Acid Re-flux
If you go to a medical doctor after having acid reflux more than twice in a week, you will be diagnosed with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disorder (GERD). GERD is a functional GI disorder in which your stomach acid backs up (re-fluxes) into the esophagus.
Why does this happen?
When the neuroendocrine system is imbalanced it effects the ability of your esophagus to function properly. Specifically it prevents the esophagus from contracting at its openings in the stomach and diaphragm. An imbalanced neuroendocrine system also causes an overproduction of stomach acid and unbalanced secretions of serotonin.
So far we have established that an unbalanced neuroendocrine system leads to a chain of events which causes acid reflux. This begs the question; how does someone’s neuroendocrine system become unbalanced?
According to a study conducted by Dr. Brice E. Vickery in the early 1980’s, the cause of the imbalance could stem from lesions in spinal disks. Dr. Vickery’s study found that 100% of his GERD patients also had disk lesions. The strange thing about this was that most of the patients involved in the study did not have symptoms of back pain, although, the nervous system is closely linked to the endocrine system and could also be affected by changes that occur due to disk lesions.
So far we have now traced acid re-flux back to the esophagus not operating properly due to an imbalance in the neuroendocrine system which may very well be caused by disk lesions.
Let’s keep going!
What causes disk lesions? Dr. Vickery theorized that a lack of amino acids could be the cause.
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein, without them your body can not create enough protein to support things like bone production, the neuroendocrine system, as well as the production of stomach acid and serotonin.
Dr. Vickery also found during the study that 9 out of 10 of his patients were not fully digesting their food. This is another sign of a lack of essential amino acids which regulate the enzymes that help the body digest food. As Dr. Vickery supplemented his patients with amino acids and therefore curing them of protein deficiency, their symptoms of GERD disappeared.
Dr. Vickers Conclusion
“If people, because of diet, aging, and stress are unable to produce sufficient enzymes to digest their food properly, then regular maintenance processes such as upkeep and repair of the spinal disk material will be compromised due to a lack of the systemic protein needed to keep the disks strong and flexible. As lesions begin to appear, the nervous system becomes affected and then the neuroendocrine system. Stomach motility and secretions could very well be affected”
Let’s Trace it Back..
The symptom of Acid Reflux occurs when the esophagus can’t operate properly due to an imbalance in the neuroendocrine system which is closely related to the nervous system. This imbalance causes lesions on spinal disks due to a protein deficiency caused by a lack of essential amino acids.
To fix your acid reflux, supplement your daily nutrition with amino acids and or grass fed whey protein.
If you have any questions regarding this blog or symptoms you may be experiencing, schedule time to speak with Dr. Patrick Ray at Chiropractic Plus.
To learn more about the human body attend free Event Seminars held each month at Chiropractic Plus.
Resources