The comments below reflect the personal experiences and opinions of readers and do not represent medical advice or the views of this website. The information shared has not been evaluated by the FDA and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or prevent any disease or health condition. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional for medical concerns.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Laura (Calgary, Canada) on 04/24/2008
★☆☆☆☆
Hi, I have been suffering with reflux for almost 4 months now, and I feel I have tried almost everything. I read on this site that ACV was a miracle, so yesterday I went out and bought some from my local health food store and tried it. I have never had such severe reflux as after I took the ACV, and the night time was even worse! I am still suffering today, and now have a pain in my stomach that I haven't felt in over a week. I am glad that this remedy gives so many people relief, but if you are trying it for the first time, please be careful. I used 2 tablespoons in 250ml of water, but I would suggest maybe halfing the ACV and doubling the water the first time, just to be sure you don't have the same reaction I did! I have heard good things about ginger juice for ulcers and reflux though, has anyone tried it and was it successful? Thanks!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Painfree (Salem, Oregon) on 04/20/2008
★★★★★
I can still remember that evening when I was in so much pain. I could not lie down at all. On several occasions I have had to brace myself up against the wall to keep straight so I could handle the excruciating pain from my naval up underneath my chin. I would try not to swallow because when I did the pain was hard to bear. Yes, I had been examined and I was told I had a condition called acid reflux. One night when I was in pain I felt a hard knot right between my breast-bone, it scared me, I thought it was a tumor. That enlargement is what took me to the doctor that next morning. At first the pills prescribed to me had worked, not completely, but enough so that I could function in my day to day living. But soon my lower esophageal sphincter, that muscular door that usually closes was not keeping shut and the things I ate and drank moved backward into my esophagus from my stomach. A condition called a Hiatal hernia had allowed food and drink acids to back up into my esophagus and gave me extreme heartburn and chest pain. I am writing again to say that it was on that one blessed night of 11/9/2006 that Earth Clinic had saved me from surgical repair. Thank you again and again. ACV really works for me. I have not had pain for one year, six months and eleven days (18 months, 11 days.) Today's date is April 20, 2008. I have never had to undergo surgery. My hair is full and shining, my skin is moist, my health is great and I am still sleeping the full night long. Yes, it is a YEA, and as I had said in the year of 2006 I must say it again: "God bless this site and its creator (s), amen, and amen.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Julie (Orlando, Florida) on 04/09/2008
★★★★★
Hello, I suffer from Severe Acid Reflux and EE. I tried probably 6 kinds of medecine and stayed on Prilosec for about 7 months. Now, it is not working again and it is giving me worst symptoms. I decided to stop it and use ACV and water. So far, I feel better than before. I did some research and found that Prilosec can have a lot of side effects including UTI (I have had 2 in the last 2 months), insomnia (I have been taking Benadryl every night to sleep) and skin rashes (which I also had). I beleive these could be related to the prilosec, I'll see if these disapear soon, and will let you know. Thank you for these free remedies. I'll keep you posted!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Suzanne (Phoenix, AZ) on 04/03/2008
★★★★☆
I am just going try the ACV I have been on priolosec, prevacid, aciphex, protonix, etc. Its really does not work very good. So here it goes for me I will let you know the results...My first swig of it burned but it onlyu lasted a half hour and my throat started feeling better...
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Sherri (Los Angeles, CA) on 04/02/2008
★★★★★
I just found your site 4 days ago. I have been suffering from acid reflux for more years than I can remember. I tried all of the over-the-counter medications and a couple of prescriptions (Prevacid and Zantac 300). The Prevacid actually did help me a fair amount, but when my health insurance stopped, I could no longer afford it and the acid reflux worsened. I was surprised at first to see Apple Cider Vinegar as a cure for acid reflux. I thought vinegar was acidic and that would seem not to be a good idea for someone with reflux to ingest. But I was desperate and when I noticed the huge number of people whom it worked for, I decided I had to at least try it. I had nothing to lose. It cost almost nothing ($2.00 compared to the $165.00/month for the Prevacid).
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
Posted by Sue (Uniontown, Ohio) on 03/16/2008
★★★★★
Hello...I have been suffering with horrible acid reflux for 3 years..Have had a couple scopes and have been treated with many medications, the latest being Nexium which does not seem to offer any help either...When having a flare up I don't dare swallow my saliva as it makes things even worse... Upon finding this site, I have been experimenting with a small amount of ACV honey and cinnamon for a couple days now...I beleive that it is working well but will need to increase my intake to 3x a day to get the full affect...
