My HCL Success Story

Diet and Nutrition
1

As of last November, my stomach was a mess. For the previous few years I had been dealing with IBS-like symptoms, including frequent bouts of diarrhea, irritability right after meals, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, etc. (I even noticed undigested food in my stool, which really bothered me).

You name a stomach problem, chances are I had it. And of course trying to eat 4000 calories a day wasn’t making things better… I would eat a huge meal, feel like shit, and then have to run to the toilet.

Fortunately for me, I read one of Poliquin’s articles where he mentioned HCL supplementation. The list of symptoms was identical to the list you would have gotten from me had you asked me to write down all the shit that was wrong with my stomach!

Anyhow, I figured I had nothing to lose, since it couldn’t possibly get any worse, so I gave it a shot. I bought a bottle of HCL pills from my local co-op, (SolaRay HCL with Pepsin) and started a four-month journey to happiness.

I also bought the book “Why Stomach Acid is Good For You” by Wright and Lenard, which was incredibly eye-opening, and I realized that I almost certainly had low acid levels (you never know for sure unless you get it tested, but I had all the symptoms), and could get myself patched up with an HCL supplementation.

I started with 1400mg and stuck with that for a couple of months, and then reduced it to 700mg over another month or so. I immediately noticed a huge difference. My mad dashes to the shitter were a thing of the past, I could eat really big P+F meals without any nasty after-effects, I had less foul-smelling gas. It was like someone had waved a magic wand over my stomach…

I was aware that the supplementation would eventually be unnecessary as normal acid levels would be achieved by my stomach without any help, so I stopped taking HCL around February.

Well, it was a bit premature, because my stomach issues immediately returned, and so after a two-week lapse, I started back up on the HCL, but stuck to the 700mg dosage.

I continued until about 2 weeks ago, and this time I had no problems going off the HCL. My stomach is able to handle any kind of food, my shits are regular and easy on the eyes, and I no longer have any gas pain or nausea.

So, long story short, HCL supplementation got me back to being a normal human being with a healthy stomach. Not to mention I feel better, sleep better, and have more energy.

Here is a link to the Polquin article which mentions HCL:

http://www.T-Nation.com/readTopic.do?id=1257805

Also, I figured this would be a good thread for other people to talk about their experiences with different supplements like digestive enzymes, pro-biotics, etc.

2

[quote] also bought the book “Why Stomach Acid is Good For You” by Wright and Lenard, which was incredibly eye-opening, and I realized that I almost certainly had low acid levels (you never know for sure unless you get it tested, but I had all the symptoms), and could get myself patched up with an HCL supplementation
[/quote]

I have a similar tale to tell. I was seeing a doctor about persistent acid reflux. At first the antacids he gave me worked. Then it came back. I found the book “Why Stomach Acid Is Good for you” and started taking Mastic gum, probiotics and following some of the other protocols proposed in book. In short order, I was all better.

I wish more people knew about that book.
If it ever became widely-read, it would set some of these pharmaceutical companies stock tumbling!

3

[quote]entheogens wrote:
also bought the book “Why Stomach Acid is Good For You” by Wright and Lenard, which was incredibly eye-opening, and I realized that I almost certainly had low acid levels (you never know for sure unless you get it tested, but I had all the symptoms), and could get myself patched up with an HCL supplementation

I have a similar tale to tell. I was seeing a doctor about persistent acid reflux. At first the antacids he gave me worked. Then it came back. I found the book “Why Stomach Acid Is Good for you” and started taking Mastic gum, probiotics and following some of the other protocols proposed in book. In short order, I was all better.

I wish more people knew about that book.
If it ever became widely-read, it would set some of these pharmaceutical companies stock tumbling![/quote]

Its true, but antacids are a multi-billion dollar a year industry…

I forgot to mention that I haven’t had any problems with heartburn, either, whereas before, I was eating Tums like candy. Amazing, isnt’ it?

