Natural Remedies for Acid Reflux Relief

Mustard

Posted by Mary (Altadena, California) on 04/04/2008
★★★★★

for acid reflux and heartburn, try eating a teaspoonful of plain yellow mustard by its self.

Apples

Posted by Alita (USA) on 03/03/2008
★★★★★

I'll try to keep the history of my acid reflux short, as it pretty much reiterates many other people's experiences. Over the past 10 years I have figured out that my triggers are: 1st and foremost painkillers, particularly Ibuprofen, but the only thing I can take (IF I drink plenty of water or eat with it), is Tylenol. I can't do Sudafed either, and I try to stay away from meds as much as possible. 2nd trigger: dairy, plain and simple, it is very predictable. If I have too much dairy I can count on the fact that I'll be up that night. It's funny, there have been times I'm up struggling with this, and my husband will say "well, you had that ice cream (or whatever) earlier didn't you?", and then I remember, and know that it isn't all in my head, dairy does in fact aggravate it too. However, goats milk is much more tolerable in moderation, than cow products, I know that the proteins are different between the two, but other than that I don't know why it isn't so aggravating. I did Prevacid for a while initially, which controlled it slightly, but not enough. The turning point for me when I started being able to finally gain some control over this, was with an herbal product by "HERB PHARM" called "Neutralizing Cordial". Also, carbo veg homeopathic remedy has helped a lot, so lately I have been able to control it with that and/or Rolaids, (which I would prefer to get away from as well). By learning my triggers over the years and adding these natural remedies into my repertoire, I have been able to manage this and have found that when I'm doing ok I can eat anything, and that when I'm prone to this, anything will aggravate it. All that was prior to last week; THEN, the other day I followed a pop-up ad from recipezaar.com (great web-site by the way) where a guy is selling some booklet about his acid reflux discovery (didn't by his book yet, where he claims to have a cure for it). But, he did vaguely mention his initial apple discovery helping acid reflux. I tried it that night, thinking "it can't really be this simple can it", and low and behold, it was. I kept expecting to wake up choking with acid, and it never happened. Every night (but 1) I have been eating an apple (or a few slices) after dinner/before bed and it is the first time anything has helped so completely!! The night I forgot, I had to take 2 Rolaids, which I realized had been helping me only minimally compared to the apple. What else is there to say, it certainly can't hurt! I fully expect that this will continue to help, as it's already proven to be far more effective than anything I've tried thus far. It just reminds me that in life, sometimes the best things don't have to be complicated or expensive to be valuable, we get so busy trying to "over-think" things sometimes, that we overlook the simple, basic things that are right in front of us. I wish you luck on your own journey of discovery.

Eggs

Posted by Muktar (Minneapolis, MN) on 02/14/2008 5 posts
★★★★★

I am a 22 year old male and I have being struggling with acid reflux with sometime now. I have found that the cure for this disease is very simple. all you need is two eggs, two slices of bread and a long glass of milk. that's right just scramble some eggs with just a touch of salt and stick it between two slices of bread and wash it down with a large glass of cold milk and your cured, you will sleep like a baby.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Taco13 (Millard, Ne) on 09/03/2012

To: E. S. From Gulf Shores, AL; Just curious, did your symptoms start shortly after any military service or vacinations? An earlier post said his started right after a flu shot. The first time I remember having any reflux was during the gulf war right after we received all of our vacinations. I also experinced food getting lodged in my throat and having to vomit so I could breathe during this same time. Wondering if there is a connection.

Cell Salts

Posted by Janine (Brisbane, Australia) on 12/26/2007
★★★★★

I had acid reflux during my first pregnancy and had some relief with over the counter alkalizers. This pregnancy I didn't want to alkalize my stomach acid so I can digest effectively - but I still needed some relief. My naturopath recommended nat phos, the cell salt (also called SP or sodium phosphate) which is working very well, at least as well as antacids without the worry of poor digestive side effects or aluminium additives. Be sure to chew the tablet, or dissolve it in warm water.

