Judging from the plethora of heartburn-related advertising you see nowadays on television, it is pretty clear that a lot of people have acidity problems. We find it remarkable and distressing that none of the companies offering consumers acid-blocking and related products such as Zantac (ranitidine), Pepcid (famotidine) or Tagamet (cimetadine) appear to be interested in offering more than a patchwork approach to stomach acid problems.

None of these products offer fundamental methods of addressing the root causes of over acidity, which we believe are due in large part to the departure from the diets our ancestors were exposed to prior to the agricultural revolution only a few thousand years ago and since industrialization only 200 years ago.

Among the many health problems resulting from this mismatch between our genetically determined nutritional requirements and our current diet, some are without doubt a consequence of the deficiency of potassium alkali salts, which are amply present in the plant foods that our ancestors ate in abundance, and the exchange of those salts for sodium chloride, which has been incorporated copiously into the contemporary diet.

In fact, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco (UCSF) have demonstrated that, "contemporary net acid-producing diets do indeed characteristically produce a low-grade systemic metabolic acidosis in otherwise healthy adult subjects, and that the degree of acidosis increases with age…"

Second only to breathing and maintaining a heartbeat, the most important metabolic function our body performs is to maintain a balanced pH. When your body becomes too acidic, it will attempt to compensate by retaining alkaline salts in the bloodstream to offset the increase of tissue acidity. Since your body can only tolerate a small imbalance in blood pH, it will rob alkaline components from other places, including your body's precious alkaline reserves in an effort to restore a proper pH balance. This can result in heartburn, digestive distress, stomach upset, fatigue, and a multitude of varying symptoms.

So instead of relying on temporary solutions with potential side effects, including jaundice and chest pain for Zantac, as well as gynecomastia (i.e., male breast enlargement) for Tagamet, give true dietary modifications a try. You might find the results to be astounding.

Reduces Net Acidosis
Acid Defense™ from Garden of Life was formulated to be used especially in cases of heartburn, acid indigestion and upper gastrointestinal distress. It is a combination of super-alkalinizing ingredients that rapidly restore the body's proper pH and provide reinforcement for alkaline reserves in the body. An excellent source of electrolytes, Acid Defense contains a blend of live enzymes, alkalinizing minerals, and probiotics from goat's milk whey. In addition, the certified organic vegetable juice concentrates enhance liver and gallbladder functions and aid in fat metabolism.

The ingredients in Acid Defense-such as barley, beet, and carrot juices-contain naturally occurring alkalinizing components such as potassium, sodium, calcium and magnesium that reestablish a balanced, healthy, system-wide pH.

Potassium and sodium are nearly always found together in the body and perform many of the same functions. Potassium neutralizes acid wastes, and in combination with sodium, maintains a healthy acid/alkaline balance. If it were not for the presence of sodium making the tissue in the stomach highly alkaline, the lining would be destroyed by the hydrochloric acid normally produced in the stomach. The stomach, intestines, joints, and ligaments are in constant need of natural food-source sodium such as that present in the goat mineral matrix in Acid Defense. (Naturally occurring sodium is not to be confused with the sodium chloride from common table salt.)

The formula also contains Stomach Soothe N Zimes Blend, a powerful digestive enzyme blend to produce a soothing effect on the stomach.

In addition, as with all Garden of Life whole food supplements, the ingredients in Acid Defense are lacto-fermented and enzymatically predigested utilizing a proprietary natural process called Poten-Zyme™. This ancient method of bio-fermentation incorporates 14 strains of beneficial microorganisms and their enzymes into the foods, gently breaking them down into their most basic elements. Fermentation creates valuable medicinal compounds within the foods including enzymes, antioxidants, beta-glucans, phytosterols, and other phytonutrients, thus greatly enhancing the nutritional value while making it easier to digest. This assures more complete absorption and delivery of nutrients at the cellular level.

References
Frassetto, L., et al. "Diet, evolution and aging-the pathophysiologic effects of the post-agricultural inversion of the potassium-to-sodium and base-to-chloride ratios in the human diet." Eur J Nutr 2001;40(5):200-213.

Prescription for Heartburn-free Living
Dosage-Take one heaping tablespoon mixed with eight ounces of water or juice before bed or when symptoms occur.

Disclaimer: These Articles and or information are not intended to mitigate the symptoms or cure the specific diagnosis of cancer or cancer related disease states.