The Pecuniary Perversion of Conventional and Alternative Medicine for Heartburn

Heartburn Malpractice: Drugs, Supplements or Folk Medicine? Follow the Money

NOT MEDICAL ADVICE – FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY – CONSULT A COMPETENT PHYSICIAN - OPINION NOT RESEARCH

Takeaways - My experience: Heartburn (Bile Reflux) is not the same as Acid Reflux, but conventional and alternative medicine treat them the same to our permanent detriment. Heartburn treatment gravitates to the most expensive option and reflects effectual misdiagnosis and malpractice of Bile Reflux as Acid Reflux (see Jennifer Daniels, MD, The Lethal Dose – And Why Your Doctor is Prescribing It). Seventy percent of those with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD or Acid Reflux), reflecting about 73 million people in the USA, additionally experience Heartburn (Bile Reflux) weekly.

A Bile Reflux flare up is a horrific experience and will land you in a hospital emergency room with burning of all three backflow prevention valves in your throat, intestine and bowel, uncontrollable diarrhea, nausea, massive bloating and chest pressure that feels like a car is on top of you (feels like your heart is burning). Reflux is the backflow of gut fluids into the throat from the stomach called Acid Reflux; and/or backflow of bile from the intestine to the throat called Bile Reflux or Heartburn. Acid Reflux can be managed by anti-acids; Bile Reflux is a stomach acid deficiency and requires more, not less stomach acid. Even if you somehow can recover from a Heartburn Flare Up you will be left with permanent bloating, stomach distention, and inhibited lymph drainage causing bloating and stomach distention (see Ayden McKinney, The Bloating Fix, 2026).

There are three ways to manage heartburn from Bile Reflux: 1) a set of anti-acid drugs such as a Proton Pump acid inhibitor that can make the symptoms worse for weeks, is tacit malpractice and harmful, and can cost over $1,000/month; 2) taking Betain Hydrochloride stomach acid supplement of up to six capsules per meal (which is effective) recommended by alternative medicine chiropractor Eric Berg costing $30 to $100 per month plus many other supplements to heal the gut ($100 to $200+ month); or 3) homeopathic-Chinese medicine approach (also effective) of taking lemon juice before meals to produce stomach acid naturally and shifting to preparing digestible meals in a slow cooker, costing about $12 per month. Ideally, this third approach should also switch to a Blood Type diet or lectin protein avoidance diet (Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, Eat Right for Your Type, 2016 edition).

A simple self-test to determine if you have Acid Reflux or Bile Reflux is to take supplemental stomach acid (Betaine HCL) and if it lessens your symptoms, you have Bile Reflux; if it worsens your symptoms, then you have Acid Reflux. Neither conventional nor alternative medicine performed this simple test based on my experience with heartburn and numerous reported cases online. Taking supplemental stomach acid is counterintuitive: if you are experiencing acidic burning in your throat that does not necessarily mean you have excessive stomach acid. Rather, you have Bile Reflux from a stomach acid deficiency. Residual bloating and stomach distention is a lymph drainage issue as a side effect of Heartburn and must be treated separately by increasing lymph drainage flow. You must learn how to be your own doctor although finding a homeopathic or Chinese medicine doctor may help especially if they are accessible through telemedicine during a Heartburn Flare.

The medical establishment and alternative medicine don’t know (or don’t want to know) the difference between Acid Reflux and Bile Reflux because the former generates lucrative drug revenues, hospital and Cat-Scan charges and the latter does not. Acid Reflux is when stomach acid ascends into the throat, while Bile Reflux is when bile unnaturally ascends from the intestine through the stomach and into the throat. Heartburn can burn all three gut backflow prevention valves (Esophageal valve in the throat, Oddi valve in the pancreas, and Ileocecal valve between the intestine and the bowel). These backflow prevention valves are muscles (not cartilage) and are triggered by Acidity (acid/alkaline). Stomach acid breaks down protein and carbohydrates and bile breaks down fat. Think of the failure of backflow prevention valves in your body like poop from your toilet ending up in your kitchen sink. What prevents this is a backflow valve which is required to get a building permit.

