Aciphex Can Make Your Heartburn WORSE

Will Aciphex help any victims of heartburn to find real relief? In the following article, an ex heartburn sufferer relates the unpleasant facts about Aciphex, after having measured it against many alternative solutions, and all this for an Over The Counter medicament against heartburn known by millions. Sales per annum of Aciphex already topped $1.3 billion (figures from 2006).

About 1 in 5 of all adults in America and Western Europe are afflicted by recurring heartburn. The name comes from the sensation of burning and pain in the throat of the chest, especially after eating a meal. Even if healthy individuals can experience occasional heartburn as well, recurrent heartburn (every two or three days) may be a sign of Acid Reflux, or to give it its full name, GERD - gastro esophageal reflux disease.

GERD is the result of a muscle between the esophagus and the stomach not functioning properly. This muscle is the lower esophageal sphincter and should shut off the esophagus from the stomach to prevent acid and juices traveling back up to the esophagus. When such Acid Reflux does occur because of weakness of the sphincter, it can lead to inflammation of the esophageal lining (esophagitis) and problems such as difficulties in swallowing, hemorrhaging, esophageal narrowing and Barrett’s esophagus, which is a prelude to cancer.

There are two factors provoking Acid Reflux. One is weakness of the esophageal sphincter and the other one is excessive stomach acidity. The acidity is what is targeted by Aciphex as a way of reducing Acid Reflux symptoms including heartburn.

Halting the production of stomach acid is the hallmark of the group of PPIs (Proton Pump Inhibitors). PPIs do this by “dismantling” the proton pump, which is what the stomach uses to fabricate acid. Aciphex is a member of the PPI group, developed to treat Acid Reflux symptoms, and which also contains Prevacid, Protonix and Prilosec.

Nevertheless, this is not the real reason for Acid Reflux. Aciphex is merely attacking the sensation (heartburn) and not the real reason. When the real reason remains untreated, it will continue to produce the symptom and this may even result in dependency on the drug and degraded Acid Reflux. Immediate relief may be the big advertising point for PPIs such as Aciphex, but the negative aspects exist as well. Because gastric acid is needed for correct digestion and for its properties in killing off hostile microbes, blocking its production can be unwise.

If this was not already bad enough, recent studies show that PPI medications can generate unwanted secondary effects. Possible increases in the risk of pneumonia was one conclusion from Dutch research done in 2004. This astonishing conclusion was made because gastric acid in its antiseptic role kills off disease inducing microbes that enter the mouth and move down the esophagus. These microbes can then move back up the esophagus to go down into the lungs and cause pneumonia.

One of the other side effects noted from the artificial prevention of stomach acid was the simultaneous prevention of the body to correctly absorb calcium. Incorrect calcium balance in the body can lead to osteoporosis because of incorrect mineral bone density. UK research showed a 44% greater chance of breaking a hip, for sufferers over the age of 50 who had been using PPIs for over a year, compared to Acid Reflux sufferers not using PPIs. The types of PPIs referred to included Nexium, Prilosec, Aciphex, Protonix and Prevacid.

The right holistic approach will allow you to put GERD behind you forever and safely prevent it from ever coming back. Were you aware that heartburn and its painful sensations can now be a thing of the past without having to take Aciphex or any similar medicament?