Effective Natural Remedies for GERD Relief - Holistic Approach

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 Melissa (Wilmette, IL) on 06/19/2007
★★★★★

I developed GERD after an ulcer which the doctor suspected was caused by excessive use of ibuprofen. Prilosec worked wonders at first, but gradually I developed size effects such as lower GI problems and burping. So I tried' ACV. At first it seemed to get worse, but gradually it got better and disappeared. I also made some dietary changes such as avoiding processed foods and adding high quality protein and omega 3 fatty acids. I weaned myself off the ACV and was off it for awhile, but a vacation where I consumed a lot of triggers brought it back. Seems like I can use ACV only when needed and just be careful when I'm not using it.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ted ( Cleveland, Ohio) on 05/16/2007

My remedy is Nexium and ACV combination. I use the ACV twice each day and Nexium as I feel necessary. Without the ACV I would have to take Nexium every day or even twice per day. What I have not tried is stopping the Advil or the Aleve. Being 52 years old and very busy, I need the drug for joint pain relief but that is what is next on my agenda.... By the way, my Father died from having GERD but was a smoker, the esphogeal cancer killed him, so this is pretty high on my "radar" screen. Ted


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Paul (Anchorage, Alaska) on 03/30/2007
★★★★★

I have been diagnosed with acid reflux for 5-6 years. Right off the bat they put me on prevacid, then switched me to nexium a year or two later. The past year I been doing pretty well on 20mg 1x/day. In January I started tapering off xanax which I have been on for 20 years. I have since been informed that xanax will cause reflux and other GI problems and coming off it can fire things up too. You have to taper off xanax very slowly BTW to reduce withdrawal symptoms. In February, about a month into my taper, my reflux started to get really fired up. So my GP upped the dose to 40mg. 2 weeks later I was still having bad reflux so contacted my gastro doctor. He upped it again, to 40 mg 2x/day. I didn't want to do it, I hate pills,but I wanted to protect my esophagus so agreed to the higher dose. The short of it is that I was still getting break through acid, mostly the feeling of acid fumes in the back of my throat. I'm a believer in modern medicine, but I also think that many times all the doctors know to do is cram more pills down a persons throat. I decided that if this big of dose wasn't going to fix the problem the next thing they would be suggesting is surgery. I also have read stories of many people, like those on this web site who have had only misery from pills that end up not working given enough time and maybe in fact the make things worse. I have read about the many folks here who have claimed that apple vinegar worked well, so I decided I had to try something or I saw my self heading down a one way, dead end road. So, skeptical I bought some organic apple vinegar, honey and some aloe vera. Last night I took my first dose and felt almost immediate relief.I laid down and went to sleep and slept all night.Nice. I took it again this morning and had a pretty good day. Tonight after dinner I was starting to feel miserable and took another dose and it helped a great deal right away. I don't expect ACV to cure my GERD in a couple of days, but I think there is some definite promise with plain old vinegar. Its interesting that my doctor tells me all the things I should avoid that can aggravate my reflux such as chocolate, my beloved red wine, coffee, etc. So I ask myself if natural things like this can fire it up, why can't natural things like vinegar and aloe vera calm it down? But you have to remember I'm trained in science and the empirical process. I'm sure no double blind studies have been done on the affects of apple vinegar for treating reflux, but with all the people here saying it works, and having positive experience myself I don't need a double blind study to convince me when my belly feels better :-)So I will continue to try and see how it goes p.s. if any of you out there are on xanax or a tricyclic antidepressant they could have something to do with your reflux, my GP even admitted that was possible. Hopefully, when I get off the stuff it will all be better. Cheers.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Cristina (Miami, FL, USA) on 03/28/2007
★★★★★

I suffered from GERD, actid reflux... the whole 9 yards! the doctor told me my stomach lining was detertiorating! i woke up 3 times a week with horrible pain. i was on nexium, prilosec, mylanta, malox... the works... then one desperate morning i ran into the grocery store and bought a bottle of apple cider vinegar. i had read up on it recently on this site. that day changed my life. i havnt felt pain in months. i still get a bit of acidity if i really abuse my stomach (tomato sauce, to much coffee or liquor). but that horrible pain at the mouth of my stomach. GONE! 1 ounce of ACV in a glass of water 3x's a day! after i cut down on the dose. take it in the morning and at night. I AM CURED!! i now preach to all...APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Con Boter (Taytay, Philippines) on 02/19/2007
★★★★★

