Effective Natural Remedies for GERD Relief

Digestive Enzymes

Posted by Paolo (Bloomington, In, Usa) on 05/16/2013
★★★★★

My mother has GERD pretty bad a many senior citizens do. Of coarse things like dairy, sugary products, fatty meats, etc, exacerbate it. Controlling her diet is helpful but not always possible as she feeds herself as well. She used to be on nexium which I hear is the number one selling medication in America. I guess a lot of people have GERD. This worked but was expensive. I also found out not told by our doctor but through personal research that people who take nexium have an increasingly high risk of hip fractures as the medications stops the acid but also blocks to uptake of Important minerals like calcium.

So I got her off the nexium and started giving her all natural antacids which contain blueberry leaf and power. This worked much better than the tums which actually seemed to make things worse. But still it was a battle.

Finally I read a doctors newsletter that spoke of this condition and he among other things recommended digestive enzymes to relieve the stress on the digestive system. This worked like a charm. I give her usually just one digestive enzyme with her dinner since the evening is when it acts up the most. Since then not a single bout of GERD has come up. Thanks God this did the trick. I can't highly recommend this remedy enough.

Betaine HCl

Posted by Ed2010 (Oakville, Canada) on 11/21/2012
★★★★★

Most common information in the internet is, GERD is because of the high stomach acid.

The real truth is if there is low stomach acid then the lower esophageal sphincter valve LES VALVE that is connecting the esophagus and the stomach opens and cause the food juices to flow upwards causing GERD or ACID Reflux.

The best emipirical test to confirm low stomach acid is the Betaine Hcl test. The test is done as:

Take 1 betaine hcl capsule with meals. If you are feeling comfortable, then take 2 betaine hcl capsules in the next meal. If you are feeling good then take 3 betaine hcl in the next meal. Now if you are feeling acid reflux or stomach burning sensation then drink a glass of water mixed with half teaspoon of baking soda to neutralize stomach acid.

Now, the result is you have low stomach acid and you have to take 2 capsules with your meal for some time.

Some people are very low in stomach acid for which they have to take 4 - 6 capsules. Try Betain Hcl with pepsin. Good Health

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Rosario (Virginia Beach, Va) on 11/06/2010
★★★★★

I can attest to the fact that the ACV has cured my GERD! I've been taking Nexium since May 2009 until Sept 2010. Initially, the Nexium helped ease my GERD but in recent months, my condition was back to square one with having acid reflux/heartburn each time I ate and difficulty sleeping at nights. Thank goodness I found this site! I decided to start drinking the organic ACV tonic at a low dosage of 2 capfuls in 4 oz. Water, plus 1 tbs of raw honey, three times a day. 6 weeks later, my upper GI endoscopy results showed normal esophagus/stomach with no signs of tissue damage... Plus, no hiatal hernia! A small one was discovered a year prior so maybe it shrunk?. My surgeon couldn't explain why it was no longer there, but he encouraged me to continue taking the ACV while it obviously worked for me. I'm now able to sleep at nights with one pillow versus four!

One day, I forgot to drink the tonic, realizing that the I didn't have any symptoms that usually trigger or remind me to take it. I'm now just adding two capfuls of ACV and honey in my cup of hot tea that I drink an hour before bedtime. In addition, my cholesterol levels improved dramatically to normal levels and my physician even took me off my high blood pressure medication. I'm just sooooo happy and thankful for finding this site. Now I'm not only able to share my experience here but by forwarding this site to other people I know that suffer from this disease.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Gina (Philadelphia, Pa) on 04/29/2010
★★★★★

Right after having my gallbladder removed, I developed uncontrollable asthma. After years of misery, I was diagnosed with LPR (reflux of the larynx). No matter what I ate, I had heartburn and coughing/wheezing. I was on two reflux meds and 4 asthma meds. I started taking 1TB of ACV twice daily, and the LPR FINALLY responded. I now take no meds for asthma or reflux. It appears the ACV is doing the trick (it's been a year now). And a nice side effect has been my lower blood pressure! :-)

