Why Do We Produce Stomach Acid?
Our stomach needs to secrete stomach acid so that our body can use the food we ingest.  This is done via digestive enzymes.  Digestion for certain foods, such as starch and sugar, begins in the mouth. When we eat, our stomach needs enzymes to perform this process, which include enzymes called proteases.  Protease enzymes are needed for digesting proteins, which are found in many types of foods, including vegetables, grains and certain types of starch.

All enzymes require a specific pH (acid/alkaline environment) in order to work optimally.  Our protease enzymes require a very acidic, or low pH environment.  HCL, also known as Hydrocholoric Acid, is secreted to provide the right environment for our protein digesting enzymes to work.  It’s important to note that hydrochloric acid itself does not digest protein, only protease enzymes do.  The acid merely creates an optimal working environment needed for these enzymes to operate.

Digestive Capability and Aging
According to Nobel Prize Finalist, Ronald K. Schneider, as we age our ability to synthesize all enzymes, which includes our protein digesting enzymes, decreases by roughly 8-10% percent for every decade past puberty.  For example, if we assume puberty ends at 20 in an individual, then when she reaches the age of 60, she will have roughly 40% less digestive capability than when she was 20.  This means we are unable to breakdown and assimilate our food, which means we become more nutrient deficient as we age due to insufficient enzymes. Another complication of incompletely broken down foods in our digestive tract is that they end up in the blood lending to the creation of harmful plaque, uric acid crystals and can cause our cells to stick together.  Also, incompletely digested foods that end up in the blood can end up feeding an environment that is opportunistic to parasites such as harmful bacteria and yeast.  We feel this in a number of ways, such as with bloating, gas, fatigue, joint pain, poor circulation, all stemming from enzyme deficiencies as a key root of the problem.

So Why Do We Overproduce Acid?
Because our ability to make enzymes decreases with age, we can experience a stomach acid conundrum from enzyme deficiency.  We are still eating the same types and amounts of enzyme deficient foods that we did when we were younger;  this rapidly expires our finite supply of enzymes. This forces our stomach to produce higher amounts of stomach acid, in order to recycle the smaller amounts of protein digesting enzymes that we are still able to produce. Our body responds to protease enzyme deficiency by secreting larger amounts of acid to keep our digestion working to the best of its ability.  When we have sufficient amounts of protease enzymes, our stomach doesn’t have to produce large amounts of acid.

How Heartburn connects to “GERD”
Heartburn is typically associated with insufficient stomach acid, and appears when we are incompletely digesting our foods, mainly proteins, which are allowed to ferment in our stomach. The fermentation process releases gas, which is forced up into our esophagus.  There are additional nutrient deficiencies with heartburn, but enzymes are needed to completely digest fermenting foods in order to correct the problem.

Acid Containing Foods Do Not Cause Reflex!
A commonly held erroneous belief is that when we eat acid containing foods, such as citrus fruits, which contain ascorbic acid (Vitamin C), that this  will trigger Reflux.  This is not true, because when acid containing foods are digested, they leave behind an alkaline ash due to their mineral content, not acid ash, provided we are eating a whole food. The triggers of reflux have to do with insufficient stomach acid needed to digest proteins in foods.  Citrus fruits can play a role in Reflux but for different reasons.  When a citrus fruit is eaten within hours of a previous meal that was poorly or incompletely digested, the already strained digestive system has become overloaded.  This is because the fruit has strained the digestive burden by adding to a pile of incompletely digested food (containing protein) that is sitting in our stomachs or upper small intestine.  The is an excellent example as to why so many different types of foods can appear to trigger reflux, and why this can vary widely from person to person, but the underlying fix is still the same.

Conventional Approaches Fail to Address the Cause
The conventional approach to Reflux requires the use of over the counter (OTC) antacids such as TUMS, or prescribed proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec, Prevacid and Zurcal, or stomach Histamine antagonists such as Tagamet, Zantac and Pepcid. These serve to shut down stomach acid to take away the symptoms of indigestion.

