Many people experience indigestion after meals. Are you one of them? Sometimes, indigestion occurs because you indulged in a rich or spicy meal, the kind of thing your body isn’t accustomed to digesting. Others experience these symptoms after every meal. The most common over-the-counter remedy is the antacid pill. People take antacids to counter feelings of heartburn or gas pains, and they can be effective. But there’s reason to believe that apple cider vinegar might be a more effective treatment. What Do Antacids Do? Let’s start by talking about what antacids do. As their name suggests, their job is to neutralize acid in the stomach. They work against acid. What you need to know is that the stomach is a naturally acidic environment. Every day, your body produces gastric acid, which is primarily composed of: Gastric acid’s job is to help your body digest proteins. Without it, you wouldn’t be able to break down food or absorb the nutrients in it. In other words, you need stomach acid. An absence of gastric acid would cause a real problem, and could lead to serious health issues. That points to the problem with antacids. Is Taking Antacids Healthy? You might think that because antacids are widely available, there’s no risk involved with taking them. You can buy them without a prescription, after all. It is true that few people experience obvious side effects, even from prolonged use of antacid medications. However, there are risks – and you should know what they are.
• Potassium chloride
• Sodium chloride
2. A decrease in the amount of acid in your stomach may open you up to a risk of certain food-borne infections. Under normal circumstances, the gastric acid in your stomach does a good job of killing bacteria and protecting you. Neutralizing the acid can make it easier for bacteria to survive in your digestive system.
3. In some people, ongoing use of antacid medications may cause a loss of bone density. That’s especially dangerous in older people who may already be at risk of osteoporosis. When bones lose density, it increases the risk of bone fractures and other injuries.
Perhaps the most important issue with prolonged antacid use is that it blocks the symptoms of reflux without treating their cause. That’s a problem because it can lead to complacency, and some patients may experience permanent damage to the esophagus as a result.
Why Apple Cider Vinegar is Better than Antacids
There hasn’t been much research into the use of apple cider vinegar as a treatment for indigestion, but there’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to examine.
It’s a common misconception that digestive issues such as heartburn and reflux are caused by having too much gastric acid in the stomach. However, there is a hypothesis that the opposite might be true.
Related Article: DOES APPLE CIDER VINEGAR CURB ACID REFLUX?
One argument in favor of this hypothesis is that stomach acid tends to decrease as we age. Yet it’s far more common for older people to experience indigestion than it is for young people.
In theory, then, adding more acid to the stomach could help relieve the problem, and that’s where apple cider vinegar comes in.
Some people with chronic indigestion swear by taking apple cider vinegar. Proponents of this treatment say that it provides them with immediate relief of their symptoms.
Conclusion
Some people need to take antacids for reasons that go beyond digestive discomfort. If your doctor has prescribed them, you should talk to them before making any changes. However, for occasional digestive problems and heartburn, relief could be waiting in your pantry.
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References:
https://patient.info/health/indigestion-medication/antacids
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gastric_acid
https://www.everydayhealth.com/digestive-health/experts-are-heartburn-medications-safe.aspx