Gastrointestinal issues plague some 60 million to 80 million Americans. There are more than 48 million doctor visits and 21 million hospitalizations for gastrointestinal problems each year.

Twelve percent of all inpatient hospital procedures are performed for intestinal issues.

Those numbers don’t lie — the American gut is not healthy.

When I practiced conventional medicine, I hated hearing patients complain of gut issues, because there wasn’t much I could do.

I had been taught that when someone complained of burning in his or her stomach or upper chest that it was probably due to an inflammation of the stomach and esophageal lining.

This results from producing too much acid, and the excess going up the esophagus instead of staying in the stomach — what we call “acid reflux.”

Doctors are taught to prescribe antacid medications for the condition.

Yet while these medications can relieve the symptoms of acid reflux, I have seen very few patients over the years who produce too much stomach acid.

On the other hand, I’ve seen many patients who fail to produce enough stomach acid, and as a result, suffer from recurrent reflux symptoms.