When we force the shut down of stomach acid, we set ourselves up for serious long- term complications, in addition to poor digestion.  Stomach acid provides an initial barrier that kills pathogens that we ingest, such as harmful bacteria, which we ingest on a daily basis. Low stomach acid also sets us up for stomach ulcers, which are partially caused by the H. Pylori bacteria, which can survive in low stomach acid environment.

We need stomach acid to completely digest our proteins, and proteins are used not only to build important tissues such as muscle, but  also used to run thousands of processes in the body such as making antibodies required for a healthy immune system.  Poor protein digestion due to low quantities of stomach acid contributes to frailty and/or insufficient muscle mass for a person’s size.  When we fail to completely digest protein, it can end up in our blood, which congests our cells, and can see this under a microscope.  This in turn leads to a low oxygen environment, which can leave us fatigued. Stomach acid is also required to ionize, or put into a usable form, all of our metal-based minerals such as zinc, boron, iron, manganese and many more required for good bone, brain, and organ health.  Medications that suppress stomach acid can result in a person suffering from poor bone quality and bone loss, as well as many other deficiencies and health problems.

What’s the Fix?
It is clear that reflux is related to enzyme deficiency.  Often, when people are unsuccessful with enzyme supplementation, this is related to the quality of the enzymes being used.  We also need to look at the entire patient, not just the reflux issues.  Enzymes must be able to be activated in a wide range of pHs, but especially an acidic pH.

When quality enzymes are introduced, we typically see the problems associated problems clear up in 6-9 days.  Most people start seeing a change in 2-3 days.  In our office, we have a series of tests that determine how effectively you are breaking down, absorbing, and eliminating what you eat.  By working with blood analysis, you can see if there are debris in your blood that are not only a symptom of overall digestive issues, but how our enzyme protocol can help clean this up and reduce the strain on your digestive system.  This can help your digestion, and stomach acids, operate the way they did when you were younger.

References:
American College of Gastroenterology
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases-test/new-treatment-guidelines-on-gastroesophageal-reflux-disease-gerd-published-by-the-american-college-of-gastroenterology-195355401.html

Dr Mehmet Oz – silent reflex epidemic
http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/silent-reflux-epidemic

Breakthrough (medical) procedure provides relief for Acid Reflux
http://www.nmh.org/nm/breakthrough-procedure-povides-relief-for-acid-reflux

This requires looking at the entire patient, to determine what can be creating the kidney problems.  Many Chiropractors and Physicians who practice these concepts have also used the term “Integrative” to describe this healthcare approach.

A basic philosophy in Functional Medicine is that imbalances in your metabolic function often occur as a result of a person’s unique “biochemical individuality”.   Biochemical individuality recognizes that we are all unique individuals with different health needs. Metabolic imbalances can be caused by factors that include diet, pollutants, nutrients (including air and water), exercise, as well as trauma.  Trauma can be processed by one’s body, emotions, and spirit differently for different people, as we have unique set of genetic predispositions, attitudes, and beliefs related to our cultural and social experiences.

Functional Medicine (integrative health care practices) works well with people who have health concerns that are not always easy to resolve and those who have not improved with traditional, symptom-based health management approaches. These would include chronic health challenges involving fatigue, pain, neuromuscular, immune and auto-immune and structural imbalances.  Blood tests that are done generally go beyond the normal blood type testing, and can identify nutritional deficiencies that can be materially contributing to health issues.

Click here for more information about Functional Medicine

Click here for more information about practice of Dr Phil Sleldz, DC and his Functional Medicine practice in Austin, TX

Dr. West was one of the doctors chosen to evaluate the use of Krebiozen. Upon learning of this new experimental drug, Mr. Wright begged to be included in the study. Dr. West administered the first injection on Friday. When he returned to the hospital on Monday, Dr. West was amazed to find Mr. Wright out of bed and well on his way toward a miraculous recovery. His large tumors had “melted like snowballs on a hot stove”.

When Mr. Wright later read medical reports that the horse serum Krebiozen was a “quack remedy” and “an ineffective drug “ he suffered a relapse. Dr. West devised an experiment. He told Mr. Wright that he was scheduled to receive “a new super-refined, double strength” product the next day. This time with great fanfare, Dr. West administered an injection of saline (salt) water. Mr. Wright regained his optimism and his second recovery was even more rapid than his first.

