338 User Reviews
| 5 star (286) | 85% | |
| 4 star (14) | 4% | |
| 3 star (14) | 4% | |
| 2 star (15) | 4% | |
| 1 star (18) | 5% | |
 (5) |
1% |
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★☆
(Conneaut Lake, USA)
05/28/2008
If you are taking PPI's and still suffering from acid reflux then you might want to try and increase your dosage. I would check with your doctor but I currently take 3 tablets 20mg/day of Prilosec or Prilosec OTC. I found that this worked the best. Other PPI's cause me to have a bad back and sometimes a stiff neck.
(LA, CA)
06/27/2008
Suzanne, if you have been on so many PPI's and it still hasn't worked, please also consult your doctor as you may have more severe problems (like a tumor that keeps making acid). Also, I'm not sure about taking more than 1 PPI pill a day, because from my readings (I am a medical student), if you suppress your acid too much, it can actually cause stomach cancer.
(Carrollton , VA)
08/02/2008
★★★★★
Suzanne, Brad is absolutely correct. I, too, do not recomment increasing your dosage. These meds at normal dosage are risky enough per the recent news on liver effects and gastro cancer. Have your doctor check on the tumor issue. I'm not a doctor but as a long-term sufferer of severe GERD, I have done my research as well as the medicines. I have been on every type and brand available. In fact, I became worse after being on the medicines and briefly stopping. If you chose the meds, be sure to follow with your doctor regarding liver enzymes. Mine were elevated just above high normal for two years and my doctor suspects the PPI was to blame. Try the ACV. Be patient and it will help you, too.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Within about 5 minutes of taking it (2 TBSP Apple Cider Vinegar with 8 oz of water and 1 TBSP of honey for taste), I felt shockingly better! And I slept great that night and still felt like a new person in the morning. I don't profess to understand exactly how it works, BUT IT DOES! :-) I have done it twice a day since Saturday and can't believe how amazing I feel! It's like I have a new stomach! And now for the real shocker, apparently there is a form of asthma (the adult-onset kind) which supposedly is related to acid reflux. Again, I don't understand how or why that is. What I do understand is after trying the ACV the first night, my breathing was drastically better! I do not wheeze any more! Not at all! I actually was diagnosed by a doctor with mild asthma in 2000. I can't wait to go back for the breathing tests for my doctor to see that it is gone! This is a benefit which was so unexpected! I have felt great every minute of every day since starting the ACV. And as if these benefits were not enough, I think the drastic breathing improvement has greatly helped my sleep apnea! I don't even need my CPAP machine any more!
I don't imagine that ACV works for everyone, especially not for the ailments that it cured for me. But this information is VITAL! And our medical doctors will NOT give it to us! I'm not sure why. They're not tried in alternative medicine, I suppose. And they're probably having their pockets lined by the drug companies, too. I am going to tell all of my doctors what happened and how much ACV has helped me, and I am going to beg every one of them to let their reflux patients know about ACV. Do I think they'll actually tell their other patients? No. That's why the existence of this website is so essential and life-saving! It was so debilitating for me trying to live with everything I was suffering with. Functioning day-to-day was so difficult. I always felt so tired (like I didn't sleep at all) and short of breath. It was so difficult to try to work full-time. I am so hopeful now that I will be able to live a completely normal life.
Thank you so much to all of you who have posted! It was because of your postings and that I saw myself in them that I decided to go ahead and try ACV. I had no idea a natural remedy could be SO effective for anything, least of all something like acid reflux! I was crying for joy while telling my story to my friends and family. I feel like a person again. For any medical problem I have now or in the future, the first place I will come to is this website! Thank you, Ted! You are doing such a service to mankind! You are an angel! There aren't words for me to fully express my gratitude.
If you have acid reflux and you're reading this, RUN to the store and pick up some Apple Cider Vinegar. There is no need to suffer any longer!
P.S. My throat had been getting slightly irritated by the acid but not enough to stop taking it. So today I used a tiny bit of baking soda (1/4 tsp) to neutralize the acid a bit. So far so good with that! Everyone just needs to try different recipes and see what works best for them. For me, the honey is a must! I don't know if I could get the ACV down without a TBSP of honey! :-) Best wished for good health to everyone!