The standard practice in the medical profession, including alternative medicine, is to prescribe anti-acids such as Proton Pump Inhibitors to switch off the natural “proton pump” in the stomach lining that secretes stomach acid. The problem is Bile Reflux (reflux means fluids backflow into the throat) requires more, not less, stomach acid to block bile from backflowing all the way into the throat. Bile Reflux is an acid deficiency issue. Acid Reflux is stomach acid flowing into the throat because the Esophageal Valve has been damaged by antibiotics or indigestible food (cruciferous vegetables, beans, dairy, etc.).

Drug Pushing

The unstated problem is that prescribing a supplement such as Betaine-Hydrochloride to boost stomach acid to block bile reflux cannot generate enough money to sustain doctors or hospitals. Hospital diagnosis of a GERD flare up typically costs $7,359. So, the proverbial “if all I have is an expensive hammer, everything becomes a nail” prevails when dealing with heartburn (also see Jennifer Daniels, MD, The Lethal Dose: Why Your Doctor is Prescribing It - 2016).

Here is a list of the drugs prescribed for my recent past heartburn attack in January from my local hospital emergency room doctor:

Cefdinir – 300 mg capsule x 7 days antibiotic to kill bacteria (typical cost for 5-to-10-day supply is $70 to $114.
Lactulose- 10-gram oral powder x 2 per day for any accompanying constipation - $81 with discount or $345 without.
Ondansetron – 4 mg tablet x 3 per day for nausea and vomiting - $305 to $390.
Pantoprazole – 40 mg tablet x 30 days proton pump stomach acid inhibitor $150 without coupons.
Senna – 15 mg tablet x 30 days for constipation - $4 to $15.

Total all pharmaceutical prescriptions without any discounts - $610 to $1,014.

I accepted the doctor’s written prescription but only bought the Cefdinir antibiotic for a mild lung infection so as not to get the physician red flagged for not prescribing antibiotics. I then substituted garlic for the antibiotic which worked to eliminate the infection without negative side effects (see Keith-Scott-Mumby, MD, PhD, How to Survive in a World Without Antibiotics - 2011). Note: antibiotics can wreck the backflow prevention valves in the throat, intestine and bowel. These valves are muscles and are not made from cartilage like a heart valve. The valves are triggered to block backflow or stomach acid by the pH of food being digested. For me food must be acidic to trigger the valve unless I take supplemental Betaine HCL. I can trigger Heartburn symptoms if I eat or drink anything too alkaline. For example, if I consume a smoothie made from juice or say coconut milk, it is typically alkaline and will cause heartburn. If I add supplemental HCL Betaine heartburn will not be triggered.

What a Bile Reflux Flare is Like

Both the hospital ER doctor and my alternative medicine doctor misdiagnosed my symptoms as Acid Reflux not Bile Reflux. So, for eight hours on January 10, 2026, I experienced a horrific heartburn flare including burning of my throat, uncontrollable diarrhea, nausea, non-stop belching air for eight hours, and pressure on my chest like a car was on top of me. This flare burned all three backflow valves in my digestive tract. After eight hours of taking anti-acids prescribed by an alternative medicine doctor, I gave up an took simple Activated Charcoal and it stopped the flare in 15 minutes. But it was all avoidable if either of the two doctors had asked me to perform a simple test of taking supplemental Betaine HCL to find if it reduced the symptoms. But neither doctor asked me to perform such a simple test. At that time, I didn’t even know what heartburn was.

If it was not for an online video by chiropractor Dr. Berg, that I found two days after the flare up, I would never have known I had Bile Reflux not Acid Reflux. See video The Fastest Way to Rid Heartburn. I confirmed Dr. Berg’s own experience with Heartburn when I ordered some books from Amazon such as Bile Acid Malabsorption – Stop Urgent Diarrhea by Michael R. Hayes and No More Bile Reflux: How to Alleviate Naturally by Paul Higgins.

