[YEA]  11/20/2008: Betsy from Santa Fe, NM: "Thank you all for your comments regarding ACV and GERD. I have had this annoying problem for a couple of years now. My nurse practitioner suggested using DGL or"Deglycyrrhizinated" Licorice Root Extract. It is available from several different companies at any local health food store. It is not a cure, but it is very soothing. Two tablets in the morning keeps acid reflux away all day for me, but I will try ACV too. Will report back...Thanks!"

[YEA]  Lanniece from Reading, PA: "I have had GERD (reflux disease) for six years now. I started taking ranitidine and then quickly worked my way up to nexium from 20mg a day to 40mg a day. Even on 40mg a day, I still had signs of persistent GERD in the form of chest pain. I read about MANGOSTEEN, a natural fruit juice that is becoming more popular and decided to try it for its general health purposes. I did not expect that it would keep me off of my nexium!!! I take 2 -3 1 oz shot glass size drinks a day and I have not taken my nexium since October...it is now February! If I miss a day, I do feel it. But I feel great not taking the prescribed medication."

[YEA]  04/10/2008: KElly from Madison, WI: "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."

[YEA]  01/18/2009: Radph from Auckland, New Zealand: "I suffered from Gerd for years caused by a Hiatus Hernia. Eventually I found relief by using milk powder. I would hold a teaspoon of milk powder in my mouth and suck on it. This gave almost immediate relief. After many years the symptoms stopped, and I no longer use any treatment."

08/14/2011: Cheryl from Va Beach, Va: "I recently was made aware of an article by Dr. Bruce West, M. D. , who said that it's very possible that "diaphragm strain" is the CAUSE of many cases of acid reflex, GERD, and hiatal hernia! To me, this is a landmark document and anyone interested in healing their stomach issues should definitely check into it. Dr. West's article can be found at: http://www.healthalert.com/t-Article_Archives.aspx , then scroll down and click on: ARTICLE 2: Hiatal Hernia, Indigestion, Heartburn, Reflux, GERD And Esophagitis. If this is the cause of many cases of acid reflux and hiatal hernia, these could be fixed without surgery or drugs - just by contacting one of the specialists (chiropractor-kinesiologists) on a list Dr. West mentions in his article. Most doctors don't seem to know anything about this (no surprise here! ). I think the article does say you need to be a member of HealthAlerts to get access to the practitioner list, but a small price to pay if you find you have a hiatal hernia and want to avoid surgery, drugs, and working only with the symptoms for the rest of your life! It's worth a shot by anyone with symptoms of GERD, hiatal, hernia, etc. I go to my doc. NEXT Fri to find out if I have a hiatal hernia, since I did the barium xray series last Fri. If he says yes, the first thing I will do is locate one of those practitioners and see if I can get relief that way! In fact, even if he says no, I plan to check it out -- tests don't tell you everything always, and my symptoms are 100% of every symptom Dr. West mentions for this problem (yes, 100%- acid reflux, weakness in my body, fatigue, headaches (I never had headaches before I got the reflux), sore ribs, poor appetite, nausea- horrible nausea, and wt loss)! ).

Another thing-- I began fresh cabbage juice, undiluted (not bad tasting) and find it helps with increasing my appetite - even if not resolving the underlying problem of acid reflux, etc. (Just juice 3 days-worth of cabbage in a juicer or blender -- take 1 oz. 3 times a day for 3 days, meaning juice 9 oz. Of juice each time. Don't think you can keep in fridge longer than 3 days fresh, but maybe; then, before you drink your last 1 oz. of the 3 days' worth, juice 3 more days worth! Do this for 2 weeks- or more, if you find it's really helping. ). I have been on the cabbage juice for just 3 and a half days and I have had three-four bigger appetite "bonuses" since getting the reflux months ago! Having small meals is also a good idea and has helped me. My idea of a small meal is a reasonable-sized pc. (between the size of your palm to even the size of your palm plus fingers! ) of fish or a cube steak cooked in a little bit of sunflower oil (my favorite), salt, and perhaps pepper for flavor, and about 6 tbsps of corn or other veggie, and then frequent small meals after, whenever you get hungry (don't overeat at any of them--limit yourself, knowing it could cause a bad reaction AND knowing you can eat again in 2 hours! ). Have the cabbage juice on an empty stomach. What I do is have 1 oz cabbage juice when I get up, wait 2 hrs, then have a reasonable meal- 4-6 oz. Plain Seven Stars (Original, full fat) yogurt from health food store (more creamy and less sour than Dannons or others I've tried-- you can add stevia too, and it's quite nice! ) and fresh fruit, or a medium-sized Kyo-Green drink and some protein (like 1-2 slices Swiss cheese and/or yogurt) plus my vitamins, and then I wait 2 hrs more without food ( I might have water after a half hr after eating, or 1 oz. of aloe vera juice, diluted w/ water or not), then another 1 oz cabbage juice, wait another 2 hrs (most people can wait 4 hrs to eat, can't they?), and have another meal. I like fish or meat, with fresh or frozen veggies -my favorites are artichokes, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, corn, and if you feel like it , a small salad, and there is also rice! I have a last 1 oz. of cabbage juice before bed. It took away a queasy stomach last night! This appears to be improving my appetite and is also cutting down a lot on the nausea, my major gripe with all the symptoms! Reflux is less troublesome also, esp. at night. It seems to have improved my quality of life enough to keep me content until I can get a firm diagnosis, and hopefully fix the issues without conventional medical intervention!