Apples

Posted by Modern (Langhorne, Pa, USA) on 01/07/2010
★★★★★

I just wanted to weigh in on the subject of Acid Reflux & Gerd. At the end of my statement, I have another idea that I have tried that seems to work on the same principle as the Apple Cider Vinegar, so read on. I am 48 years old and several months ago I started getting these symptoms that puzzled me. This eventually evolved into losing my regular voice and experiencing chronic laryngitis. I finally broke down and went to see a doctor. He scoped my esophagus and saw all the redness and a polyp/cyst. With this, I was diagnosed with Acid Reflux/Gerd. First thing he did was subscribe prilosec for a month, one tablet before bedtime. This did nothing, in fact I got worse. Then the Doctor subscribed prescription Zantac AND an inhaler used for asthma. The inhaler has removed the polyp and my voice is back after 6 months and the Zantac has helped reduce the redness but not eliminated it. The Doctor wants me to take the zantac for 3 more months. But like so many of you, I don't want to be ingesting meds for so long. I started researching other remedies and I came across one that seems to be working nicely. Instead of the vinegar, all you have to do is eat a few slices of Apple before meals and before bedtime. It seems to accomplish the same results as the ACV but much easier to ingest and easier to carry along with you. I think I will use the Apple method before bedtime because it seems to be more of a time released effect and perhaps drink the ACV before meals that are suspect for acid reflux. Even though I have cut out coffee which was real hard to due and now I drink herbal and green tea and I try to watch what I eat.

Licorice Root Extract

Posted by Tony (Miami, Fl) on 04/29/2009
★★★★★

(DGL) a.k.a. Licorice is incredible, I read a book on health secrets & they recommended Licorice. poeple this herbal vitamin is the best, In one day (with the help of prayer) this vitamin worked!!! please if anyone is expieriencing GERD or acid reflux try this product. you can find it at any herbal or vitamin store!!!!!!!

Chamomile Tea

Posted by Lu (Brisbane, Australia) on 03/13/2009
★★★★★

GERD (gastritis/esophagitis/reflux): I had lots of pain in my esophagus and stomach lining. I tried all the traditional things such as Nexium, Zantac, Pariet, etc and also alternatives such as acupuncture and Chinese herbs, cider vinegar etc. nothing worked. One day I read on the Net that someone got relief from cold Chamomile tea. I bought some organic Chamomile tea bags and within days of taking it the pain began subsiding. I take it 3 times a day. Add a tea bag to boiling water, let it cool and drink it. I have now stopped all medication.

Research on the Net indicates that it is anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-histamine, muscle relaxant and much more. Anyone wanting relief from GERD should definitely try it.

Apples

Posted by Bala (Chennai, India) on 08/14/2008
★★★★★

After suffering from acidity for more than 6 months I found a perfect cure for my condition(GERD). The age old saying 'an apple a day keeps the doctor away' should be altered to 'an apple a day keeps the acid at bay'. It really works for me, I have been trying out different apples for the past two months and one apple which helps me 99% is the apple by the brand name 'Stemilt'.We get these apples in most of the supermarkets in India(probably they are imported from US).God bless everyone involved in importing these apples to India.I am on no medication/antacid and of course I am trying to limit my intake of acidic foods.

Wish everyone a speedy recovery.

Multiple Remedies

Posted by Carri (Lake Forest, California) on 08/11/2008
★★★★★

My husband was on proton pumb inhibitors for GERD, Prilosec being one of them. From my reading of nutrition books and alternative medicine I know how dangerous it is to have your stomuch and bowels out of whack and how it effects the rest of your health. So I zealously urged my husband to get off his medicine and that I would find some way that would work. I googled natural cures for GERD and gathered info from different sites(without having to buy their products) and we tried all the different things we found. Plus I also put him on a low carb high protein diet. It took a few months but he no longer has stomuch pain and the GERD is gone!
From what I can remember here's what he took.

DGL (deglycerized licorice)
Lemonene (or something like that)
Digestive enzymes
probiotics
NO coffee (until GERD is completely gone!)
Acid defense by garden of life and a few other things we found in health food stores.
In Protein Power (the book) they claim that the diet cures GERD, so we also did that and my husband lost 35 lbs too.

I'm not sure exactly what cured him because we threw everything at him and it worked! Don't blindly believe everything doctors or even well meaning friends and family say.There are cures for many things if we learn to work with our body instead of trying to suppress it's natural functions through the many pharmaceuticals the docs are throwing at us.

