on the rails when we fall off.

This gives members control over their mental and physical strength, agility, and flexibility. Because pulling the correct energy-producing levers is now a habit, they have control over presenting as the person they truly want to be no matter the time of day or stressors ahead.