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.
Milk
Posted by Hiram (Charleston, Sc) on 06/26/2011
★★★★☆
I've had reflux for a few years now and I've been taking 40 mg Protonix mostly to control it, and it did for the most part, but the burning always woke me up in the mornings and my sleep/rest time suffered. I discovered recently that drinking a few ounces of milk before go to sleep helps a great deal, eliminating about 95% of that burning sensation. Now I can sleep in more often than I have for years. I hope this helps you.
I'm thinking about trying to get off the meds altogether by taking the ACV.
Licorice
Posted by K (Phoenix, Az) on 06/16/2011
★★★★★
I had terrible acid reflux a couple years ago. Went to the doctor and she prescribed some medication. When I asked how long I had to be on it, she said she didn't know. Apparently some people are on for life. I never filled the prescription. Instead I did some research and in addition to dramatically reducing my soda intake I started taking chewable (saliva enhances the effectiveness) DGL (deglycyrrhizinated licorice). Research and you will find several articles saying DGL cures ulcers! Take it 20 minutes prior to eating each meal (up to 3 times/day). I went from having acid reflux every day-all day to seldom if ever. I no longer vomit stomach acid in the morning and I am able to eat spicy foods again. I also don't have to take it before every meal anymore. I only take it before I eat spicy foods.
Two last things, if you don't like licorice, they do have German Chocolate flavored DGL which helps to disguise the flavor. Secondly, if you have high blood pressure, make sure you buy the kind that has the glycyrrhizin compound (associated with high blood pressure) removed.
Digestive Enzymes
Posted by Audrey (Fort Pierce, Fl) on 07/29/2011
★★★★★
hi, I take 2 TwinLabs Super Enzyme caps and 1 Swanson Acidophilus before each meal. When I first started, now I take it once a day and if I should have a problem I take them as soon as I notice....... and it works for me
I buy my products from www.swansonvitamins.com and have useed them for at least 25 years
Digestive Enzymes
Posted by Karen (Cumming, Ga) on 05/12/2012
I have taken Digestive Enzymes with Probiotics for 8 years. My worst symptom was a constant cough for 10 years for which I was prescribed various inhalers for asthma. After a tongue biopsy which diagnosed candidiasis (probably caused by the inhalers), I began doing my own research online and decided to try Probiotics. I wanted the best one I could take and consulted a friend who sold "high quality supplements". As it turned out, she sent me the above mentioned product and my cough was gone in three days. It was nothing short of miraculous!!! Since then I have learned much and believe what I suffered from was GERD (not asthma), with no "typical" acid reflux symptoms. I had an endoscopy and the DR diagnosed Barrett's Esophogus (caused by GERD).The enzymes are all plant based, and since it is a powder that you mix with water and drink (with or without a meal), it is 100% bioavailable. Fully absorbed by the body - no waste, and no need to digest a pill in order for it to work. Just be careful if you take a timed release medication as this product contains cellulase, which will break down the cellulose in some timed release medications too quickly. Ask your pharmacist if the medication you are taking is timed release and if it is bound with cellulose, then use accordingly - ie: taken several hours apart. Enzymes and Probiotics are live and should not be heated. Be aware: Ordering them online in the summer is risky since the product could sit in a hot truck or your mailbox for hours on end rendering them ineffective. So order and store them appropriately.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Baking Soda
Posted by Marie (Ny) on 08/07/2017
The problem with the acid blockers is that they shut down the acid producing pump in the stomach and when you suddenly stop taking these drugs the stomach pump tries to make up for the blockage and produces more acid so it's hard to get off these drugs., but not impossible. It would appear that reducing gradually would be better.
Calcium
Posted by Karen (Alpharetta, Ga.) on 06/12/2010
★★★★★
I take 500mg of Coral Calcium (magnesium and D are in the capsules) every night at bed time. I no longer have acid reflux. My husband always had acid reflux, nearly every day. Now he doesn't. He takes Calcium every night.
Milk
Posted by Cpn (Panther Land, Usa) on 03/04/2010
★★★★★
My wife also uses milk to relieve her heartburn. Works everytime for her. So I'll give milk a second YEA for heartburn!
