If you’ve read any of my books or taken our 50-cent 4-week digestion course, you likely have a basic understanding of how digestion works and steps you can take to improve anything that may not be working optimally when it comes to digestion. But if you’re still experiencing any of your digestive symptoms, I want to give you more insights into what those symptoms may be telling you and steps you can take to improve them. If you haven’t read any of my books (I cover digestion in chapters 3 and 4 in most of my books), you should take our almost free digestion course before digging too deep into this troubleshooting guide. We cover all the basics about assessing your body chemistry and all the basic steps most people use successfully to improve digestion. The topics below are mainly for those who might need a little extra help.
I’m going to group symptoms together according to their most common underlying causes. Just remember that most of these symptoms can have more than one underlying cause. Still, when trying to figure out what is going on with your unique digestive issues, It can be helpful if you happen to be dealing with 2 or 3 issues that can all have the same underlying cause. That can sometimes give you a more clear starting point. I’ll provide examples below.
Symptoms that can indicate low stomach acid production:
Seeing undigested food in your stool
Digestive Discomfort (Maybe your food feels like it sits in your stomach for hours)
(To learn more about any of these symptoms, click on the name above to be taken to our podcast episode on that topic)
Some of these issues (especially constipation) can have other underlying causes. But if you’re dealing with 2-3, or even more of these symptoms, the odds increase that insufficient stomach acid is at least a contributing factor, and helping your body to further acidify your stomach during meals could prove to be beneficial. Please remember that anyone using HCL capsules should also be using Beet Flow (Not beet root capsules, but Beet Flow from Empirical Labs. You want to make sure bile is thin enough to flow properly if you’re supplementing with HCL capsules).
Any supplements I mention here will be fully outlined in the Supplements and Protocols section at the bottom of this article)
If you’ve already worked up to 5 HCL capsules per meal (as outlined below under Supplements and Protocols), and you’re still experiencing a variety of these symptoms, consider the following:
- You may be dealing with a bacterial overgrowth in your stomach. The waste product from bacteria is very alkaline, so if you have a significant bacterial overgrowth, your stomach may be overly alkaline. Therefore, 5 HCL capsules may end up being only as effective as 1 or 2. That doesn’t mean you should take 10 HCL capsules per meal, but if you can reduce the bacterial overgrowth, the 5 capsules per meal can then become more effective.
Vitamin C in the form of ascorbic acid (can be found at almost any health food store, but try to find one in capsule form that contains only ascorbic acid) is a gentle way to further acidify the stomach and can often be helpful when looking to wipe out bacteria. Those who need more aggressive help may benefit from using d-limonene for a short period of time (as described under the supplements section at the bottom). D-limonene can be very effective at wiping out bacteria in the stomach. More on ascorbic acid and d-Limonene at the bottom of the page under Supplements & Protocols.
- Are you using an effective form of HCL? Though Beet Flow can only be purchased through a qualified health professional, or on NaturalReference.com if you’re not working with a coach, you can find HCL just about anywhere so we always tell people to get it anywhere they want. However, we’ve been seeing lately that a lot of supplement companies include horrible ingredients in their HCL capsules. Even ingredients that are very alkalizing like ox bile or calcium carbonate. You really want to find something where the only ingredient is HCL. And even then, we’ve seen people use cheap versions with lousy results, only to see great results when they started using the Empirical Labs version that we use. We try to tell our clients that if they are still trying to improve a digestive symptom, use the supplements that we know work. Once you improve the issue, if you want to try a cheap replacement, and it continues to work for you, that is great. But while you’re still having problems, use what we have seen work over and over again so you’re not wasting your time and money.
- If your blood pressure is low, indicating low mineral levels, be sure to use a quality sea salt, and plenty of it. Your body uses the chloride ion in sea salt to help make it’s own HCL. The goal is to digest better so your body can assess the resources it needs to make enough of it’s own HCL so you don’t need to supplement with capsules anymore. So, why not start off by giving your body a boost of resources that can be helpful while you’re also improving digestion with the HCL.
Additional Considerations for Acid Reflux:
If you don’t already have an understanding of how acid reflux is normally caused by a lack of stomach acid, and not too much stomach acid like we are told, be sure to watch the video on this page and listen to our podcast episode on acid reflux. If you have a hiatel hernia, increasing the acid level of your stomach may not be enough to get the valve to close properly if the hernia is blocking the valve’s ability to function correctly.
Additional Considerations for Constipation:
If you don’t already understand how an anabolic imbalance can cause the body to send too much water to the kidneys and not enough to the bowels, be sure to watch the video on this page and listen to our podcast episode on constipation. Increasing stomach acid levels may not be enough to correct constipation if you’re also dealing with a major anabolic imbalance.
