Apple Cider Vinegar Treatment for Acid Reflux

Hi, I have extremely bad acid reflux. I have been taking 2 Nexium 40 mg twice a day. It is not helping me at all. I have chest pain, soar throat and burping all the time. I have this symptoms after I eat breakfast until I go to bed. Since 5 days ago because of this site I take ACV twice a day with honey and two digestive enzyme plus one Nexium in the morning after breakfast. I am skinny and I don't eat very much because of my acid reflux. My question is how long the Acv takes to heal acid reflux? How long I have to drink it before I see any sign? I am still suffering very badly.

As an ex coffee roaster, Sumatra coffee has the least amount of acid. Robusta coffee ie Folgers and other cheapish brands are usually very acidic and have 2 to 3 times more caffeine than high grown coffees.

I have been able to have coffee without it aggravating my acid reflux by not putting milk in it anymore. I make a mix of raw almond, coconut, chia seed and hemp seed, with raw cacao blend it and then strain it and mix it with my coffee. The mix keep for 3 days in the fridge. I am so happy to be able to have coffee again.

ACV works great! Felt better within minutes; stopping for about 2 weeks recinds the symptoms (makes them return) - starting again kicks them to the curb again! No symptoms for me - & the main reason I am writing, is I JUST literally this hour found a BETTER TASTING drink that is believe-it-or-not EVEN HEALTHIER: V8 drink & ACV! (My Mom thought of this =) credit goes to my Mom, Brenda =D) WOW - Vinegar & Vegetables, just like a salad (Zesty Italian dressing, I think) WITHOUT the sugar of lemonade or pineapple juice (my new backups)!

Tastes Great, HEALTHY, no sugar.. It's great =) Enjoy!

In respond to Ko from Altamont, Ny -- it is possible that the apple juice and not the ACV is what is causing your problem. I can and do drink ACV in water, either straight or with honey, sometimes several glasses over the course of an evening (have developed a taste for it) and never have a problem; but when I drink bottled apple juice it almost always results in reflux. The natural hygiene people say cooking fruit makes acidic instead of alkaline, so maybe that's why as almost all bottled juice seems to be pasteurized.

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I have been drinking the ACV; about a tablespoon in a large glass of water, with about 4 ozs of apple juice mixed in so it's not too sour. I actually enjoy drinking it. I started doing this to reduce my blood pressure. Although I do think it has been helping my blood pressure, I am having a terrible flare-up of my acid reflux. I decided this morning that it might be the vinegar, but according to some folks on this site, the ACV is helpful for the reflux too. I'm stopping it for a few days to see if it goes away. I take a proton pump inhibitor and have doubled up on that. Toss in some Tums as well. AND, take Metamucil, which my stomach doctor advised (pushes food out of the stomach quicker into the lower intestine). In any event, I do think it's the vinegar. :-(

I've been having a problem with reflux for several years. Until now I have this sickness. Can you help for that. What can I do? and what medicine do I take? I'm waiting to your answer. Thanks a lot.

I just started consuming raw apple cider vinegar for reflux and wondered what the difference is from using regular acv. It has been three weeks and I don't see any change. I take it 2 times a day.

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

I used ACV to stop symptoms but when a specialist investigated my oesophagus with a gastroscopy I was found to have a badly ulcerated oesophagus. So the ACV masked the symptoms but did not actually prevent damage to this area in my case. Just be careful.

When someone suffers from an acid reflux type condition it seems that it is nearly always assumed that they have too much acid in their stomach, but this is not always the case. I suffered from digestive problmes for 2 1/2 years (I am only 22), and yes, that acidic feeling in my stomach, and acid coming up my esophagus. I saw two different doctors and both gave me acid inhibiting medication- exact opposite of what I needed! I researched on my own and found that the symptoms of too much acid are very similar to those of not enough stomach acid production (Hypochloridia).

I immediately stopped taking acid reducers, and modified my diet, I started eating small meals, trying to chew food very well (to ease digestion), and reduced foods that were hard to digest (especially nuts), and those which promote bad bacteria growth- I. E. Sugar. These along with a few other changes majorly improved my digestive health, normalized my appetite and helped me to feel better in general. You should get some kind of a test to find out conclusively what is the problem, and if it is low acid production the things I mentioned along with digestive enzymes, etc. Should help out a lot. -More acid may be exactly what you need!

