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.
Decaf Coffee
Posted by Edgar (Heber City, Utah) on 04/18/2011
★★★★★
after almost two years trying hundreds of remedies I saw improvement after drinking instant decaf coffee. I tried medicines and natural remedies and nothing could stop the acid reflux at night. I would wake up every 2 hours with sweats and discomfort. I do not know how coffee is stopping my acid reflux but it is working for me.
Vinegar-Based Hot Sauce
Posted by Derrick (Nashville, Tn) on 12/06/2010
★★★★★
I have had acid reflux for years. I tried OTC stuff for over a year. But I learned there are many long-term side effects with these pills. I started taking Apple Cider Vinegar with water, which helped. But it was so hard to choke down. I wondered if I could get my vinegar elsewhere.
So.... I tried vinegar-based hot sauces like Texas Pete or generic cayenne hot sauce with vinegar, cayenne and salt as the ingredients. There are many hot sauces that are mild too, such as Crystal hot sauce. I don't go a day without hot sauce. Keep in mind that not all of them help. Some of them contain water and other ingredients. Whenever I get an irritation, I get a couple of crackers and a few drops of hot sauce and wash it down with some water and I feel better. Am I the only one that has tried vinegar-based hot sauce? Because it is a fantastic cure.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda
Posted by Donna (Nova Scotia, Canada) on 10/27/2010
★★★★★
I developed severe acid reflux after antibiotics and prednisone for a respiratory virus in March. I was taking 2 nexium 40mg, sulcrate, zantac, and domperidone, and had a very limited diet. My acid reflux was still awful. My gastroscope showed Barrett's esophagus and severe gastritis. I had elevated liver enzymes, gallbladder attacks, severe weight loss, and chronic fatigue. Previously I didn't have a problem with acid reflux and led an active life.
I started the apple cider vinegar with baking soda three days ago and can't believe the improvement already. Originally I used 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar and a 1/4 tsp of baking soda and worked up to 2 tbsp of cider and 1/2 a teaspoon of baking soda. I have been able to stop domperidone and zantac and only take 1 nexium now. I hope to be able to soon stop taking any nexium. I still have some burning and use DGL, baking soda, and chew gum. I tried several times in the past to reduce the nexium but the burning in my chest was always so unbearable that I always started taking it again. I am concerned about the 2 days off of the ACV. Do I wait to do this once things have settled down? Thank you so much Ted! I feel like I am getting my life back.
Onion
Posted by Wanda (Newcastle, Nsw Australia) on 10/02/2010
★★★★★
Zantac has been my close friend for a long time. Kept clear of most spicy stuff. Two weeks ago I had the desire for some raw onion on my avocado sandwich so, thinly sliced some (a fair bit) over the avo & cheese. I haven't had reflux since! What's that about? I've had onion (Purple) often since, and I seem to be fixed!
Multiple Remedies
Posted by Robert (Martinez, Ca) on 09/27/2010
Acid reflux usually is caused by poor diet which is the typical cooked food depleted of enzymes which also means the life is cooked out of the food. Lightly steamed vegies, carbs is better than boiling, overcooking. Meats should be marinated in vinegar to aid digestion & not overcooked which makes it more difficult to digest. Search out macrobiotic food prep & combining for tips & info. We loose our ability to digest the dead foods & also poor food combining such as mixing sugars, carbs with proteins, much like creating a compost pile. The experience of acid reflux & other digestive problems are the result of rotting foodstuffs. Treating the symptoms is a temporary soluton. Eat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of sauerkraut, kimchee, or other naturally fermented unpasteurized vegies with meals. Also sip 1/2 lemon juice & 1/4 tsp air dried nonprocessed sea salt in 6ozs water before, during, & after meals. Betaine hydrochloride will help after meals.
