Try cutting out fermented veggies for a couple of days and see what happens. I dud. Big difference

Hello Lori,and thanks so much,I really appreciate you guys advice,it was very informative,you all are heaven sent, any advice, that helps me in prove my health,means the world to me,God Bless you,and your affiliates,and thanks again!!!

Hi Elizabeth – You can take a smaller amount of HCL with lighter protein snacks – like a smoothie w protein powder for example. However, we woldn’t recommend it for a snack that includes only dried cranberries. Also, the reason you’re likely experiencing GERD from dried cranberries is that they aren’t being broken down properly and are causing bloating – which puts pressure on the LES and therefore causes heartburn. Remember to stick with your gut healing diet to attack the GERD from all angles.

Hi Lori!
I’m wondering: I’ve read on here and other places that hcl should only be taken when an animal protein is included in the meal. But, if I get acid reflux from say, dried cranberries (sweetened with apple juice), is it okay to take hcl with those meals/snacks? Or should it really only be taken with meat/eggs? I’ve been dealing with gut issues for about 2 years now. Parasites and pathogenic bacteria have come up in tests. I’ve done several herbal antimicrobial protocols (incl. dig. enzymes and hcl!) and diet changes to help, and while there has been some very small (non-linear) progress, I’m still dealing with it. I actually had relief from acid reflux for a long time, but after a very stressful month, it’s come back. I’m looking into incorporating hcl back into my regimen, if I need it. Thank you!

HI Andriana – stomach acid helps to digest all food, not just meat. It sounds like you may have some dysbiosis in your gut (imbalance of bacteria) if you are not doing well with carbs. We’d suggest starting a gut healing diet, add in some digestive enzymes and test your HCL levels, too:)

HI Molly – it’s really hard to say if that was a reaction or common symptoms for your condition. First, we’d suggst starting by changin your diet – https://healthygut.com/scd-quick-start-guide/. Then, you can test out the HCL again using this article: https://healthygut.com/how-to-supplement-with-betaine-hcl-for-low-stomach-acid/

HI Adam – it is possible… We’d suggest you continue to monitor your symptoms and if things are better at 3, then you can stay there. It’s possible that number might change, so it helps to write things down to keep track of it all:)

Tis does sound like low HCL levels! WE’d recommend you start by testing out your HCL levels here: https://healthygut.com/3-tests-for-low-stomach-acid/

In the first couple days there was a gradual relief of symptoms, but once I worked up to 4 capsules I started to get worse bloating and abdominal cramps, similar to gas pains. I worked up to 5 and still have yet to feel the warmth/burning sensation in the belly. Is it possible that I found the “sweet spot” at 3 without feeling the typical sensations? Any insight is much appreciated, thanks!

Hi Cydine – it sounds like you need to test your HCL levels! https://healthygut.com/3-tests-for-low-stomach-acid/

How and what Betaine HCL to supplement with: https://healthygut.com/how-to-supplement-with-betaine-hcl-for-low-stomach-acid/

I hope I can get some help because Ive tried jist about everything. I was diagnosed with H.Pylori like 5yrs ago but i hardly had any symptoms. I Finally got the antibio 3yrs in and thats when I started having more symptoms. This i stopped having trigger foods but dirt was pretty much the pain without pain. I had endoscopy/colonoscopy and thats when it all went down hill; i was diagnosed with mild inflamation in colon and stomach with gastritis. I went to eating almost nothing and im 2 mths in now. I don’t have any meat, seasonings acid fruits or veggies and i eat alot of softer foods. When I eat anything else I get sharp pain in my chest, my stomach heats up, worst constipation, the food rest on my stomach, burping and so much acid. I’m so overwhelmed sometimes i feel like im starving just so i wont have any pain. I went the natural route so im currently taking l-glutamine, blackseed oil, sometimes sticky elm, Enzymes, probiotics, vitamin A and just added zinc l-carnosine.. What else can I do to heal my stomach so i can eat again, doctors have been no help.

Hi Mike – We wouldn’t recommend mixing PPI’s and HCL – just a note there. We’d also recommend working with a practitioner to wean off of the PPI’s as that can be a bit tricky. To answer your question – yes – the HCL should be more effective once you’re off the PPI’s:)