Bentonite Clay

Posted by GT (Vero Beach, Florida) on 08/24/2007
★★★★★

Used Medicinal grade Bentonite clay for acid reflux,works within a few sips. Get a small bottle of water put in a teaspoon of bentonite clay (PH is 9.1) shake hard so it disolves in the water and take some sips. You will notice within the second sip the acid starts to calm down. A note; People with bad acid reflux have trouble sleeping, magnesium gets depleted when acid is on overload, a few sips of bentonite clay before bed you sleep like a baby. Magnesium has a 'calming' effect for the mind and the physical muscles. There is magnesium in bentonite clay.

OTC

Posted by Terri (Carmel, Indiana) on 07/08/2007
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

I have suffered from Acid Reflux for years and took the "purple pill", which helped my symptoms most of the time. In May, I was rushed to the ER with horrific stomach pains. After a colonoscopy, upper GI, barrage of blood work, it was discovered that I had pancreatitis. Very strange since I don't fit the profile for the disease (don't drink, gallbladder removed, healthy diet). My chiropractor told me to research the purple pill and imagine my shock when the possible side effects of the pill was PANCREATITIS - of which there is no cure!! I immediately went off the pill and found your site while looking for a cure for the acid reflux. I am hoping the ACV works! If anyone is on the purple pill, BEWARE.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Bill (San Fernando, Philippines) on 04/26/2012

Hi Lisa... I am afraid the that medical thinking, concerning GERD and reflux problems, is simply not correct. The doctors will insist and simply assume that GERD and reflux problems are always caused by EXCESS acid. When, in actual fact, 90% of all reflux problems are usually caused by TOO LITTLE acid in your stomach.

See this link:

http://metabolichealing.com/key-integrated-functions-of-your-body/gut/lack-of-adequate-stomach-acid-what-you-don-t-know-could-be-causing-major-distress/

This link goes right through to describe the reasons and also tells you exactly how you can check properly if you have TOO LITTLE STOMACH ACID. You can confirm whether you have too little or too much stomach acid by The Heidelberg pH Test. But this is quite an invasive check. They can also assess your problems and tell using another less invasive method using urine analysis, hair analysis and blood chemistry. I think naturopaths can also do this latter test.

Generally, if you take PPI's or proton pump inhibitors -- this massively and dangerously inhibits your stomach acid production and usually makes the problem much worse. And so when the undigested food passes into the duodenum, the CCK hormone (cholecystokinin) will not be released (stomach pH not low enough because of no stomach acid) to trigger the enzymes for main stage digestion and so very little duodenal digestion occurs. The food then just sits there and stagnates and rots giving rise to a whole host of other digestive problems in the body that usually involves dysbiosis, candida and other pathogenic bacteria rapidly taking hold in the stomach and upper intestines.

I helped a woman from Africa who had very similar symptoms to you. She had GERD, esophigitis, gastritis, systemic candida, colitis, LES and a whole host of other serious problems besides. She was also on PPI's and in quite a bad way. See this link for her complete symptoms, daily protocol and cure story. Her protocol is identical to The Anti-Candida Protocol that I normally recommend for Candida problems but I also included and added pancreatin enzymes and betaine hydrochloride tablets daily with every meal to help with the lack of stomach acid.

First thing you should do is get a complete doctor's check-up including blood and liver work up. Also I would ask your doctor for a proper and more accurate stomach acid check by one of the above methods that I have already mentioned.

I suspect that you will be severely lacking in stomach acid, severely lacking in energy and you will also be severely mineral deficient -- especially magnesium and iodine deficient -- all caused by the PPI's. This means that your calcium levels will be way too high --> excess blood calcium causes tissue pain, blood problems and also inhibits the absorbtion of iodine in the body, so you may well have low thyroid or hypothyroid symptoms as well (low energy, intolerance to hot/cold, low basal body temperature etc.).

Aloe Vera

Posted by Linda (New Haven, Ct, United States) on 04/26/2012

@ Lisa I agree with Bill & Joyce. I too was given medication to reduce my acid & that only made it worse. The acid made me cough constantly. My customers thought I was a smoker & kept trying to persuade me to quit smoking but I don't smoke! LOL

I would cough so badly that I threw up 2 or 3 times a day at work. The burning pain was dreadful. I really wanted off the pills and onto something that worked! Came to this site and tried the ACV & it worked beautifully. I took it faithfully with each meal & the acid attacks stopped as well as the coughing. Then I became a bit lax & took it less frequently & the acid came back. Just recently bought another 1 gallon jug & it's back onto my regimen of 2 tsp in 8 oz water three times a day.

