Natural Remedies for Acid Reflux Relief

My 81 yr old husband has suffered Acid Reflux for probably 50 years. He has used over the counter antacid tablets like candy for years and years, and for the last 3 years his doctor has also had him on Omeprazole 1/2 hour before breakfast & dinner, Famotidine 2/day WITH breakfast and dinner, AND Metoclopramide at bedtime if the reflux is bothering him. But he still has had trouble sleeping due to heartburn and reflux while lying flat in bed, and has had to sleep with he head raised (in his recliner) 2-3 times a week. But a week ago I found the entries on EarthClinic about apples for reflux. He likes apples OK--we usually share an apple at lunch, so I asked him to eat the lunch-time apple as "dessert" instead of "appetizer", and to also eat 1/4 apple after breakfast and after dinner. He had an IMMEDIATE positive lessening of reflux, and after 3 days he eliminated the Omeprazole from his daily regimen. By adding 1/4 apple in the later evening as well, he has not needed Metoclopramide even once in the past week. APPLES FOR REFLUX WORK LIKE A MIRACLE!!

I have suffered Gastric Reflux for about 6 years, tried eveything including Tagamet, Zoton and all the beta blockers and Proton pump inhibitors but nothing worked. One day I tried Betaine, one tablet at breakfast and 6 years of grief have been replaced with zero reflux. This has been good for 3 months now with no problems at all. What causes Acid reflux is slow digestion, the added Acid from Betaine speeds up digestion. And the food goes down.

You are right too. I think it is the "bromides" in the flour that is upsetting the stomach. They used to use iodine, but not anymore. And the bromide blocks any iodine from getting to the body and the thyroid and therefore more people are getting thyroid nodules and goiter.

Hi again everyone, I have had gastric reflux for six years for two of those years I lived on salmon and cous cous, that was all I could eat. Recently though my life has turned around, I realised through this website that I had low acid. The ACV worked but not enough to make a huge difference. I have also had accupuncture which I think has helped.
But one day I had indigestion as usual and I tried a clementine, within a few minutes I started to feel better. I started to eat them after main meals which prevented any symptoms from coming on. I would also take them to work and have one if any symptoms came on. Then I tried Betaine Hydrochloride which has made such a difference to what I can eat. You can only use Betaine Hydrochloride if you know for definate that its low acid and you shouldn't try if you think you may have an ulcer. If fruits like oranges or lemon alleviate your symptoms then it might help you.
I hope so. Dee

A week after a flu shot, I developed a virus, including a fever of 100 degrees(F) and extreme fatigue. Then, I started to experience a funny feeling in my chest when swallowing. This developed into intense pain to the point that I could only get down room temperature water.

Went to a walk-in clinic on the weekend (own MD not available) and told to take Prilosec OTC. Didn't do any good. Saw my MD who put me on Prevacid and sent me for a Barium swallow test and, later, an upper endoscopy. Acid Reflux was the diagnosis....first time ever. Two months of Prevacid (which did work but was costing $156/month) and my esophogus healed. I tried to wean myself off but started feeling the familiar pain so I kept on the Prevacid.

While researching natural cures I came across this web site and decided to try Aloe Vera Juice. The local Vitamin Shoppe carries several brands. I tried ____ brand of its digestive formula of Aloe Vera (bunch of other herbs etc). It's been two months and I have been pain free although I have to watch what and when I eat as well as chew my food completely instead of swallowing in a hurry..I eat way too fast. A quart of the Aloe Vera juice lasts one week and costs $10.95. I also tried the apple cider vinegar but it did not work for me.

Well, another two months have passed and I continue to improve. I now take the aloe vera on rare occasions...maybe once every two weeks. Considering I had to take the Prevacid and, later, Prilosec every day, the aloe vera juice has really turned things around for me.

Actually toradol is also very hard on your stomach and my doctor would rather give me a slight narcotic than toradol. So, anyone with acid reflux should stay away from it.