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Wondering if the the ACV cocktail safe for my 7 year old daughter?...It seems to be the only thing that has offered her help...She suffers terribly from acid reflux as well..She was on zantac once a day for a couple years...Since Christmas she has slept with a wastebasket in her bed...It is terrible to see her suffer like this...Recently with doctors orders we increased the Zantac to twice daily and still she was not getting any relief...They changed her meds a couple times since January...Nothing seems to help and this last medication is very expensive...I had her try 2 tsp of the cocktail mixture before bed two nights in a row and can honestly say this has been the only thing that has offered her any relief...I would like to know if anyone has any advise for giving this to children?...
I have found it easiest to put the ACV cocktail in a spill proof sippy cup with a straw..This contains the smell and makes it much easier to take...I am so happy to have found this site and would love to know anything you could offer for our situation. Thank You!
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
About a year ago, I caught a TV show on Natural Cures - on which it was said that a teaspoon of vinegar will cure heartburn. I tried a teaspoon of balsamic vinegar right out of the spoon - it was like someone lit a match and threw it in my stomach. So much for that bright idea. Onward with the antacids.
Over time the stomach pain and reflux got worse, and nothing was working anymore. But I still couldn't get thru a night without the antacids or it got even worse. I was about to go to the doctor and ask for Protonix at my husband's suggestion - they're working for him. But I don't want to be tied to a daily prescription with all its side effects, so I did a search for natural remedies just to see if something healthier could work. I found this site, and learned that what works is apple cider vinegar in water - that makes more sense than balsamic vinegar straight. I picked up some organic ACV and tried 1 teaspoon in half a glass of water. I felt better within minutes. A night or 2 later I had stomach pain, and was about to run for the antacids, but I tried the vinegar first. In minutes I felt much better - I forgot to take the antacids. I've been taking between 1 and 2 teaspoons of ACV in water 2 or 3 times a day for the past 2 weeks, and haven't taken any antacids since. It's the first time in years I've been able to go even one night without then and not get woken up in under an hour by stomach-burn or reflux.
Needless to say I'm not about to ask for Protonix. My stomach's not perfect yet, but it's a lot better. By the way, my arthritis hasn't flared up since I started ACV. It's too soon to tell, but it could be helping that too! So relieved and so grateful.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★☆☆☆☆
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★☆
Apple Cider Vinegar
★☆☆☆☆
pH less than 7 = Acidic, pH > 7 = Basic (Alkaline). Vinegar pH = 3ish
An antacid is any substance, generally a base, which counteracts stomach acidity. In other words, antacids are stomach acid neutralizers. I truly believe that adding an ACID to your stomach to reduce Stomach Acid is the wrong approach. You should add a BASE like baking soda. Rolaids & Tums are both Calcium Carbonate. Alka-Seltzer is Soduim BiCarbonate. Baking Soda = Sodium BiCarbonate. In the duodenum, gastric acid is neutralized by sodium bicarbonate. So Sodium Bicarbonate (Baking Soda) is used internally by the body to naturally regulate stomach Acid. The equation is HCl NaHCO3 → NaCl H2CO3. HCL = HydroChloric (Stomach) acid
NaHC03 = Baking Soda.
Just add a little bit of baking soda to some water, swirl it around, and drink it. Within a few minutes you will belch. The belch is the gas released when the baking soda neutralizes your stomach acid (or if its crept into your throat it will neutralize it there). You will feel much better immediately. Baking Soda is completely safe.
Why would you ever want to add an acid (vinegar) to another acid (HCL) with the hopes of reducing acid? That doesn't make any sense.