Hi!! Its me again.. Though I've already mentioned that apple cider really helps people suffering from GERD. I also discover some product which i know can help people with GERD. I was introduce to a product called shape work of HERBALIFE. It's a drink which will not only help you loose wait but also prevent acid reflux to attack. The secret of this product is having apple cider vinegar. Its actually effective i've been taking it for 2 days now and i already lost 4 lbs..not only that it also help me sleep well and breathe well!! Its my second feedback here about apple cider!! I've no doubt why apple cider is very popular/famous here in the Philippines now a days!!Thank you so much for bringing my normal life!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Gabriel (Long Beach, CA) on 02/10/2007
★★★★★

I'm just writing to thank you for this amazing site. I had been suffering from acid reflux, gastritis, GERD -you name it- and one day I found your site which suggested I tried apple cider vinegar for the fire in my stomach. And wala, lo and behold! Apple Cider Vinegar is like magic! My stomach feels a 100% better! Thank your for spreading the good word.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ma Con (Taytay Philippines) on 02/01/2007
★★★★★

Good day!! my name is Con from the Philippines and i read about the article about ACV which cures GERD. I'm a 26 yrs old married woman suffering from gerd. I've been taking Nexium 2x a day but since i had an allergic reaction to that medicine so i stop and go back to my old medicine which is omepron. I heard about acv from one of our trainer from hawaii who asked me to take acv with a glass of water. At first i was doubtful about it because I've been rushed to the hospital 2x because of difficulty breathing. Several days past by so i decided to check to read about acv online. Finally, i got to check on your website and learn more things about acv. I'd like to thank you guys for helping me lessen my suffering. I've been taking 2 Tbsp of ACV with a glass of water 3x a day and Thank God i my suffering has ended. Keep up the good work coz i know your website is helping so many people suffering.. Thank you so much!!!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Rita (Valley Center, CA) on 01/31/2007
★★★★★

Apple Cider Vinegar - Acid Reflux. I have had this lump in my throat and I already knew that I had Acid Reflux - GERD. I took Prilosec for two months and it worked very well. I have not been on anything for month three and noticed that my symptoms came back. I decided to do something naturally, I found your website today and at 5:00 PM I took 4 oz. water, 1/4 TSP. baking soda and 1 TBSP. Apple Cider Vinegar. Thank God I found your website by spelling out APPLE CIDER VINEGAR FOR ACID REFLUX. I have heard many times about ACV for Reflux-GERD, had some in the cabinet that I bought and afraid to try it. I have been experiencing the lump/burning in my throat that I decided to try it. My body is sensitive to any supplements etc., that I take, I decided to follow what one of your online friends wrote and followed the above amounts. Within an hour, I have noticed already how the lump feeling and burning is starting to heal. Thank you and God Bless. It really is true that Natural Cures work and that we can cure ourselves. P.S. I see my throat specialist in two weeks and can not wait to see what he says when he looks in my throat with his scope in the office.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Kathy (Vancouver, WA) on 01/20/2007
★★★★★

It's been 10 days and I can honestly say I am nearly cured of this horrible GERD that I had developed over the past several months. After the first dose of ACV I noticed a difference and now am nearly symptom free. This is the best advice I've ever received. Better yet, I've passed it on to other gerd sufferers and they are experiencing relief for the first time in years! Thank you Thank you!!!


Pain Medication and GERD
Posted by Heather (Portland, OR) on 01/09/2007
★★★★★

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs: Remarkable decrease in symptoms, but I still have not been able to get off my prescribed prevacid. I've been on it for 5 years. I started reading your site for helpful information, but came away somewhat confused and frustrated. There are just so many testimonials with a dizzying amount of yay's & ney's... it actually left me feeling less hopeful than when I arrived. I've been using acupuncture & chinese herbs to help curb my GERD. I've reduced my Prevacid from 30mg once a day, to 15mg every other day. Acupuncture is a great stress reliever, so that's probably one of the reasons I find relief. The Chinese herbs I take is a formula Coptis & Evodia which you can research on the internet. One piece of information I did find helpful, was the link between pain medication and GERD. My GERD developed shortly after a 15-day hospital stay in which I was on a morphine pump that delivered a dose of morphine every 3 minutes. (I had a complication to a gallbladder removal surgery.) My theory has been that large doses of antibiotics & the lack of gallbladder & the bile it produced left my stomach vulnerable to H. pylori & unable to digest food properly. However, now reading about the pain medication theory - that would make sense too.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Ryan (Ottawa, Ontario) on 12/03/2006
★★★★★

I have been experiencing recurrent chest pain for almost the last year, all tests (ECG's, Halter Monitor and lots of blood work) indicated that there was nothing wrong with my heart so the doctors put me on one of those fancy (and expensive) proton pump inhibitors as they assumed everything was related to GERD (acid reflux). I am not sure if it was GERD that I had but the chest pain has gone away. As a bonus I have been shedding pounds like never before. However I do think that the weight loss is mostly water due to the fact that ACV acts as a mild diuretic. Interestingly enough unlike other natural diuretics ACV doesn't affect your salts/electrolytes because it contains potassium. Really happy to have found this website!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Renata (Malden, MA) on 11/14/2006
★★★★★

