Gastrointestinal

Stomach Acid Test

Written by Maff January 04, 2010 Hits: 5086 0

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This simple and relatively inexpensive test can be carried out at home to provide a basic indication of whether the parietal cells lining your stomach are producing enough stomach acid (hydrochloric acid or HCl).

Adequate production of stomach acid is essential for the digestion of protein, the liberation of minerals from food and for killing bacteria and other microbes ingested with food (as well as suppressing growth of normal microbial residents in the upper small intestine). Hypochlohydria (low stomach acid) or achlorhydria (absence of stomach acid) can lead to problems including:

- Bloating, belching, burning or flatulence shortly after eating
- Rectal itching
- Smelly gas (due to putrefaction of undigested protein)
- Skin rashes (psoriasis, acne, eczema, rosacea)
- Mineral deficiencies: calcium, magnesium, zinc, iron, chromium, etc.
- Weak nails and osteoporosis (due to poor mineral absorption)
- B12 deficiency (adequate stomach acid is required for the proper release of vitamin B12 from food)
- Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)
- Chronic intestinal Candida overgrowth

The Stomach Acid Test (Betaine HCl Challenge)

You will need to purchase a Betaine HCl supplement, preferably with each tablet/capsule providing 600mg. These are widely available and relatively inexpensive.

1. Day 1: take 1 Betaine HCl tablet (usually 600mg) with each meal
2. Day 2: take 2 HCl tablet with each meal
3. Continue increasing by 1 tablet per day until you feel a warmth in your stomach or until you reach seven tablets per meal
4. Reduce the warm stomach dose by 1 tablet per meal
5. Discomfort may develop later, as your body begins producing more HCl reduce dose by 1 tablet at a time

IMPORTANT: this test should not be undertaken if there is gastritis or any recent history of gastric ulceration (stomach ulcers).

The rationale of the test is that excessive acid produces a sensation of warmth in the stomach. If you require a large number of Betaine HCl supplements to experience this it is an indication that you are perhaps not producing enough stomach acid of your own. Experiencing warmth or burning with low doses of Betaine HCl indicates you are probably producing enough stomach acid and don't require ongoing supplementation.

This test is helpful but by no means 100% accurate. Other tests that can more accurately assess stomach acid production are the Heidelberg pH Test and the Stomach Acid Test using gastrin injection and analysis of stomach acid secretion.

Learn more about Betaine HCl and purchase supplements.

Candida Saliva (Spit) Test

Written by Maff December 15, 2009 Hits: 2745 0

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The Candida saliva or spit test is a simple test that can be carried out at home and, proponents say, diagnose any form of Candida or yeast-related illness. These illnesses may be referred to simpy as Candida or variously as 'Candida-related Complex', Systemic Candidiasis, 'Candida Overgrowth' and the 'Yeast Syndrome'. It is recommended by a number of natural and alternative health care practitioners.

How the Test is Performed

The Candida spit test is very simple. Before going to bed at night, fill a clear glass with water and place it at your bedside. When you wake in the morning, before you do anything else, simply work up a bit of saliva and spit into the glass of water. It is said to be important that nothing enters your mouth or touches your lips before you do this. Sources recommending the test instruct us not to drink any water, brush our teeth or even kiss your partner. Look at how the saliva looks and then check again 2-3 times every 15 minutes.

Interpreting What You See

Proponents explain that the test should be interpreted as such:

Healthy saliva will be clear and float on top of the water. It will then begin to slowly dissolve into the water without any cloudiness and without sinking. There would normally be some bubbles or foam present.

If the test is suggestive of Candida-related illness then some or all of the following signs will be present:

Strings traveling down to the bottom of the glass
Cloudy saliva that sinks to the bottom of the glass
Cloudy specks suspended in the water

It is suggested that the more strings and cloudiness there are, and the faster this develops, the greater the Candida albicans overgrowth.

An Explanation of the Test?

There seems to be no legitimate explanation or rationale for the Candida spit test and many people report having taken the test and it been "negative" only to find that more reliable tests such as Candida antibody testing, gut fermentation profile, urinary organic acids, or a simple treatment trial reveal Candida may have been a problem after all. Reportedly people who are perfectly healthy frequently test "positive" as well, suggesting the test is not reliable.

The origins of the test are also sketchy. A number of sites on the web suggest that it was invented by (or at least heavily promoted by) Global Health Trax Inc. which sells the Threelac (and now Fivelac) probiotic products.

Everything considered it would be wise to do your own research and ask your health care provider if you have done this test and want to know what to make of your result.