Natural Remedies for Acid Reflux (GERD & LPR)

Kefir

Posted by Tina (Houston, Usa) on 05/08/2012
★★★★★

Happy to report that home-made Kefir and Kombucha has resolved long standing acid reflux. I now can sleep uninterrupted in the night, and do not suffer from painful acid reflux.

Google to find easy ways to make these at home.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Shelley (Gadsden, Al, Usa) on 02/24/2012
★★★★★

I have had severe acid reflux and gerd for years. It began progressing to horrible spasms and chest pain. The last three years I figured out a cure. I took the following things:

Quit prevacid

Began taking L-Glutamine to heal my stomach

1000 mg Calcium 1000 mg Magnesium to get those levels back up after depleting them for 10years of prevacid

Probiotics with digestive enzymes

1 glass red wine

After 4 weeks, no burning, no throat clearing, no chest pains, no hard time breathing and I can drink coffee all I want.

HOWEVER, if I get a sinus infection/virus. My doctor puts me on Allegra D and an Antibiotic. And the misery starts again. It takes me 3 weeks or more after the cold is over to calm the acid reflux down and get rid of the wet cough. Why????

Papaya

Posted by Sara (Knoxville, Tennessee) on 02/19/2012
★★★★★

i have had acid reflux since I was in grade school trying one perscription then the next all working for a while then not at all. my heartburn comes with headache, nausa, and aching in my arms and legs.

i am 32 now and I was walking through the mall in knoxville, tn and ran across a store called vitamin world. this was my lucky day. the person behind the counter suggested papaya enzyme tablets. they taste good, not chalky like tums

and best of all they really work. I suggest you try these.

Celery

Posted by Ruth (Glendora, California, Usa) on 01/21/2012
★★★★★

EAT CELERY! It is like a miracle food for acid reflux!

Ginger

Posted by Lisa (Barto, Pa, Us) on 01/13/2012
★★★★★

I do agree with the Ginger Candy for acid reflux. It is very good and I also eat it after my meal. I try to suck on it and it can turn into a very small piece of ginger root and I chew on it for about a half hour or so. If I can't get a piece sucked down I also chew ginger gum for about an hour helps a lot.

Blackstrap Molasses

Posted by Kat (Arlington, Tx) on 01/09/2012
★★★★☆

This is my first post on Earth Clinic. I just started using BSM this past week for the first time ever. I had never even tasted it before. I'm trying the Organic Unsulphered Wholesome brand. (I wanted to use the Plantation Organic brand because it's packaged in glass instead of plastic, but I couldn't find any. :() So far I'm only using 1 tsp in my coffee once a day. One day I also tried it in tea, and it tastes ok, but I like it better in coffee. Anyway, I only started for the health benefits of getting extra vitamins and minerals, and also as a possible hope of maybe helping my endometriosis. I found it on Earth Clinic while trying to help my mom find a cure for her very large Uterine Fibroid so that she won't have to have a hysterectomy. So I figured, if people say it can help that then maybe it could help me also.

Well, I would have never guessed that it would help my GERD/Acid Reflux! I had no idea it could be used for that. I've mainly heard about ACV. I know it's got to be the BSM that's helping. I have had GERD for the past 2-3 years, and it is flairing really badly right now. I have been in extreme pain and discomfort this last week from reflux (dry cough throughout the day, acid belly--which I normally only get during my cycle, burping up food and acid 1-2 hrs after I eat, congestion in the morning). Somehow these symptoms have become considerably less since starting the BSM, and it hasn't even been a full 7 days. Amazing.

Last night I even ate tacos and didn't have any reflux issues. That's a huge breakthrough. I will try using up to the recommended 1 TBSP on the bottle to see if that cures it completely.

Garlic

Posted by Seanb (Port Mcnicoll, Ontario, Canada) on 04/26/2011
★★★★★

I have suffered from Acid Reflux for about 5 years. I have enjoyed many of the typical symptoms, Lump in throat sensation, burning behind breast bone, throat palpatations, excessive mucous etc. I have tried every remedy I could find including Ted's alkalizing forumla's primarily Apple Cider Vinegar and Baking soda. As with most remedies I have found nothing seems to work for long. I had the best success with ACV and Baking soda but it too stopped being as effective after about a year.

With all the remedies I have tried I think at best I could only describe the results as controlling my symptoms. This no longer seems to be the case, my acid reflux seems to be gone entirely. This is a direct result of taking Garlic supplements daily.

In researching this condition I found a few articles claiming that the active healing ingredient in garlic called Allicin is one of the only natural ways to kill the H pylori bacteria in the stomache. its widely believed that a high percentage of people with reflux have this bacteria.

Over Christmas I was having an exceptionally bad episode and out of desperation ate a couple raw cloves. After my mouth stopped burning I was amazed to note my symptoms had subsided. I have since been taking garlic and over the course of a couple months all of my symtopms have ceased. I quickly switched to galic supplements from Wall Mart as taking raw garlic was too poweful and was causing some social implications.

Garlic is one of the trigger foods we are supposed to avoid, I believed this to be true and would not have tried this if not out of desperation. It may well be responsible for the occaional heart burn I have had since but this has been minor and typically reiieved with a few almonds or some candied ginger. All of my other more concerning symptoms are gone.

reading up on Garlic you will find it has a lot of benefits including fighting some types of cancers. One of the other benefits is bowel regulation. I did not think I had a problem in this area but its now apparent that I did. I think its this issue that led to my acid reflux in the first place.