Ditch the pills & try the ACV. You won't be sorry. It will help, just give it a fair try.

Linda :-)

Aloe Vera

Posted by Mmsg (Somewhere, Europe) on 04/27/2012

Lisa, the posts about too LITTLE acid are probably right in the stomach acid department. What I am referring to is general acidity of your whole system. For that, alkalizing will slowly get to the root of the problem.

Acidophilus

Posted by Toomba (Kuching, Malaysia) on 05/27/2007
★★★★★

66 percent of cases, a treatment consisting primarily of acidophilus and digestive enzymes will usually do the trick. In Dr. Spreen's words: "Acidophilus supplements (powder form, the liquid tastes awful) protect the oesophagus without killing acid (while killing the pain almost immediately). The hassle is, you have to keep it handy and take it often if you don't solve the whole problem, which involves tightening the gastro oesophageal sphincter. Dr. Spreen describes his treatment as "ridiculously simple and cheap." And while he feels confident that he can stop more than 2/3 of all heartburn and reflux cases.

Aloe Vera

Posted by Linda (Palestine, TX) on 04/27/2007
★★★★★

I have LPR (Larngopharyngeal reflux). I drink 4 oz. of Aloe Vera juice each morning on an empty stomach. I am able to eat anything I like, without heartburn or indigestion, which also curbs the LPR created by the acid reflux.

Cayenne

Posted by Gunner (La Quinta, CA) on 03/16/2007
★★★★★

I had acid reflux for years. I started taking cayenne caps three a day and the acid reflux stopped. This is anecdotal evidence of course, but it worked for me.

Raw Honey

Posted by Michele (Los Angeles) on 02/26/2007
★★★★★

I tried the ACV with baking soda remedy. Didn't do me much good. What I have found helps more than anything is a teaspoon of raw honey after each meal and before bed. And drinking LOTS of water.

Cabbage

Posted by Antonio (Miami, FL) on 02/12/2007
★★★★★

I suffer from severe acid reflux, and I was starting to cough much at night and at times during the day. I read on your very useful web site, about some one suffering from severe coughing [her name jill A. posted on 5/2/2006]. Well what I think got me almost rid of the coughing was this remedy i got from a book: fresh purple cabbage juice [10-13fl. oz [300-400ml] --sip it daily on an empty stomach [you can toss it in the blender with 10-13 oz. of water to get the juice out]. The book said to add also a hand full of fresh basil, marjoram, and/or oregano, which I did. I also used the jelly of aloe vera leaves, before every meal and before going to bed [chew on a small portion or blended as a shake and drink it].

Now the other thing I was going to talk about was the metallic chemical taste in the mouth that Robin from Apalachicola--or something like that--Fl. [posted on 2/11/2006], felt once she took a PPI drug [nexium--i believe]. I also have felt that taste before after having tried one of those ppi's poisonous drugs. I think it may be caused by an allergic reaction. I did not get the black tongue she mentioned though. But those drugs i believe to be dangerous since my severe reflux was caused by nexium itself, believe or not, but that story I cannot get into yet.

Chamomile Tea

Posted by Toma (Chicago, IL) on 01/30/2007
★★★★★

I talked to my practitioner recently, and he told me that Apple Cider Vinegar is good only for those people who have high acidity; for those who have low acidity it can be harmful. He told me the least harmful remedy for Acid Reflux and other stomach problems is CAMOMILE TEA. I tried it, and it works wonders.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Marie (Ny) on 08/08/2017

Saurkraut from the store is cooked and will not help the stomach. Needs to be raw homemade. Even the frozen saurkraut says it's pasturized.

Reader Theories

Posted by Mark (Litchfield, CT) on 11/29/2006

While I'm sure there is more than 1 reason anyone might develop acid reflux, I truly believe I have found the most common reason for it.

As most of us know, acid reflux is really nothing more than the acid in our stomach coming up into our esophagus. There is a diaphragm that sits just above the stomach and surrounds the esophagus, and it's sole purpose is to tighten-up around the esophagus when necessary to prevent this very thing we call acid reflux. More on this later.