After Effects

After I gradually got the Heartburn under partial control by taking supplemental Betain HCL acid, two new symptoms arose: a lower back spasm when waking from sleep and constant distension of the stomach (not the same as bloating or gas). Bloating is the sensation of a swollen stomach but without the actual protrusion of the stomach. One might call this Psychological Bloating. It supposedly is dysbiosis of the intestine having more bad bacteria than good bacteria. Distension of the stomach is a separate symptom (see Ayden McKinney, The Bloating Fix: Causes, Triggers and Solutions– 2026). Think of an inflated balloon around your abdomen. It can make it appear you gained weight when you have not. No supplement or over-the-counter medication can reduce such bloat, not even over-the-counter Simethicone (“Gas X”).

Bloating is a Psychological Sensation, Stomach Distention is a Lymph Draining Issue

No amount of stomach crunches or abdominal exercises, probiotics, enzymes, anti-bloating supplements (simethicone) or drugs (Refaximin, Cycyclomine), nor elimination of fatty foods can eliminate this bloat. There is a maneuver for reducing bloated stomach distention that involves alleviating sluggish Lymphatic drainage – see video here.Diaphragm tension plays a critical role in both opening the esophageal throat valve (preventing acid reflux) and pumping lymph fluid. Tense or restricted diaphragmatic muscles can hinder both functions. Lymphatic drainage massage and diaphragm breathing can also help alleviate bloating. The diaphragm is a dome shaped muscle below the ribs and above the belly button that contracts when we breathe. The lymph drainage canal is on the left side of the human torso and has three primary functions: to maintain fluid balance by returning excess tissue fluid to the bloodstream, filter and destroy pathogens, and absorb and transport dietary fats from the digestive tract. Bloat is putrefaction where bacteria and fungi produce methane and hydrogen gas (trapped gases).

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My Discovery of a Folk Medicine Approach

My rejection of conventional medicine for an alternative medicine approach to treating Heartburn had its downsides. I was stuck taking six Betaine HCl capsules per meal, many digestive enzymes, probiotics, fibers, and a host of other supplements to repair the damaged gut and its residual side effects (bloating, stomach distention and histamine). Histamine is generated from antinutrients (aka metabolites) together with mucus that occur when they are rejected by the digestive system and excreted through the nasal passages. Antinutrients are lectins, oxalates, phytates, tannins, phytoestrogens and gluten. Histamine is a marker for a permeable or leaky gut that is rejecting absorption of antinutrients into the blood stream. I was taking 50+ capsules and tablets of supplements each day, which puts stress on the liver to filter all those supplements. I ended up searching for an alternative-to-alternative medicine.

Chinese Folk Medicine

I found an Iranian doctor with an MD from Briton who practiced folk medicine. She advised me to switch to a Mediterranean diet that matched my Blood Type (see Dr. Peter J. D’Adamo, Eat Right for Your Type, Revised and Updated 2016) and to prepare food in a slow-cooking Crockpot (4 hours). To replace taking supplemental stomach acid (Betaine HCL) she advised me to drink lemon juice before meals. To my surprise, the lemon juice worked and I no longer am stuck taking 50+/- capsules of supplements per day (which strain the liver). However, the residual symptoms of bloating and stomach distention remain. I am in the process of finding a Chinese medicine practitioner who focuses on Lymph drainage, leaky gut and reduction of intestinal putrefaction. I have additionally found a deep tissue massage therapist to relieve back spasms apparently caused by many factors including Heartburn treatment side effects.

Buyer beware when it comes to Heartburn Treatment which is driven by money, not avoidance of causing harm. The above is my personal experience and is not to be misconstrued as medical advice.

The Pecuniary Perversion of Conventional and Alternative Medicine for Heartburn