Hi Lori,I have a question.ive had H pylori 2 times in my life, once in 1999,and it came back in 2014.I was given the prev pack have you heard of it. well I took 2 weeks worth,after that,it took about almost 1 year before I could eat regular food again. After getting back to eating normal again,my symptoms came back,I got retested with an endoscopy,no more h pylori,and the gastritis I had 20 years prior is gone,along with no inflammation,and no more duodenal ulcer,so these Drs basically said,it’s ibs.So I recently found a lab in Texes, called uBiome,they gave me a comprehensive Stool test,and the results was,im low on 6 different pathogens in my gut,the good bacteria,I’m wondering is the good bacteria I’m in the red on,is actually part of my stomach acid, that got wiped out, from the prev pack,I’ve read that,those powerful Antibiotics can wipe out the good germs,along with the bad. I am now seeing a natural pathic Dr,and I am on HCL/Pepsin,and I take 2 caps with each heavy protein meal, but I’m still on acid reducers,I’ve been on them for 20 years,but I’ve switched from 40mg pantoprazole to 150 Ranitidine twice a day,so I can wien myself off of ppi,s for good,but I’m still having issues like sever bloating,and sometimes a racing heart with bloating,that wakes me up out of my sleep, question is,do you think,once I’m totally off ppi,s that I’ll have better results from taking hcl/ pepsin,any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks!!! Mike

Hi Jeanette – it’s hard to say what she tested…the only medical test we’re aware of that accurately test stomach acid is the heidelberg capsule test. We’d recommend testing it on your own just in case, too, and you can do that by reading more here: https://healthygut.com/3-tests-for-low-stomach-acid/

HI I have exactly the same problem as you. Have you found a solution. Can’t digest anything without bloating and gas.

Hey Bart – it’s hard to say what exactly the food is doing…I don’t know that it is sitting in the stomach or Small intestine and fermenting, so hard to answer that question. The most common signs of low stomach acid are heartburn, maldigested food, Vitamin B and iron deficiency, and constipation and/ or diarrhea. Low stomach acid doesn’t necessarily mean the food isn’t being passed on down the digestive tract or that it isn’t being digested at all….just not efficiently and the nutrients are likely not being absorbed.

HI Kay – I can see why you’re confused. Bottom line is we need stomach aid to break down our food (especially protein) and there are several factors that can alter that. Medications and NSaids are just a few. Taking HCL helps to rebuild that acid and improve digestion. I hope that helps a little bit!

I think that most of us are very confused since being told symptoms could be asa result of low stomach acid,yet we are treated for high acidity.ive been on Prilosec for months and it caused alot of problems,eg,itching,burning skin so I was wondering what should i take for rebound heartburn if can’t take Prilosec and/or should I take smthg that will lower my stomach acid even more.

Hi Tamara – I’m really sorry to hear what you’re going through. I’m not a doctor so I can’t give you any advice or suggestions – but you might want to consider making an appointment with a functional medicine practitioner if the doctors you have seen so far haven’t been able to help. Here’s a great resource for finding a functional medicine doctor near you: https://kalishinstitute.com/practitioners-directory/

Hi, i hope i can get a reply from someone. I just turned 19 this month & about 3 months ago i was laying in bed one day & gradually throughout the day i started to feel like i couldn’t breathe more & more. I ended up going to the hospital that night & they put me on protonix for stomach acid because they didn’t know what was wrong with me. My heart & lungs were tested & tests came out normal. About a month later i had an endoscopy & they found that my upper stomach & esophagus was slightly irritated & also found that i had h pylori. I went on anti biotics for the h pylori & it is gone now. I went to see the doctor to see if i had anything wrong with my throat or larynx & she said everything was fine. I really don’t know what to do because the hospital in my town is horrible & last time i went there the doctor had no compassion & told me that this just happens & i will have to deal with it for the rest of my life. I asked her why my stomach would decide to produce too much acid now & she didn’t answer. I told her it happens all the time no matter what i eat or what im doing & she picked up on that & scheduled a stress test for me to see if i have the spasms when i run, but i told her no because it will happen out of nowhere so I’m not sure if i should even go. I remember about two weeks ago that about a month before all of this started happening to me i had went to the clinic because of throwing up & i thought i was pregnant, it turned out that i wasn’t. The doctor told me he wanted me to try taking my birth control pills earlier (which ive been on for over 3 years now). He also said i might have a stomach ulcer but i didn’t pick up the pills he prescribed because they said they could cause heart problems & that because he was just guessing i saw it unnecessary. I remember when i started the 3 pack of the new brand of pills that it gave me acne which i never get or have gotten because of birth control. I also bled a lot while on these pills which didn’t happen ever before on the other 3 month packs. I started the throwing up a month after i started the new brand & the throwing up only went on for about 2 weeks. Now i remembered this & hoped the pills were the problem & stopped taking them. I didnt feel like i was being choked or any regular symptoms for two days after i stopped them & was so happy but now im feeling slight symptoms again. Ive never had the feeling go away since its happened it only eases & it doesn’t change depending on what i eat or what im doing. I didnt take the stomach pills for 2 weeks before because i thought it was over after i was told i got rid of h pylori & i gelt no difference when i was off the pills. Im still hoping being off the birth control will be the answer but its been a week & i really need someones professional opinion because no doctors will talk to me. Please help me, i just want to feel normal again.

