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.
Apples
Posted by Roman (Fairfax, Virginia) on 08/11/2009
★★★★★
I was so skeptical of this eating apple slices curing my GERD. With so many testimonials, I thought to myself why not try it. I have been suffering for so long with this acid reflux everytime I go to bed regardless of what I eat. I have tried over the counter remedies but did not really gave me a peaceful relief of my problem. So, without trying to figure out what kind of apple to eat, I ramdomly bought a Braeburn apple on our local grocery. I ate food that I know always cause me to have acid reflux like pizza and then drank coffee and also ate handful of sweets late at night. When I started to feel again the discomfort of acid bloating feeling on my chest, I ate just half of the apple. It did not take long to take effect and the acid reflux feeling was gone. I have tried it four times already and still getting good results. Having this cheap remedy work for me, I will surely spread this around especially to my brothers who are having the same problem. Thanks for all those who started this experiment and also those who shared their testimonies. Roman
Oatmeal
Posted by Gino (Los Angeles, CA) on 04/30/2009
★★★★★
I am a big guy, and I have suffered from GERD/AR for a few years now. Nothing worse than waking up in the middle of the night with a sour and burning sensation in the throat. You know that this is just the beggining of what is yet to come. You can't go back to sleep, and you know that you have to get out of bed. Then the worst part comes, the painful acid starts to work, and you try to cough it up, and those coughs are very painful and will bring tears to your eyes. You will notice an orange or yellow color in your cough coming out of your lungs. You did your best not to eat anything greasy that night, and you did not eat any chocolate or smoke. You keep trying to figure out how to stop the insanity. I have been there over and over. You read so many articles about this, and you just don't want to drink vinegar, or have to go hungry all night before bed.
I have found a solution for myself. It works for me, and I do not always eat a green apple everynight (but that helps too, Granny Smith). I have read elsewhere that oatmeal causes acid, but this cure works for me. Before going to bed, I make myself some oatmeal. I fill a cup halfway with water, then scoop at least a half cup of oatmeal into it. I do add a little salt for flavor, and then I put it in the microwave to heat and cook. The oatmeal should be very thick and not at all watery. Tastes really good, and I really enjoy it with a few almonds. This works for me even after eating onions, spicy food, tomato sauce, and even something greasy. Can't explain why it works for me and maybe not others. I am sleeping great now. Also, I have great bowel movements the next day, an added plus. Give it a try. May not be good for diabetics given the carb count.
Oatmeal
Posted by healthy80 (Central Point, Oregon) on 05/01/2009
★★★★★
Unless my health care has strictly forbidden oatmeal, or any other food substance, I do not give it up if it satisfies my need for food at the time. But Please do not follow my lead unless you are prepared to be moderate in all dietary matters from this day forward. I carefully watch my carb, protein and fat balance and accompany or follow my meals with digestive enzymes. I give credit to the digestive enzymes for the disappearance of many of the syptoms I suffered from when I was a youngster in my 70's. The diabetes 2 was a tough nut to crack, after 10 years I discovered thaat a diuretic i was taking was apparently the culprit for bone loss and high blood sugar. I don't have a blood sugar problem at this time. I have found that each time I was able to find a pertinent homeopathic or nutritional remedy for what ails me, I have been able to give up the prescription remedy for that or another ailment. I am a rebel, of course, having grown up with nothing but organic foods and raw milknand cod liver oil.
In those days that was the only kind of food available. I still consider my body to be my Ferrari and I will not try to run it on "kerosene." I get moderate exercise and make sure that I get plenty of O2. I also had/have COPD from Sarcoidosis and refused any medication for that. It was discovered 10 years ago that i had pulmonary fibrosis, 30% of my lungs. my remedy was singing lessons. I sound terrible but it is a good way to learn true deep breathing.