About 5 years ago I started getting numerous digestive/intestinal problems, such as bloating, cramps, and fluctuating from diarrhea to constipation on a regular basis. I tried many things, including apple cider vinegar, but nothing worked, so I went to a homeopathic doctor who prescribed large amounts of Acidophilus. 1 week after taking it I suddenly developed acid reflux, which stayed with me ever since. Then I came across another homeopathic doctor who, after giving me certain tests, told me I had Candida.

I have since studied much about this disease, and it is quite disturbing how we get it, how many diseases it is responsible for, and how more & more of us are getting it every year.

Candida, simply put, is an overgrowth of yeast throughout our bodies. We all have yeast in our digestive system, along with Lactobacillus, which is a good bacteria that feeds off of the yeast, keeping it under control. Antibiotics will kill the Lactobacillus in our bodies, but not the yeast. Once this happens the yeast grows out of control and causes too many health issues to list here.

Acidophilus contains Lactobacillus, which is why many naturalists will prescribe it. However, in cases of Candida, once the yeast is already out of control, it is useless, if not detrimental. The Lactobacillus Prevents Candida. Once you have this disease you must first get rid of it, then restore your flora/Lactobacillus

But in severe cases the Candida will leave the digestive system and spread into organs such as our lungs, etc. This over growth of yeast will embed itself into the walls of the intestines, causing many digestive problems, and will undoubtedly be one of the culprits for acid reflux. However, many of us have difficulty digesting carbs, and sometimes even protein, due to our bodies not producing the proper enzymes we need in order to digest these foods. I am one of these people. As a result of this, when I eat carbs my abdomen will immediately bloat up. A modern medicinal doctor, and homeopathic doctor, both explained to me the reasons why this sort of thing happens, but I never really understood it. But long story short, my lower abdomen will bloat up after eating carbs during its struggle to digest these foods, and this in turn pushes my stomach upwards, thus forcing it to open the diaphragm more-so, thus allowing acid reflux to occur. My chiropractor, who also studies much about natural cures, was able to adjust/massage the diaphragm, as it sits just below our solar plexus, and this, along with changing my diet, AND ridding the candida which took me just over 1 year to do, has rid my acid reflux permanently.

If the muscle membrane surrounding the diaphragm is torn, which is called a Hiatal Hernia, this too, will allow acid to travel up into the esophagus. In severe cases such as this surgery is necessary, but this is rare. Most of the time it can be cured through non-invasive therapy.

I'd like to note here that most people who have this issue with digesting carbs will end up with Candida. Please take the time to read up about this disease, and don't just buy the first product you see for curing it. To rid it permanently will take a minimum of 6 months to 1 year. Since Candida feeds off of carbs you need to go on an Atkins-like diet to starve it while you kill it. Staying away from antibiotics is very important to prevent getting this disease, but if its necessary to take one you must take an anti-fungis-like product, like Caprylic Acid to prevent the yeast from growing out of control while on the antibiotic. However since antibiotics are found in so much of our foods, while we ingest these foods every day we are gradually killing the good bacteria in our bodies which inevitably brings on Candida. Organic food is a must for truly good health. I hope this helps. Good luck!

Blended Raw Potato

Posted by Mia (Chicago, IL) on 11/08/2006
★★★★★

I was suffering from a very, very bad sore throat. I was told to suck on ice in order to keep my throat muscles and glands from swelling, making it hard to breathe. Someone suggested I take ibuprofen (Advil (100 mg of Ibuprofen) to prevent my glands from swelling, I did. I took two every 6 hours, for a day and developed that "acidity/belching/sour, bitter" taste...it is horrible. I firmly believe that ibuprofen brought it on. My Mom had the same problem. Our remedy is, RED POTATO and ONE CUP MILK. Chop up RED potato, throw in blender, add cup of milk, blend until liquefied. Strain the mix and drink. Two times a day, for about 5 to 6 days will do the trick. NO DRUGS NECESSARY!

Milk

Posted by Sam (Cleveland, OH) on 07/11/2006
★★★★★

If you get heart burn or Acidity, just grab the milk bottle from your refrigerator and drink little of it may be 1/4 of a glass instead of taking any antacid tables. you would get the relief from acidity immediately.