Bloating Indigestion Constipation and Acid Reflux

Today we're going to talk about the best home remedies for four digestive and gastrointestinal tract issues: bloating, indigestion, constipation, and acid reflux. If you have one or more of these, you're in the right place. These symptoms are often connected to each other, and I'll show you exactly how. My goal is to make this very simple because what's being taught out there is completely the opposite of what you need to know to correct these symptoms.

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In this article:

1. What You Need to Know about Stomach, Liver, Gallbladder and Pancreas?
2. Signs You Have Low Stomach Acid
3. How To Fix Bloating, Indigestion, Constipation and Acid Reflux?

What You Need to Know About the Stomach, Liver, Gallbladder, and Pancreas

To learn why you're experiencing bloating, indigestion, constipation, and acid reflux, you need to know how the stomach, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas work together. Let's start with the stomach. The stomach breaks down nutrients, absorbs minerals, and kills off harmful microbes. But to do its job correctly, it needs to be very acidic.

Your stomach should have a pH of between 1 and 3. Keep in mind that the lower your pH level, the more acidic your stomach is. A pH level of 1 is highly acidic. If your stomach is more alkaline, meaning not acidic, then you can't break down protein, absorb minerals, and kill off microbes. This will create numerous gastrointestinal and digestive issues.

One huge issue that many people have because of too little stomach acid is reduced bile. Stomach acid activates the gallbladder's ability to release bile. Bile is a fluid that's essential for the gastrointestinal tract because it helps you break down fats.

This is important for two reasons. One, it helps extract fat-soluble vitamins so your body can use them. Without this, you can become deficient in many micronutrients. Two, it helps you absorb healthy fatty acids in the small intestine. Fatty acids basically make up all of your cells.

Keep in mind that the gallbladder does not actually create bile. This is where the liver comes in to play. The liver produces bile, and then your body stores it in the gallbladder. It's only released when the stomach is very acidic. So if you experience things like burping, belching, chest pain, nausea, and right shoulder pain, it could be a digestive disorder related to low bile and stomach acid.

The last piece of the puzzle is the pancreas. When it comes to digestion, the pancreas' primary function is to create enzymes. Enzymes help to break down food. The pancreas produces a wide range of enzymes to break down different types of food.

Your digestive tract uses a separate enzyme for breaking down protein than it does to break down carbohydrates. This is one reason why I recommend consuming your protein and vegetables separately. Having a wide range of foods at once can overwhelm the digestive system because your pancreas has to produce too many types of enzymes at once.

Here's the problem: you have to have a very acidic stomach to activate the pancreas. It all comes back to your stomach's acidity. Without a pH between 1 and 3, both your gallbladder and pancreas won't function properly, which will cause many digestive problems.

Signs You Have Low Stomach Acid

Now you know how the stomach, liver, gallbladder, and pancreas work together. The question is, what causes bloating, indigestion, constipation, and acid reflux? Furthermore, what will fix these problems? Let's talk about the problems and solutions of each symptom.

Bloating

When I use the term bloating, what I'm referring to is when your belly feels swollen or overly full after eating—often for several hours after a meal. Sometimes bloating happens just because you had a very large meal or too much of a carbonated beverage. However, sometimes it's a much bigger digestive issue.

When the stomach is too alkaline, meaning it's not very acidic, you have three issues—your stomach can't break down food, your gallbladder doesn't release bile, and your pancreas doesn't release essential enzymes. What happens is that any food you eat stays in your stomach instead of breaking down and moving through the digestive tract.

Since that food is stuck in your stomach, many people with bloating experience belching, burping, and even vomiting. If you fix the stomach's acidity, you can begin to eliminate this issue.

Indigestion

Often times bloating is a symptom that comes along with indigestion. Indigestion is described as abdominal pain in the upper abdomen. The abdominal pain can range from minor to severe and can even lead to nausea and vomiting.

What usually causes this is the same thing that causes bloating—low stomach acidity. Not only does a high pH mean that your stomach will stay full of food, but the food can also begin to rot and cause inflammation. This inflammation can be very painful and cause an upset stomach along with reflux issues.

Again, the best solution for this is to fix your stomach's acidity. I'll tell you exactly what I recommend for fixing your pH balance in a moment.

Constipation

When food isn't properly digested, then it isn't broken down into small particles. When food isn't broken down correctly, it can cause blockages and difficulty with bowel movements. Like bloating and indigestion, constipation can cause severe abdominal pain. If you don't take laxatives, you also put yourself at risk for hemorrhoids.

The fix for constipation is often to increase your stomach's acidity. You might see a pattern emerging—stomach acidity is the key.

Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is also often known as heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Almost everyone has experienced at least minor heartburn. Heartburn happens when acid splashes up into the esophagus. In extream cases, it can even go all the way up into your mouth and cause mouth ulcers. Mouth ulcers can make eating, drinking, and even talking very painful.

The problem with heartburn is not that you have too much stomach acid. Instead, it's a problem with having too little stomach acid. Your lower esophageal sphincter (LES) opens and closes to allow food in. Heartburn happens when the LES doesn't close and allows acid up into your esophagus.

Your LES needs high acidity to work correctly. What happens when you experience heartburn? Most people take antacids. Not only does this not fix the problem, but it also makes it far worse.

How to Fix Bloating, Indigestion, Constipation, and Acid Reflux

I recommend three things for these gastrointestinal issues. The very first thing you should do is use apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is highly acidic, which will help get your stomach pH level to between 1 and 3. The second thing I recommend is betaine hydrochloride. This is a natural acidifier. You can actually find both of these in the form of a single concentrated capsule for easy use. Use apple cider vinegar and betaine hydrochloride right before you eat to help acidify your stomach.

The last thing I recommend is purified bile salts. This helps to boost your bile if your body isn't producing enough. As I mentioned earlier, bile is vital for breaking down food, so this will help with digestion issues and constipation.

Keep in mind that as you get older, your digestive system stops working optimally. Your stomach's acidity diminishes, which makes digestion much more difficult. If you already have some of these digestive issues, give these tips a try and see how they work for you.

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Disclaimer: Our educational content is not meant or intended for medical advice or treatment.

Editor’s Note: This post has been updated for quality and relevancy.