If you take digestive enzymes, they will be cancelled out if taken with the betaine HCL. Avoid sugars after meals as the simple sugars want to be digested more quickly than proteins causing a backup. The body needs to spend more time digesting more complex foods especially proteins & adding sugars 'stalls' the process. Robert
Dietary Changes
Posted by Jllerenas (Los Angeles, Ca) on 05/23/2010
★★★★★
I do get acid reflux when I have gluten in my diet. I'm allergic to wheat/flour, and so many other gluten containing foods. My doctor put me on Prilosec or a generic form of it. But I didn't take it, since it has side effects I wasn't about to risk. Anyway, I kept looking for a natural way of "curing" acid reflux not a therapy for it, since that was easy; there are all kinds of natural ways to subside acid reflux. I found an article on celiac disease and tested myself for it and found that my "acid reflux" went away. My doctor asked me why I hadn't come back to see him for an evaluation on Prilosec. I told him I had celiac disease and have been avoiding gluten. He then asked how is that going? I told him I've hadn't had a recurrence since we last spoke. I have this theory about it. Here goes, if I haven't already put your mind to think of me as a quack. I somewhat believe that the sinus leakage gets swallowed containing bad bacteria, causing an imbalance in the stomach, which may cause damage to the intestinal floral. Once this happens the stomach is unable to digest certain foods, so the body in response to protect itself from an overwhelming amount of bad bacteria releases acid to dissolve it. I don't believe I'm really allergic to gluten only that I probably have damaged my floral. It can take years to become whole again. In our Western culture we treat diseases and rarely seek the problem. So we are treated for symptoms not a cause. Anyway for me addressing multiple problems have had tremendous positive impact for me. Using the salt rinse has been a huge relief for me since I can breathe at night and not get disrupted sleep. Taking care of the "acid reflux" has also helped me in my disrupted sleep as well. The digestive system is super important to our overall health. I don't have the discomfort I used to have with stomach pains, but still have mild symptoms of that every once in a while. It has definitely subsided since I've been gluten free and been using aloe vera juice, gluten free being a bigger key.
Milk
Posted by Art (Red Deer, Ab Canada) on 03/03/2010
★★★★★
Milk cures reflux for me. If you get more heartburn, drink more milk!
Apples
Posted by Mrgrace (Concord, Nc) on 12/14/2009
★★★★★
I have suffered from Acid Reflux for over 10 years and have been on a precribstion for at least 7 years. I still have problems from time to time and noticed that eating an apple helped me. I think I just lucked up with that, I tried it only a few times and it seemed to work, so I deciced to google apples helping with reflux and found this site! It is good to know it is not just me, it really works! One apple (I have used Granny Smith, Gala, Red Delishious and all worked fine)
Apples
Posted by Charlene (Mccoll, Sc) on 12/13/2009
★★★★★
Just eat a small to medium size apple in the evening before bedtime, or after dinner. Better than vinegar, and tastes much better.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Lisa (Bend, Oregon) on 11/20/2010
At 40 I developed acid reflux and tried traditional medicines off and on, but found 10 years relief from not drinking beer. Oddly, wine and coffee didn't bother me. After reading from others, I see it's the grain connection. Unfortunity, at 52 my acid reflux has resurfaced and is miserable. I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to reduce eating all grains and see what happens.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Kymom (Bowling Green, Kentucky, Usa) on 11/21/2010
★★★★★
Lisa,
I am 50 years old and have had difficulty with acid reflux for over a year. I, too, have noticed that beer is a big aggravator for me. There have been numerous things that help temporarily, but I have finally figured out that the acid/alkaline foods and beverages I drink seem to determine my level of reflux.
I am using 1/2 tsp baking soda with lime in the morning and at bedtime. I use more during the day if I am having heartburn or know I am going to eat acidic food. I also try to eat more alkaline foods than acidic. You can google and find a list of foods and where they fall on the list. Beer is very acidic, as is sugar, which may be why so many people find relief by eating low carb. Baking soda is very alkaline. I am also eating a grapefruit for breakfast and an apple for snack on a daily basis. Hope this helps. It is a miserable feeling to have reflux, but even worse is not knowing how to help yourself. Using the acid/alkaline food chart has helped me manage myself very well.