Tina, do you mix carbohydrates with protein? If so stop. The combination is bad if you suffer digestive issues. Please don’t eat fruit after a meal. Do it 30 minutes before or 2 hours after as this could be your problem. Protein takes longer to digest and mixing fruit will ferment onto of meat. Eat smaller meals and chew your food, sit at the table, don’t stress because this suppresses your acid. Hope this helps.
Melinda

how are you doing now?

HI Chris – sorry you’re suffering with all of this. It sounds like you do need to address the low stomach acid (as soon as you’re off the drugs). If you’re not happy with your physician, we suggest finding one that will listen and work with you. Dietary changes are going to be huge as well -(SCD/Paleo etc.) As far as the constipation goes, here is what we recommend:
http://constipationhelp.scdlifestyle.com

You should take her to an ear nose threat specialist pronto . She is showing signs of sleep apnea. It causes every single symptom you have listed and is caused by enlarged tonsils and adenoids

Are you getting enough fat in your diet (imo healthy fats…nuts seeds and avocados / hummus..) ?

I was vegan and bloated constipated etc…I was eating too much starch and not enough insoluble fiber (think small sweet potatoes with skins rather than huge white potatoes with thin skins)

But more importantly I wasn’t eating fat with every meal. Since I have been I’m more regular. I’ve really damaged by gut flora I think so my bloating is still an issue but being more regular makes it not as much of an issue.

Cant stress excercising enough…Chew properly. Relax. It will get better.

Gas and bloating and IBS are complicated. I don’t have certainty just my own experience.

After years of overeating and constipation I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia. Likely imo caused by the over eating and straining on the toilet.

Low fibre diets imo are the main culprit. As well as foods that irritate your stomach by creating an extremely acidic stomach environment like meat and dairy or refined grains. Even whole grains if you are in bad shape. (Oatmeal and blueberries can give me heartburn)

I think the meat eating world are trying to fit answers around their chosen lifestyle. Most people’s heartburn and gerd is diet related. Many more have hernias likely than are diagnosed…and fatty foods are causing the sphincter to relax and release acid into the esophegus.

A hernia is something we have to live with and requires lifestyle adjustment.

I’ve even read eggs contain hormones that cause the sphincter to relax. There’s also the fact that animal foods have zero fibre and will move through the system slowly..producing acid and gas as they ferment.

Just my guesswork but honestly as an aspiring vegan that fails and eats meat and dairy in weak moments? Nothing gives me gerd like eggs..butter…scones and cookies or concentrated tomatoes and curries.

I think the low stomach acid hypothesis may be explained by a hernia disrupting normal digestion in the stomach…large meals or distended stomachs may be too dilute to cope with that amount of food. I wonder if it’s possible as we produce more acid, because we are so full, we burp and get heartburn because the digestive juices are all bubbling so close to the esophegus.

Just some thoughts. Again… just a patient not a doctor.

HI Amy – a couple things could be happening. 1 – you’re not eating enough protein with the HCL and 2) your dose is wrong. If you’re only taking 1 pill, obviously you can’t back off but if you’re taking more than that, decrease it by one and see how you do. Also, try to pay attention to other markers such as energy levesl and bowel movements.

Thanks!

I hope you are feeling better!
My chiropractor/kinesiologist recommended this for me and it’s made the difference 🙂

Hi Arthur – sorry you are stressed out. For starters, we’d recommend digestive enzymes (or digestive bitters if the enzymes are too painful) and this video explains it here: https://healthygut.com/who-needs-digestive-enzymes-and-how-to-take-them/ You can always test out the HCl and see how you do as well. Changing you diet is imperative to getting to the root of the issue and we suggest starting here: http://scdlifestylebook.com Changing your diet will allow the gut toheal, decrease pressure on the LES, and overall give you more energy and clarity.

I am starting to think I may have low stomach acid as antacids seem to make it worse. I did the baking soda test 2 times and did not burp at all. I have other low stomach acid symptoms, like rectal itching, dry skin, fatigue, bloating, feeling full quickly. I have been a vegetarian for 15 years and I wonder if that has caused the low stomach acid. In the last few weeks I have started to eat fish again and am trying to eat more protein.

Doctor wanted to put me on PPIs (I think they treat everyone with PPIs), but I asked if I can try lifestyle changes and things like apple cider vinegar. I started using a wedge pillow, don’t eat 3 hours before sleep, smaller meals, etc., but still I am bloated like never before. When I have dinner at 7pm I still feel full when I wake up the next morning. A week ago I started apple cider vinegar before every meal, but this is bringing back the lump in throat and it is starting to make me nauseous. I have also had problems with alternating diarrhea and constipation for a long time and doctor put me on Align probiotics, but this made me very nauseous too and I stopped.

