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Testing
Your Digestive EnzymesTherapeutic Trial to determine HCL dosage Some of your symptoms suggest you may not be digesting your foods completely. Following are instruction for a therapeutic trial that will assess your ability to secrete the digestive enzyme hydrochloric acid from your stomach lining. This enzyme is particularly important for protein digestion. Many people experience a decreasing ability to secrete digestive enzymes, especially after age 50. Some of the causes of decreased production include dietary aspects such as food insults or allergies, alcohol consumption and semi-starvation diets or anorexia. Chronic stress, which will cause a shunting of blood circulation away from the digestive tract, can also interfere with enzyme production. There is a sub-set of people who simply have a genetic tendency to have fewer enzyme secreting stomach cells right from birth. Not enough HCL production can lead to experiences like bloating and uncomfortable gassiness, skin problems like acne, dermatitis and rosacea and eventually a whole host of problems related to the subtle malnutrition that results. If you cannot digest proteins sufficiently you will not be nourished by the foods you swallow. Even worse, because the proteins are not transformed properly by digestion, the resulting molecules may be processed as if it were a foreign invader, or an allergen, creating an inflammatory response. Inflammation in the digestive tract is the underlying cause of many additional health problems in all organ systems. To determine your need for HCL supplementation: • Take one capsule of Pure Encapsulations Betaine HCL 520 mg/ Pepsin 21 mg with a meal. Swallow the capsule after you have eaten half your meal. Do not take it at the very beginning or at the very end of your meal- make sure it is well mixed in the middle of the bulk of the food in your stomach. Watch for a sense of burning, nausea or any other discomfort. • If you feel fine, repeat using 2 capsules, at the same meal, the next day. Watch again for any signs of discomfort • If none occur continue to increase by one capsule per meal until you feel a little burning. • Make a note of the number of capsules it took to create a mild sensation of burning. Stop there; do not take any more capsules of Betaine HCL. • Call the office and let Dr. Dunne know you have determined how many capsules are required to get to that point; you will have a follow up visit to discuss how to use this information to optimize your digestion. Dr Nan Dunne rev 2007 |
