Effective Natural Remedies for GERD Relief

Fermented Food

Posted by Blessed Farm (Little Town, Wa, Usa) on 06/25/2011
★★★★★

The BEST pickle juice I've found to work is from fermented pickles, not the vinegar ones. The MAIN problem with GERD is the lack of gut flora balance, I've found, and increasing probiotic foods, especially in the form of ferments, has helped me tremendously. I, too, was having GERD to the point of thinking I was having a heart attack. Cutting out ALL grains, starchy veggies, sugars (other than RAW honey), and processed carbohydrates, taking HCL with pepsin with each meal, plant enzymes after each meal, and drinking and eating LOTs of fermented foods each day is what is helping me.

If I get a flare up, a quick trip to the fridge for a sip of juice from one of the ferment jars, or a cup of Kombucha, often does the trick. If not, then I know I have TOO much acid for some reason, and I reach for NOW brand's Acid Comfort. It's a blend of vitamins, minerals and enzymes to help calm the effects of the acid.

General Feedback

Posted by Mike (England) on 06/05/2014

Trammi....when you have excess acid it bloats you and presses on you vagus nerve ..this causes heartbeat craziness..and pain in centre of chest..there is nothing wrong really with your chest heart just pressure on the nerve causing th e symptoms....omeprazole with COLD water first thing in morning 15 mins before breakfast /cups of tea /coffee cure mine .. when in dire straits I use half tea spoon bicarbonate soda with half glass cold water mixed twenty minutes later relief...bicarbonate soda is an alkaline and dilutes the acid that is causing the bubblingin your gut which causes the probs....when you put alka seltzer in glass of water it fi=zzes like hell ..this is what is happening in your gut ...the bicarbof soda neutralise this fizzing

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Lauragrace (New York, Ny) on 05/24/2011
★★★★★

Well it's been 2 days since starting the standard ACV cocktail for GERD. I'm putting 2 teaspoons of organic ACV into a full glass of spring water and adding 2 teaspoons of raw organic honey. It's actually delicious, but most important of all is that I haven't had to take a Prilosec in two days!!!!!

I'm also following GERD guidelines re eating but that alone hasn't helped in the past. I've read a ton about ACV and its vitamins/minerals and all the positive benefits of this cocktail.

I stopped taking daily vitamins so I can really test the effectiveness of 2 ACV cocktails a day. Yesterday I had 3 but tasted and smelled the vinegar a little too much so cut back to 2 today and feeling great.

I was concerned about the effects of ACV on the liver and teeth and possible damage to the esophagus but further research hasn't turned up anything specific so I shall continue forging ahead! Thanks for this great site.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Russ (Perth Wa, Western Australia) on 04/08/2011
★★★★★

I suffer from acid reflux. I noticed apple cider vinegar is a known help so I tried 2 tablespoons in a glass of water with a few drops of organic honey each day for the past 2 months. Yes, it does burn my throat but I put up with that. After about 4 weeks I began to feel better, and suffered less gas. Now after nearly 2 months my overall health seems to be much improved, and I can eat meals like red meat that used to cause indigestion and reflux. A great remedy ACV in water with honey!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Deedee67 (Conshohocken, Pa) on 03/20/2011
0 out of 5 stars

I have been suffering from GERD for about 10 years and been taking Nexium that long. I feel like the Nexium is having bad effects on my body so I wanted to get off of it. After seeing this site, I ordered ACV. Started taking it today only to discover that I feel like vomitting after it goes down. I have a bad gag reflex and I am not sure I can tolerate it any more. Any suggestions?

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Jtoz54 (Morris Plains, Nj) on 04/18/2011

The reason that the ACV made you feel nauseous could be that you are Salicylate Intolerant. I am. I am allergic to aspirin. Aspirin is a salicylate. It comes from the bark of the willow tree. All plants produce salicylates as a natural insecticide. So I am allergic to all fruit except bananas n peeled pears, most vegetables, coffee, tea, all vinegar ( except rice and malt) olive oil (I can have canola n sunflower oil) Mints, almonds and especially tomato sauce. So for my acid reflux I take 1/2 tsp baking soda in 1/2 glass water at night. After I gave up salicylates in two days all my symptoms were all better: migraines, dizziness, nausea, asthma, arthritis, dry eyes, nosebleeds and foggy headed feeling. A good book about this is "Salicylate Intolerance and The Healthier I Ate the Sicker I Got".

I will probably look into the test for the pylori bacteria in stomach and the pills with hydrochloric acid sounds plausible too.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Michelle (Chicago, Il) on 07/02/2011
★★★★☆

I like to Thank everyone for sharinig their experiences and remedies. I was diagnosed with gerd 3 weeks ago. Was given prescription version of pepacid, didn't seem to get better, got worse started feeling sharp pains when I ate certain foods, which never happened before. I felt hopeless at 26 yr. Because for the most part I've been healthy and active all my life. Researched alot of sites and saw positive reviews for ACV and almonds for heartburns, decided to try it and through the grace of God have been feeling much better and even have started slowly to eat some of the normal foods that arent recommended for those with gerd. I started taking a yoga class and got a chiropractic massage. Little by little im slowing improving. I will keep everyone in my prayers for a full recovery.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Debbie (Melbourne, Australia ) on 10/22/2011

Erika, I had a quick read of the reviews of the book you mentioned. I don't think they are giving you the right advice at all. Acid Reflux is caused by a LACK of acid in your stomach not too much acid. If as told in the book you eat lots of alkaline foods you are still not fixing the problem. If you don't have enough acid in your stomach the acid won't be able to digest the foods properly and your body won't be able to absorb nutrients properly.