All this is making me very stressed and I have a lot of anxiety about making the reflux worse in fear or developing Barrett’s. This anxiety is undoubtedly making things worse. I feel that I have indigestion issues and this got much worse after I took Pepcid for a week. Doctor mentioned doing a gastric emptying study to see if I have gastroparesis, but I have a very large deductible and that is expensive. I wonder if HCL tablets would help, but I am worried that it would make my inflamed esophagus worse in case I don’t have low stomach acid. I don’t know what to do anymore.

Hello – do make sure you’re consuming at least 15-20 g of protein with that many HCL tablets. My next suggestion would be to add in some digestive enzymes and DGL (licorice) to help. You can also try these natural heartburn remedies as well: https://healthygut.com/4-quick-and-natural-heartburn-remedies/ You can also check out some of our practitioner recommendations here that aren’t as expensive: https://healthygut.com/practitioners/

Background (cliffs notes): hx of gastroparesis for over 15 years, GERD, hiatal hernia, gut dysbiosis and likely leaky gut, likely candida, and more than a dozen other health issues as well. MTHFR (c677t het)

Am on GAPS diet and doing very well on it. feeling much better than I had in a long time, and starting to address the low stomach acid. Problem is that my number one symptom prior to dietary changes was heartburn so it’s confusing what is causing what.

I’m up to 6 pills of Betaine HCL 648mg with 150 of pepsin) and most of the time with 6 pills I feel nothing. I went to 7 pills and had slight feeling of heartburn but went back to 6 pills and still feeling heartburn but feel heartburn if I take fewer than 6 as well, but only sometimes. I read that if you eat a smaller meal/snack or fruit or something like that (between meals and not with meat) that you don’t necessarily need the HCL, but if I don’t take any, I get the heartburn (sometimes). So if I take none I can get heartburn, if I take as many as 6 most of the time that is ok (feel nothing) but sometimes I do have heartburn with that. 7 pills gave me heartburn every time I tried it so far (only a couple of times, but not sure those meals had enough protein).

I just had a smoothie for lunch (kale, spinach, 1/2 banana, unflavored grass fed gelatin, avocado, home cultured sour cream, 1 tsp raw honey, 1/2 cup reduced fat coconut milk (no fillers) –trying to gain weight, and didn’t know how many pills to take so I took two. I have heartburn now (stronger than I get with the 7 pills).

I just don’t know what to do any more, and my integrative medicine doc isn’t well versed in this area so not much help.

I want to see a physician here locally that specializes in MTHFR and the GAPS diet, but it’s direct pay, $3,000 and I can’t afford it right now so I’m on my own for a while. Been on GAPS for 3 months RELIGIOUSLY. No cheating, nothing to eat that I haven’t made myself.

If my symptoms were consistent, it wouldn’t be so hard, but they aren’t, and no one seems to be able to give me advice on how to proceed with the HCL supplementation. I take no meds and only a few supplements: optimal multivitamin (for the MTHFR and only at a half dose), Betaine HCL with Pepsin, biokult, ACV, fermented cod liver oil, home fermented kraut juice, home fermented sour cream.

Hi Aaron – Each person will need to take them for a different period of time but most likely not the rest of your life. It takes a while for us to get sick and it also takes time to heal. Hang in there! You can always try experimenting with one less pill and see how that goes.

HI Donovan – thanks for reaching out. It’s very rare to have too much stomach acid (not impossible, just rare) You could certainly test out the betaine and see how you do, as it sounds like you do have signs of low stomach acid. I’m not aware of what parriot is, but it’s always best to check with your physician just to make sure.

Hi Sameel – yes, young people can have low stomach acid. The best way to find out if you have low stomach acid is with one of these tests: https://healthygut.com/3-tests-for-low-stomach-acid/

I had the same symptoms- clearing my throat maybe 100 times an hour. Turns out I had SIBO; a severe case. Taking antimicrobials and following a modified SCD diet helped me. I am still healing but the throat clearing has stopped.

Hi Kenadie – We’d start with some digestive enzymes: https://healthygut.com/who-needs-digestive-enzymes-and-how-to-take-them/

Digest Gold – http://amzn.to/XHZOjS

Gi Pro Health Prozymes – http://www.giprohealth.com/enzymes.aspx (SCD Legal)

YOu may need to consult with your physician about taking the HCL, but theoretically you should still be able to take HCL with high protein meals even if it isn’t in a solid state.

Sounds exactly the same as myself, got a colonoscopy on the 13th of April. Fingers crossed they can rule out that there is no problems on that end..