Saliva pH Concerns – Many who are constipated skip using Beet Flow because they assume they need to acidify their stool further and the bile side of digestion is the alkalizing side. I mention in all our books and courses that we don’t allow any of our clients to use HCL unless they are also using Beet Flow. We do this because we want to ensure that the individual’s bile is thin enough to flow and neutralize the acid coming from the stomach so you don’t create a duodenal ulcer.
However, if your saliva pH is below 6.5, which is a strong anabolic marker, the saliva pH is often low due to poor bile flow and toxins backing up in the system. Therefore, if you were to improve bile flow with Beet Flow, and raise your saliva pH, you may help the body send more water to the bowels. If the improved bile flow made your stool more alkaline at first, it is possible it could slow the stool down even further for a little bit. But soon to follow, the body would likely be able to send more water to the bowels, and as you worked to increase the acidity of your stomach, the stool would then start to move better.
Ascorbic Acid
In the same way that ascorbic acid can help acidify the stomach in a different way than HCL, it can also help acidify the stool so it can move through the system with greater ease. If urine pH is too high, ascorbic acid can also help bring that down. Ascorbic acid is not acidic enough to replace HCL, but it can be a nice and gentle boost when needed.
Magnesium Malate
If you find that you do appear to be experiencing an anabolic imbalance, magnesium (with breakfast and lunch) can be extremely helpful. But it needs to be with food, and not at night, like many suggest. They suggest we take it at night because magnesium is considered a “calming” mineral. It can calm for a variety of reasons, but it is also one of the most pro-catabolic minerals that there are. Therefore, it should be taken in the morning or during the day, when we are supposed to be more catabolic. Taking magnesium at night is working against your body’s natural circadian rhythms. Magnesium Malate on NaturalReference.com
Concentrace Mineral Drops
If you’re leaning too anabolic, and you have low blood pressure, these drops can be very helpful when it comes to correcting constipation. Most people work up to 25-30 drops per glass of water a few times per day. Just don’t start off that high or it will taste gross. But if you start off with just 5 drops, and build up, you won’t likely notice the taste difference.
Water Intake
It’s true that if blood pressure is low you might not want to greatly increase water intake because that could wash away the small amount of mineral you have. Just know that increasing water can be a great part of helping the constipation aspect. If your body is sending all your water to your kidneys, it may just make you pee more and that might not be helpful. But the goal should be to increase mineral levels and help the body send more water to the bowels while you increase water intake accordingly. Just keep an eye on this and be mindful of how your water intake is going. If there really isn’t enough water coming in, the body won’t even have the option of sending more to the bowels. Watch your blood pressure to make sure it doesn’t go lower, and watch your urine pH to make sure it’s moving lower (if it is too high), and you will be able to guide yourself to the right amount of water for you. By adding the mineral drops into the water you’re drinking, you can reduce the level of minerals that will be washed away. I don’t normally see people raise their low blood pressure with the mineral drops. It usually takes more than that. But the drops do seem to help someone drink more water without washing away as much mineral.
Digestive Enzymes
If your food is not being digested correctly (and you need both sides of digestion working to be able to do that), digestive enzymes can be a huge help. We use one called Digesti-zyme because it contains some of the cofactors your body needs to start making more of it’s own HCL. These enzymes won’t replace the need to supplement with HCL, but it can help reduce how long you need to do so. If you can help your body start to make more of its own HCL, you should be able reduce the amount, or for how long, you need to use HCL.
But if that is not a concern for you, most digestive enzymes are fine as long as they don’t include bad ingredients.
Symptoms that can indicate poor bile flow:
Imbalanced blood pressure (High or Low)
(To learn more about any of these symptoms, click on the name above to be taken to our podcast episode on that topic)
Some of these issues (especially diarrhea) can have other underlying causes. But if you’re dealing with 2-3, or even more of these symptoms, the odds increase that poor bile flow is at least a contributing factor.
Beyond Beet Flow – Beet Flow is the baseline here, and is a priority when working to improve bile flow, but MANY people need to be more aggressive than just using Beet Flow. (Also, if you weren’t paying attention, and thought a cheap beet root product would help, it’s important to understand that beet root will NOT help thin bile so it can flow better. It needs to be the beet greens and eating beet greens is not enough to do the trick either unless you eat more than a horse might eat. You need a concentrated form of beet greens, like you’ll find in Beet Flow. So if you used a beet root product, your first step should be to use Beet Flow instead.)
Using Beet Flow with meals is a great start, but most people who have had bile backing up for years, or even decades, need to be much more aggressive and do a few Beet Flow flushes.