Iodine regulates acid in your stomach. You are probably deficient in iodine and that is why you have a problem in the first place. Iodine is needed by the whole body. Deficiencies cause many many problems including acid reflux.

Google Dr. Flechas on youtube talking about the lack of iodine and how it relates to stomach acid. The lack of iodine is what causes the throat cancers and stomach cancers according to Dr. Flechas. It also causes endometrial cancer (which starts off as endometriosis)...

The reason ACV works is because it puts back acid into the stomach which helps digest the food. It then breaks down to an alkaline after digestion but it still doesn't fix the deficiency. The same with lemons. Google "why stomach acid is good for you"...

You will get lots of problems down the track if you don't fix what sounds like an iodine deficiency.

If the author Dr. Kaufmann has been studying reflux for decades why does she not mention iodine deficiency or that reflux is caused by a lack of stomach acid?

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Tina (Virginia Beach) on 05/11/2017

Try it with some organic honey. It makes a bit more palatable.

Pickle Juice

Posted by Rita (Miamisburg, Ohio) on 03/04/2010
★★★★★

Thank you so much for this site. I have been suffering for years but more since I was dropped from medicaid and could not get any of my medications. I love pickle juice but never drank it thinking it would make the GERD worse. BOY WAS I WRONG! It does help and for the first time in months I am acid free and out of pain.

Pickle Juice

Posted by Janie Y (Mattoon, Illinois) on 01/30/2010
★★★★★

I have been suffering from Gerd for years. There are some foods that really irritate it the most. I find that by leaving the caffeine (anything chocolatey!), and tomatoes(the red ones as the yellow ones seem ok and aren't that bothersome) alone, I am fine for the most part and seem to suffer less. But, oh how I love to eat them both! Thank goodness I have discovered (because of your website) pickles/pickle juice and anything pickled! When I feel the Gerd coming on (because I am only human and vulnerable to these temptations,I have slipped and eaten those things to which I shouldn't have and thus pay the price),and... that is when I will grab a pickle slice or two. I also like pickled asparagus spears/pickled cauliflower, pickled beets, etc.(most of these are found at our local health food store. These things seem to really do the trick and with-in seconds after gobbling a few of these up, wa-la the Gerd has disappeared! I also drink a tab bit of the juice as well. Maybe a couple tablespoons full. Anways, thank you for your website and for everyone who contributes.

Apples

Posted by Aara (Washington, Dc) on 12/27/2009
★★★★★

I'm pregnant 32 weeks, and had started to feel GERD-like discomforts from 2 weeks before. (I didn't know it was GERD then of course - until yesterday) I thought it was gas, as that was what the Ob-Gyn had said it was, and abstained from eating my favorite Fuji Apples - (apples supposedly cause more gas) only for the reflux to become increasingly worse, especially at night when bile and acid would travel from my stomach up through the esophagus and lodge its acidity into my throat. (Sleeping on both left or right side didn't matter at this point)

It had gotten so bad at one point that I thought I was drowning from my own acidic bile/saliva that would travel up my mouth and nose. I didn't know what was happening to me and the fear was immense, when I decided to research on the exact things I was feeling (not assume it was gas, but acid taste in throat) when I was led to this Earth CLinic site and realized GERD is what I have and NOT just plain ol' pregnancy-belching-gas.

I had of course tons of apples at home, and ate 1/2 a Fuji delish apple and for not having slept for two days, I was exhausted, and not only was I able to just sleep (with head raised a little on left side), the acidic taste in throat and esophagus was gone by the time I fell asleep, and the next morning I'm as good as new!

APPLES REALLY work! and I'm back to my happy-easy-pregnancy again!

Pickle Juice

Posted by Sharon P (Mineral Bluff, Ga) on 11/30/2009
★★★★★

hi my name is sharon have been diagnosed with the medical condition gerd really couldnt understand it until tonite...starting feeling the systoms coming on about an hour ago and nothing at home to take so went to the internet and typed in gerd and found this website...wow read the section on pickle juice and tried about half of cup and starting feeling relief in just a few minutes...will be a full time drinker of pickle juice thanks..im 43 years old

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Becca (Oakland, California, Usa) on 09/08/2009
★★★★★