After the AMA issued a press release that “nationwide tests show Krebiozen to be a worthless drug in the treatment of cancer,” Mr. Wright’s condition once again deteriorated and he died two days later. While this remarkable true story is often quoted as an example of the placebo effect, it also provides a vivid illustration of the power of the mind to control the body and to contribute to our ability to heal.

Psychologist Dr. Adler, and many researchers since then, identified that there is an emotional state of mind that accompanies poor health, and a different state of mind that accompanies good health. In 1981 the mind/body connection concept of “psychoneuroimmunology” was born. This new field of study explores the inter-relations between the mind and emotions, the brain and central nervous system, and the immune system.

Conventional ways of thinking
Conventional healthcare views the placebo effect as an obstacle in finding new and effective ways to restore health. The placebo effect is acknowledged to help between 35-70% of patients, while drug therapy rarely achieves this level of significance. A pragmatic viewpoint of the placebo effect is that it should be researched and used to achieve optimal health.

Direct your genes and DNA to express good health, not poor health
Most people who are in the midst of a health crisis generally feel powerless to do anything about their seemingly hopeless downward spiral. Did you know that our environment and mind can manipulate our genes and DNA? Our environment, which is the combination of our thoughts, beliefs, traumas and toxins, provide the signals that determine which genes get activated, and which genes remain silent.

We are not powerless “victims”, waiting for our genes to dish out an inescapable fate, as commonly perpetuated. We can change the way our genes and DNA express themselves and thus affect our health. This field, recently coined as “epigenetics”, is nothing new to healthcare practitioners who have understood the mind-body connection (Lipton, 2005). This field is an integral part of your health recovery and one used at Fundamental Health Solutions.

footnote
Lipton, Bruce The Biology of Belief, Naomi Zack, Lanham, MD: Mountain of Love, 2005 (In his book, “The Biology of Belief”, Dr. Bruce Lipton PhD, an international authority on genes and genetic expression, explains the role and interactions that our mind, environment and genes play in our health. Dr. Lipton is a stem cell biologist and has held professorships at Medical Schools including the University of Wisconsin and St. Georges University. He has also been a lead researcher at Stanford and Penn State University. Dr. Lipton now lectures and travels throughout the world explaining a more accurate role as to how our genes influence health.)

These qualities would prove to serve him well as he experienced the hardship of physical disability, and the stress and emotional turmoil that comes with this. What resulted for Phil is a spiritual, mental, emotional and physical transformation as he sought to recover from mobility problems, seemingly unending pain and serious illness.

How the journey began
In 1997, US Marine Pilot Phil Sledz sustained an athletic injury which resulted in two simultaneous disc herniations with radiculopathy. Radiculopathy refers to the condition caused by a compressed nerve in the spine that can cause pain, numbness, tingling or weakness. By 2000, this injury culminated in a herniation. The chronic pain led him to obtain an MRI consult, where the orthopedist and radiologist showed him the images of his dehydrated, shrinking intervertebral lumbar discs. The complications left him with chronic pain, tingling and numbness that radiated into one of his buttocks, hip, leg and foot.

This surgeon told him, “Son, you have the back of a 60 year old.” Already walking with a limp, his nerves and muscles so damaged that he could only walk with what is called a “foot drop,” which is a condition caused by the inability to lift your feet normally when walking. Instead of a normal walk and gait, he had to raise his right leg high enough to accommodate a toe dragging step. This left him with an uncontrollable slap of the foot.

Phil Sledz was only 28 years old at the time. He felt heartbroken – a diagnosis like this would end his career as an F/A-18 fighter pilot, and his plans to be a future airline pilot.

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
During another medical consult, Phil was diagnosed by an MD with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a rare form of cancer which attacks the lymph nodes. In addition, Phil was experiencing a myriad of health issues that continued to deteriorate his once athletic body. Previously the beacon of physical strength and health, he was now so chronically fatigued that even the 14-16 hours per day of sleep did not relieve him of the deep exhaustion he experienced. During this time, 3 lymph nodes enlarged to the size of plums in his neck, armpit and groin. Add bouts of dizziness, a smorgasbord of gut and digestive problems, unintentional weight loss, night sweats, erratic fever, and brain fog, he was unable to perform required activities of daily living. He had documented over 34 symptoms as caused by his poor health.