Apples
Posted by Van (Sa, Tx) on 01/07/2010
★★★★★
Keeping this short so as not to repeat information -- I stopped taking my meds for a couple days till symptoms appeared. Tried the ACV, and it didn't really work (for the reflux). Tried the almonds, worked slightly. Ate the apple...worked almost immediately!!! I was amazed. Since then I have been eating on average 2 apples a day, drinking apple juice with my meals (which seems to work also). I still am experimenting with the ACV though...but for my sinus clogs and allergies...too early to tell but that seems to be working slowly as well.
Thanks to all who post here and to the site owners for helping people try to find more healthy ways to live. The part that really chaps my hide though is that doctors HAVE TO KNOW that these remedies exist and work and yet they still try and sell us on those prescription meds.
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!
Reader Theories
Posted by Dave (Harrison, OH) on 06/30/2009
There is alot of mis-information regarding reflux. Most non-thinking MDs believe that it's because we are producing too much acid. That's ridiculous. Nothing starts to make MORE of what it's supposed to make the older we get. Instead, as we age, along with poor diet, alcohol, prescription drug use, etc., we begin to produce LESS acid and enzymes. As a result, the food that we used to process in a timely fashion now takes longer. The process slows, and as the food sits, it begins to ferment, giving off gas, which will bubble-up the acid that is still present. This gives the symptoms of reflux. The LAST thing one should do is take nexium/prilosec, or any other acid blocker. The answer is to add acid/enzymes to the mix, thereby bring the processing back up to speed. That's why you see suck great success with the vinegars, enzymes, pickle juice, et.al. If you continue down the wrong path (that which is prescribed by the idiots), you completely disrupt the lower bowel, leading to malabsorption syndromes, decreased immune function, dysbiosis, gas/bloat/irritable bowel, etc. Make sense to anyone else???
Raw Potato
Posted by Ivette (Pasadena, California) on 05/23/2009
★★★★★
Hello! I have acid reflux and I found that eating one half potato relieves the symptoms quickly. Probably because potatos are high in natural starches, overall, raw potatos have helped me more than prescribed medicine!
Apples
Posted by Erin (Lima, Ohio) on 05/09/2009
★★★★★
After suffering from symptoms of "Acid Reflux Disease" for about three and 1/2 years and feeling very frustrated with (expensive)pharmceutical treatments and not getting any results, I decided to try both apple slices and apple juice before going to bed or when symptoms appeared (not at the same time). The results, I am THRILLED to say were IMMEDIATE!!! I tried them the same night that I read the testimonials from others on this site and I slept the best I have in those 3 1/2 years! No more sleeping sitting up or on my left side only. I had sloppy joes this afternoon, felt the symptoms coming back, ate apple slices (red delicious) and the symptoms went away. I am still trying to figure out what all of my trigger foods are. THANK YOU for this site and the information!
Almonds
Posted by Jeremy (Bloomington, IL) on 05/05/2009
★☆☆☆☆
Almonds doesn't work for me. It seems to make the acid reflux worse. ACV is the way to go!!
Licorice
Posted by Denise (HUDDERSFIELD, UK) on 04/09/2009
★★★★★
Why drink an acid to cure a stomach acid problem? I have severe Grastric Reflux and have suffered for the last three years. I have tried everything, believe me. I am currently taking medication, which helps, but I still can't walk a hundred yards without thinking I am about to have a heart attack. I have been known to throw up becuase the acid gets so bad. Laying down is a nightmare. My Doctor even sent me for an Angiogram just to makesure I didn't have angina, guess what, my hearts fine, but my stomach isn't. I try to avoid any foods that I know cause my acid to flare-up, I eat healthy, I even gave up smoking, which help a great deal. I have shares in a well known ant-acid company from the amount I have to buy, not that they really do any good when it is this severe. But nothing has been able to stop the pain I feel every single day. However, that changed. What I have found that helps is liquorice root which you can buy from any herbalist. I have been using it for the last few days and I feel so much better. Last night I went to bed and got to sleep straight away and didn't wake up with a sore throat. I have been able to eat without the desire to be sick afterwards. My walking has improved too. I can't wait to tell my doctor next week. Next I am going to add natural silicon to my diet, which I have been told will help repair the damage that is being caused by the acid.
