Proton Pump Inhibitors and the Limits of Medicine, A Self Study

Before I knew the word scleroderma, my body spoke in pain. Heartburn became my daily companion. I followed the script we are all taught: I trusted my doctors. Their reflex was universal - Tums. Then Pepcid AC. I refused proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Each was offered as a solution, when in fact each deepened the problem.

I later uncovered that studies confirmed what my body already knew: PPIs, once hailed as “safe,” carry real risks - chronic kidney disease, nutrient depletion, even dementia. But at the time, all I knew was that every pill dulled the fire for a moment and then stoked it hotter.

Because that is what suppression does. It silences the signal without decoding the message. When the system failed me, I turned elsewhere - to remedies that required listening instead of muting:

+ Organic aloe vera inner leaf juice, shown to reduce inflammation and support mucosal healing

+ Ginger root tea with honey, steeped for fifteen minutes, a plant long studied for its ability to ease functional dyspepsia and calm the digestive tract

With these, the fire eased. Because they worked with my body rather than against it.

This was not just symptom relief. It was a revelation. The answers we seek are often scattered across the stars of human knowledge, waiting for us to notice their constellation. Systems may chart a narrow orbit - quick fixes, silenced symptoms, standardized protocols - but life is vaster than that.

The body, like a child, is a universe speaking in signals. To medicate without listening is like gazing at the night sky and seeing only dots - never patterns, never meaning.

Healing, like stargazing, demands that we slow down, look closely, and connect what at first seems scattered into a map for survival.

If you have the will to live, you must also have the will to seek - outward in knowledge, inward in awareness...until the pieces come together.

References:

1. Langmead, L., Feakins, R. M., Goldthorpe, S., Holt, H., Tsironi, E., De Silva, A., Jewell, D. P., & Rampton, D. S. (2004). Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of oral aloe vera gel for active ulcerative colitis. Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 19(7), 739–747.

2. Hu, M. L., Rayner, C. K., Wu, K. L., Chuah, S. K., Tai, W. C., Chou, Y. P., Chiu, Y. C., Hu, T. H., Lee, F. Y., & Lu, S. N. (2011). Effects of ginger on gastric motility and symptoms of functional dyspepsia. World Journal of Gastroenterology, 17(1), 105–110.

3. Xie, Y., Bowe, B., Li, T., Xian, H., Yan, Y., Al-Aly, Z. (2016). Proton pump inhibitors and risk of incident CKD and progression to ESRD. JAMA Internal Medicine, 176(2), 238–246.

4. Freedberg, D. E., Kim, L. S., & Yang, Y. X. (2017). The risks and benefits of long-term use of proton pump inhibitors: Expert review and best practice advice. Annals of Internal Medicine, 167(7), 465–472.


Sincerely,
Amber Eltaieb