It has become commonplace for physicians to prescribe acid suppressors like omeprazole or Prilosec, Protonics, and Nexium to patients upon admission or discharge from the hospital. The reason is to prevent stress-induced ulcers. 40-70% of patients receive these drugs, even without symptoms. The problem is that the lack of stomach acid eliminates an important part of the immune system’s protection against infection. The incidence of pneumonia in such patients is 30%, according to an article in the AMA journal by Harvard researchers, and the risk begins within a few days of beginning the drugs. These medications can be useful to treat ulcers or GERD (reflux), but they should not be used preventively. Integrative Physicians commonly use natural products to achieve the same results, such as mastica or licorice.
See Herzig SJ, JAMA, May 27, 2009, p. 2120 (click here)
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