Is My Stomach Acid Too Low?
Baking soda stomach acidity test
If you’ve been experiencing acid reflux, indigestion, gas, bloating or heart burn after eating, those ant-acids or proton pump inhibitors you’re popping may be masking the symptoms by making the problem worse. You see, many acid reflux issues are caused by too little stomach acidity rather than too much. If you have an autoimmune disease like Hashimoto’s, crohns, or IBS, your likelihood of having low stomach acid is especially high and taking a medication to further reduce or block this acidity will only result in a deeper detriment to your bodies ability to digest and extract important nutrients from the food you eat. Hair-loss in women, vitamin B12 deficiency, weak peeling fingernails, and chronic constipation are just a few of the symptoms seen in people with low stomach acidity as they are unable to extract vital vitamins and minerals from their food. Heartburn medications only exacerbate the issue while muffling the symptoms.
Test Your Stomach Acidity
If you suspect low stomach acid, there is a simple and relatively accurate way to test your acidity levels. For a more accurate read, take this test for three days straight to get your average.
upon waking, add 1/4 tsp baking soda to 4-6 ounces of cold water
drink the mixture on an empty stomach and time how long it takes you to burp for up to 5 minutes
If your stomach is producing an adequate amount of acid, you’ll probably belch within 2-3 minutes. However, if it takes longer than three minutes, you likely have low stomach acid. If this is the case, we can have you do a simple betaine HCL test at home to confirm your low stomach acidity.
Low stomach acid is simple and easy to treat with Acupuncture and enzyme supplementation. Simply schedule an appointment to find the proper protocol for you.