Just The Basics – Assessing & Treating Digestive Dysfunction

Posted on 28. Mar, 2011 by Guy in Digestive Health, Nutrition & Lifestyle

Hydrochloric Acid

HCL has three primary functions: 1) Sterilize what is eaten, and kill acid sensitive bacteria, viruses, yeast, mold and fungi, and parasites; 2) digest proteins (in conjunction with pepsin) so it can be assimilated more easily by the intestines; 3) trigger the pyloric sphincter to open and the esophageal sphincter to stay closed, allowing the predigested contents of the stomach to enter the small intestine for further processing and preventing reflux into the esophagus.

Inadequate hydrochloric acid (HCL) can cause an entire cascade of problems, and as a result, can undermine virtually every process of metabolism, from tissue regeneration to immune function, to neurotransmitter balance, and much more. Inadequate HCL contributes to the root cause of many (if not most) human health problems.

The Faulty Hydrochloric Acid Challenge Test

The “hydrochloric acid challenge” commonly used by many practitioners is completely misguided and simply cannot assess HCL production status. In this test the patient takes increasing amounts of HCL with successive meals. It then contends if stomach burning occurs at a low dose, you are producing enough HCL already, and don’t need to supplement with HCL. Here’s why this challenge is completely faulty and should never be used for determining stomach acid production status.

Dr. Jonathan Wright, MD has done a good deal of clinical work with HCL and has stated that a normal healthy stomach will produce the equivalent hydrochloric acid of approximately 32 HCL capsules during a meal. This means a patient with normal HCL production should be able to take 32 HCL capsules on an empty stomach without experiencing a burning sensation. This of course is an experiment that nobody would normally be willing to do.

So what causes the burning sensation that usually occurs during the HCL challenge test? It is clearly not the quantity of HCL until one gets to about 32 capsules. The burning sensation happens because the stomach lining becomes irritated by the acid. This means only one thing – the mucosal barrier that normally protects the stomach lining is insufficient and is allowing the HCL to begin digesting the protein of which the stomach lining consists. So, the HCL challenge test is actually only testing the mucosal barrier integrity, which is of course very valuable information.

If the HCL challenge test causes burning, the mucosal barrier needs repair. Now before beginning repair it is very important to determine why the barrier has been weakened. The most typical cause of this weakness is a chronically elevated cortisol level, or an infection of the GI tract and stomach (often by helicobacter pylori). The stomach will typically only produce enough of a barrier to prevent the HCL it is generating from causing damage. This means that a poor mucosal barrier is typically the result of poor HCL production. Far more often than not, a burning reaction to the HCL challenge test reveals very low acid production – just the opposite of what its proponents claim that it does.

To reverse this self perpetuating problem one must first improve mucosal barrier integrity before implementing HCL supplementation, or damage to the stomach can easily occur. The recommended protocol for doing this is below.

Proper Testing for HCL Status

The only truly reliable HCL assessment test is by Heidelberg Capsule Radiometry (http://phcapsule.com). The only problems with this test are that it is hard to find, expensive, and time consuming. But it provides absolutely accurate and inarguable results.

The HCL test that requires swallowing a pH indicator on the string then retracting it is in our opinion not that a useful test and should be avoided. Unless you are testing the stomach’s parietal cell’s ability to produce adequate acid throughout a series of buffer challenges . Only the Heidelberg test does multiple buffer challenges and measures them accurately.

A note on Tissue Mineral Analysis (TMA)

Hair analysis used to be considered a reliable way to assess digestive capability.  However, a comparison of HTMA results with Heidelberg test results shows no correlation at all.  It appears that mineral assimilation and HCL production have almost no relationship, and that enzyme production is the biggest factor in mineral assimilation.

Signs of poor enzyme production in a TMA (Tissue Mineral Analysis also known as “Hair Analysis”):

• All 4 electrolytes (Na, K, Ca, Mg) lower than average
• All major minerals low
• Electrolytes low + lower than average toxic metal levels

If you see any of these in an HTMA then aggressive digestive enzyme supplementation is warranted.

The Quick Functional HCL Test

Get 6 HCL capsules ready and an ounce of baking soda (bicarbonate of sodium).  Have the baking soda and a small glass of water in a glass ready before attempting this test.  In the middle of the meal take all 6 capsules of HCL.  If you experience a burning sensation at any time after taking the HCL then your stomach’s mucosal barrier is insufficient.  You should immediately drink the water with the sodium bicarbonate added to it to neutralize the HCL.  If you are able to take all 6 HCL capsules with no burning sensation then your mucosal barrier is intact and HCL production is probably normal.  Repeat the test a few more times over a week to insure accuracy.

H. Pylori

Test for H. pylori using GI Effects panel or H. pylori stool antibody test, and treat accordingly.  Note: Mucosal barrier repair must be done concurrently with H. pylori if H. pylori is detected.  Recommended treatments:  Mastic Gum (2 capsules twice daily on empty stomach); Matula Herbal Formula Tea (as per packaging instructions, for 30 days or more); Amazon Digestion Support (2-3 per meal for 60 days)

Learn how to begin to repair your stomach with my mucosal barrier repair basics article.

Tags: assessing, Basics, digestive, HCL, successful health, treating