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Since many ulcer and recurrent indigestion patients refuse to eat often enough, or do not get complete relief even when they do, doctors still prescribe antacids. But nowadays these are nearly all of the nonsystemic kind—unlike bicarb, they are never absorbed into the bloodstream and are far safer. The body processes them more slowly, so they do not give such quick relief. The most familiar, in the form of milk of magnesia, is magnesium hydroxide, and this is the main ingredient in many brand-name preparations. Since it has laxative properties, some manufacturers combine it with aluminum hydroxide, which is also antacid but, taken alone, is slightly constipating. Several proprietary preparations contain magnesium trisilicate, which neutralizes acid by both chemical and physical reactions and forms a gelatinous lining in the stomach and duodenum that may protect the crater of an ulcer.
Between the devil of alkalosis and the deep blue sea of uncertain acidity, the average man should prescribe nothing for himself except to eat and drink moderately, and should try to do neither when he is too angry or too anxious to enjoy his food. If he feels he must have antacids, he should take them only on a doctor's advice—and be sure the doctor checks to see whether the "acid stomach" is covering up a more serious condition.