Natural Cures for GERD

GERD can be a symptom of hyperparathyroidism. See parathyroid.com for more info.

I wanted to comment on the causes of such a rise in cases of Acid Reflex & GERD in the US. I'm a Massage Therapist and in my training this was discussed. We have become such a fast paced and stressed society it is no wonder we suffer from disorders like these. Here are a few of the possible reasons:

1) Diet & the way we eat: Fast food fits into our fast paced culture. This means we eat lots of fat & sugar. We eat this quite often on the go, in the car, in front of the tv & usually quickly. This affects our digestion & when we eat leaning forward the stomach is pushed up into the top of the diaphragm

2) Drugs: Americans take more medication then ever and this takes a toll. Many medications cause additional stomach acid to be produced.

3) Stress Combine the first two with stress and you have a troubled digestive system and lots of acid. There are always those who suffer from these disorders for other reasons but I believe this is one more symptom of an over-stressed lifestyle.

My comment is a theory for why GERD is so prevalent. GERD is related to IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) the symptoms are similar. There has been a lot research showing that fluoride is a major contributing factor to IBS and GERD. If you look at about when people started having problems with GERD and IBS in this country you will find it about 30 years ago when fluoride was introduced into the water supply in many states. It's ubiquitous because we not only get in our water but it is in the air and in the food we eat. Also, it's in the toothpaste that most people use. We are inundated with it and it is VERY toxic! There is a website that has a lot of information about it: http://www.fluoridealert.org/

Good reading! Thanks for listening, Mike.

Hi, until now, tums, and PPI / H2 blocker meds were the main way to treat heartburn. With all the side effects and health risks (double the chance of pneumonia, for instance) many people are looking for alternatives. The meds reduce acid but don't stop the reflux that contains other stomach and intestinal enzymes that can damage the esophagus. I recently completed a book called "Heartburn Cured The Low Carb Miracle" on the root cause of GERD. My theory (I am a microbiologist) is that reflux is caused by gas pressure in the intestines caused by microbes that produce gas from carbs. The gas creates pressure pushing the LES open thus causing reflux. Consuming excess carbs provides the fuel for your own gut microbes. These same microbes (mostly bacteria) produce little or now gas from fats and proteins. Controlling carbs stops reflux so you are treating the root cause of GERD thus completely stopping reflux and heartburn symptoms. I have found much evidence supporting this theory and talked to many people who found complete relief after trying my approach. Give this approach a try.

Make sure you are seeing an endocrinologist to rule out a parathyroid tumor that can cause GERD. Removal of the tumor can help cure GERD permanently for 60% or more patients. Parathyroid tumors can cause tons of other issues. Removal of the tumor is the only cure.

I was reading over natural cures for Acid Reflux, or GERD, and noticed no one mentioned sauerkraut. I have been using this and it does work wonders. I used to get pains like aliens eating through my body from the GERD, and the sauerkraut has helped immensely. I don't like the taste of it, so I'm going to try a few things mentioned on this site. 2 tblsp sauerkraut 2x daily helps clear the nausea and pain for me.

Hi, I would like to find out, if one has GERD, would this affect the oiliness of the skin and would the condition worsen for women during their menstruation??

I have developed some kind of digestive problem since having an allergic reaction to Arial washing capsules and since then my skin is terribly oily and I get bad breakouts especially after eating certain foods. I have many other symptoms such as chest paint, gas and discomfort along with this. I will only be seeing the gastroenterologist in March and wanted to get some advice in the meantime.

Warmest Regards, Monique

I just wanted to comment on what helped get rid of my acid reflux in case it can help someone. I see so many cures on your site and this one may help someone too. I had severe acid reflux starting last May from eating too many grapefruits, lemons, pizza and spaghetti all in a span of two weeks. My body shut down and I developed severe acid reflux with mild inflammation of the esophagus. I had pains in my throat sometimes and I was up every night almost all night because the Pepcid didn't work well enough and I was allergic to Previcid and afraid to try other medicine. Plus, I didn't want to be on meds.

I discovered 2 months later by accident that soft cheese helped get rid of my gerd. I was famished one night after a workout and had to rush myself to the nearby restaurant which happened to be Cosi. I ordered their signature salad which has cheese on it. I had been told to not eat cheese because it could make my gerd worse, plus I never ate cheese much due to it causing my nose to always run. Long story short I had very little Gerd that night and could sleep better. I decided to experiment and ate a little soft cheese at each dinner and each night I was better. I've been off medicine three weeks and my esophagus feels normal. I have very little Gerd and can sleep now a full night. In case this helps someone else, I wanted to be sure to put this on your site. I also have read that zinc salts healed 100% of the people in the study so perhaps zinc supplements will help people as well.

Gerd is horrible, but don't give up. You'll find a cure so you won't have to stay on meds. Don't overeat, don't eat spices or tomato sauce, don't eat fat or fried foods, and you'll get better.