Beet Flow Flush
A Beet Flow flush is not a daily thing. You might do one once a week for a few weeks if you needed to. About an hour or so after a meal, a person simply takes 4 Beet Flow capsules, every 30 minutes, for 2 hours (4 doses). If you get hungry and need to eat in the middle of the flush, that is fine. Most people don’t notice anything at all, but if you check your saliva pH the next day, and it goes up a little (if your saliva pH was below 6.5), that is a good sign that you benefited from the flush.
Coffee Enemas or Coffee Suppositories
Beet Flow helps to thin bile so it can flow better, but a coffee enema or coffee suppository can help dilate the biliary pathway so that the bile can flow with more ease. For this reason, the most effective strategy for getting bile to flow better seems to be doing a Beet Flow flush on one day, and a coffee enema or coffee suppository the next day. Most people can get bile moving again if they do this process once a week or so for 2 or 3 rounds.
Drinking coffee does not have the same effect. It needs to go in the back door.
Since some people don’t want to deal with the mess of a coffee enema, we see a lot of people have success with coffee suppositories. We use one called Xenoplex. You can find that here. (more on Xenoplex below)
Removing the Junk
If estrogen levels are high, it can be hard to thin bile if the estrogen is continually thickening it up. Estrogen can be high from using birth control, but can also be high from stress. That stress could come from stressful situations in your life, or your body may be stressed due to a lack of resources. In either case, finding a way to reduce the stress level of the body can be helpful. You can learn more about stress in our podcast episode on stress.
It appears that processed carbs, and especially grains, can also thicken bile for some people. While taking the above steps, some of you may need to also remove this processed junk from your life for a while. You can learn more about that by reading chapter 9 from my book, Kick Your Fat in the Nuts. I pulled the entire chapter out and posted it online so anyone would read it for free. Read Chapter 9 here. Since it is also possible for food sensitivity-type issues to cause chronic diarrhea, following the suggestions in this chapter may have the ability to help diarrhea issues on two fronts.
Still Need Help?
You’ll find info about the supplements and their use below, but If you get stuck on any of this, be sure to ask questions in our free and private Facebook support group. It’s the people who ask questions in this group that see the best results. You want to see the best results, right? So, just ask questions. The group is free and it’s private, so only those in the group can see your posts. Nobody outside of the group can see that you’re asking questions about embarrassing topics so don’t be shy. Ask away.
Supplements & Protocols
Betaine HCL
The dosage for Betaine HCL can be more complicated and it is important that you read the instructions on how it is often used. HCL can be found in most health food stores.
*** HCL Warning *** If you’re going to use HCL, be sure to also use Beet Flow (explained below in You Need Good Bile Flow) or a similar product. I never allow any of my clients to use HCL unless they are also using Beet Flow. If you don’t have your bile flowing correctly and you add more acid into the stomach, you could create a duodenal ulcer or diarrhea issues. I cover all of this in more detail in chapter four of my book, Constipation: Kick It Naturally. I just want to make sure you understand not to use HCL without also using Beet Flow. It is also imperative to read How to Use HCL Supplements below before you begin supplementing with HCL.
How to Use HCL Supplements
Hydrochloric Acid (HCL), also labeled as Betaine HCL, is the most widely needed digestive supplement in my opinion. It’s also the one that comes with the most important instructions. This is NOT a supplement you want to take willy-nilly. Here is a list of important guidelines to follow while using HCL supplements:
- HCL capsules should always be taken in the middle of the meal and chased by at least one bite of food. If the capsules were to get stuck in your esophagus and dissolve there, it could feel like heartburn.
- Start by taking one capsule with a meal containing no starches. This means avoid foods like potatoes, bread, pasta, cereal, rice, etc. If you don’t feel a warming sensation in your stomach, or any other new digestive discomfort, about twenty minutes after the meal, you know it’s okay to move up to two capsules at your next meal. You can continue in this manner until you reach a maximum of five capsules per meal.
- Most people will hold at five capsules per meal for months. However, if you begin to feel a warming sensation after your meal, you know you have taken too many capsules. At your next meal, you can reduce by one capsule and hold at that dose until you feel a warming sensation again. This is telling you that your body is starting to make more of its own HCL and you can begin to reduce the amount you are adding in.
- Be sure to adjust your dose according to the amount of protein in each meal. If you have a meal with very little protein, you may need to reduce the number of capsules you use with that meal.
