If you belch or have burning in your stomach or chest, particularly when your stomach is empty, you have either an infection, a tumor, or a condition called GERD in which you belch and have pain and don’t have the foggiest idea why. Your gastroenterologist probably will want to put a tube down your mouth and into your stomach, but the biopsy that he will do to find the germ can often miss the germ when it is there.

At least 24 different bacteria have been shown to cause stomach ulcers. Since doctors do not have any way to check for all 24 different bacteria, all people with belching and burning in the stomach should be given the one-week course of antibiotics that is used to treat the most common cause of stomach ulcers, called Helicobacter Pylori.

I recommend that you get an upper GI series X ray to rule out a tumor, which almost always comes back negative. Then you get a blood test for Helicobacter Pylori and you should be treated with antibiotics, even if the blood test is negative, because there are at least 23 other species of bacteria that this test does not detect. Otherwise, you will be stuck with a diagnosis of regurgitation, called GERD, and you will take medication for the rest of your life.

Twenty years ago, everone believed that stomach problems were caused by stress. In 1983 they laughed at Dr. Barry Marshall when he reported that stomach ulcers were caused by infection with helicobacter pylori and could be cured with antibiotics. Fellow physicians were so mean to him that he responded by swallowing a vial of helicobacter and almost died. This year he won the Nobel Prize for his discovery and his courage.

Now almost every reasonable physician agrees that all people who have belching and burning in the stomach and a positive blood test for helicobacter pylori can be cured with antibiotics, but many gastroenterologists stubbornly refuse to treat patients with a negative blood test or biopsy for that germ. They are clearly wrong because many other bacteria can cause the same symptoms, including including H. helmannii, H. felis, H. rappini, H. cinaedi, H sp. Strain Mainz, H. fennelliae , H. pullorum, H. hepaticus, H. Billis, H. canis, H. Hills, H. mesocricetorum sp nov, cytomegalovirus and mycoplasma.

These germs also grow in saliva, so they can be transmitted between family members and pets. So some doctors prescribe antibiotics to all people with belching and stomach burning, and check the other members of the household for symptoms. The standard treatment, one week of clarithromycin 500 mg twice a day, metronidazole 500 mg twice a day and omeperazole 20 mg once a day, is safe and effective.

At least 12 weeks later, you need a follow up blood test for helicobacter. If your symptoms are gone and the titre drops, you are probably cured. If your helicobacter titre is still high, your helicobacter is probably resistant to metronidazole and you need to be treated for at least ten days with amoxacillin 500 mg four times a day, tetracycline 500 mg three times a day and omeperazole 20 mg once a day. If you have regurgitation of stomach acid into your esophagus (reflux, hiatal hernia), you may need to be treated with 20 mg omeperazole once a day. Some people who are not infected with helicobacter may benefit from taking clarithromycin or other antibiotic for a longer period of time. Check with your doctor.

Helicobacter may also cause liver disease, blood vessel diseases such as clotting and heart attacks, and certain skin conditions such as rosacea.

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Heartburn and acid reflux are typically treated with over the counter products or drugs that reduce stomach acid or block the excretion of stomach acid. It would appear that if our stomach acid needed to be diluted by antacids, our body would be smart enough not produce such a corrosive liquid in our stomach.

That fact is that we need a highly acidic condition in our stomach to properly digest protein. Using drugs to suppress this stomach acid is not the correct way to deal with acid reflux or heartburn. If you do go this route, you will be facing many disease as you get older.

There are many reasons you might have acid reflux. One reason is a weakness in the Lower Esophageal Sphincter valve, LES. LES is a valve between your stomach and your esophagus. When your LES valve is weak, it can allow acidified, partially digested food to flow back up into your esophagus. The acid in the food will burn the lining of your esophagus causing the so called “heartburn…”

Here are some natural steps that you can use to strengthen your Lower Esophageal Sphincter valve:

These foods can weaken the LES valve - coffee, peppermint, spearmint, sugar, chocolate, onions, and alcohol. Once you have strengthened your LES, you can return to eating these foods in moderate amounts.

Eliminate those foods that are known to create allergic reactions such as cow’s milk, wheat, white flour, diary products, and other foods.

Avoid overeating and having a large amount of food in your stomach. Excess food in your stomach can increase your stomach gas pressure and force your LES valve to open.

Avoid using certain drugs, although this might be impossible. If you take drugs perhaps you can start looking for and start using some natural remedies so that you can lessen the use of drugs. Here are some of the drugs at cause LES problems - NSAID’s, bronchodilators, channel blockers, beta-blockers, antianxiety drugs, and nitroglycerine. These drugs relax the muscles around the LES valve causing them to open during normal stomach gas pressures.

Watch how you do certain physical activities, such as waist bending, staining during bowel movements, coughing, and lifting heavy objects. This increases the pressure in the stomach, causing the LES valve to open.

After a meal do not lie down. This causes food to flow back towards the LES valve putting pressure on it. So it is a good reason to eat your last meal around three hours before bedtime.

There you have it, some natural remedies and activities that strengthen or weaken your LES valve. Just applying some or all these will result in reducing the frequency of your acid reflux and heartburn.

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In the 1940’s licorice was discovered to be useful in treating peptic ulcers. Unfortunately it had side effects that lead to high blood pressure, potassium loss, and fluid retention.

Researchers discovered that the ingredient in licorice that caused those side effects was “glycyrrhizin.” They were able to remove 97% of this chemical and the result was a product call “deglycyrrhizinated” licorice, DGL. DGL maintained its healing properties but had no side effects.

DGL was first used to heal ulcers in the stomach and duodenum without suppressing stomach acids. DGL worked just as good as the drugs Zantac or Tagamet that are designed to suppress stomach acid.

As more people used DGL, they found they got relief from a variety of stomach issues - heartburn, acid reflux, indigestion, bloating, and gas. In addition, they found using DGL was better than using antacids or acid blockers.

DGL works by improving and restoring the integrity of the esophageal, stomach and duodenum lining. It does this by promoting mucus release and cell rebuilding. The mucus released provides gastrointestinal lining protection from acids and gives the lining time to rebuild and regenerated. The result is healing and strengthening of the affected tissue.

Here’s how to use DGL. DGL comes in large tablets that you place in your mouth and allowed to melt. You can chew them slightly but not swallow them since it is your salvia that helps activate the DGL.

By allowing DGL to melt in your mouth the resulting liquid will now run along your esophagus and start the healing process where ever there is tissue inflammation or damage.

Use two tablets 3-4 times a day on an empty stomach. Do not use any water when you are taking the tablets. You can take the tablets at least an hour before you eat and an hour after you eat.

Although DGL provides relief for heartburn, acid reflux and other stomach disturbances it does not totally provide a cure. It does provide recover from damaged gastrointestinal lining as occurs with ulcers, but does not change the level of stomach acid.

In some cases Heartburn is caused by to little or to much stomach acid. When too little acid is causing heartburn or acid reflux it makes no sense to use antacids or acid blocking drugs which decrease your stomach acid even more. Low levels of stomach acid leads to serious illnesses.

Because so much is still unknown about the cause of acid reflux or heartburn, it is known that DGL can give you some acid reflux relief and in some case mild cases cure it.

Use DGL for mild or severe cases of heartburn or acid reflux and you will be surprised at the results you get.

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