Hi! I have tried different remedies to help me with my acid reflux due to my hiatus hernia and 1 tsp. of slippery elm powder mixed with water works for me. It coats the esophagus and helps with the burning behind the throat and acid tongue feeling. I can pretty much eat anything but when I take slippery elm but of course, I try to eat healthier foods most of the time.

Acid reflux is often caused by a Vitamin B12 deficiency. Since you need B12 to make enough intrisic factor and enzymes to absorb it, perhaps just taking ACV will help you absorb Vitamin B12 better.

Nevertheless, I have found that as long as I take 4 B12 dots (500 mcg) under the tongue once a day, I am fine. When I don't, the reflux comes right back.

for acid reflux and heartburn, try eating a teaspoonful of plain yellow mustard by its self.

My reflux cannot be cured and most cannot be cured because most reflux is from hiatal hernias. Mine is a sliding hernia which causes acid to come up my esophagus, so how can that be cured? The acid can be nuetralized so it does not come up but not cured!!

ALMONDS: I had been taking aciphex for my acid reflux for over a year. After trying to lose weight with no success, I discovered over the internet that some people have a weight problem with aciphex. I stopped using it and decided to try a natural remedy that I used when I was pregnant and it works! It's real simple: plain almonds. I eat about 5 with breakfast and then eat a few each time I eat and I haven't felt my reflux. This was a remedy that a nurse told me about many years ago when I was pregnant with my first child, 1981. I'm so glad I remembered it. Just to let you know, I am a drinker of chlorinated tap water; (read below) but somehow that remedy makes sense, too. Oh, and by the way, I began to lose weight after stopping the aciphex!

Acid Reflux - Slippery Elm -- Cured my acid reflux after trying everything for a year. A herbalist in my neighborhood said get a bottle of water and put 2 Tablespoons of powered slippery elm in it and sip it all day long. Also, the Thayer's Slippery-Elm lozenges -- you can let one after the other dissolve and always at night when I go to bed (and during the night). Put more slippery elm powder in a little water and drink it straight, after meals -- it will be a little thick, but it absolutely works.

Used Medicinal grade Bentonite clay for acid reflux,works within a few sips. Get a small bottle of water put in a teaspoon of bentonite clay (PH is 9.1) shake hard so it disolves in the water and take some sips. You will notice within the second sip the acid starts to calm down. A note; People with bad acid reflux have trouble sleeping, magnesium gets depleted when acid is on overload, a few sips of bentonite clay before bed you sleep like a baby. Magnesium has a 'calming' effect for the mind and the physical muscles. There is magnesium in bentonite clay.

Hi Lisa... I am afraid the that medical thinking, concerning GERD and reflux problems, is simply not correct. The doctors will insist and simply assume that GERD and reflux problems are always caused by EXCESS acid. When, in actual fact, 90% of all reflux problems are usually caused by TOO LITTLE acid in your stomach.

See this link:

http://metabolichealing.com/key-integrated-functions-of-your-body/gut/lack-of-adequate-stomach-acid-what-you-don-t-know-could-be-causing-major-distress/

This link goes right through to describe the reasons and also tells you exactly how you can check properly if you have TOO LITTLE STOMACH ACID. You can confirm whether you have too little or too much stomach acid by The Heidelberg pH Test. But this is quite an invasive check. They can also assess your problems and tell using another less invasive method using urine analysis, hair analysis and blood chemistry. I think naturopaths can also do this latter test.

Generally, if you take PPI's or proton pump inhibitors -- this massively and dangerously inhibits your stomach acid production and usually makes the problem much worse. And so when the undigested food passes into the duodenum, the CCK hormone (cholecystokinin) will not be released (stomach pH not low enough because of no stomach acid) to trigger the enzymes for main stage digestion and so very little duodenal digestion occurs. The food then just sits there and stagnates and rots giving rise to a whole host of other digestive problems in the body that usually involves dysbiosis, candida and other pathogenic bacteria rapidly taking hold in the stomach and upper intestines.