Apples
Posted by Nicole (Springville, Utah) on 11/30/2009
★★★★★
I am 32 years old. I tried the pickle juice remedy that I read about on this site. Being a pickle lover, I was open to trying it! I drank some of the juice from a jar of kosher dills. I felt some relief a few minutes later. The pain from the acid burning diminished, but did not go away. I also read that apples do the trick, but not having any apples on hand, I turned to my jar of organic apple sauce. It is helping also. I think more so than the pickle juice did. Cold applesauce had a cooling effect to help ease the burn of the acid. If you have a very sensitive stomach, I recommend trying the apples or applesauce first, before the pickle juice. Good luck!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Orange Peel, Aloe
Posted by Crazydogjack (New Castle, Pa, USA) on 11/13/2009
★★★★★
Okay. Here's my advice to acid reflux. If you take the "medication" traditionally given for reflux, what happens is that it depletes the acid in your stomach and then you don't digest your food properly. I was on medication for 11 years and decided there was a better way. There are a slew of side effects from taking those suggested meds. This is what I came up with on my search for something better to cure this problem. I was very skeptical that it would work but I thought what the heck I'll try it and it worked.
In the begininning I used a combination of orange peel extract every other day, Organic Apple Cider Vinegar and water daily and organic Aloe Vera juice as needed. After two months I became symptom free. I drink the Apple Cider Vinegar and water everyday because of the health benefits. I also keep aloe vera juice on hand and I keep the orange peel extract on hand just in case I have a flare up. I have been symptom free for over a year and I feel great! Best of luck to you! I am sure this will work for you too!
Apples
Posted by Erin (Rockingham, North Carolina) on 09/05/2009
★★★★★
When my acid reflux got so bad that it came back every morning even without eating any trigger foods, I decided I couldn't keep taking antacids every day. I tried ACV first, but it upset my stomach and gave me gas. So next I tried eating an apple when the acid reflux came on. It worked immediately and has worked every single time since then, over several months. Plus, the acid reflux doesn't come back later in the day or the next day either!
Apples
Posted by Dm (Dublin, Ireland) on 09/01/2009
★★★★★
My wife read about the Apple Cure for Reflux. I gave it a try. Its now 1 week since taking a Purple Pill and substituting it with a Green Apple in the evening. At this stage I would normally expect to be in agony. Good news, total relief. So, I am now baffled, I have been taking the PP for 7 years and warned of the long term oncsequences if I stopped. But if after 1 week I feel this good, then I am pushing on! Ill keep you posted....
Green Tea
Posted by Rich Shepherd (Miami Beach, Florida) on 08/21/2009
★★★★★
I tried the baking soda with ACV with little or no success.
Then I remembered a little Chinese waitress who told me, if you want to have great sex eat no meat or after dinner drink several cups of green tea it neutralizes stomach acid.
After every meal I have had at least 3 cups of green tea as dark as possible.
I have also programmed my body for acid to be where God intended it to be. Told my acid: "You must stay where you should and no where else"
I sleep nicely and acid is no longer a problem. I keep a bottle with strong green tea on my night table.
Magnesium Chloride
Posted by Ted (Bangkok, Thailand) on 06/11/2009
★★★★★
There is a case where the Acid reflux remedy DOES NOT work using the baking soda remedy or any alkaline remedy, regardless of whether it is baking soda, sodium citrate, or potassium citrate. The remedy that works the best is simply the magnesium chloride. The dose I have found to be about 250-500 mg taken three times a day in one warm cup of water. The magnesium was designed to protect against the toxicity of the excitotoxins, which occur from monosodium glutamate, aspartame, aspartic acid, for example. It's effect in relieving the acid reflux is almost instant upon taking the first dose, but almost a complete stoppage of acid reflux may occur after three days to seven days. In event there is a vitamin B deficiency some additional stopping of acid reflux may occur with just once a week of B50 taken only a couple of times. This is one of the fastes acid reflux remedy I have found. An addition of clove oil one drop stirred in a 1/2 glass of water will also help in a few cases.
Ted
