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Hi Folks,

I received several replies to my post to the list asking if others had tried
Betain Hydrochloride as a digestive aid.

Here is a summary of the replies:

1.  John B. usually takes BH with each meal.  He noted that after taking BH
for several months that his ridged, splintering thumbnails smoothed out and
returned to a normal appearance.

2.  A respondent asked me what my blood type is.  He noted that the bookEAT
RIGHT FOR YOUR BLOOD TYPE stated that people with blood type O produce too
much acid and people with blood type A do not produce enough.  He went on to
point out that people with blood type O can't drink coffee and those with
blood type A can drink coffee.

NOTE:  My blood type is O.

3.  A respondent stated that Betain Hydrochloride has been a godsend for her
and her daughter.  They take it with every meal.  She uses 'Ges-cid', which
she says is available from a doctor or holistic healer.  She noted that her
BH contains pepsin and papain.  The cost of her preparation is $7 for 90
tablets.  This respondent said she saw a TV show that claimed that low HCL
was very common and caused many diseases including stomach cancer.  She
noted that taking antacids if you have low HCL makes the condition even
worse.

4.  Leslie in Atlanta said she looked forward to this summary and invited me
to correspond directly to her.

5.  Jim reported that his wife has been taking Betain Hydrochloride for a
number of years and feels much better for it.

6.  Barbara told me that she takes a digestive enzyme when she eats and that
she needs Betain Hydrochloride as part of it.  She combines BH with
Pancreatin, Ox Bile, Pepsin, etc.  She warned that Hydrochloric Acid is very
strong and should not be taken with water or other substances.  She would
like to hear suggestions from subscribers about good combos.

7.  Katie told me she has been taking Betain Hydrochloride with proteins.
She said she started her mother on it.  Katie points out that the production
of stomach acid declines as we age.  Her mother's digestive problems have
been alleviated by taking Betain Hydrochloride.

8.  Lil told me that she thinks that many people with celiac disease have
too much stomach acid and that's why some get ulcers.  She said that she
takes 2000 mg of Vitamin C and that it keeps enough acid in her stomach to
help iron absorption .

9.  Mindy takes Betain Hydrochloride that was prescribed by a naturopath
because of a tendency for stomach and intestinal infections, leaky gut and
other food allergies.  Betain Hydrochloride works for Mindy who says, "I've
never been better that I have on my GF rotation diet/enzyme/HCL
supplements."

10.  Christie thanked me for mentioning Betain Hydrochloride because she is
getting ready to try using it.  Her doctor recommended that.  She said that
her doctor informed her that she would know after taking the first capsule
of Betain Hydrochloride if it was the correct medication and told her to
discontinue use of it if she suffered any indigestion or burning.  She said
that her doctor told her to take HCL with food and to gradually increase
dosage hoping that she would eventually be able to take four capsules as
tolerated.  Christie said her doctor informed her that Hydrochloric Acid
helps with the absorption of 23 different nutrients.  Christie's doctor told
her to take 10 grain capsules.  She asked how long it took me to get
results.

NOTE:  My problems were all instantly cured by taking Betain Hydrochloride.

11.  Ron asked me, "What's Betain Hydrochloride?"  He said he has improved
since going gluten-free but that he still has digestive problems.

NOTE:  I explained that Betain Hydrochloride is made from Hydrochloric Acid,
which is the acid secreted by human beings when they eat food.

12.  Theresa asked me to give information about my symptoms before taking
Betain Hydrochloride in my summary back to the list.  She also asked where
she could buy Betain Hydrochloride.

NOTE:  My symptoms included regurgitation of small amounts of food after
eating, severe pain under my ribs and in my back, rumbling sounds from my
belly after eating, and multiple 'normal' bowel movements.

NOTE:  Betain Hydrochloride is available in health food and drug stores at a
very reasonable price.

I enjoyed the private correspondence my post to the list generated for me
and I gathered some very useful information about several subjects.

Thanks to all subscribers that sent me responses to my post.  You're a great
bunch!


Joe Clemens, Port Angeles, Washington, USA     [log in to unmask]