4

[quote]swordthrower wrote:
entheogens wrote:
also bought the book “Why Stomach Acid is Good For You” by Wright and Lenard, which was incredibly eye-opening, and I realized that I almost certainly had low acid levels (you never know for sure unless you get it tested, but I had all the symptoms), and could get myself patched up with an HCL supplementation

I have a similar tale to tell. I was seeing a doctor about persistent acid reflux. At first the antacids he gave me worked. Then it came back. I found the book “Why Stomach Acid Is Good for you” and started taking Mastic gum, probiotics and following some of the other protocols proposed in book. In short order, I was all better.

I wish more people knew about that book.
If it ever became widely-read, it would set some of these pharmaceutical companies stock tumbling!

Its true, but antacids are a multi-billion dollar a year industry…

I forgot to mention that I haven’t had any problems with heartburn, either, whereas before, I was eating Tums like candy. Amazing, isnt’ it?[/quote]

I can’t believe how many antacids varieties there are. Anyway, my results aren’t as dramatic as yours, but HCL has helped me with breathing more than stomach issues.

5

Good post I have a friend with bad IBS symptoms I’ll refer him to this. Maybe he won’t have to spend hours on the pot.

6

[quote]Hagar wrote:
Good post I have a friend with bad IBS symptoms I’ll refer him to this. Maybe he won’t have to spend hours on the pot. [/quote]

Yeah, definitely encourage him to get the book I mentioned, because it really spells out how the stomach works, and how low acid levels can cause problems.

7

I read that article awhile ago, but I’ve only started taking HCl on a consistent basis about a week ago. I guess it’s too early to notice any big changes, but I’m definitely sleeping much better than I have before. Funny, I was just getting ready to re-read that article right before I found this post.

It’s great to see it worked out well for you.

8

[quote]Doug Adams wrote:
I read that article awhile ago, but I’ve only started taking HCl on a consistent basis about a week ago. I guess it’s too early to notice any big changes, but I’m definitely sleeping much better than I have before. Funny, I was just getting ready to re-read that article right before I found this post.

It’s great to see it worked out well for you.
[/quote]

It all depends on how severe your symptoms are to begin with, but I think the main reason it worked so well for me is that my lack of proper digestion meant that undigested food was making its way into my intestines, thus causing irritation. Because while my symptoms were all intestinal, their cause seemed to be poor digestion by the stomach.

Of course there are lots of other benefits, such as better utilization of protein and amino acids, and absorption of vitamins and minerals, leading to more energy, better sleep, etc.

9

I always feel the need to add that if you have ulcers you SHOULD NOT take HCL.
If you read the above named book it will give recommendations for such a case.

10

Did you originally feel a burn at the 1400 mg, cause I’ve tried it and got nothing.

11

[quote]YoungGunner wrote:
Did you originally feel a burn at the 1400 mg, cause I’ve tried it and got nothing.[/quote]

I have never felt the burn! Not even at close to 2000mg… Which is not that unusual, from what I’ve read in other posts. The stomach is designed to be at a pH of around 1-2, so I’m thinking unless your stomach is only slightly hypochlorhydric then you can take well over 2000mg before feeling anything.

12

Dude you just brought a tear to my eye. Ive been suffering the shame thing! but hcl has mildly helped.

I can tell you for sure to get CDSA (Poliquin is very big on cleaning bugs out of your system.

candida and parasites are a contributer as well. Around here it is a joke but talk to Poliquin about it and he is very big on it.

13

I know someone with Colitis (ulcers and/or inflammation of the colon). Would HCL therapy be ill-advised for her situation?

Also, does that book offer any sound suggestions for Colitis sufferers?

Thanks

14

[quote]Soldierslim wrote:
I know someone with Colitis (ulcers and/or inflammation of the colon). Would HCL therapy be ill-advised for her situation?

Also, does that book offer any sound suggestions for Colitis sufferers?

Thanks[/quote]

The book does offer suggestions, but DO NOT give HCL to anybody with ulcers. It would burn them up. There are other things that can be done.

15

I could not tolerate grains and dairy AT ALL until I took probiotics. Plus my sweat, crap and gas stank worse than your sewage system.

Now, besides other cleaning up of my diet, my sweat hardly stinks, my crap and gas don’t smell that much, and best of all, I can drink Lactose free organic milk/ or raw milk when i get the chance with no problem, and I eat Ezekiel bread on a daily basis.