In view of the above, I think it better to address the
need for HCl first. Low HCl production is associated with many problems.
Iron deficiency anemia, owing to poor iron absorption or to lead or cadmium
poisoning, and osteoporosis, resulting in part from decreased calcium
absorption, are two important problems. Lead depresses potassium, zinc,
iron, and copper levels in the body, and causes excretion of calcium. The
Cincinnati Health Department screened 3,337 children for lead poisoning in
2001. Of those, 3,139 had blood-lead levels lower than 10
micrograms/deciliter, the maximum amount the government considers safe; 161
had levels of 10-19; and 37 had levels over 20. A study by the
When deficient of minerals, the body will, in desperation, take up look-alikes from similar or same chemical families with similar outer orbitals. Without the real thing the final enzyme or hormone will not work correctly, creating more body dysfunction.
Other toxic mineral elements that substitute or interfere with essentials and cause great bodily harm are: LEAD - which substitutes for calcium and interferes with magnesium and zinc; CADMIUM - 10 times more toxic than lead and found in cigarette smoke and welding, substitutes for zinc; and MERCURY - substitutes for selenium. Selenium is essential for an enzyme necessary for thyroid hormone production, as an antioxidant to help prevent cancer and aging, to prevent viral mutations to more aggressive forms, and to devitalize toxic substances. For every essential mineral, there is at least one toxic substitute. When the body gets enough of the real thing, it will release the toxic substances.
Notes from a lecture by Dr. Garry Gordon, MD: “You understand that if I gave you 1,000 mcg of selenium a day, that would be toxic, that’s a really big dose. But what if it didn’t increase your plasma or serum levels for one-week, two weeks, three weeks, or four weeks? I’ve done this with some cancer patients giving 4,000 mcg of selenium and it didn’t go up, sometimes for six weeks! When it finally goes up, they can get symptoms, the nausea, the metallic taste, some Paresthesia, numbness, but during that time what was I doing? I was tying up every atom of mercury. We estimate there are about 40 million atoms of mercury in the average cell in your body. I was tying up every one of them into a lifelong marriage so that the mercury was not able to depress glutathione synthesis, and I was therefore able to see results in treating my cancer patient who couldn’t afford to take it all out.
“By giving selenium, you can virtually prevent mercury toxicity, so I don’t have to treat a patient who’s got a mouthful of mercury, and force them to spend $20,000 they don’t have. If I mainly am focusing on saving their life, I will do it with selenium.”
Additionally, sweet potatoes contain something called “phytochelatins” that help bind harmful substances like copper, cadmium, mercury, and lead that most of us are exposed to on a regular basis from air pollution. The phytochelatins help pass these toxins out of the body. Heavy-metal overloads can effectively be treated using oral supplements of Ambrotose AO™ and PLUS by Mannatech, Inc., zinc, manganese, selenium, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), serine, iodine, melatonin, cilantro, transdermal or oral glutathione, and vitamins B6, C, and E, and sweet potatoes. The initial treatment must be gradual to avoid a sudden dumping of metal toxins from tissues, which could cause kidney damage and a worsening of symptoms. Incidentally, cilantro tones up digestion.
General allergies and, specifically, food allergies are correlated with low HCl. Poor food breakdown and the “leaky gut” syndrome are associated with food allergies. More than half the people with gallstones show decreased HCl secretion compared with gallstone-free patients. Diabetics have lower HCl output, as do people with eczema, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, Vitiligo, and tooth and periodontal disease. With low stomach acid levels, there can be an increase in bacteria, yeasts, and parasites growing in the intestines, and an increase in allergies. Ironically, food allergies (particularly to milk and dairy) are one of the many causes of low stomach acid. For some, it is a vicious cycle of allergy lowering HCl, causing more allergies with resultant lower stomach acid. Zinc is critical to production of HCl, and thus its deficiency can be causal to all the above conditions.
You may obtain Betaine Hydrochloride or Glutamic Hydrochloride, 10-grain capsules from the health food store. If allergic to beets, choose Glutamic Hydrochloride. If sensitive to sulfites [MSG—Chinese restaurant syndrome, or diagnosed as suffering from phenol-sulfotransferase deficiency (PST)], choose Betaine Hydrochloride. Glutamic acid hydrochloride is only mildly acidic, and does not work as well as betaine hydrochloride. Betaine may be used alone, in supplements, but preferably with pepsin and other digestive agents. A child should get good results with one to five, 10-grain capsules, adults with five to ten (a predominantly pasta meal would need less than a high protein one). Start with one, and increase gradually. For children who will not swallow a capsule, it may be mixed with the food, or mixed in a small amount of drink that will be consumed completely. Woodlands Healing Research Center reports an older autistic boy showed marked improvement in digestive function, and a dramatic reduction in agitation when the mother began mixing betaine hydrochloride with pepsin into meat, poultry, or other protein foods before meals.
Low stomach acid can be corrected by eating a balanced diet of wholesome foods, and by reducing our daily levels of stress. Niacin stimulates HCl production. This can be taken before meals, as can potassium chloride and pyridoxal-5-phosphate (the active form of vitamin B6) to help stimulate the body’s own HCl output. Zinc is essential to HCl production. Drinking the juice of half a lemon squeezed in water or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of warm water 30 minutes before meals helps, and supplements taken during or after meals should be swallowed using the lemon or vinegar treated water. This may well eliminate stomach pain among other benefits. Use of Swedish Bitters or gentian has been helpful in improving digestion.