Yup, Good old AVC does it again. One large gulp right from the bottle immediately stopped the acid reflux. What a miracle drink!

It makes no sense to combine baking soda with vinegar, as one is acid, the other a base, so they neutralize each other, effectively eliminating any benefit that one of them may have provided.

Hi Linda, You could use ACV with gastric ulcers and you should not find that it causes you any problems. However to be sure, I would recommend adding 2 t-spoons of ACV and 2 T-Spoons of Honey to a glass of water morning and night. I note that you dont mention why you are taking the ACV whether for health maintenance or to treat a specific problem you may have, but this simply remedy is fine and the honey will also help your gastric mucosa. You may wish to consider taking slippery elm bark in water each day (1-2 times per day) which is a well-proven treatment for gastric ulcers and will help any reflux you may or may not be suffering from. Hope that helps.

I have ulcers due to reflux. I was wondering if I could try the ACV or if it's not a good idea with an ulcer. I would appreciate any advice.

I have had the pain of all the above for many years, so bad I thought I was going to die. I started the Apple Cider Vinegar cure three times a day and after about a week I was cured. Sometimes if you eat fruit with meats and grains you can have a small recurance. Drink fruit juice and fruit alone, at least 45 min before any other foods. This plus the Apple Cider Vinegar 3 times a day should make you feel better... All the meds on the market have terrible side effects. Oh, for recurance take a little baking soda with water alone later not with the Apple Cider Vinegar cure. Love it!

Let me clarify the following for you: "ACID TO TREAT AN ACID CONDITION". To begin with, imagine a valve that separates your stomach acid from your esophagus. Now suppose I were to tell you that mother nature designed your body in a such a way THAT THE OPENING AND CLOSING OF THIS VALVE IS CONTROLLED BY THE PH LEVEL OF YOUR STOMACH. That is, when you are hungry and about to eat, your stomach secretes a lot of HCL acid in order to digest your food. This valve actually stays shut if the PH level of your stomach is very acidic thus preventing acid from damaging the upper portion of your body. If you do not secrete enough stomach acid (some people are born with this condition) then the acidity level in your stomach is not sufficient to keep this valve properly shut. The results is GERD.

SOLUTION: Take the stomach acid test to determine if you secrete enough HCL acid. If it is always to low then that is the cause of your GERD and you should consider taking HCL Betaine supplements. Believe me I use to have GERD although not as severe as you and when I consumed HCL betaine capsules, I immediately felt that suddenly there is no large amount of mucous being constantly secreted inside my throat. Also I notice that my tongue always stays red instead of always being coated with this white mucous stuff. That is how I know that ACID can treat an ACID condition. Hope that helps you! Mike

Folks, I won't speak to what I do not know, but this I do know: NO real apple cider vinegar is alkaline, even if mixed with honey. Honey and water and even baking soda may well either dilute/weaken its acidity (honey and water), or even neutralize it (baking soda). However, chemically, VINEGAR IS AN ACID. That doesn't mean it's bad, nor does it mean it won't cause your body to decrease (or increase) its own acid production. But vinegar is definitely an acid.

As for me, I've had GERD since I was about 7 years old (I'm 52 now), although my diagnosis only happened about 11 years ago. I'm a singer and speaker, and seem to have some permanent vocal damage due to my GERD. I also have asthma, which again may be at least partially due to GERD. I've been taking prevacid for these 1 years, and I'm much better than I used to be. However, I'm curious as to whether I might be well served by ACV, especially after reading the posts here. I'm going to get some today and try it for myself. I'll report my results as time goes by. Acid to treat acid: it doesn't make complete sense to me, but I don't claim to know how or why many things work. I hope this does!