Vinegar is acetic acid (CH3COOH). Some of these recipies recommend you add Baking Soda to ACV. When vinegar is added to sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), it produces a volatile mixture of carbonic acid rapidly decomposing into water and carbon dioxide bubbles, making the reaction "fizz". It is exemplified as the typical acid-base reaction in school science experiments. The salt that is formed is sodium acetate. Basically, this little experiment proves that its better to just take baking soda. The Vinegar is the acid and the Baking Soda is the base. The Baking Soda neutralizes the acid. Its the same way in your stomach, just add the Baking Soda and it will neutralize the acid. All you need is about a teaspoon of baking soda in an ounce or two of water. Problem solved immediately.
Good luck and I hope this helps.
(Duluth, Minnesota)
03/01/2008
I read a message from James from Houston who took issue with using acid (apple cider vinegar) to fight stomach acid (HCl). It should be noted that vinegar is classified as a "weak" acid whereas HCl is a strong acid. In spite of the fact that both are acids, a weak acid will still react with a strong acid and diminish the acidity. The final result may not rise above the pH of the weak acid, but it is a significant improvement over the pH of the strong acid.
(Tokyo, Japan)
03/02/2008
This is regarding mesages from John from Duluth, Minnesota and James from Houston. I, too, was very confused about using vinegar, an obvious acid, to alkalize the body or neutralize acid reflux.
It is what happens to the vinegar once it goes into the body that needs to be understood (as pointed out by Ted earlier). There, in a healthy body, it combines with minerals to produce an alkaline compound. When I test my urine with a pH strip after taking AVC it shows alkaline (around 7.2 or more). So, though I consumed an acid, my body converted it to a base. The same happens after eating citrus fruit. You expect your body to become more acidic but it acutally becomes more alkaline! However, things like coffee will remain acidic in the body: I see my urine pH plunge to below 5.0 after consuming coffee.
(Niagara Falls, NY)
03/04/2008
★★★★★
DISAGREEMENT, DISAGREEMENT! To James from Houston: Acid Reflex can be on different levels. I have been told that some people produce an overabundance of acid and some do not produce enough. I myself have an acid reflex issue, due to a Hiatal Hernia. Vinegar works for me as my doctor has indicated that my stomach does not produce enough acid. Taking vinegar and relieving my reflex would make sense. I no longer take Nexium, due to side effects and use vinegar or nothing at all. I have tried changing my diet, but nothing seems to work. I try not to eat late evening as it is very difficult to sleep. I have used Cider Vinegar and Vinegar. Both work for me. The after taste is somewhat of an annoyance, but it is worth it.
(Bellingham, WA)
04/23/2008
★★★★★
Response to James from Houston: I'm a nursing student. My mom always drinks pickle juice when she has heart burn and reflux, which is obviously vinagar. Anyway, I could never understand that considering vinagar is acidic, right? Well, I asked my professor how pickle juice works. He told me that when you add MORE acids to the stomach, the acid pumps in the stomach turn off because no more acid is needed. However, when you take antacids, the antacids desolve the acid that's presently in the stomach to provide quick relief, but then the stomach quickly turns the pumps on to replenish the acids. And you may notice that after a few weeks, just one antacid no longer does the trick. You need two or three to get the same relief because your stomach pumps are working overtime to replenish those lost acids. The moral of this story? It's healthier and safer to add more acids to the stomach to naturally turn off those acid pumps than it is to take away those much needed acids from the stomach. Vinagar, or pickle juice, is a better choice.