Aloe vera juice is very helpful too- said to kill h. pylori in studies (http://www.mangosteen--juice.com/aloe-vera/aloe-vera-juice-research.php) -- cabbage juice does too, but there is a protocol by Dr. Shallenberger- think you have to get his newsletter -so will tell you the gist: it involves the use of 1 oz. of cabbage juice 3 times a day as I'm doing but adding 1 cayenne pepper cap with the cabbage juice 3 times a day, for 2 weeks- -- he says this kills the h. Pylori. The BIG caution I discovered is : you can ONLY use the cayenne pepper caps if you have ulcers but DON'T HAVE acid reflux or hiatal hernia! SO, DON'T USE the cayenne/capsicum if you HAVE acid reflux or a hernia! That's why I decided not to assume I had h. Pylori now-- I hope I don't. The ulcer protocol ALSO uses "mastic chewing gum" (find on Web) that kills h. Pylori in mouth and esophagus, AS WELL AS mastic gum capsules (I think mastic gum is OK to use with acid reflux/hiatal hernias, but pls check before buying). It also says to use a new toothbrush before you start as h. Pylori can exist on your toothbrush! Clean it with tea tree oil nightly to keep the h. Pylori down.

AND for acid reflux, also remember Slippery Elm losenges. I suck on those at night if I get reflux after I've gone to bed and don't want to get up. I take as many as 4 over a hr or two, if I stay awake. They're safe! Good luck and hope this helps! I may not be back on this site but this should get you started if you want to try some of these things..."

04/16/2009: GerdGuy from Yokohama, Japan replies: "I noticed that oatmeal is part of your daily meal. I used to eat that also in trying to make a diet to ease my hypertension; and at the same time fighting with gerd. However, I noticed that eating oatmeal makes me feel bloated and full and later on vomit. But when I stop eating oatmeal, that feeling is gone. So I suggest you take off oatmeal from your diet. Hope this helps."

04/17/2009: Lynn G from Columbia, Maryland, USA replies: "To JL in Oregon, OH. You said, "i eat oatmeal for am and cereal for lunch then dinner..." You also said you don't eat much.

I am now 62 and had acid reflux (GERD) for a lot longer (my entire adult life) than you've had it. I finally figured out about 20 months ago that I have a gluten sensitivity. I removed all grains (except for occasional servings of organic brown rice) from my diet. Wheat, oatmeal, and barley are the most common sources of gluten in the Standard American Diet (the SAD). I had taken proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) drugs for 8 to 9 years. Before that I took bucket-loads-full of antacids (Tums and the like) for many years. I no longer have any acid reflux problems, and haven't taken any acid-suppressing drugs or remedies for most of the last 20 months. (It took about several weeks on my gluten-free diet for the reflux symptoms to gradually disappear.)

First of all, your high-cereal diet is probably causing you all kinds of problems, not the least of which is lack of adequate macronutrients (proteins and fats) and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Second of all, have you considered that you might possibly have a subclinical form of gluten sensitivity? Suppressing your stomach acid in the belief that this will alleviate acid reflux is a dangerous belief, propagated, of course, by mainstream allopathic doctors. And, suppressing stomach acid has dangerous side effects, the most prominent one being the inability to properly digest food and absorb the micronutrients that are so extremely important. In my case (as a post-menopausal female), the PPI drugs caused me to develop some bone loss (osteopenia) due to lack of absorbing enough minerals. A very dangerous side-effect, indeed (also for males).

Given your (apparently) high intake of gluten-containing foods, and the severity of your acid reflux symptoms, my suggestion is to eliminate gluten foods for at least six weeks and find out whether you see significant improvement. At the same time, you should increase animal-based proteins and fats (from organic, pasture-raised animals, if possible), and add digestive enzymes to every meal. (If you don't eat animal-based foods, that is, you eat a "vegetarian diet," then eliminating gluten-containing foods gets a lot more complicated). If you want to contact me for further information about how I cured myself, here is my e-mail address: rightwriter46lggmailcom."

[YEA]  04/30/2009: Gino from Los Angeles, CA: "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."