I have had gerd for about 3 months now. After switching back and forward to all sort of anti acids, prilosecs, protonix and etc my condition has not gone away. In fact, when I switch from one to the other the pain and burning comes back worse. There are some pills that do not work at all at this point and others that help very little even though I'm taking them at the highest dosages possible. Tonight I was at the end of my wits with the symptoms. Tomorrow I have an upper endoscopy. But since I could not stand the pain I went to the kitchen I drunk a glass of water with 1.5 tbs of ACV, then 1tbs of honey. I can't say that all the symptoms. have gone completely away, but they certainly have improved. I hate the traditional medicines but since I'm too scared to just cut them off completely. I'll try to let go of them gradually and incorporate the natural remedies instead. If you guys know of anything else other apples, ACV and pickles that could help me, please let me know.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Richard (Pompano, FL) on 10/24/2006
★★★★★

I herniated 4 discs and lived on morphine, and hydrocondine with ibuprofen x4 daily. After 1 year, got acid reflux real really bad. Halted all meds and used apple cider vinegar x2 daily. 1 tbspn acv 2 tbspn honey, in tea or what ever works for you. Didn't cure the back pain but the gerd is slowly going away, thank god!


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Scott (Orlando, FL) on 10/21/2006
★★★★★

I never had frequent heartburn until after a nasty knee injury and the resulting reconstructive surgery about 2 years ago. My orthopedic prescribed NAPROXEN. I took this med for a few months whilst heartburn started to really haunt me. I then saw a gastro doc who determined after a videoscope sauntered down my throat that i had GERD.... GERD? wtf... Jeez... i am healthy, and had never heard of this nonsense. So gastro doc prescribed PREVACID worked great but my insurance didn't like that, so then he prescribed NEXIUM which also worked great, but i had to keep taking it. Then my insurance company didn't like that either and stopped covering either of those meds and i began to suffer again. I didn't want to go to the doctor again, so again i started taking over the counter garbage for those very temporary fixes. Then a friend of mine mumbled something about an apple cider vinegar potion he tried. i scoffed, "combat acid with acid? ha!!" a few days later while continuing to suffer through my everlasting esophageal inferno i remembered his vinegar yarn and dusted off an unopened bottle in the pantry, thinking, "it can't get worse and i need to disprove this vinegar nonsense." To my I astonishment i experienced almost immediate relief. wow! I'm not so sure about the long term yet (skeptic) but i feel it is worth a shot (literally) especially after reading some of these other confirming testimonials.


Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Faye (Roseburg, OR) on 10/01/2006
★★★★★

I never had heartburn so didn't suspect that reflux was to blame for awakening at night with a violent coughing fit, feeling as if there were battery acid in my throat. Rather than GERD, this is LPRD - laryngopharyngeal reflux disease. This went on very intermittently for years, then, with age (now 55), more and more often until it was pretty much every night, about 17 minutes after going to sleep. This can drive anyone mad, but also caused asthma in me at an oddly advanced age, and chronic sore throat, throat clearing, etc . Once I finally figured out it was reflux and not sinus drainage, I went to my doctor and got put on Prilosec. It worked great for a while but eventually quit working, even at double dosage. Furthermore, I really don't want to take acid blockers long term because they make one more susceptible to gastrointestinal infections (the dreaded C. diff which causes deadly diarrhea, etc) and worsens absorption of Calcium. So, I did what all desperate people do: I searched the internet. I found earthclinic (thank you!!!). Apple Cider Vinegar seemed to be the best remedy. Counterintuitive, but..... Most of the entries of these people indicated they had tried it for a week or two. Not better than placebo would give, but desperation drives one on. So, I tried it. One tablespoon diluted in water after each meal and at bedtime. Started sleeping thru the night without awakening - from the very first night. However, it made my bowels "overactive", so I cut down the dose. Had recurrent reflux, so gradually increased the dose to the initial level, this time with the bowels cooperating. I have been taking it for 3 1/2 months now and it's nearly perfect. I have only had breakthrough reflux if I eat way too much starchy food at dinnertime. An extra 1 T dose fixes that if it occurs I can even eat out at Mexican restaurants and have big helpings, and still do ok. And it's really cheap (especially compared to Prilosec)!!!!! It seems to reduce the pressure in the gut so there is less pressure at the esophageal gastric junction. I don't suppose this will work for everyone. There may be more than one mechanism for reflux. Of course the sphincter is looser as we get older, but increased gut pressure from less efficient digestion may be part of the cause, too. By the way, my asthma is completely gone, too!



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