I helped a woman from Africa who had very similar symptoms to you. She had GERD, esophigitis, gastritis, systemic candida, colitis, LES and a whole host of other serious problems besides. She was also on PPI's and in quite a bad way. See this link for her complete symptoms, daily protocol and cure story. Her protocol is identical to The Anti-Candida Protocol that I normally recommend for Candida problems but I also included and added pancreatin enzymes and betaine hydrochloride tablets daily with every meal to help with the lack of stomach acid.

First thing you should do is get a complete doctor's check-up including blood and liver work up. Also I would ask your doctor for a proper and more accurate stomach acid check by one of the above methods that I have already mentioned.

I suspect that you will be severely lacking in stomach acid, severely lacking in energy and you will also be severely mineral deficient -- especially magnesium and iodine deficient -- all caused by the PPI's. This means that your calcium levels will be way too high --> excess blood calcium causes tissue pain, blood problems and also inhibits the absorbtion of iodine in the body, so you may well have low thyroid or hypothyroid symptoms as well (low energy, intolerance to hot/cold, low basal body temperature etc.).

@ Lisa I agree with Bill & Joyce. I too was given medication to reduce my acid & that only made it worse. The acid made me cough constantly. My customers thought I was a smoker & kept trying to persuade me to quit smoking but I don't smoke! LOL

I would cough so badly that I threw up 2 or 3 times a day at work. The burning pain was dreadful. I really wanted off the pills and onto something that worked! Came to this site and tried the ACV & it worked beautifully. I took it faithfully with each meal & the acid attacks stopped as well as the coughing. Then I became a bit lax & took it less frequently & the acid came back. Just recently bought another 1 gallon jug & it's back onto my regimen of 2 tsp in 8 oz water three times a day.

Ditch the pills & try the ACV. You won't be sorry. It will help, just give it a fair try.

Linda :-)

Lisa, the posts about too LITTLE acid are probably right in the stomach acid department. What I am referring to is general acidity of your whole system. For that, alkalizing will slowly get to the root of the problem.

66 percent of cases, a treatment consisting primarily of acidophilus and digestive enzymes will usually do the trick. In Dr. Spreen's words: "Acidophilus supplements (powder form, the liquid tastes awful) protect the oesophagus without killing acid (while killing the pain almost immediately). The hassle is, you have to keep it handy and take it often if you don't solve the whole problem, which involves tightening the gastro oesophageal sphincter. Dr. Spreen describes his treatment as "ridiculously simple and cheap." And while he feels confident that he can stop more than 2/3 of all heartburn and reflux cases.

I have only one word.. Probiotics'... After 15 years of taking toxic medications, I found a nutritionist who introduce me to Probiotics... Trust me just find a website that sells this product. I personally take _____. Stop taking those life threntening medication for gastrointestinal problems and try probiotic, you will thank me...I take a few before or after every meal.... You will not be disappointed I promise... Good luck...

How much water do/have you been drinking? The one thing that I have noticed about people with acid reflux...Not enough water and not enough fibrous foods. Cut out bleached white flower products and bleached white sugar/corn syrup products. They can easily account for 1/2 of your caloric intake if you don't wage a war on them. I feel that we are in the midst of a nutritional holocaust. Stick to natural foods. I know a lot of people that don't like water! They even go YEARS without getting enough. -Just a thought

I have LPR (Larngopharyngeal reflux). I drink 4 oz. of Aloe Vera juice each morning on an empty stomach. I am able to eat anything I like, without heartburn or indigestion, which also curbs the LPR created by the acid reflux.

I've had acid reflux since 1989. Started drinking aloe vera and after 16 to 20 weeks of drinking twice daily, I don't have acid reflux anymore.