Choosing Life and having a goal
After the diagnosis of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma, Phil began a serious search of alternative methods for the purpose of recovering his health. After his herniation diagnosis, he sought a Chiropractor, and a DO who worked with three Naturopathic doctors. Together with structural and biochemical help from his practitioners, he finally began to experience pain relief: a 50% improvement using only natural methods. Prior to this, he was still using some conventional modalities, primarily oral steroids and prescription pain medication, to temporarily mask the symptoms. Side effects from these medications was making him feel worse, which served to clarify what was covering up symptoms versus what was truly proving healing for his body. Now having a flicker of hope that his health problems could be reversed or repaired, he was energized and began a further quest for knowledge that could help him improve and recover his own health.

The Health Detective is born
By late 2004, Phil decided to attend Chiropractic school. Prior to May 2006 he took the necessary prerequisite courses, and completed his Doctor of Chiropractic in 2011. Driven by a sincere desire to help others achieve a better quality of life, Phil, now Dr Phil Sledz, DC, continued his education. With the goal of Board Certification in Functional Medicine, “Dr. Phil,” as his friends and patients like to call him, has specialized in building health through nutrition.

By doing additional coursework in areas that include blood chemistry analysis, neurotransmitters, endocrine and autoimmune assessments, Dr Phil not only recovered his own health but discovered and met with many researchers who could bring his health goals to even higher levels. Overcoming his previous health challenges was the original goal, but now the bar was set higher: to achieve optimum health.

Further Discoveries in the use of nutrition to repair and heal health issues
Dr Phil Sledz, DC was fortunate to study with many knowledgeable people who have researched and created bio-available, effective formulations. These people include a Nobel Prize Finalist specializing in immune-enzymology, immune system disorders and holistic interventions for autoimmunity. While researching specific products, he consulted with a team of Harvard and Stanford educated researchers who produced a restorative joint protocol so effective that it had to be protected with multiple patents.

TODAY
Dr Phil Sledz’s transformation from disability to optimum wellness gave him crucial insights and observations regarding the health recovery puzzle:

1) Only a highly functioning immune system, combined with improved cellular communication, can redirect your body towards optimal health.

2) When you see ONE PART of your body breaking down; it’s a clue that ADDITIONAL PARTS of your body are breaking down on a cellular level, at different rates. Conventional healthcare mostly focuses on the body part that is failing, versus the entire body.”

From Dr Phil Sledz, DC

“It’s my job as a detective to help you find this, and show you what can be done to safely arrest and redirect this process. Needless to say, my career in healthcare has been nothing short of spectacular; I have helped countless people achieve a higher level of health and wellness.

Due to diligence, focus and passion, I was able to elevate my health to the level I presently experience today. No limp, and can run 3-5 miles without any back or leg discomfort. I now experience more energy and less digestive issues that I can ever remember, even as a child. I have a healthy body weight, and my blood and immune system are measurably optimal. I lead by example; I show others that you do not have to live a life of misery and sickness if you don’t want to. You can have optimal health once again and feel good about living your body, but you must earn it!”

There is no magic bullet

“Restoring hope, confidence and self-sufficiency are key ingredients to successfully turning around the most severe health crisis. A common and erroneous belief is that there is a magic bullet that will fix everything, or that a person just needs to find the right doctor who can fix you. The truth of the matter is that you are responsible for your health improvement: it is your responsibility to embrace healthier lifestyle changes that can lead to your own health transformation.”  — Dr Phil Sledz, DC

“Dr Phil” believes that with proper guidance, you can fix yourself – and experience the excitement of not only seeing but feeling the difference. He has built his practice on everything that has provided good results. He ascribes to the belief that by changing the quality of your health, you can change your life. Feeling great allows us to have great life experiences, something we all deserve.

The motto for the Marines is “Semper Fidelis, or Semper Fi”—Always Faithful. For Phil Sledz, this translates to his faith in helping others, so that they can live life well and feel free from what holds them back in life.

— Editor