[Shawna]

Hi guys ~~ I don’t have time to read through to the beginning so not sure of the context of this topic. I will say however that I would resort to pepcid AC as a LAST RESORT. Most times when these are prescribed the problem is actually too little acid not too much. Acid blockers work but with consequences. Acid is REQUIRED for the digestion of protein. It is the acid that reaches an acceptable PH that then activates the pepsin in the stomach which is where protein digestion begins. No or low acid means pepsin doesn’t get activated. I would imagine this puts a major strain on the pancreas to generate enough trypsin to digest protein and likely the protein doesn’t get digested and therefore absorbed. I imagine this will eventually show up as poor coat quality and then worse.

Mercola writes
“So as you age, it is common to experience heartburn, indigestion and GERD-type diseases, and contrary to what you may think, these diseases are almost typically caused by a reduction in stomach acid, not the overproduction of stomach acid.

This is news to many, because the drug companies spend loads of marketing money to convince you that heartburn and acid reflux are caused by too much stomach acid.

The other so-called digestive aids, including the class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors, and H2 blockers (Pepsid AC, Prilosec, Zantac, etc) will actually take you in the opposite direction of optimal health because they shut down acid production, making your problem worse.

So if drug industry into has fooled you thinking drugs like Pepcid AC and Zantac are addressing the problems in your stomach, or even if you’re taking the common calcium tablets to reduce stomach acid, you’re doing your body three huge disservices:” http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/01/06/what-you-need-to-understand-about-your-digestive-system-to-improve-your-health.aspx

Thanks Toxed and Honeybeesmom for the props!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