I talked to my practitioner recently, and he told me that Apple Cider Vinegar is good only for those people who have high acidity; for those who have low acidity it can be harmful. He told me the least harmful remedy for Acid Reflux and other stomach problems is CAMOMILE TEA. I tried it, and it works wonders.

Saurkraut from the store is cooked and will not help the stomach. Needs to be raw homemade. Even the frozen saurkraut says it's pasturized.

While I'm sure there is more than 1 reason anyone might develop acid reflux, I truly believe I have found the most common reason for it.

As most of us know, acid reflux is really nothing more than the acid in our stomach coming up into our esophagus. There is a diaphragm that sits just above the stomach and surrounds the esophagus, and it's sole purpose is to tighten-up around the esophagus when necessary to prevent this very thing we call acid reflux. More on this later.

About 5 years ago I started getting numerous digestive/intestinal problems, such as bloating, cramps, and fluctuating from diarrhea to constipation on a regular basis. I tried many things, including apple cider vinegar, but nothing worked, so I went to a homeopathic doctor who prescribed large amounts of Acidophilus. 1 week after taking it I suddenly developed acid reflux, which stayed with me ever since. Then I came across another homeopathic doctor who, after giving me certain tests, told me I had Candida.

I have since studied much about this disease, and it is quite disturbing how we get it, how many diseases it is responsible for, and how more & more of us are getting it every year.

Candida, simply put, is an overgrowth of yeast throughout our bodies. We all have yeast in our digestive system, along with Lactobacillus, which is a good bacteria that feeds off of the yeast, keeping it under control. Antibiotics will kill the Lactobacillus in our bodies, but not the yeast. Once this happens the yeast grows out of control and causes too many health issues to list here.

Acidophilus contains Lactobacillus, which is why many naturalists will prescribe it. However, in cases of Candida, once the yeast is already out of control, it is useless, if not detrimental. The Lactobacillus Prevents Candida. Once you have this disease you must first get rid of it, then restore your flora/Lactobacillus

But in severe cases the Candida will leave the digestive system and spread into organs such as our lungs, etc. This over growth of yeast will embed itself into the walls of the intestines, causing many digestive problems, and will undoubtedly be one of the culprits for acid reflux. However, many of us have difficulty digesting carbs, and sometimes even protein, due to our bodies not producing the proper enzymes we need in order to digest these foods. I am one of these people. As a result of this, when I eat carbs my abdomen will immediately bloat up. A modern medicinal doctor, and homeopathic doctor, both explained to me the reasons why this sort of thing happens, but I never really understood it. But long story short, my lower abdomen will bloat up after eating carbs during its struggle to digest these foods, and this in turn pushes my stomach upwards, thus forcing it to open the diaphragm more-so, thus allowing acid reflux to occur. My chiropractor, who also studies much about natural cures, was able to adjust/massage the diaphragm, as it sits just below our solar plexus, and this, along with changing my diet, AND ridding the candida which took me just over 1 year to do, has rid my acid reflux permanently.

If the muscle membrane surrounding the diaphragm is torn, which is called a Hiatal Hernia, this too, will allow acid to travel up into the esophagus. In severe cases such as this surgery is necessary, but this is rare. Most of the time it can be cured through non-invasive therapy.

I'd like to note here that most people who have this issue with digesting carbs will end up with Candida. Please take the time to read up about this disease, and don't just buy the first product you see for curing it. To rid it permanently will take a minimum of 6 months to 1 year. Since Candida feeds off of carbs you need to go on an Atkins-like diet to starve it while you kill it. Staying away from antibiotics is very important to prevent getting this disease, but if its necessary to take one you must take an anti-fungis-like product, like Caprylic Acid to prevent the yeast from growing out of control while on the antibiotic. However since antibiotics are found in so much of our foods, while we ingest these foods every day we are gradually killing the good bacteria in our bodies which inevitably brings on Candida. Organic food is a must for truly good health. I hope this helps. Good luck!