Yes, it works!!! I discovered a "tweak" I am adding at the end of my little blurb. My reflux problem was fairly severe and had plagued me for about 15 years. The ACV keeps it in check and I consider myself lucky to have found this site. I started taking it about 6 months ago after reading the information on this site. I followed Ted's protocol of 5 days on; 2 days off. It took about 2 weeks to really make a difference and when I stopped taking it again, foolish thinking I was cured, it started gradually coming back. I took it regularly for several months and then tended to forget to take the regular dose. What I found works well for me is to simply take it when I remember to without serious regard to the protcol. Sometimes it is 3 times in a day, sometimes once or twice in a day - sometimes it is every day, other times there are a few days between my doses. I went on a 2 week road trip in this summer and was not able to take any for those 2 weeks. Apparently as long as I take it reasonably regularly, it works despite my not following the protocol religiously.

I would highly recommend starting Ted's protocol, then adjusting it to your body's needs. I suspect there will be variations in how it works for each individual according to age, gender, weight, metabolism and so on. Mixing the ACV 1 glass at a time is a bit of a pain, so I got myself a 1 litre jug and marked off the 75 ml (or 1/3 cup) then put 1 tsp ACV in a filled with 750 ml (3 cups) water. This way I don't have to mix so often. I found I prefer it slightly acidic as opposed to tasting the baking soda.

Now for my "tweak": I found if I pour the water in with the ACV, then add the baking soda last and slap a tight-fitting cap on before the baking soda starts to foam up. What happens is you have now created a carbonized beverage that almost (emphasis on almost) tastes good. Hope this helps you as much as it did me. My sincere Thanks to Ted. Steener from QB, Canada

Hello all you coffee lovers. I thought I'd add what I found as an alternative to my beloved coffee. It's called Teeccino, and if you're like me, you'll like the Maya Cafe, dark roast. However, if you like a milder blend, try the Meditteranean blend. You brew it just like coffee and it's fabulous! And PLUS! It's good for you. :)

You need to burp after drinking baking soda water? Simply dilute it in VERY warm water. Let the burping begin! :-)

I had acid reflux for well over a year and didn't know what it was. I came across info about apple cider vinegar online and tried it. I used it for 5 days and my acid reflux was gone!!! Since then, if I feel like the acid reflux may be starting, I just drink about 4 oz of vinegar water and I'm fine. This is a miracle cure. I never would have believed it could work so well if I hadn't tried it myself.

I suffer from heartburn from time to time, but its been a while since I had it but it came back with a vengence. I read the remedies and decided to take a tbsp. of apple cider vinegar and made me throw up what was making the heartburn, I have to say I feel better, now im going to try to go to sleep.

I used to take prilosec otc but hated having to take a chemical pill, so I reluctantly tried Apple Cider Vinegar and it works I havent taken a pill in 5 days, I just put 2 capfuls of organic Apple Cider Vinegar into water twice a day and I cant believe the damn thing works. This is my first testominial ever.

Coffee can have a high acidity. I have found some coffees that note they have mild or low acidity and I am able to drink them with no aggravation to my stomach acid problem.

My fiance has bad acid reflux. He would literally keep me up all night with hacking deep coughs, "Hua! ""Hua! ""Hua! " til I was ready to hurt him! Ok you get the point. He refused to eat in the evenings, and even though thats probably a good idea, it was limiting. I mixed 1 tbs organic ACV in blueberry/pomegranate juice just to see if it made him feel as good as it does I. I never thought it would help with any ailment specifically and certainly not right away. He had NO reflux from the very first use. Now even when he eats, he has no more acid reflux. I do indeed love this stuff. It works. And I highly recommend the cocktail above(through a straw of course) as it complimets the ACV very well. Like a juice with a zing.

Hi - I tried using the low-acid coffee and it seems to work. Maybe it will work for you too. I'm a coffeeholic so I'm pleased to be able to continue to enjoy.

I am new to this forum. I have acid reflux on and off and went two times for endoscopy and they could not find any evidence of damage to the oesophagus but mild inflammation in the stomach in 2008. They are dismissing it as IBS.

2 weeks back it started with severe bloating, gas and heartburn. It made me feel something stuck in my throat and could not breath properly and it feels like gas bubble stuck in somewhere and burps with food. I am trying with diet and decided to try this Apple Cider Vinegar for the past two days. Actually it is fine after taking for 1 1/2 hr and then burning in the stomach comes and also gets bloated with ACV and also sore throat in the morning. Could someone tell me whether it will create side effects like this or it is not suiting me or will not work for stomach burning and gastritis. It would be very helpful.