We are talking acid here. One 10-grain tablet of HCl in 1-1/2 ounces of water will have a pH of about three. This is not nearly as strong as what you may have experienced when you burped, and the acid really burned your throat; but, when HCl is mixed with food, it must be swallowed right down without chewing. Do not leave this food in the mouth. It could damage the enamel on the teeth. Additional food should be eaten immediately to clear the throat. If mixed with a drink, drink it with a straw to protect the teeth. Rinse the mouth, and swallow to clear the throat. Try it yourself, Mama. You may be surprised to learn that a Coke™ is even more acid (2.8 pH)! As with all such matters pertaining to your child’s health, consult with your medical professional.
If the hydrochloric acid is sufficiently strong, and the gut is able to release Secretin, and the pancreas is functioning, the use of an enteric-coated, alkaline tablet will not be needed to neutralize the acid in the intestine. The pancreas will normally release enough bicarbonate based on the strength of the Secretin signal. The amount of Secretin released is dependent on the amount of hydrochloric acid in the chyme entering the gut.
Where HCl is adequate, but Secretin is not being adequately produced, or the pancreas is not functioning well, the proteolytic enzymes may not be released; or, because of a lack of bicarbonate of soda, they will be destroyed by the acidity of the chyme. This can result in incomplete breakdown of proteins. These “foreign” protein molecules may be absorbed into the bloodstream, and circulated throughout the body. These “peptides” can cause all types of allergic (autoimmune responses) or toxic reactions, in particular those relating to breathing and skin irritation. Taking an alkalizing substance (an enteric coated pill) in that case, will neutralize the stomach acid in the gut, prevent the destruction of the proteolytic enzymes if any are available, and maintain an environment for the flora of the gut. If a tablet is not available, taking 1/2 teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a glass of water after the stomach begins emptying (about 2-1/2 hours after eating) can be just as effective. Without sodium being present glucose cannot be absorbed. Picture a revolving door in the wall of the gut with two segments. Without these two substances filling the segments, the door won’t turn. Mercury causes excessive sodium excretion, as shown in studies of dental amalgam placed in monkeys and sheep (Lorscheider et al, 1995). This glass of soda will lift your spirits and sustain you in times of stress.
Do not take any water, tea, or other nonfood drink with a meal or within two hours as that will dilute the HCl and hinder digestion. If you must drink water to take pills, put a tablespoon or more of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in the water to help preserve stomach acidity. A convenient way to overcome gastric reflux that affects so many is to take the HCl with meals, or to drink a glass of warm water with one teaspoon of raw, unfiltered, apple-cider vinegar when you experience it. You may sweeten it with some honey if you must.
As to the amount of acid in the capsules, you will not begin to administer as much as a normal stomach produces for an average adult meal (estimated to be equivalent to 30 capsules). It is the quantity as well as the degree of acidity that is important. Normal pH must be below three (preferably two) to convert pepsinogen into pepsin (needed to digest protein). It is often as low as one (the strongest acid).
If there is burning or pain, or if the digestive distress experienced previously (bloating, belching, heartburn, reflux) becomes worse, discontinue the use of the hydrochloric acid. Sensitivity of the stomach to acid (especially a burning pain just below the sternum) may indicate an ulcer. However, it likely indicates the person is dehydrated, or using aspirin or NSAID for pain. Everyone should drink a large glass of water 30 minutes before eating. That will rehydrate the mucus lining of the stomach, and protect the stomach from the acid. If there seems to be adverse reactions other than pain or burning, an allergy to Betaine (beets) Hydrochloride may be the cause. Try Glutamic Hydrochloride instead.
The zinc-dependent enzyme, carbonic anhydrase, controls HCl production. Toxins of bacterial overgrowth, gluten-casein peptides, metabolic acidosis, and lack of zinc all depress this enzyme. An inflamed, irritated gut present in autism will not absorb zinc well. You must supplement zinc, balance your zinc-copper ratio, and restore the proper body pH to restore HCl production. This pH can be improved by supplementing ionic calcium—that autistics are universally lacking. When there is adequate calcium, the saliva will be near pH 7.0 between meals, anything less than pH 6.5 is cause for concern.
There are some simple tests that may help determine if you or your child lack HCl. There is a hydrochloric acid reflex present on the bottom of the lowest rib (right side) approximately one inch lateral to the midline. If this area on the rib is tender to palpation there is a strong likelihood the person is deficient in hydrochloric acid, and would benefit from supplementation (a tenderness on the left rib indicates a lack of digestive enzymes.)
Additionally:
You may need more than five, usually ten is enough for an adult; however, if your symptoms worsen, you are overproducing HCl. To aid in restoring vibrant health, strength, and normal weight, utilize that number of capsules of HCl with each meal. Be sure to take the HCl after the meal, so as to allow starch digestion to proceed for the first 45 minutes, and so as not to discourage the stomach from supplying all the HCl that it can. The Betaine can be discontinued once the reflex point is non-tender to deep palpation, or the other tests show no further need. Additionally, since amino acids must be digested from the diet, low levels of at least three of the essential eight on a fasting, plasma, amino-acid test would likely indicate a lack of HCl.; however, a gluten intolerance could be impairing protein assimilation. A deficiency of pancreas function could also be involved.