Yogurt, Apples
Posted by Anne (Hanford, CA) on 02/10/2009
★★★★★
Acid reflux is not something that is common to me. However, lately, if I eat a lot of chocolate, I get terrible reflux. Tonight, I was desperate and ate some low cal. blueberry Yoplait yogurt. Withing 5 minutes, I felt better. Then I read your web site cures but I didn't have any apple cider vinegar, but I do have apples. So I ate a small Fugi apple and felt even better. Thanks for all your suggestions in an emergency situation!!! Guess I'd better take it easy on the chocolate!!
Lugol's Iodine
Posted by David (Huntington Beach, California, USA) on 01/04/2009
★★★★★
Hi, I'm a Chiropractor of over 22 years. I want to add a cure that I got from reading Dr. Donsbach, D.C.
My wife and I found as we got older that we were both starting to have digestive problems and really bad acid reflux at nite. The wholist concept is acid reflux is due to NOT ENOUGH acid! You can confirm if this is the case by taking a tablespoon of ACV when you are getting it, if it stops it, then you are LOW in acid.
The next step in the wholistic approach is to take digestive enzymes and HCl to substitute for the low acid. I always thought this isn't getting to the root problem of WHY isn't the body producing enough acid anymore. This is where Dr Donsbach came in.
He discussed that the body needs IODINE to produce the stomach acid. That made sense in that since becoming a Vegetarian, I don't get much seafood and I keep my salt intake down.
So I ordered Lugol's Solution;
http://www.amazon.com/Breath-Life-Lugols-Iodine-Solution/dp/B001AEFM9Y/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=hpc&qid=1231093911&sr=8-1
and began taking 2 drops a day in a glass of warm water first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, monday through friday with the weekend off. My wife did the same. Sure enough within a few weeks my digestion is back to where it was as a teenager, and acid reflux is gone! My wife had the same results as well as a friend that tried it.
If you go to take the iodine, first make sure you aren't allergic. I think a drop on the inside of the wrist or arm and see if it gets swollen or itchy, is a good test. After that, if no reaction, then you can start with one drop in water and see how that effects you. If you have no problems then you can proceed to the 2 drops.
I've been trying to get this information out there, because when people take antacids and medicines that decrease acid production in the stomach, it greatly limits the bodies ability to digest the food,and starts a process that ends up greatly harming your health.
If the word can get out about this cure, it will help millions to improve their health for less than a penny a day and prevent them from ruining their health as they are trying to help it.
Good luck and please write your feedback here so others can see.
Best wishes for health and happiness,
David from H.B.
Dietary Changes
Posted by Martha (Sacramento, CA) on 04/30/2009
★★★★★
I went on the Atkins diet twice in my life and both times, my GERD disappeared. I have mentioned that to all the Drs I have ever seen and they all just shook their heads and blew it off as an anomaly. I am happy to hear of someone else having that same experience. I won't go back on Atkins, but now I am motivated to once again cut most of the bad carbs out and see if it helps.
Apples
Posted by Jenny (Tucson, Arizona) on 11/28/2008
★★★★★
I have suffered heartburn for the last week really bad and off and on throughout my life. While researching home remedies I came across your site on the issue.
I am so glad I did...I was not brave enough to drink the apple cider vinegar, but I had apples. So I ate a whole red delicious apples and had a full glass of water with it. Within a half hour I had great relief and I can say that after a few hours now the reflux is gone.
I am going to eat an apple after every meal and see how it goes. I am so happy and I can't thank you enough for this information as I have been so miserable. I tried baking soda, basil tea, sucking on peppermint...and nothing compared to the Apple.
I guess an Apple a day does keep the doc away.LOL I am really amazed!!!
Thanks again, Jenny in Tucson, Arizona