I wonder if any of the people who replied to Archie From West Covina with questions got them answered.

Marie from Santa Monica: Did you keep up the ACV and honey? Did you feel better or worse?
Wendi from West Chester: Did you give your son the ACV? Did he get better?
Rick from Los Angeles: Did you continue taking the PPI and ACV together? Did it work?
Stagefright from Tamworth: Did you continue taking ACV? Did you continue to feel better?

In cutting out caffeine, does that include tea? Everybody keeps saying 'coffee' - I'm a tea drinker. Is that okay with acid reflux?

Hi Wendy, Nexium is very bad for your digestion and for your first line defense which is the stomach acid. The stomach acid is crucial for proper digestion and immune system function. There is an article that talks about the link between Candida and the use of PPI. Your acid reflux could be due to a lot of things like:

1-Hiatal hernia. For that I will recommend you to avoid surgery because they have a high rate failure. Some people get the hernia back right after the surgery.

2- You might also have H. Pylori infection. Some mastic gum with monolaurin and broccoli will do the job.

3- low acid: Yes, the low acid causes heartburn even if it seems strange. The food will be undigested and comes back to the cardia sphincter and that make you feel the burning. If I will have time, I will share with you the article about the link between candida and the use of PPI. Wish you good health.

My question is this, I would like to discontinue my nexium and start on the ACV but would like to know if I should just stop the nexium and go ahead? I take the nexium once in the morning before meals so it is not like I can just cut back. Thank you so much for your time... I really want to be done with the purple pill!

Hi Ted It's me again. I'm on my 4th day of ACV and BS. Last nite I began to experience heartburn chest pains and throat irritation that I had difficulty to eat and couldn't burp. Before that I drank a glass of berry and apple juice. An hour later heartburn began. Not sure if the juice was the cause. After a little dinner at 7pm I drank 2 tbs of ACV to gain relief at 11pm I had difficulty sleeping as I couldn't burp like something is stuck in my throat I can taste the acid in my mouth. Anyway after just 4 hrs of sleep today 4th day I drank 2tbs of ACV and 1/4 teaspoon of BS. It gave relief but still couldn't burp. 1 hr later I ate a light breakfast of chicken rice soup then drank 2tbs of ACV. I'm little bit ok though tired probably for lack of sleep. Please tell me if I'm doing something wrong. I'm really tired. Hope to hear from you. Thanks

Hello to Eryn of IL (6/28/2010). After scrolling through the posts, stumbling upon yours gave me a ray of hope and a lead. Also make my living with my voice (broadcasting). About nine months ago began experiencing hoarseness and the symptoms you described. As I have bad asthma, I at first thought this was related to it. Did go to see a laryngologist who said it might be acid reflux but didn't do much explaining and sent me on my way with an Rx for two weeks of antacids. Didn't help. My pulmonologist dismissed the hoarseness and the reflux diagnosis and said it was post nasal drip doing that to me. This bit of advice derailed me and kept me suffering for another five months. Eventually found a great allergologist who was interested in what I had to say about the hoarseness. Said it wasn't asthma doing that anymore. Suggested reflux and requested that I get a barium swallow. He also said the reflux is most likely aggravating the asthma. I got online to do some extra research and found your post. Plan to see another laryngologist to evaluate damage to larynx but will also try the ACV to see how it will help me begin speaking properly again. I don't expect the results to be immediate as I don't yet know the extent of the damage to my larynx, if any, but hope to get better. Will also lay off the coffee and spicy foods first (sob! ). I hope this post will help others out there with my symptoms who are unsure what to make of them. Look up laryngopharyngeal reflux and asthma.