A remedy I used to successfully treat my acid reflux GERD of over 20 years is strawberry powder extract. There was a study performed on a series of patients who had Barrett's Syndrome which is a precursor to esophageal cancer. The patients took one ounce (2 Tablespoons) of the powdered strawberry in 8 ounces of water(not tap water, filtered water, no chlorine) 2X/day. This protocol was for six months. The study resulted in a positive result in over 80% of the participants.

I had an upper GI to determine the extent of the damage to my esophagus. Fortunately, it had not progressed to the Barrett's esophagus stage. I found a source for the powder on the internet and ordered several pounds(if you want to do the whole six months figure 2 oz./day times 180 days or approx. 22 pounds.) I took the solution after meals in the morning to allow the extract to coat the esophagus and refrained from drinking and eating as long as possible.

The second dose was taken a couple of hours after dinner and before bedtime. In approximately 8 weeks my reflux symptoms had disappeared. Before I could not sleep on my left side. To sleep on my back I had to elevate my head. I also greatly reduced my refined sugar intake. Also, no sugar after noon.

Randomized phase II trial of lyophilized strawberries in patients with dysplastic precancerous lesions of the esophagus.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22135048

Hopefully this will help some of you out there with potentially life threatening problem.

I've been going through the GERD remedies here, and I'm surprised nobody has bothered to quote a 2006 study on a natural treatment for GERD that had a 100% success rate with all 175 subjects cured within 40 days.

The abstract of the study- ( from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16948779 )

"The prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is increasing. GERD is a chronic disease and its treatment is problematic. It may present with various symptoms including heartburn, regurgitation, dysphagia, coughing, hoarseness or chest pain. The aim of this study was to investigate if a dietary supplementation containing: melatonin, l-tryptophan, vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin B12, methionine and betaine would help patients with GERD, and to compare the preparation with 20 mg omeprazole. Melatonin has known inhibitory activities on gastric acid secretion and nitric oxide biosynthesis. Nitric oxide has an important role in the transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxation (TLESR), which is a major mechanism of reflux in patients with GERD. Others biocompounds of the formula display anti-inflammatory and analgesic effects. A single blind randomized study was performed in which 176 patients underwent treatment using the supplement cited above (group A) and 175 received treatment of 20 mg omeprazole (group B). Symptoms were recorded in a diary and changes in severity of symptoms noted. All patients of the group A (100%) reported a complete regression of symptoms after 40 days of treatment. On the other hand, 115 subjects (65.7%) of the omeprazole reported regression of symptoms in the same period. There was statistically significant difference between the groups (P < 0.05). This formulation promotes regression of GERD symptoms with no significant side effects."

Acupuncture and Chinese Herbs: Remarkable decrease in symptoms, but I still have not been able to get off my prescribed prevacid. I've been on it for 5 years. I started reading your site for helpful information, but came away somewhat confused and frustrated. There are just so many testimonials with a dizzying amount of yay's & ney's... it actually left me feeling less hopeful than when I arrived. I've been using acupuncture & chinese herbs to help curb my GERD. I've reduced my Prevacid from 30mg once a day, to 15mg every other day. Acupuncture is a great stress reliever, so that's probably one of the reasons I find relief. The Chinese herbs I take is a formula Coptis & Evodia which you can research on the internet. One piece of information I did find helpful, was the link between pain medication and GERD. My GERD developed shortly after a 15-day hospital stay in which I was on a morphine pump that delivered a dose of morphine every 3 minutes. (I had a complication to a gallbladder removal surgery.) My theory has been that large doses of antibiotics & the lack of gallbladder & the bile it produced left my stomach vulnerable to H. pylori & unable to digest food properly. However, now reading about the pain medication theory - that would make sense too.

We take Indian Basil seeds (we call it Tutmalanga in Fiji Islands, large Indian population) for acid reflux, cured my problems over time. I took half teaspoon seeds in 12-16 oz purified water (non-chlorinated, non-fluoridated) twice daily for several months. Have been eating all kinds of spicy foods, meats ect with not a hint of problem. I was eventually diagnosed as having GERD and was on western meds for a long time. Haven't taken any basil drink in 3-4 years but I keep a packet in my kitchen just in case. In the US I buy it from oriental and Asian markets.

Warning

I found an article on Rense.com that offers an explanation for the GERD epidemic. I thought readers here might be interested:

http://www.rense.com/general45/bll.htm

An article in the New England Journal of Medicine stated that the incidence of gastric/esophageal cancer (adenocarcinoma) has inexplicably risen more rapidly than any other cancer incidence in the United States. Yale New Haven Hospital and the National Cancer Institute list that rate of increase at 350%. Also noted was the observation that the majority of the unfortunates suffering from gastric cancer in this particular study were white males, and the majority of those white males first presented with Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD). Adult white males were not the only ones suffering from GERD, however. By the CDC's own definition of "epidemic," GERD appears to be an epidemic of staggering proportions in the United States, today.