I am relentless in pursuit of remedies that do not involve prescription drugs.They allhave side effects and I am victim to most of them.So I avoid them and feel better that most my age. m Are ther many or any octegenarians among you? For a while it seemed that people my age were dropping like flies. That made me more determined than ever to investigate any and all medications I might be influenced to ingest and more determined to research every ailment that was trhying to catch me. You all seem to be cmputer savvy. Do the same for yourselves.We are not meant to be sick and hurting in our old age. We are meant to enjoy these years. So let's give it a go. Be determined to be well and do not give up the quest to STAY WELL. It is much easier than to try to get well, but i feel sure that we can do that too in most instances. Namaste
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Shelley (Sykesville, MD) on 04/14/2009
★★★★★
I wish this website was posted in every doctor's office! I was absolutely miserable with this stupid GERD, and the medication the doctor prescribed made my Restless Leg Syndrome worse. It was a toss-up...RLS so bad I couldn't sleep or GERD so bad I couldn't sleep. I am so glad that I kept looking online and found this remedy. As soon as I read down the page of positive responses, I climbed back in my car, even though I just came home from the store. I grabbed two different kinds of Apple Cider Vinegar and rushed home. I put two tablespoons each of ACV and honey into water and drank it as fast as I could. Well, I won't do that again. I thought it was going to come right back up. However, it seemed to relieve the symptoms, so I was more than willing to give it another try, with different proportions. Now I take 1/2 cup of warm water, mix in an overflowing teaspoon of ACV and a teaspoon of honey. The honey melts quickly in the warm water, and it seems to be enough ACV to do the trick! This is the second day, and I did three treatments; one before I ate breakfast, one in the afternoon, and one right before bed. My throat is feeling normal for the first time in two weeks, and I can swallow normally as well. I am still taking 300 mg. of Zantac twice a day, but this offers much more relief immediately. I don't want to stop the Zantac for fear it will make the GERD come back, so I'll do both for right now. I highly recommend trying this if you have GERD.
Betaine HCl
Posted by Harold (Surrey, B.C. Canada) on 04/11/2009
★★★★★
I Suffered terribly with GERD for a long time. A Dr Charles Duffy of Dallas Ft Worth Texas said in 30 years of practice ,the majority of his patients that had GERD were deficient in stomach HCL [hydro-chloric acid]. I was told to do this;get Betaine HCL[500 mg] capsules.To start, take 1 capsule fifteen minutes bsfore meal;next meal take 2, 15 minutes before; next meal take 3 as before.Keep doing this until you feel a peppery burning in stomach,esophagus.Then back off one capsule. This I did and my limit was 7 caps,then I backed off one. Amazing how this stopped the GERD.I then modified my diet to 75% raw food.
It did not take long before I was able to cut back on the Betaine HCL caps. I now follow "The Metabolic Typing Diet".
Harold
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Juli (Philadelphia, PA USA) on 03/10/2009
★★★★★
I used 2 tsp ACV in 8 oz water 2x/day (I'm small, around 105 pounds), to treat GERD. I used Eden's Organics unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar.
After almost one bottle's worth of this, I no longer need it. So far, it has been 2 weeks with no problems.
I did a number of things though...I took GNC's probiotics (39.99) twice a day for a while before meals, ACV twice a day, and chewed on papaya enzyme tabs during the day.
I found this website, was so skeptical, but let me tell you..try it. Also, for a professor who is around really sick kids all the time, I didn't get sick this semester for the first time in years.
The Apple Cider Vinegar got me off of the Protonix my doc was giving me, and took a week to noticeably help...but now, I'm medication free.
Thank you earthclinic and all the people who post here!
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Gil (Niagara, Ontario) on 03/09/2009
★★★★★
Hi
I would just like to say to those wanting to give up, DON'T!
I was not feeling too much better @ first, but gave it some time. The ACV has helped so much, that I haven't taken any meds in over 3 months! I was taking two Prevacids a day before for my Gerds. When you get good results, spread the good news so others can enjoy the benefits as well.
Gil
Apples
Posted by Marian (Mooresburg, TN) on 01/24/2009
★★★★★
apples and apple cider vinegar work for me. I use apples more frequently. I can have really bad GERD and have found that when I am under stress it becomes more intense and frequent.
Apple Cider Vinegar
Posted by Alan (Windsor, UK) on 10/27/2008
★★★★★
Having suffered for a while with the symptoms of GERD my doctor put me on a repeating prescription of PPI's, Omeprazole and then lansoprazole. The side effects of these plus the reducing effectiveness led me to this site.
