The FDA recently came out with a massive truth bomb about Zantac (ranitidine). Basically, the drug that is commonly used to relieve symptoms of heartburn and acid reflux contains a human carcinogen, which can cause cancer.
No big deal, right? I mean, doctors have only been prescribing this drug and others like it for god knows how long. It’s scary because so many people were taking this drug regularly. Some probably took it every day thinking that it was helping them when in reality, it was bringing them closer to cancer’s door.
THIS is exactly why I encourage my patients to look beyond prescription drugs and medications. If you have heartburn or acid reflux, prescription drugs will not heal you. They might relieve the symptoms for a short time, but at what cost?
Zantac, as it turns out, has been posing a serious health risk to anyone who has taken it. So, let’s talk about it…how has the FDA linked Zantac to cancer-causing chemicals or substances? And, why was it so threatening that there was a huge recall of the drug following the FDA’s alert?
To watch the video on this topic hit play below, or read on for more…
What is NDMA and why is it a health concern?
I think it’s worth noting here that the FDA themselves were completely unaware that Zantac contained NDMA. It wasn’t until an online pharmacy alerted to the issue that the FDA took notice, ran tests, and found “extremely high levels” of NDMA in Zantac.
NDMA (N-Nitrosodimethylamine) is an environmental contaminant known to be a serious cancer-causing substance. It’s found in things like chewing tobacco, cured meats, bacon, and cigarettes. It’s also linked to an increase in colorectal and uterine cancers.
Now, here’s where things get even more problematic. The FDA found that this potentially dangerous contaminant is ripe in Zantac medication. What really bothers me about all of this is that they pretty much said that there’s not a lot of NDMA in these drugs, at least, no more than the levels found in common foods. That’s like saying, hey, it’s not so bad. Worse case scenario, you get a “little” cancer – whoops.
It’s not great, is it? I mean, it certainly doesn’t make you trust the pharmaceutical companies who added this cancer-causing substance into drugs commonly used for not only heartburn, but ex-drugs that were used for high blood pressure of all things.
Adding further chaos to the entire situation is the fact that around 80% of ALL ingredients used in US drugs are manufactured abroad (mainly India and China). I don’t know about you, but that certainly doesn’t make me feel good!
If you have heartburn, why are doctors constantly prescribing medications without even trying to identify and solve the root cause of the problem? This is what I don’t understand. I mean, they’re giving these cancer-causing drugs to people to reduce symptoms of things like heartburn when in reality, you should be seeking solutions. And believe me when I tell you that there ARE solutions.
What causes heartburn?
If you’re tired of being a symptom chaser, it’s time to become a solution seeker. What I mean by this is you’ve got to address the root cause of your heartburn in order to overcome it for good. Heartburn, like most symptoms, is linked to an energy deficiency.
Heartburn has two main triggers:
1. Stress
Stress is the main cause of most, if not all, health problems. Stress can be caused by eating foods that compromise your mucosal lining. You may be struggling with emotional stress and that also leads to damage to your mucosal lining in your GI tract. That protective layer of mucus is so important because it protects and defends us. If you’re constantly stressed, it wears away your mucosal lining and your defences weaken.
2. Not enough stomach acid
I know what you’re thinking – isn’t heartburn caused by having too much acid in your stomach? No, that’s not correct. Your body is so intelligent that it will not let acid build up in the stomach.
The solution is to eat the RIGHT foods to heal the stomach lining. Things like marshmallow roots and papaya leaf are great for this.
Heartburn and the lower esophageal sphincter
You also need to consider the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), which are the muscles at the lower end of the esophagus right at the door of the stomach. This should be like a tight valve. It shouldn’t be weak and stretched out.
To tighten it, you need to eat more bitter foods. Americans are not eating enough bitter foods. Our diets are lacking bitter foods and it’s causing problems like heartburn and acid reflux. Some great bitter foods to add to your diet include dandelion, lemon peel and ginger. You can even add bitters to your diet in the form of droppers, which you usually take around 15 minutes before your main meals.
When you eat bitter foods, it triggers a cascade of events. It begins by sending stomach acid from the blood into the stomach. This preps the gut for digestion.
If you have heartburn, it’s not because you have too much stomach acid. You have heartburn because you have compromised mucosal lining and you have a really stretched out lower esophageal sphincter.
Drugs will not heal you because drugs are not food. Food is the real medicine. Your body needs fat, carbs, protein, vitamins, minerals, and enzymes to survive.
But remember…it takes time to heal the mucosal lining. Don’t assume that because you’ve been eating healthy for a few days that things are going to magically repair themselves. Your body needs time to heal!
If you’d like to work with me and get help when it comes to addressing heartburn and similar conditions, you can schedule a call with me by clicking here, or get in touch by calling 586-685-2222.