I've had acid reflux since 2006. I've tried ACV last year it gave relief but I was losing weight so I stopped. Lately I've been on it again 2 tbs ACV and glass of water(300ml)after very meal. About 4 days ago I stumbled into your site. I'm on my 3rd day now on 2tbs of ACV and 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda 2x a day on an empty stomach. Can I still take ACV after very meal or will it be too much ACV for 1 day already? Hope to get a reply. Thanks

I had acid reflux for a long time and my doctor had me on Nexium and it was doing nothing to stop the condition. It made it worse. I was also taking baking soda after every meal to kill the acid. That gave temporary relief. They wanted to operate on me. Then I saw a guy on TV who said that acid reflux is not caused but excess acid but a shortage of it. Taking an anti acid only makes it worse and persistent.

I started taking apple cider vinegar a tablespoon of it and it burned like crazy for a while as my esophagus healed. I have heard that hydrochloric acid pills work too but never tried them. Apple cider is supposed to have other curative effects so I stuck with that. The theory is that lack of acid causes a corrosive gas to burn the esophagus and damage the valve leading into the stomach. That seems to be the case but I can't prove it. Once my esophagus healed the acid reflux went away and I have not had any trouble for years, well until my doc had me take high doses of Metformin for diabetes and that caused constant indigestion.

When I quit taking it the indigestion goes away. The only other time I have trouble is if I eat a lot of meat and go to bed shortly afterward.

I have the same problem as you and I was wondering if you drank just the Apple Cider Vinegar alone? I want to try it but I'm on prilosec can you take them together?

What is "the mother" that keeps being mentioned in these postings? What exactly is the combination that should be used? How much water, soda, honey or acv?

BETTER BUT WITH SIDE EFFECTS

ACV for acid reflux

Hello earthclinic! I have been under intensive ACV treatment for the past 20 days and I can happily say I am almost entirely cured. It all happened slowly: my first week was indeed a living hell, I was bloated and oscillated between constipation and diahrrea, I had abdominal pain and cramps but noticeable less nausea. The second week was a lot better, I had less and less nausea so I was able to sleep 7 hours without feeling I was about to die in the middle of the night. Now, I feel so much better! I still experience slight discomfort and abdominal pain, but not at all as much as before. My problem is that I do get sick after having the vinegar for about 10 minutes. I experience a really strong abdominal cramp. I am taking 3 TBS, 3 times a day in 8oz of water. I just want to know when will it be safe enough to start taking just 2 TSP in 16oz of water without reverting to the awful pain of the past.

The awesome things I have noticed with ACV are: healthier skin, better sleep quality, less hunger. The bad things: I developed a fungal infection which is totally weird to me since I thought the ACV will strenghten my immune system. I do not feel the energy boost either and feel quite lethargic. Thanks in advance for any feedback :)

I read someone saying that her husband has the pilori bacteria and was wondering if ACV will kill it.

Carolyn from NM, I am in a similar situation with mild gastritis. I am enjoying much relief from the ACV 3X a day. I was wondering what time of day you take your Zantac?

Apple Cider Vinegar cured my acid reflux. I had suffered from severe acid reflux for many years, and stumbled on your site while trying to find an alternative to ranitidine and PPSIs. My acid reflux was so severe that the pain was similar to having a heart attack, and I could not sleep unless I was sitting up. I started using apple cider vinegar (1 tbsp in one glass of water) 20 minutes before my evening meal,and within two weeks, had no more symptoms. I have now been taking ACV for about a year, and have had NO recurrences of acid reflux whatsoever, and no side effects - unless you count a 10 lb weight loss as a side affect! Thank you to Earth Clinic for offering an alternative to pharmaceuticals! And BTW,the ACV has also cured my toenail fungus. This stuff is absolutely amazing!!

I am 34 years old and have had acid reflux for a couple of years, and possibly longer. I ignored the symptoms until 3 months ago when I experienced throat tightening. I am a teacher, and suddenly I would get extremely congested and my vocal cords would cramp up every day after breakfast and lunch. I would try to drink glass after glass of water just to make it through the day, but at one point I wasn't able to finish reading a story to my students. At the same time, the symptoms started piling on: heartburn, coughing, sneezing, and acid in the back of my throat after eating. I would also wake up with a sore throat every morning.

Since then, I've gotten an upper endoscopy and stopped caffeine, alcohol, chewing mint gum, and limited dairy products. Also, I don't eat 2 to 3 hours before bedtime and sleep on a bed that is elevated 7 inches. Due to this, all of my symptoms stopped except for the throat tightening. At that point, I was desperate, because I didn't know how I was going to be able to teach. I tried two medications, one of which I'm on currently, but neither has helped.

