acid_reflux_drugsIn a collaborative study involving 3 universities- Stanford, London’s Imperial College and Houston Methodist College- researchers looked at the systemic effects of common reflux drugs and found disturbing results.

Not only are these drugs completely useless in the long haul, they’re now proven to raise blood pressure and cause both stroke and heart attack.

Drugs like Prilosec, Nexium and other Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) work by constricting the valves in the stomach that produce acid. For people with acid reflux disease, the over-production of acid, frequently paired with a faulty hiatal sphincter, causes pain and erosive esophagitis.

The drugs are prescribed to stop the acid from causing so much pain and to keep it at a minimum so it doesn’t wash up into the esophagus. Over time, stomach acid eroding the lining of the esophagus causes the lining there to resemble more like what the stomach has, but the abnormal cell development can turn into cancer.

The problem with the PPIs, the researchers found, is that they don’t just constrict the acid pumps. Because the drugs wind up all over the body, they affect all manner of vessels, including those of the circulatory system.

The constriction of these vessels over time, say the researchers, is leading to severe problems with high blood pressure and heart disease, as well as a thickening of the lining of the arteries, which can tear. This leads to a much increased risk of stroke.

The study authors note that the findings help to explain why people taking PPIs are at a much greater risk of having a second heart attack when taking the medications, and that the results of the study should warrant further research.

The ironic thing is that even if drug companies are pushing millions of dollars worth of medications to ease the acid reflux pain, there is a simple home remedy that will completely eliminate acid reflux in 5 minutes… without side effects.

What’s more, you probably already have the ingredients in your kitchen (or can find them in any supermarket). Learn exactly how to eliminate acid reflux in 5 minutes here…

Or, if you have high blood pressure, discover how 3 easy exercises drop blood pressure below 120/80 as soon as today…