peterants

This is an article that I read at alternative-medicine-and-health.com which I have started to follow because I fit the test as deficient in HCL.

WE ALL KNOW what indigestion is–sort of. It’s like heartburn, only different. Actually, indigestion refers to any disturbance of the upper part of the gastrointestinal tract, which includes the esophagus, stomach, and gallbladder. Heartburn is one of the usual symptoms of indigestion. Gas, bloating, and belching are also common symptoms.
If you suffer from indigestion after eating or drinking too much or as a result of stress, you need to investigate the various possibilities.
Here are the most common causes of indigestion:
• Candidiasis
• Food Allergy
• Gallbladder Disease
• H. Pylori
• Heartburn
• Hiatal Hernia and Esophagitis,
• Lactose Intolerance
• Ulcers
Most people who suffer from chronic indigestion have been to doctors and have been tested for various conditions. If this describes you, and if you have read about the above ailments and still can’t find the cause of your indigestion, there are two other possible causes that are not widely known:
• Deficiency of hydrochloric acid
• Deficiency of pancreatic enzymes
If you suffer from deficiency of hydrochloric acid or lack of gastric acid secretion, you may experience:
• bloating, belching, burning, and flatulence right after eating
• diarrhea or constipation
• a feeling of overfullness after eating
• food allergies
• nausea caused by nutritional supplements
Over half of people over the age of sixty suffer from low gastric acidity. If you’ve consulted your doctor about indigestion, taken antacids, and tried the prescription drug Tagamet and there has been no improvement or in fact you have felt worse, your problem could stem from a lack of hydrochloric acid. A physician can use a diagnostic test to confirm this problem, but there is also a simple test you can perform at home. Take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice when you are experiencing indigestion. If this eliminates your symptoms, then you may be deficient in stomach acid. If it makes your symptoms worse, you have an overproduction of stomach acid. If the vinegar helps, you can take it with meals or you can take hydrochloric acid (HCL) supplements (these often contain pepsin), which you can buy at health food stores. Please note that hiatal hernia, gastritis, and duodenal ulcer are caused by overproduction of stomach acid, and HCL supplements can make these conditions worse. Therefore, it’s important to rule out hyperacidity before treating yourself with HCL supplements.
Other people suffer from a lack of pancreatic enzymes. The pancreas produces enzymes that are essential to the digestion and absorption of food. The enzymes include lipases that digest fat, proteases that digest proteins, and amylases that digest starch. I’ve noticed that patients with low blood sugar are more prone to a problem with pancreatic enzymes. This may be because both insulin, which controls blood sugar, and the pancreatic enzymes are produced by the same organ, the pancreas. If the pancreas is out of whack, low blood sugar and lack of enzymes could result.
A lack of pancreatic enzymes will lead to trouble when you ingest fatty foods: You may experience bloating or belching an hour after a fatty meal, or your may have a feeling of fullness.
If you lack pancreatic enzymes, there are supplements that can help. Preparations of pancreatic enzymes isolated from animal sources are used with other enzymes including bromelain, which comes from pineapple, to aid digestion. These supplements are available at health food stores.
NATURAL TREATMENTS FOR INDIGESTION:
• Rule out all the disorders listed above, including cardiac trouble, as possible causes.
• If the discomfort is caused by lack of gastric acid secretion as determined by the self-test recommended above, take hydrochloric acid (HCL) supplements. Please note you should never take hydrochloric acid at the same time as aspirin, gutazolldln, Indocin, Motrin, or any other antiinflammatory medications, If you experience stomach irritation, discontinue.
Begin treatment by taking one hydrochloric acid capsule (10 grains) at your next large meal. At every large meal after that take one more capsule. For example, one capsule at your next meal, two at the meal after that, three at the meal after that, and so on. Continue until you reach five capsules or until you feel your digestion has improved, whichever comes first, When you’ve discovered the dose you need, continue to take it with meats. You can reduce the number .of capsules you take when the meals are small.
Your stomach may regain the ability to manufacture stomach acid. If this happens, you can reduce the number of capsules taken.
• If your indigestion stems from a lack of pancreatic enzymes, you should take pancreatic enzymes and bromelain, available at health food stores, Take two to four tablets of pancreatic enzymes with meals–”SX USP” is the type to look for. Take bromelain in doses of 250 to 500 mg. with meals.

I started by taking apple cider vinegar for stomach upset, something my mother does regularly. It made my stomach feel better, so I purchased Betaine-Hcl at my local health food store. I take one tablet with breakfast, one with lunch and either two or three with dinner, depending on whether I have meat for dinner. I feel better, and have less stomach upset.

Update-After two months on that schedule, I have now dropped down to one 10 grain tablet at dinner (or two, if I have meat with dinner). It has been working fine. I guess that my stomach is now making a little more HCL.