- If you experience any diarrhea or loose stool issues after you begin to use HCL, reduce what you are taking until you can improve your bile flow. If you have more acid than your bile flow can handle, that can create a loose stool issue. This may not mean that you don’t need the acid, you may just need to improve your bile flow before you can handle more acid. If you experience this issue, read more about loose stool issues in chapter four of my book, Constipation: Kick It Naturally.
- Some people will never feel a warming sensation and that is okay. If you no longer feel bloated after meals and you are no longer having little burps, any reflux issues, or any digestive discomfort, you can try to reduce your dose at that time and see how you do. You may be able to eventually reduce to zero capsules and your body will continue making enough HCL on its own.
- If you experience magnified acid reflux when you begin using HCL, be sure to listen to our podcast episode on Acid Reflux.
Buy Betaine HCL on NaturalReference.com
Beet Flow 
Most people use 2-3 Beet Flow per meal to help thin bile so it can flow better. It’s important to use Beet Flow, or to ensure you have bile flowing well if you’re going to use HCL supplements. It can be a good idea to make sure there is enough bile to neutralize stomach acid before you add additional stomach acid. Beet Flow is not available in stores and is only sold through qualified health professionals. The manufacture has agreed to sell Beet Flow online on NaturalReference.com only to T.C. Hale’s book and newsletter readers.
Buy Beet Flow on NaturalReference.com
Vitamin C As Ascorbic Acid
You can find this form of vitamin C at many health food stores, but any vitamin C will NOT work. It must be Ascorbic Acid so you will need to read the label. It’s very cheap, easy to use and effective. Taking ascorbic acid between meals can help acidify the stool so it can move more easily. You’ll need to watch your urine pH because you’ll probably want to reduce your dose if your urine pH goes below 5.5. I use Empirical Labs brand because it contains only ascorbic acid. Be sure to read the ingredients if you use another brand.
Buy Vitamin C As Ascorbic Acid on NaturalReference.com
Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops
You can’t buy this on NaturalReference.com but you can find it on Amazon and at most health food stores. This product is high in a very absorbable form of magnesium, so it is very pro-catabolic. Therefore, it can help the body send more water to the bowels to loosen up the stool. However, you should take the free 4-week course first so you can determine if you have an Anabolic Imbalance. You wouldn’t want to take something that is pro-catabolic if you already have a Catabolic Imbalance. To start, use only 5 drops in a glass of water and work your way up to 15-20 drops per glass. If you start off at 20, it will taste weird. If you build up, you won’t taste it and you will likely enjoy it. Keep in mind that liquid minerals can raise your mineral levels so I would not use this if your blood pressure is already high or you are on blood pressure lowering medications.
Buy Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops on Amazon.com
d-Limonene
d-Limonene is basically orange peel extract. But it’s very pro-catabolic, so most people use it only in the morning, and only every other day for 4 or 5 doses. It’s not really for long-term use. If you already appear to be dealing with a catabolic imbalance, it might be beneficial to spread the use out further between days.
Buy d-Limonene on NaturalReference.com
Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops
You can’t buy this on NaturalReference.com but you can find it on Amazon and at most health food stores. This product is high in a very absorbable form of magnesium, so it is very pro-catabolic. Therefore, it can help the body send more water to the bowels to loosen up the stool. However, you should take the free 4-week course first so you can determine if you have an Anabolic Imbalance. You wouldn’t want to take something that is pro-catabolic if you already have a Catabolic Imbalance. To start, use only 5 drops in a glass of water and work your way up to 15-20 drops per glass. If you start off at 20, it will taste weird. If you build up, you won’t taste it and you will likely enjoy it. Keep in mind that liquid minerals can raise your mineral levels so I would not use this if your blood pressure is already high or you are on blood pressure lowering medications.
Buy Concentrace Trace Mineral Drops on Amazon.com
Xeneplex Coffee Suppositories
Most people use these suppositories in conjunction with Beet Flow when bile flow seems to be more stubborn and more effort needs to go into correcting the problem. Using a coffee suppository the day before, or the day after doing a Beet Flow Flush seems to be an effective practice for many people.
Buy Xeneplex Coffee Suppositories on NaturalReference.com
To better understand all of these ideas, listen to our 2-part episode on digestion. It might hold more insights that could be helpful to you. Just know this, if you haven’t improved your digestive issue yet, it is very likely that either being more aggressive, or asking more questions could push you in the right direction.
Disclaimer
T.C. Hale is not a doctor and does not claim to be a doctor, licensed in any type of medical field. Don’t be an idiot and use anything heard on this show as medical advice. This information should be used for educational purposes only and you should contact your doctor for any medical advice. Now get off me.
Download Our Free Digestion Assessment Guide
Sign up to receive our free Digestion Checklist that could help you improve your digestive issues.