Watch enough television, and you’ll come away with a pretty skewed picture of health in the US. Case in point, advertisements for proton pump inhibitors – one of the most prescribed types of pill in the nation, yet also readily available over-the-counter. Many are lured by the possibility that our heartburn can be easily relieved with just one little pill each day.
While there are good dental reasons to control stomach acid, the allure of instant relief can keep you from ever addressing diet and lifestyle changes that could bring long-term, drug-free relief. More, the changes they induce can have negative consequences, as well.
These drugs not only neutralize stomach acid. The FDA has cautioned that long-term use of PPIs can cause dangerously low serum magnesium levels.
Low magnesium levels, in turn, are associated with a variety of health issues, notes Dr. David Perlmutter, neurologist and author of The Grain Brain Whole Life Plan. These include heart rhythm abnormalities, migraine headache, seizures, chronic fatigue, anxiety, depression, constipation, asthma, hypertension, and osteoporosis and more.
Learn more about this critical micronutrient:
Image by Rennett Stowe