I tried 2 tbs of apple cider vinegar once a day in water but gave up too soon - after a few weeks. Well the pain and unpleasant symptoms continued and I jumped backed to the PPIs. After a few days of the side effects and the fact that they weren't treating the symptoms any longer I decided to go back to the Apple cider vinegar but decided to give it a go for a month. I used 2tbs,three times a day, occasionally adding a quarter teaspoon of bicarb. After a few weeks the symptoms went away.
I would like to point out that I gave up drinking fizzy drinks as well & so perhaps the combination worked. Frankly I don't care as I am now sleeping so much better and have even reduced the number of times I have the ACV.
I guess the moral of the story for me was that you have to be prepared to be in it for the long haul.
Hope this helps.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Sunny (Chicago, Illinois) on 10/05/2008
★★★★★
I have been diagnosed with small airways disease. Really couldn't understand the diagnosis(had a cat scan and chest x-ray) because I haven't had any breathing symptoms but kept coming down with bronchitis and sore throats that wouldn't go away. My voice continues to be very hoarse and my tongue does feel like it burns once in awhile.
I recently attended a book signing in NYC for a dear friend and at that party I met a woman who told me she too, had been diagnosed with small airways disease several years ago and was treated with all types of asthma medications and finally got fed up and went to an ENT doctor. The 3rd ENT she visited, diagnosed her with GERD.
She really has saved me from such frustration. After thinking about it for 2 seconds, I decided to start watching what I ate and noticed a difference immediately. I also took some Zantac and felt a difference. Now, after reading all of these testimonials I am going to try the organic ACV mixed with water.
I also had my gall bladder removed several years ago and appreciated so many of the comments on taking digestive enzymes.
I am so excited to give it a try. Thanks everyone!
Marshmallow Root Tincture
Posted by KElly (Madison, WI) on 04/10/2008
★★★★★
GERD: Marshmallow Root tincture. Has Eliminated sore throat, sinus issues not too mention other issues that go along with gerd. Instructions varied on web sites I followed the bottle.
Okra
Posted by Juve Orbista (Parañaque Manila Philippines) on 07/09/2020
★★★★★
Ohhh thank you me my GERD coming 4months this July 20 and I'm healed by okra I'm sure I'm almost ok now with the help of good diet and PRAYERS ..thank you OKRA
Almonds
Posted by Sharon (Lockport, IL) on 03/19/2008
★★★★★
Eating a handful of raw almonds stops GERD dead in its tracks. My daughter ate almonds throughout her pregnancy whenever heartburn hit. It worked for her also.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Joyce (Joelton, TN) on 11/20/2007 490 posts
★★★★★
The best remedy I have found for indigestion, acid regurge, GERD, flatulence is elimination of all bleached flour products in the foods you eat - I find I can eat l00% whole grain bread without problems (usually cures most people's constipation problems also). I don't know what chemicals? are used in the bleaching process, but apparently that is where the problem comes from. However, you must really work at getting bleached flour out of your diet, as many pastas are made with bleached flour, many breads say whole wheat but read the ingredients and you'll find that most start off with bleached flour unless the label reads l00% whole grain. Most gravies, dips, sauces, etc. use the cheapest source of thickening agent - bleached flour. So try it and see if it works for you. It's nice having a "cast iron stomach" which has no problems with cayenne pepper, jalapeno peppers, and all that spicy stuff I used to blame my stomach problems on before I lucked up and stumbled upon the real cause of them.
Digestive Enzymes
Posted by Coye (Newberry, SC) on 09/05/2007
★★★★★
I had moderate asthma and chronic gerd. I started using a natural enzyme that contained PAPAYA!! I take the tablets everyday. I haven't had a problem or symptom since I've taken them.I've read many studies that papaya helps withs gerd!!
Pickle Juice
Posted by Chris (Jacksonville, Florida) on 04/07/2007
★★★★★
No Way!!!! This was unbelievable!! It's 11:00 at night and my girlfriend was in tears from her GERD pain. I read the pickle juice comments and as a last resort prior to the ER had her try the pick juice remedy. IT WORKED IMMEDIATLY!!!!! totally recommend this to everyone.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Joe (Oak Forest, IL) on 09/17/2006
★★★★★
I don't know why, but whenever I am (able) to stay on a low carb diet, my GERD goes away, I sleep better, my skin improves, etc. And......this is when I am eating all I want, and even late at night. I'm not sure why this works, but I thought I was the only one. (Nexium works great, but I bloat with water weight gain.)