I hope others will try this and hopefully get the same benefit. Its my hope that if this works for others that we can spread the word and help others. I know this condition can really get you down over time and can seem hopeless but like the X-Files the truth is out there. Good luck to all of you

Peppermint

Posted by Priya (Perth, Wa) on 03/01/2010
★☆☆☆☆

WARNING!

Hi, Just want to let you know that peppermint does give temporary relief BUT is a DEFINITE NO NO in the long run for all people who have reflux...it will surely make things worse after few months. It over-relaxes ur muscles and gives a temp. relief...but make things much worse. So do not consume on regular basis.

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!

Traditional Chinese Medicine

Posted by Liz (Seattle, Wa.) on 11/05/2009
★★★★★

Am 70 and have acid reflux for years. Got herbs from the Chinese doc and things are better. If you think that you might have ulcers, cranberry juice is great. I drink it with soda water to make it more palatable - no sugar. Find that sugar really starts the acid reflux. As long as I avoid it, I'm good. Also Health food stores have some good digestion teas that help.

Turmeric

Posted by Stefanida Leelannee (Sussex, Nj) on 08/30/2009
★★★★☆

I have had an acid reflux problem for several months. I posted a couple of months ago about my success with the water cure. I started slacking off on this because (a) it really worked, so I kept forgetting to do it; and (b) I had to take it at least 4 times per day, so sometimes that was inconvenient.

A couple of weeks ago I started taking 1 tsp of turmeric (just the powdered spice) in a small glass of water twice a day (for liver function), and without taking the water cure, my acid reflux seems to have subsided. I now just take the turmeric once a day, because taking it late in the evening seemed to be keeping me up at night.

Yesterday I didn't take the turmeric, and by evening I had severe reflux. Too late to take turmeric so I took 1/2 teaspoon of unrefined sea salt and a large glass of water, and that gave me relief almost instantly.

Although the spice is a little bitter, there is no aftertaste or repeating (burping). So it may sound unpleasant, but it's really not bad. I take a small spoonful of honey afterward, or a sip of tea.

I have read that turmeric is more effective when taken with black pepper, so I try to shake a bit into my drink. I also just read that it's much more effective when warmed up in something containing fat--like food! or even milk or coconut milk. Apparently in India it is taken as a tea with milk. You can find many recipes online.

Water and Sea Salt

Posted by Leelannee (Vernon, NJ) on 07/12/2009
★★★★★

WATER AND SEA SALT (WATER CURE)

has worked wonders for my acid reflux.

I had been coughing for weeks, then the burning started...No matter what I ate, even just water and raw fruit all day, the reflux would start about 1/2 hour after I ate. I've also been taking probiotics every day for years. Within 3 days of starting the water cure, my coughing was gone and my reflux started getting better.

I take 1/4 teaspoon of UNREFINED SEA SALT with 1 quart of water at least 4 times per day (I just keep a bowl of salt in the kitchen with a measuring spoon in it, and whenever I think about it, I just chuck the salt in my mouth then wash it down with a bottle of water, rather than drinking salty water). Although for my weight, I should be taking 8 doses, I usually only manage 4. If I skip it due to running around & not being home, I might be all right that day but will suffer the next, and it takes about a day to re-normalize.

Other benefits that I have noticed: I don't have to urinate as often--I can hold it like a "normal" person! This may also be due to not coughing as much, which was causing some incontinence.

It has also helped with insomnia. I was taking several natural remedies to help me fall asleep, and would have vivid, disturbing nightmares if I skipped these (especially a powdered magnesium drink). Within a week on the watercure, I started falling asleep more easily and while I still have weird dreams, they aren't as vivid & I barely remember them in the morning.

I have difficulty taking ACV because of the flavor, and while taking baking soda helps I am reluctant to do so because you NEED acid to digest certain foods. It's also easier & cheaper than many of the other supplements I was taking! I've read some success stories about weight loss... haven't had any luck in that department yet (started June 11th, today is July 12th), but am still hoping it will help!

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

Almonds

Posted by michelle (Cambridge, UK) on 06/03/2009
★★★★★

Dear Sammi, I have been eating almonds with every meal, before, after, or during the meal, for the last six months, and they have completely taken my acid reflux away. I think they work because they are alkaline.( I found this advice on this site )

I took 5 per meal to start with, then dropped to 2 after the meal, but at night I tend to eat a bit more, so sometimes need none if my meal is very alkaline, ( ie. lettuce , avocado and lemon juice ) or 15-20 if I eat late and heavily ! They ALWAYS WORK !

Hydrogen Peroxide, ACV and Baking Soda

Posted by Lynn (Mt Healthy, Ohio) on 04/24/2009
★★★★★

well it's almost 3a.m. but I had to post this remedy in case someone else is suffering. SEVERE acid reflux is much worse, it feels like I just trisd to drink battery acid. It's very painful and is sometimes accompanied with spitting up blood. I've had this happen before only to suffer with it for hours and wondering if it was going to kill me. This time I took the spray bottle I keep in my bathroom loaded with 4oz. of hydrogen peroxide (drugstore brand ok) per 24oz. of purified water to brush my teeth with and sprayed enough to gargle (the same could be done with a cup of purified water and a tblsp of peroxide-don't swallow) and the relief was instant. Keep brushing, gargling, andspitting out into the sink until pain subsides you will cough up the acid-good-get rid of it. Then take a cup of purified water, mix 1 tbsp acv + one fourth/one half tsp. ORGANIC baking soda (I have to watch my budget too but using small amnts. for internal help is still cost effective), I keep it in an air tight jar on the counter, and sip. The bs will make you burp alot but you'll feel much better. Well, it's almost 3:30 am so I'm going back to sleep now. GOD BLESS