Cabbage Juice

Posted by Sarah (Brussels, Belgium) on 05/20/2007
★★★★★

A couple of years ago I was diagnosed with GERD and I suffered from acid reflux and heartburn. The medication prescribed by the doctor rather worsened my situation and I suffered a number of side effects from it. I came across a site suggesting that drinking raw cabbage juice cures acid reflux and other problems related to the stomach, such as ulcer.I did further research to confirm this and decided to give it a try.
The general suggested daily dosage is about a quart [800ml] of raw cabbage juice to be taken about 4 times daily. I found that rather too much and I started with 400ml [100ml x 4].I noticed great improvement and after one week I reduced the dosage to 300ml [100ml x 3]. After about 3 weeks of the whole therapy, I decided to take only 200ml a day. Those with stomach ulcers or acute cases of acid reflux might need to take the full dosage.

I have stopped drinking cabbage juice since about 10 months now and I haven't had any serious reflux problems. For those who would like to try it, PLEASE NOTE that it is said to have strong impact on the thyroid glands [the more reason why I never consumed 800ml a day!]. Not to mention the stench - it is better stored in an air-tight water bottle and kept in the fridge. Good luck to all, and thanks for the great site.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Charmaine (Peekskill, NY) on 09/14/2006
★★★★★

No eating or drinking rich beverages after 8pm and always brush and or gargle before going to bed. Also cut down on fatty foods and coffee. I think the prevalence of GERD is related to ubiquitous coffee shops and the resulting increase in consumption of coffee.

Dietary Changes

Posted by Sherry (Orlando, FL)
★★★★★

I'had acid reflux for 2 yrs. and when I went on the Atkins Diet, I never even expected such a sudden cure! I then went to the Atkins Online forum and did a search about acid reflux to see if others had the same experience on this diet. AMAZING! I found other people on the forum saying their acid reflux is gone too as a result of this low carb diet. I realized that the HIGH CARBS were the CAUSE of the GERD ALL ALONG!! As I type this, I know I will sleep just fine again tonight as a result of this discovery!!! I can only hope that this helps others who are suffering.

Carb-Restricted Diet

Posted by Norm Robillard (Thousand Oaks CA)
★★★★★

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.

Dietary Changes

Posted by KT (Usa) on 02/11/2018

Dear Steve and MtM,

I am old and never heard of liver/gallbladder cleanses until joining EC and know nothing about them.

When and how was it discovered they needed to be done and why? Please explain what a cleanse is and how does it work? Wouldn't this damage internal organs? If I get indigestion, which is rare now that I know what has happened to our food supply, I take 1/2 tsp. BS in 1/2 cup water.

I do not experience indigestion until I have ingested too many carbohydrates and now that our food is being engineered to last longer I have learned this can come from any combination of dairy, eggs, meat, produce, medication and/or supplements. It's been a piecemeal endeavor by the process of elimination for over two decades.

Thank you in advance for any reply.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Josh (Sheffield, England) on 01/04/2016
★★★★★

I'm a 26 year old male and have been suffering from GERD about 6 months now. I have tried all the prescribed medication and none of it worked.

I then came across this website and saw that apple cider vinegar is a good way of helping with the constant heartburn and tightness in my throat.

I have also seen that using DGL licorice can also help.

I am just wondering if you can use both at the same time to try and combat acid reflux? I have been taking 2 tbl of ACV with abit of honey watered down with water and it has eased my symptoms. I am hoping to start using both apple cider vinegar morning and night and HGL with meals, was just seeing if this can be dangerous or have adverse effects? Thanks.

Cabbage Juice

Posted by Quesno (Maple Ridge, Bc) on 12/16/2014
★★★★★

I had suffered with Gerd for about 8 years after our mother passed away from Lung cancer. I tried everything, nothing worked not even the medications worked until this past week I had decided to cure it up forever using fermented green cabbage juice with the pulp.

It worked, I found a recipe online and used it. Here's the funny thing is that I have no juicer but a blender, I just poured the hot boiling water into the blender after I had added the raw cabbage. I was going through a really bad attack that night when I was making it. I ate it right off of the spoon but didn't look back when I was trying to collect the cabbage, and place it's contents into a jar or a glass.

It's a success now because I have no new problems or acid in my throat, mouth or any other irritations. I do now take the cabbage juice in between meals. I do recommend this one for all of the Gerd suffers out there.