(Tuscaloosa, AL)
02/14/2009
Wendy, you have it. You are right on target. Also, there are some studies that suggest, unlike John's description, that acid reflux could possibly be too little acid and the body is trying desperately to break down the food and it can't. That could be one reason acid helps. There could possibly be two different causes- maybe some people have too much and some too little. I think my grandson has too little acid. He is 12 and has suffered his ENTIRE life. Pickle juice, vinegar, and Aloe helps him--- peppermint, ginger, and enzymes also. When he was about three, he actually threw up an entire meal that he had eaten about 8 hours earlier with NO breakdown of the food. Thanks for this site-I have copied parts of it for so many folks that have no internet to try to help them with their problem. I have never had an issue with any of this, but wish I could trade with my grandson. This problem seems to be almost trying to ruin his little life and it is hard to chase a 12 yr. old around to ball practice, school, movies, etc. with a glass of Aloe!! (LOL)
(Midwest, IL)
02/16/2009
★★★★★
The person who said do not take ACV-it doesn't make sense, may have a highschool education about acids and bases, but he does not understand medical things very well. What is Prevacid? It helps to slow down or stop the pumps. It's the same concept as, putting oil on your skin. If you continually put oil on your skin, your oil glands will slow down or quit producing the natural oils. If you ingest Vinegar, your body will tell the stomach to produce less acid. IT WORKS! I used to have Acid Reflux so bad, I took 1 or 2 30 mg pills of Prevacid every day. But, it's chemical and not natural. A friend in Europe told me to take the ACV. I did 1 tablespoon of ACV with 1 Tablespoon of water 2-3 times a day. After some time, I only needed it 2 times a day, then once a day. Then I went a LONG time not needing it again. So that meant NO pills for my body to filter through and my body actually stabilized on it's own from something natural. Now, I only need it if I am an idiot and eat a lot of deep fried foods and such. So yes, it's great! I agree you must be careful about your teeth as the acid can eat the enamel; it does have a high acid pH. But the thing of it is, you do not have to do it ALL the time, only until you get the acid under control. Now I only need to take ACV once every 6-8 weeks-less or more, depending on my diet and stress. But there have been times I can go months witout touching the stuff. And you get some Vitamin C and antioxidants. And just think, it saved the soldiers from scurvy and mouth bacteria and lots of ailments in George Washington's day! There IS something to old remedies, as long as they are not just silliness. When it's telling you to do weird things, you know it's bologna. But simple things, are very accurate and cheaper and healthier! It's a win-win-win situation.
(Nashville, Tn, Usa)
09/16/2009
to the person that said putting oil on your skin will cause your oil glands to stop producing oil????? Huh? Really? Your oil glands have a brain? They "know" when you need oil and when you don't. What real evidence do you have to support this?
(Maryland, Usa)
09/17/2009
Your pancreas doesn't have a brain either, but it 'knows' when to release digestive enzymes. Your gallbladder too does not have a brain, but it 'knows' when to release bile. All of the body is greatly alive and in touch with the rest via biochemical signaling, nerve impulses - and the brain that serves the brainless bits just fine. As for the skin and all that comprises it, it's in constant reaction to our environment. Whether it's the temperature outside or a substance applied to it, it does react in assorted ways, seen and unseen, and it needs no brain of its own to do this.
Now I honestly do not know if topical application of oils would eventually stop a gland from producing its own; I can't say that is something I have ever looked into. But I wouldn't dismiss the possibility out of hand just because a sebaceous gland doesn't have a brain. Without definitive knowledge to go by, I'd need a better reason than that to simply "X" it out of the realm of possibility.
(Pennsylvania)
10/26/2016
Baking soda does relieve acid reflux the best, but also causes rebound acidity shortly after.
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★★★★★
Apple Cider Vinegar
★☆☆☆☆
(Jacksonville, FL)
05/24/2008
Cranberry juice is very acidic and will usually cause anyone with reflux a problem. So, I would not add cranberry juice to ACV. Try honey instead.
(Dallas, Tx)
08/11/2009
I use Cran-Apple with my 2 teaspoons of ACV once a day and have had no problems at all with being acidic!
(Navarre, Fl.)
08/11/2009
It must be unadultrated, unfiltered apple cider vinegar found at health food stores, the kind in stores do not have all the enzymes still in it, and other co-factors, also cut out sugar, coffee, strong teas, alcholic beverages, and get a book on balancing your alkalinity in your blood, and simply by adding a good green food, and there are many, which will help balance that. Blessings !
(Houston, Tx)
10/07/2009
John from Jackson FL. is right. Don't drink the ACV with cranberry joice. That is one of the beverages you should avoid on the Acid Reflux diet. Drink it with honey. I usually have it like a hot tea. Mix 1tsp of ACV and 1tsp of raw honey and enjoy every morning and evening. Then through out the day I add a tsp of ACV to my bottle water and just sip a small amount.