After going to the emergency room twice in one day due to EXACT symptoms of a heart attack and getting no help from Dr.'s, I turned to the internet and found that my GERD that I've had for about five years, was mimicking symptoms of a heart attack (back/jaw pain, headache, numbness/tingling in face and shooting left arm pains). The Dr.'s I spoke with at the hospital told me I was experiencing "complicated migaines". One went as far as to say I was having panic attacks due to marijuana smoking. Once I came home and searched online I discovered this cite and the ACV mixture. I tried it the next day, drinking a 12oz glass of water with 2 tsps.organic ACV 10 mins prior to meals. I had great success and haven't experienced any painful symptoms since. I've been drinking it every couple days and rarely experience heartburn and only after eating really spicy dishes. I was taking DGL (licorice) which wasn't helping much and tasted awful. Prior to that I was taking Pepcid Complete daily with little success and much more costly. I can't thank this cite enough for blessing me with such a simple cure for my horrible and frightening pain. Thanks to all, stay healthy, and God bless!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Kellysam (Nassau, Bahamas) on 07/27/2009
★★★★★

Hello, I have been suffering from GERDS on and off for most of my life,though i did not know it until recently, and more intensely so for the last three weeks. My problem was compounded by the fact that i had chronic sinus desease and sleep apnea to boot.I have always had these problems though occasionally and not all at the same time.When i started to experience these problems three weeks ago i was really scared,i saw a Pulmonologist and he refered me to a ENT and recommended a UPPP surgery.I went back to my family doctor, who discovered i had a sinus infection and prescribed antibiotics and anti inflammitory meds,they helped a little,though i still had problems sleeping, breathing and had a constant lump in my throat along with other annoying symptoms.Thats when i decided to do research on these symptoms and finally discovered i had GERDS.I was truely grateful to discover a home remedy that was guaranteed to work. I must admit i was really sceptical, but decided to buy a bottle of ACV, tried it last night and in less than 20 minutes i was the best i felt in weeks, i actually feel normal again and happy not to be popping pills. Thank you and to those who have not tried it believe me it works!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Julie (Hemet, CA) on 05/21/2009
★★★★★

I am amazed at what I am reading. I have been the ACV Queen for 15 - 20 years! My doctor told me that I contributed to my Gerd by taking the ACV. He also told me not to eat apples. He put me on 20mg of Prilosec Jan. 2009 and I have changed my diet to the point that I am afraid to eat anything and what I do eat has no flavor. I just started to take an additional pill in the late afternoon. I am in shock over what I am reading. I even requested a homeopathic doctor and he looked at me like I was stupid! I drank 8oz.water with 1-2 tsp. ORGANIC ACV with or without the honey. There were many times that I did not drink it daily. I believe in ACV more than I believe in the doctors! But I experience such great pain when having an attack that I am afraid to try the ACV for my Gerd. My pains are also in my back, neck and chest and last up to 4 hours without relief. Similar to heart attack symptoms. ORGANIC ACV to me is the answer for most everything. Have any of you mentioned the positive response to your doctor? And if so, what they had to say re: ACV? Usually I am the one convincing everyone else the amazing benefits of ACV. I guess I am just really hoping to clear this up? Anyone - please, I am so against Meds. and I miss my ACV.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Sam (Manila, Philippines) on 03/29/2009

I have GERD for like 5 months now and i just started using ACV just today with 2 tsp and 8 oz water and 1 tsp of honey. This natural remedy sounds very interesting, Thank God!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by Richard (Bishops Stortford, Herts UK) on 03/08/2009
★★★★☆

I have just started to use ACV, and the early signs seem good (2TBS 8oz). However, it is early days yet, so I am not counting my chickens yet. I have long history of GERD, and have been diagnosed with a Granuloma, on my vocal chords. At the same time this arrived a weird itching sensation arrived too. Usually at the base of my neck, but also in my cheeks top of chest, and sometimes on my tummy. It is not like a normal itch, it feels like something is movin in my skin, and it goes red too. Could this be part of the effects of the acid? Or is this something else? Any advice gratefully received.

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by MK (Washington, DC) on 03/03/2009
★★★★★

I have been on some type of GERD prescription for at least 10 years. I was getting desperate because I haven't been able to sleep through the night lately, even with maximum stomach meds. So I started doing some research online and found out about Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV). My Chiropractor mentioned it before, but I never tried it. Well, I've been off my Protonix/Zantac for 5 days. And it's even better than the medicine because since I've been using the ACV, when I lay down I don't feel stuff come up into my esophagus. I'm still playing with the ACV dosage and the timing, but I'm so much better already and sleeping better, WITHOUT the drugs. I take 2 teaspoons of ACV in a glass of water at mealtime 3 times a day and 1 teaspoon before bed. If I wake up in the middle of the night with any heartburn, I eat 1 or 2 apple slices and it stops it right away and keeps it from coming back up better than the drugs. It is amazing!!!!!!!!!!

Apple Cider Vinegar

Posted by S (Novi, MI) on 02/24/2009
★★★★★

I get GERD occasionally by eating too much sometimes. I take 2 tablespoons of ACV or red wine vinegar and down it, within minutes I burp and the mucous feeling goes away. The vinegar makes me hypersalivate which I think helps a lot.