Will Aciphex WORSEN Your Heartburn?

As an Over The Counter drug against heartburn, Aciphex has achieved great popularity. Sales every year of this medicament have mounted up to $1.3 billion (figures for 2006). But can Aciphex bring true relief to victims of heartburn? In the article below, a former heartburn patient shows Aciphex for what it is, after having compared with a variety of other solutions.

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.

Aciphex is part of the group of Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) which aim to treat acid reflux symptoms. This group also contains Prevacid, Protonix and Prilosec as PPIs that function by blocking the production of acid in the stomach by disabling the proton pump, which is the stomach´s way of making acid.

Immediate relief may be the big selling point for PPIs such as Aciphex, but the drawbacks exist as well. First of all and because gastric acid is needed for good digestion and for its antiseptic properties, blocking its production can be unwise. In addition, this is not the real reason for acid reflux. Aciphex is merely attacking the feeling (heartburn) and not the cause. When the cause remains untreated, it will continue to generate the symptom and this may even lead to dependency on the drug and worsened acid reflux.

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.

In Great Britain, studies just done indicate that patients using PPI medicaments for over a year and over the age of 50, were 44% more at risk of breaking a hip than acid reflux patients not using PPIs (these PPIs include Aciphex, Protonix, Nexium, Prevacid and Prilosec). The same artificial blocking of stomach acid also interfered with the absorption of calcium and therefore with the correct bone mineral density which led to osteoporosis.

Did your friends ever tell you that heartburn and its painful effects could be prevented forever without having to use Aciphex or any similar medication? The holistic approach will treat your GERD effectively and safely and permanently stop it from coming back.




Jeff Martin is a medical researcher, certified nutritionist, health consultant and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Heartburn No More- Open The Door To an Acid Reflux Free Life". Jeff has written dozens of holistic health articles and has been featured in ezines and print magazines, as well as on hundreds of websites worldwide.

To Learn More About Jeff Martin´s Unique 5-Step Holistic Acid Reflux Cure System Visit: Heartburn No More.

For further information visit: Aciphex Treatment for Heartburn