05/01/2009: healthy80 from Central Point, Oregon replies: "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"

[YEA]  04/05/2008: Marlita from Makati, Philippines: "OKRA(lady's finger) cured my acid reflux... i also tried the purple pill like OMEPRON OMEPRAZOLE for more than a month and then other brands.

no medicines cures my reflux then i have complication coming from it ( PHARYNGITIS & LARYNGITIS )

ive been browsing sites to look for remedies or much better CURE and im very much lucky to bump on this site. i read that OKRA (lady's finger ) cures his GERD by eating OKRA for 2 mos.

I TRIED IT... by boiling for a minute, removed the seeds then eating 6 pieces a day... 2 pieces for every meal within 10 DAYS im cured already.

I know it has something to do with OKRA'S natural slimmy characterics that help cures the inflammation of my LOWER ESOPHAGEAL SPHINCTER the major reason of the reflux

the slimmy characteristic coats my LES as it gives time to heal it....i guess that's the most important part HEALING FIRST YOUR LOWER ESOPHAGEAL SPHINCTER before your GERD eradicated.

Now i can eat anything i want... my GERD it's just a nightmare for me and dont want to remember as it cost so much depression on me while sleeping in SITTING POSITON for more than a month.

THANKS TO YOUR SITE i read that information here."

06/20/2009: Sese from Cavite, Philippines: "I have been suffering from GERD for 5 months & had taken H2 blockers & proton pump inhibitors for 3 months which had only given me temporary relief. I also noticed that i developed other health problems after taking these meds for few weeks but nevertheless continued taking them as ordered by my doctor. I'm done taking those meds for 3 weeks now & I noticed that the other health problems i had developed are gone which make me think that they were all just the side effects of the meds. I'm so scared to take those meds again that's why I'm so glad to have found this website.. I want to try ACV + baking soda.. Should I take it before or after meal?? Any reply will be highly appreciated.."

EC: More info about acv + baking soda here: http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/acv_baking_soda_cures.html

[YEA]  10/27/2011: Steve from Charlotte, North Carolina: "I am a healthy and fit 56 year old. As I've aged, I have learned to avoid eating later at night and to choose my foods wisely, selectively avoiding foods that cause heartburn. Both efforts have helped control GERD, which I ocassionally experience at night while horizontally resting or sleeping. When I do eat the wrong foods or eat late at night, I'll take OTC medication to prevent GERD. Late last night I ate several slices of pizza, a notoriously avoidable food for me, but I followed that with three garlic kosher dill pickle spears. Not an inkling of indigestion! Truly remarkable!"

[YEA]  11/22/2011: Sarah from Thomasville, Nc replies: "It's 2:30 am and I cannot sleep due to the burning in my throat. I do not suffer from GERD and this is one of the few times in my life that I have had an episode of acid reflux and therefore I do not have a medicine cabinet full of pills to prevent it.

I stumbled across this page and found that pickle juice might provide some relief since I don't have apple vinegar so I guzzled down some pickle juice and I feel much better. The searing, burning sensation in my throat has almost subsided and it's only been a couple of minutes since I drank the juice! Yay! Maybe I can go to sleep now! Thanks for the information!"

[YEA]  11/21/2012: Mark from Novato, California, Usa replies: "I'm 29 years old, I've had Acid Reflux / GERD since at least 2009. During 2009, I was in a bodybuilding transformation contest, and I worked out 5 days a week. After 4 months of weight training, my acid reflux became severe, and I went to the hospital to get an endoscopy. They found nothing, except that my esophagus was red. Well I laid off the weight lifting for a couple years and started again in 2011. It took a whole year before the acid reflux kicked in again, and this time, it returned with a VENGEANCE! I felt paralyzed by the pain, I was getting tingles in my arms and legs, had a hard time breathing, could barely swallow, felt like I was going to choke on every bite of food, had panic attacks, even felt like I was going to randomly swallow my tongue. I couldn't lay down at night, without feeling like my whole body was in shock, due to the acid in my esophagus. I had a hunch that it was the acid hitting some vital nerve in the esophageal area, which was subsequently causing the all of these other symptoms I described above. Sure enough, I was right!

I went to the E. R. In August of 2012, and they put me on a 2 month supply of Protonix. This immediately stopped all of these symptoms, including all of the acid reflux. I have also tried Aciphex, which works well too, but it has a lot more side effects than the Protonix. I'm a health nut though, I've never drank, never done drugs, I work out, eat well, etc.. So I wanted to get off of these PPI pills. I decided to look on here, where I found Pickle Juice. I have also tried apples which helped for a short time, but then they stopped having a powerful effect, and I started waking up in the middle of the night with acid in my throat.