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
Posted by Paige (Omaha, NE) on 09/03/2007
★★★★★
try this:
*4 inch piece of ginger root, unpeeled and scrubbed.
*1 cup of filtered, organic, apple cider vinegar.
*3/4 cup of honey
*2 quarts of filtered water.
Blend well!!
I have been drinking 1 cup in morning and 1 in afternoon. Been on nexium for 7 weeks with no complete relief. Tried this 4 days ago and been able to eat anything but I would still advise to watch what you eat. Stay away from the trigger foods and drinks."
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kayla (USA) on 04/05/2006
★☆☆☆☆
here's the thing I tried ACV and to be quite honest my acid reflux hasn't gone anywhere but worse, I even tried drinking different brands and still to no avail the heaviness in my chest is still there and I feel more nauseated than ever more power to the folks who seem to be feeling better after they drink ACV with a glass of water..... but I haven't see the benifits work for me.... I even tried taking ACV to even lose weight and still I see absolutely no results... besides wouldn't ACV burn the lining of your esophagus/stomach if you drink after awhile (even though one drings the organic gentle version of ACV)...just my opinion...thanks for listening.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Pamela (Tyngsboro, MA) on 05/03/2006
★☆☆☆☆
I was so hopeful that it would work but, it didn't I am disappointed because I don't like to be on medications for long periods of time. For the 1st five yrs. I took pepcid, tums etc. I took Prilosec for 6 yrs. now I am taking Nexium for 6 yrs. What else is there out there?
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Stephanie (NC) on 05/18/2006
★☆☆☆☆
i am currently trying to apple cider vinegar cure for acid reflux but haven't had the great results everyone else has. it has really upset my stomach and seems to make swallowing harder. i'm wondering if it has anything to do with the fact that i don't get heartburn i have the type that goes past the esophagus and pools in the root of the tongue? i'm going to continue to try it (2 tbl 3 times a day) unless someone has any advice. thanks, stephanie.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Tracia (Kentucky) on 08/03/2006
★☆☆☆☆
I tried ACV and it gave me the absolute worst heartburn and pain I've ever felt in my life. I began vomiting in a few minutes and now my heartburn is just SO awful. It is never this bad. I wish I had not done it.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Don (Los Angeles, CA) on 03/03/2007
★☆☆☆☆
I have tried acv for about three weeks now with little success. I had a problem last night. When I use an extra pillow it seems to work but forgot to last night. I also have arthritis and acv mixed with raw honey has helped so much I have stopped taking syn-flex, a remedy with unknown side affects. I will try the acidophilus. Thanks
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Daniella (Palm Springs, CA) on 06/08/2007
★☆☆☆☆
I read that many people have used ACV for their acid reflex, but in my case I seem to get the worst acid after I eat vinegar or any acidic food. Right now I have a bad acid burn.I'm tired of all the digestive enzymes I buy --useless. Any help for my problem is appreciated. Thanks.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Paula (Sacramento, CA) on 11/26/2006
★★★☆☆WORKED TEMPORARILY
Hello I have been taking the AVC (1-2 TBLS) with honey and 30 drops of cayenne tincture each morning. It helps to keep the Acid Reflux in check, but hasn't cured it, per se. I did try Bowen therapy which is a type of body work. Apparently there is a treatment for 'digestion'. My Bowen therapist in Sacramento did this and I had no symptoms for two weeks. They are starting to come back now, so I will schedule another appt. Tom says it is a bug of some sort causing the distress, that is why I also take 30 drops of licorice tincture. I am about ready to try the clay treatment he suggests as well. email me at pcbow @ mac.com if you want the name and address of Ralph for the bowen work. Paula
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rick Anderson (USA)
★★★★★
I'm overweight and often have acid reflux problems. A high-protein/low carb diet definitely works for me in alleviating this acid.... but when I'm bad (eating too late at night or eating too much pastry) I have found that a small glass of apple cider vinegar and water, gulped down, momentarily makes the burning in my esophagus worse--- but then seems to completely get rid of the acid condition. I've tried this several times and each time the results were the same. Rolaids work by neutralizing acid; does vinegar really work by adding more? I don't know, but it does work! One more anecdote: I told someone at my job about it, and she said her grandmother used to swear by it, too: a swig of vinegar helped acid indigestion. She also told me that in the "old days" people would swig some vinegar to see if they had strep throat-- if it burned like hell when it hit the back of the throat, they had it! I would imagine that the acid in the vinegar helped treat the strep, too.