So three weeks ago, at the beginning of my summer school session, I discovered this website and I started drinking ACV. What a relief! When I drink it, my throat and vocal cords immediately relax. For three weeks straight, I have sipped ACV water throughout the day and I have been able to teach and read books out loud. I mix 1 tablespoon ACV with 20 ounces of water and sip it through a straw so as not to have it touch my teeth. I drink this three times a day after every meal. Every day I try to make it without drinking the ACV to see if the medication is going to kick in, but my vocal cord cramping becomes so extreme that I quickly start drinking the ACV just to be able to talk to my students. I'm thinking of going off the medicine since I only needed it for this one symptom and it's not even helping.

Thanks to this website, my tears of frustration have stopped. I will keep drinking ACV for as long as I need to because it works! It saved my summer session and probably my next year of teaching as well!

Maybe this helps you..... doing some research on health books on Amazon I came across two books on acid reflux.... maybe worth reading.... I haven't read them so I have no idea of what they suggest!

I have had acid reflux for over four years. My valve isn't working properly. The doctor recommended the purple pill and a bland diet. I tried the pill but it is almost as bad as the reflux, so I stopped. For the last four years I have chewed gum and if necessary used an over the counter liquid. It has worked okay until I ate too much one night and burnt my esophagus. Bad move. The doctor placed me on another type of pill. I took it for 14 days (he recommended twice the dose for thirty days, I only took one for 14) not feeling a lot better. I saw your site and decided, the day I finished my first suggested doses of medicine, to start ACV. I used one tablespoon in 16ozs of drinking water, morning and evening. Immediately helped. I eat an apple before my lunch, and a lot more water than normal. I have been doing much better, especially for sleeping at night. I am going to try the bicarbonate soda too to see if it works better. I'm still waiting to see a specialist just to ask some questions and get his opinion. I have totally changed my diet but it needs some tweeking. When I'm stressed I have a little more of a problem. The apples help that. I have noticed more benifits to this situation. My sinisus have cleared up, my teeth are whiter and I have lost five pounds. I wish I had known this a lot sooner. Not perfect but I am grateful for the help. Thank you, Lynda

P.S. I'll let you know how the addition of the bicarbonate soda works.

I am also a singer who suffers from a hoarse voice apparently from acid reflux. I have recently started taking cider vinegar and havent had medication for two weeks. I have to watch what I eat ,chilli's are a no go and I have cut back on coffee. I find yogurt is soothing but the acv seems to be working as well or better than what the medication did.

In Australia 1 in 3 people over 50 suffers from reflux ...I feel mine may have been stress related, so probably its time to start a bit of yoga and meditation to help keep the stress in some sort of relative order.

Can you please elaborate on what you have learned about the root causes of Acid reflux. I know that diet has alot to do with it (including for me, eliminating gluten), however I have struggled w/severe reflux for years and still cannot completely eliminate the symptoms! Thanks

I have been suffering from acid reflux for years, especially after my doctor advised me to kill my thyroid (I had Graves disease and surgery didn't ensure they'd get all of it.) with radiation treatment (I took a pill and that was that). Afterward, my acid reflux got worse. I've done Prisolec which worked pretty good, but after awhile, got to be more than I could afford (I'm unemployed), so I began using an over-the-counter acid reducer. The other night, I could not sleep. I finally got up around 5am and took a sleep inducer, and woke up 3 hours later with bile in my throat. Ugh & Yuck. I'd read somewhere that Apple Cider Vinegar was good for acid reflux, but didn't know how to administer it. When I was finished in the bathroom, I went into the kitchen & retrieved my apple cider vinegar, which I'm sure has been filtered. I took 1 tbsp. of it straight from the bottle. It went down a bit raspy (You have to remember that I just burned my esphogous [sp?] from the bile), but today I am feeling much better. I slept all through the night last night without any problems. I will try it again this evening before bed...And now I read that I should be putting it in water. I think I'll just "drink it down" in a teaspoon!