I want to get a digestive enzyme for my silent reflux... Two questions... 1-I read in a natural healing book it is good for reflux but to get one without Hydrocloric acid... The viatamin store said I should get one within particual a Twin Lab product... 2- Any particual brands that any have used or reccommend?
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I have read so very much on this site about those of us with Acid Reflux. I have tried everything and nothing seemed to work until I discovered that acid problems are caused by eating too many or too much food that produces acid. Then I discovered the alkaline diet which has wonderful foods on it and it has changed my life. There are still wonderful foods on this diet. I make a green smoothie for breakfast with spinach, a banana, an apple, and a handful of greens such as spring mix or any of the other dark lettuces or kale,collards, etc. I also add a scoop of Whey Protein and 1 T. Chia seeds. Then I add 8 oz. water and a small glass of ice. I blend all of this in my Vitamix and drink this power house of nutrition. I'm not even hungry at noon many times. Then for lunch and dinner I eat from the alkaline side of the alkaline acid chart that you can download after you google acid alkaline food list. When I eat like this I never burn or have acid problems and don't need acid drugs of any kind. It has been wonderful for me. I love snacking on dates, figs, other dried fruits, sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds, etc. And isn't this the way God intended for us to eat? I also take Michael James minerals and potassium capsules because they also help to keep you alkaline. Chlorella is also alkaline. It helps too. This protocol works for everyone.
God Bless and good luck,
Carolyn
Dietary Changes
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My acid reflux started about 1 year ago. I wasn't sure at the beginning why I was so sick, had a nausea, was dizzy sometimes, tired.. Then I found out it is acid reflux. I was trying to heal it with Aloe, Apple cider vinegar and baking soda.. It did help for awhile but definately didn't heal it. Then I said to myself STOP. If I wont heal it, I can develope a cancer of aesophagus. I stopped to drink coffee, stopped to eat chocolate, began a vegan, started to make vegetable and fruit juices everyday and I feel 100% better! When I eat chocolate, I start to feel sick again. So I am better off from all these things.
I definately recomment lifestyle changes, because your body is trying to say: 'Stop to put all this rubbish to me! I need much more nutrition to keep you healthy and happy! ' I am quite glad now, that I started to have a GERD, because that made me think about my lifestyle and now I started to live healthy again with right choices of food as I used to do years ago. I make vegetable and fruit juices for my wee son as well, buy lots of vegetables and fruits everyday, try to make some new healthy vegan food nearly everyday. And I am very happy when my son eat it and like it, because I know, that I am giving him the best nutrition. So people. Don't be afraid to change your diet. It is the best think you can do for yourself in long term. I didnt want to take medicines for this, because I knew, it will only make my problem worst and then I will really get sick. I don't even need any medication anymore. Food is my medication. And avoiding coffee, chocolate and meat was the most important thing for me.
Mustard
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I can not believe this!!! It is 6 in the morning and I have been up and down all night with acid issues. I did the right things. No eating after 7...waited 3 hours before going to bed...propped up...ate non-acid foods...but still all night. So...at 5:30 I finally gave up popping the Tums and drinking the milk(my son tells me Milk is an acid so it does not work. Drink Tea!!! he says). I decide to check out the internet...why not? Up anyways. This website is a life saver. Mustard. Who knew? Vinegar? Made no sense to me, but I figued why not? I ate my spoon full of Mustard...and can tell the difference. It is still hovering around, but now I know I have won the fight tonight. Mustard. I am a believer!!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!
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I have learned a lot after reading all of your comments. This is the first time I have seen this web site and reading it mentioned in passing on Dr. Mercola's web site. My husband used to get acid reflux painfully bad, but after he gave up drinking quarts of tea a day (hey, he's a southern boy!), he very rarely gets it. He avoids bad eating, but sometimes (and it's usually some kind of fast food) he weakens and pays for it. He used to use baking soda, but found it was slow to work and sometimes didn't. Our son-in-law has BAD problems with it and found only eating celery (don't know if he knows about the other recommendations) could fix it. Hubby tried celery and has stuck with it as it works on the rare occasions now when he's affected. I can't get him to try the ACV. He thinks my son and I are crazy using it. Thanks for this site and all the fine input.
Aloe Vera
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Was just reading Ted from Bangkok, Thailand post 12/04/2006 on acid reflux and wanted to pass my findings along. Back in the early 70's I had acid so bad that I would swallow antacids whole, by the handfulls. While shopping the, (then, very new concept in my area), herb store, I found aloe vera "gel" which used Irish moss as the gelling agent and ascorbic acid as the preservative, it cured my "AR" with the first swallow! Later I determined it was actually the Irish moss that stopped my acid! However, I can't find the combination anywhere any more.
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Try Aloe vera liquid. So purified it taste like drinking water, does not have to be refrigerated. I even put it in my cats water and it's amazing what it does for their elimination as well. It makes your body more alkaline, help your skin and hair- about 2 ounces at least once a day for an adult.
Raw Potato Juice
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My husband and his family have used raw potato juice for acid reflux and gastritis for years. And it has worked for everyone we've recommended it to. It is not an everyday kind of treatment, they only use it when they finally abuse their tummies too much with spicy or greasy diets on a long term. Then they use it for a week or so and they go back to normal. It consists of throwing a small raw potato in the juicer along with some carrots, for taste. Drink it right away or it will darken and not taste as good (I guess it also loses some properties with oxidation). One of these juices every morning for a week seems to do the trick.
