There are 2 main players in digestion: stomach acid and bile.
Stomach acid, as the name suggests, is formed in the stomach and is very acidic, with a pH of around 1 to 2. For various reasons, many people do not have adequate amounts of stomach acid being produced. A few potential contributing factors to low levels of stomach acid are an infection in the stomach, chronic stress, or stomach acid being intentionally dampened down with the use of an antacid.
Low levels of stomach acid are a problem. The release of sufficient levels of stomach acid trigger the digestive cascade that involves the release of bile and pancreatic enzymes. Sufficient stomach acid is also needed for the lower esophageal valve to close, ensuring the contents of the stomach remain in the stomach while digestion is occurring. Like making sure the door on the washing machine is closed before doing a load of laundry.
The other main player in digestion is bile. As mentioned above, the release of bile is triggered by sufficient production of stomach acid as well as consuming foods that contain fat. For various reasons, a person may not be able to properly release bile due to it being too sticky or sludgy to be released from the gallbladder. Or they may have had their gallbladder removed.
You want both stomach acid and bile to work together to ensure you digest your food properly. Stomach acid is acidic and bile is alkaline. When these two substances meet, their opposing pHs create a sizzle (like a homemade volcano made from vinegar and baking soda) that liberates the nutrients in your food. No sizzle – no nutrients being made available in the body.
Some people have one side of digestion working well but not the other. In these cases, I target improving that side of digestion. Other people have neither sides of digestion working well, which means we have to work on both. Correcting one does not correct the other.