Well I just now came across this site, looking for other remedies that might help, instead of the pharma-pills. I saw all these about pickle juice, and figured I'd give it a shot. I went to the store and bought 2 bottles of 'Polish Dill pickles with garlic. ' I ate one spear of a pickle, just to test the waters. I was afraid it might cause a worse worse reaction, but to my surprise, not only does my acid reflux seem gone, but I noticed that it made me feel like I could breathe better?? I'm not sure if pickles have ever helped people breathe better, but I certainly noticed that my lungs seemed to open up more and the congestion in my chest seemed all but gone! I will post more as the days go on, and I try more pickles each night. Thank God for this site!"

11/21/2012: Bill from San Fernando, Philippines replies: "Hi Mark... The fact that your symptoms go away when you take Pickle Juice, ACV or even Vinegar tells me that the reason for your GERD problem isn't caused by too much acid in your stomach but is, instead, caused by TOO LITTLE stomach acid production. Pickle Juice is acidic so when you take it at mealtimes this raises your stomach acid to the correct pH strength -- hence no GERD. But taking Pickle Juice will only accomodate and remove the symptoms of your problem -- it is therefore not a cure. To address and repair the root cause of your problem -- lack of stomach acid -- you will have to supply more chlorides to your body.

Here's how it works. When you eat, the stomach acid pH must be at a pH of between 1 - 3(very acid) for proper stomach digestion. If it is higher than that, more alkaline in other words, then the stomach will fail to kill all the pathogens incoming with your food. This will eventually lead to dysbiosis -- pathogens like E. Coli, H Pylori, Candida, Gardia etc will begin to dominate your upper intestine area leading to all sorts of other serious problems. This is also the main reason and cause for your reflux or GERD problems.

When food is eaten, a hormone called secretin is put out into the blood which triggers the secretion of the pancreatic juices and main stage digestive enzymes -- and this process is triggered only if your stomach acid pH is between 1 - 3. So if you pH is higher and at incorrect strength, then the pancreatic juices and digestive enzymes for mainstage digestion will not be triggered and so your food will just sit there in your duodenum rotting and fast breeding pathogens also causing your GERD and reflux problems.

The remedy is as follows:

* Take betaine hydrchloride tablets at with every meal. This will help to supply the necessary chlorides and will address the root cause of your stomach acid problem.

* Take pancreatic enzymes containing bromelain and papain at every meal. This will aid proper protein digestion in both the stomach and duodenum.

* Take Sea Salt(not refined table salt) -- 1/4 to 1/2 tspn with water once per day -- outside mealtimes. This helps to supply chlorides for proper stomach acid production.

* Take Magnesium Chloride -- 1/4 teaspoon once per day -- taken at mealtme. This also helps to supply chlorides for proper stomach digestion.

* Alkalize the intestines using Ted's Sodium Bicarbonate and water remedy. Take this remedy 1/2 hr to 1 hour after every meal. This remedy helps to promote proper alkaline digestion in the upper intestine and also addresses a possible lack of bicarbonates in the pancreatic juices.

*(Optional) Kelp Extract -- regular advised dosage -- Iodine is also necessary to help regenerate stomach acid.

The above remedy can also be taken together with the Pickle Juice if you want."

11/21/2012: Ed2010 from Oakville, Canada replies: "Most common information in the internet is, GERD is because of the high stomach acid.

The real truth is if there is low stomach acid then the lower esophageal sphincter valve LES VALVE that is connecting the esophagus and the stomach opens and cause the food juices to flow upwards causing GERD or ACID Reflux.

The best emipirical test to confirm low stomach acid is the Betaine Hcl test. The test is done as:

Take 1 betaine hcl capsule with meals. If you are feeling comfortable, then take 2 betaine hcl capsules in the next meal. If you are feeling good then take 3 betaine hcl in the next meal. Now if you are feeling acid reflux or stomach burning sensation then drink a glass of water mixed with half teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize stomach acid.

Now, the result is you have low stomach acid and you have to take 2 capsules with your meal for some time.

Some people are very low in stomach acid for which they have to take 4 - 6 capsules. Try Betain Hcl with pepsin. Good Health"

[NAY]  06/25/2011: Blessed Farm from Little Town, Wa, Usa replies: "The BEST pickle juice I've found to work is from fermented pickles, not the vinegar ones. The MAIN problem with GERD is the lack of gut flora balance, I've found, and increasing probiotic foods, especially in the form of ferments, has helped me tremendously. I, too, was having GERD to the point of thinking I was having a heart attack. Cutting out ALL grains, starchy veggies, sugars (other than RAW honey), and processed carbohydrates, taking HCL with pepsin with each meal, plant enzymes after each meal, and drinking and eating LOTs of fermented foods each day is what is helping me.

If I get a flare up, a quick trip to the fridge for a sip of juice from one of the ferment jars, or a cup of Kombucha, often does the trick. If not, then I know I have TOO much acid for some reason, and I reach for NOW brand's Acid Comfort. It's a blend of vitamins, minerals and enzymes to help calm the effects of the acid."