glad you’re finding a team to work with. Do keep us posted on Dr. Erdman’s assessment of your latest Heidelberg test.

 I’m glad you consulted with Dr. Erdman and I agree with his suggested methodology since result findings are unclear. And you do present with symptoms of hypochlorhydria, which is also made worse by your acid blocker.

Clients of mine who aren’t sure about taking betaine usually do the HCL dosing challenge which you can find instructions for here. The idea is to gradually increase the dose of betaine HCL while eating a protein-rich meal, to determine how much your body needs. The dosing challenge is finished when the person feels a slight warming sensation/heartburn for a minute or so. The dose is 1 capsule/tablet less than that when heartburn was experienced. Ex. if a person feels a warming sensation at 3 capsules, their dose is 2 capsules.

I’ve had clients do this over 1 meal or across several meals over several days. If over 1 meal, they start eating their protein-rich meal slowly, and then take 1 capsule/tablet every 5 minutes (while still eating) until a warming sensation is felt.

If they prefer to do it over several meals/days, the instructions are provided in the document I shared above.

For those who aren’t too sure where to start, I usually have them start with a much lower dose like Biotics Research Hydro-Zyme (Betaine HCL tablets of 150mg instead of capsules of betaine which  can contain ~600-700mg of betaine per cap). If 5 lower-dose tablets are taken across that 1 meal, then it’s safe to assume they can repeat the dosing challenge with the higher dosage of betaine like NOW HCL Betaine (with pepsin) or Biotics Betaine Plus HP which have 600-700mg per cap.

Hope that makes sense?

 it is ok to try the challenge either way, but it’s always best to eradicate H Pylori overgrowth first before a client supplements with betaine. I believe you were waiting on those results, so you can wait and see where you stand currently. October 2022 is no longer a result you can rely on.

 correct – if H Pylori is positive, the next step should be to eradicate the overgrowth. Depending on the overgrowth, if it’s not that high, I usually recommend my clients do a course or two of Matula tea. It’s gentle and effective.

Once this is almost done, supplementation with HCL betaine is usually introduced to prevent an overgrowth again. At this point, you’ll need to be working with your doctor on a weaning protocol to reduce the acid blocker very slowly. I suggest you stick to Dr. Erdman, who seems to be very knowledgeable in this area.

The dosing challenge across 1 meal or a few days can be done at any time. It’s the daily supplementation once you’ve found your dose that needs to be put on hold until H Pylori is eradicated. Hope that clarifies your question.

 I understand how confusing and overwhelming it can feel, but you’re on the right track and we’ll be here for you every step of the way. 

 for clients who are worried about taking a high dose, they usually start off with a lower dose HCL per capsule/tablet as I mentioned above like the HCL Plus by Biotics Research for example.

 when it’s e2, I like to start with Matula tea.