BTW, My 83 yr old mother-in-law can eat ANYTHING (and I'm talking greasy, spicy mexican food here) and be fine. Thank you for this site, I plan to contribute feedback for many of your wonderful remedies.
Acidophilus
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Probiotics has helped me with my acid reflux tremendously. I take them daily before or after a meal and am very satisfied.
Dietary Changes
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I am writing to tell you of a discovery I made when I stopped eating carbs for weight loss. As long as I kept off carbs, I had no, zero, nada acid reflux! So, I have come to the conclusion that for myself, carbs are the cause of my acid reflux. It is hard to avoid carbs without planning and it takes a week to clear the sugars from your muscles and liver...but soon you will not have cravings for carbs and I hope, no more acid reflux. Good luck!
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I had suffered from severe reflux for months. Nothing seemed to help. While surfing the internet, I found some information about chamomile tea helping with reflux. I bought the green tea with chamomile and started drinking it at the first sign of reflux and always about an hour before bedtime. The chamomile tea helped immediately and I no longer have reflux. I guess Peter Rabbit's Mom knew what she was doing when she gave him chamomile tea and put him to bed after he ate too much in Mr. McGregor's garden! Regular chamomile works as well as the green tea/chamomile combination.
Betaine Hydrochloride
OR - you could try Manuka Honey, which is great for acid reflex and heartburn. Many Naturopaths prescribe it for same.
And since HCL is what you have used with success, wouldn't ACV be cheaper and work just the same?! ; also its easier to find!
Celery
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A friend and I were eating at a Mexican restaurant. We had several dishes that were acidic, plus a few glasses of coke. After the meal my friend took out a 4 inch stalk of celery from her purse, and began eating it. She told me that she had been living on Tums since she was young, but had just recently tried celery. By the time she had finished the stalk of celery, the severe burning sensation in her throat and chest were gone.
Since that time, I have learned to use this protocol for anyone experiencing acid reflux or heart burn.
After eating, always eat a 4 inch piece of celery behind it. I've seen people's reflux disappear completely in as little as 24 hours and as long as they stay eating the celery, they do not have a relaps.
Why does it work?
During ancient times, celery was considered to be a medicinal herb before it became a food and used to treat a variety of ailments. Celery is an old folk remedy for heartburn.
Celery is highly anti-inflammatory. It may help in reducing the severity of acute and chronic inflammatory diseases like osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, bronchitis, asthma, lupus, gout, Crohn's disease, leaky gut, etc. (1). This activity is attributed to the active ingredients like apigenin, apiin, and luteolin in celery juice (7).
Celery heals and activates the gut by restoring hydrochloric acid which helps us digest things faster and more efficiently. Celery juice helps raise stomach acid, which is necessary to help break down food, especially protein. Especially good for those on a high protein diet. If our stomach acid is low, the body has to use more resources to digest that food, often leaving us feeling tired and lethargic. Celery juice has the ability to significantly replenish depleted levels of gastric mucus that is needed in the stomach lining to heal and prevent ulcers and acid reflux.
Try it and let me know.
Kefir
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Since I started drinking a cup of kefir in the morning my stomach acid discomfort has gone away. I just bought grains and within a week I will be drinking my own homemade kefir. Good luck, everyone!
Ginger
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I tried just about everything, chewing on a piece of fresh Ginger from the root, calmed me reflux instantly. I am off PPI's now for about a week. Ginger worked better than they ever did.
Sea Salt
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I just wrote about my experience with reflux and sea salt, any type, I love himalayan pink. I used to carry around a small 15-ml container so it was ready as I needed it, it worked instantly! I used it for a few years til I just no longer needed it!
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Whiskey cured my husband's acid reflux!
For 2 months now my husband age 71 was suffering from severe Acid re-flux. His condition was so bad that the Acid Re-flux was going up his throat and causing sore throat and even his ears to burn. And eventually was causing severe asthma attacks! This had gotten so bad that he would go into coughing spells and 2 times we had to take him to the ER as he was having trouble breathing!One time his asthma became so bad we had to call 911 on him and an ambulance took him to the ER! He was given an Inhaler to stop the asthma attacks! One doctor told him he would have to learn to live with his asthma.
One day my husband had to go to the store and bought a small bottle of mild and inexpensive whiskey. He doesn't normally drink but thought since Whiskey was once considered "medicinal" he would try it as he was desperate!
He poured himself 2 shots of whiskey in water and drank it down and he said his stomach churned and this stopped his acid re-flux! So far it stopped his asthma from becoming really bad. He has had a couple coughing spells and has used the inhaler about 2 times but he has improved greatly!
This Whiskey treatment also brought out that my husband had a "silent strep throat" he didn't know he had? And he is treating his strep throat with organic vinegar/salt/and water gargle! Another improvement!
We wonder if the mucus from his strep throat was going down his stomach causing all the trouble?
Just letting others know what has worked for him.
Himalayan Salt
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I used to carry a small container of himalayan pink salt, to instantly knock out acid reflux. I was at a transformational workshop and folks seen me taking a pinch and wondered what I was doing, so I shared that with them, of course it worked great. I rarely get the reflux, but am not sure why, I'm just glad it worked, and fast too!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda
Hi Frederick,
According to Earth Clinic's contributor Ted, whom I just visited in Bangkok a few weeks ago and the one who has written extensively on apple cider vinegar and baking soda on this site, a remedy should work within 3 days. If it doesn't, he said it's time to try something else. That is Ted's golden rule. He kept telling me this when I visited him.