Gentle Chiropractic         1264 County Road 1         Dunedin, FL 34698         (727) 744-8787
Acid Reflux and Kids
I couldn’t believe it when I had a patient tell me that the pediatrician prescribed an adult drug for “acid reflux”
for their infant.  What the heck is going on here?

First, this whole neutralizing acid nonsense is terrible for adults. It is brought to us by folks who have forgotten
their first year of physiology-I say just open up your basic books for first year of basic science – and remember
how the body digests food. Your stomach has to be acid for protein to digest. If it isn’t you don’t digest protein.
Simple really.

Do you need protein – most understand that you do – repair of most of the body is dependent on that. The
worst example I have seen is a patient who came to my office who had been on this junk over a decade. What
could happen to a body that has not had proper protein digestion for that long- well he reported to me that he
had had cardiac surgery for some malady the surgeon had said was so unusual. Yes, indeed, I thought – but
not unusual for long.

Additionally that acidity is necessary to activate enzymes coming into the intestines. No acid, no activation. So
the rampant signs of malnutrition that are being seen in practice today are not just from the poor quality food
available in the US today but from not being able to digest it.

Now let us think about a baby’s need for protein to digest food. A baby has a whole body to build. Do you want
to interfere with that? Apparently drug companies would rather look at profits than the damage they could
inflict. I could not be madder about this. No one thinking about the life of a baby would do such a thing.
Ok, having said that what do you do if you have a symptom that has been called “acid reflux’?

Put real food in your mouth. That is the starter.
  • Whole milk.
  • Grass fed beef and pork.
  • Eggs with the yolk. Especially local eggs.
  • Fruits and veggies.
  • Easy on grains because they cause inflammation in the body and are difficult for many to digest and
    they can act like too much sugar.

A good rule of thumb is 5 1/2 cup servings a daily – adjusted for the size of the person.

No sugar, no pop (what is that stuff anyway?) no refined baked goods (empty calories). Nurse your babies –
that is what they need. And if your baby is having something your lazy doctor is calling”acid reflux” then look to
their food. No formula – manufactured food product, ugh!

People who think they know better than Mother Nature? Get a grip. Feed your child real food because that
they will be able to digest.

This thing that is being called “acid reflux”- can you tell I hate this term? This is your food rotting in your
stomach – yes, that is correct.  Not enough enzymes to digest the fake “food” product, and it rots, and that
makes acid and there you have it. So as you can see the solution is not to decrease the acid. Of course that
makes the problem worse.

Solution? Easy peasy – eat real food, supplement with enzymes if you have used up all yours but had prior
bad habits.

Yours in health naturally,
Doc McCullen