Apple Cider Vinegar for GERD
Paul (Anchorage, Alaska) on 03/30/2007:
I have been diagnosed with acid reflux for 5-6 years. Right off the bat they put me on prevacid, then switched me to nexium a year or two later. The past year I been doing pretty well on 20mg 1x/day. In January I started tapering off xanax which I have been on for 20 years. I have since been informed that xanax will cause reflux and other GI problems and coming off it can fire things up too. You have to taper off xanax very slowly BTW to reduce withdrawal symptoms. In February, about a month into my taper, my reflux started to get really fired up. So my GP upped the dose to 40mg. 2 weeks later I was still having bad reflux so contacted my gastro doctor. He upped it again, to 40 mg 2x/day. I didn't want to do it, I hate pills,but I wanted to protect my esophagus so agreed to the higher dose. The short of it is that I was still getting break through acid, mostly the feeling of acid fumes in the back of my throat. I'm a believer in modern medicine, but I also think that many times all the doctors know to do is cram more pills down a persons throat. I decided that if this big of dose wasn't going to fix the problem the next thing they would be suggesting is surgery. I also have read stories of many people, like those on this web site who have had only misery from pills that end up not working given enough time and maybe in fact the make things worse. I have read about the many folks here who have claimed that apple vinegar worked well, so I decided I had to try something or I saw my self heading down a one way, dead end road. So, skeptical I bought some organic apple vinegar, honey and some aloe vera. Last night I took my first dose and felt almost immediate relief.I laid down and went to sleep and slept all night.Nice. I took it again this morning and had a pretty good day. Tonight after dinner I was starting to feel miserable and took another dose and it helped a great deal right away. I don't expect ACV to cure my GERD in a couple of days, but I think there is some definite promise with plain old vinegar. Its interesting that my doctor tells me all the things I should avoid that can aggravate my reflux such as chocolate, my beloved red wine, coffee, etc. So I ask myself if natural things like this can fire it up, why can't natural things like vinegar and aloe vera calm it down? But you have to remember I'm trained in science and the empirical process. I'm sure no double blind studies have been done on the affects of apple vinegar for treating reflux, but with all the people here saying it works, and having positive experience myself I don't need a double blind study to convince me when my belly feels better :-)So I will continue to try and see how it goes p.s. if any of you out there are on xanax or a tricyclic antidepressant they could have something to do with your reflux, my GP even admitted that was possible. Hopefully, when I get off the stuff it will all be better. Cheers.
Cristina (Miami, FL, USA) on 03/28/2007:
I suffered from GERD, actid reflux... the whole 9 yards! the doctor told me my stomach lining was detertiorating! i woke up 3 times a week with horrible pain. i was on nexium, prilosec, mylanta, malox... the works... then one desperate morning i ran into the grocery store and bought a bottle of apple cider vinegar. i had read up on it recently on this site. that day changed my life. i havnt felt pain in months. i still get a bit of acidity if i really abuse my stomach (tomato sauce, to much coffee or liquor). but that horrible pain at the mouth of my stomach. GONE! 1 ounce of ACV in a glass of water 3x's a day! after i cut down on the dose. take it in the morning and at night. I AM CURED!! i now preach to all...APPLE CIDER VINEGAR!
Con Boter (Taytay, Philippines) on 02/19/2007:
Hi!! Its me again.. Though I've already mentioned that apple cider really helps people suffering from GERD. I also discover some product which i know can help people with GERD. I was introduce to a product called shape work of HERBALIFE. It's a drink which will not only help you loose wait but also prevent acid reflux to attack. The secret of this product is having apple cider vinegar. Its actually effective i've been taking it for 2 days now and i already lost 4 lbs..not only that it also help me sleep well and breathe well!! Its my second feedback here about apple cider!! I've no doubt why apple cider is very popular/famous here in the Philippines now a days!!Thank you so much for bringing my normal life!
Gabriel (Long Beach, CA) on 02/10/2007:
I'm just writing to thank you for this amazing site. I had been suffering from acid reflux, gastritis, GERD -you name it- and one day I found your site which suggested I tried apple cider vinegar for the fire in my stomach. And wala, lo and behold! Apple Cider Vinegar is like magic! My stomach feels a 100% better! Thank your for spreading the good word.
Ma Con (Taytay Philippines) on 02/01/2007:
Good day!! my name is Con from the Philippines and i read about the article about ACV which cures GERD. I'm a 26 yrs old married woman suffering from gerd. I've been taking Nexium 2x a day but since i had an allergic reaction to that medicine so i stop and go back to my old medicine which is omepron. I heard about acv from one of our trainer from hawaii who asked me to take acv with a glass of water. At first i was doubtful about it because I've been rushed to the hospital 2x because of difficulty breathing. Several days past by so i decided to check to read about acv online. Finally, i got to check on your website and learn more things about acv. I'd like to thank you guys for helping me lessen my suffering. I've been taking 2 Tbsp of ACV with a glass of water 3x a day and Thank God i my suffering has ended. Keep up the good work coz i know your website is helping so many people suffering.. Thank you so much!!!
Rita (Valley Center, CA) on 01/31/2007:
Apple Cider Vinegar - Acid Reflux. I have had this lump in my throat and I already knew that I had Acid Reflux - GERD. I took Prilosec for two months and it worked very well. I have not been on anything for month three and noticed that my symptoms came back. I decided to do something naturally, I found your website today and at 5:00 PM I took 4 oz. water, 1/4 TSP. baking soda and 1 TBSP. Apple Cider Vinegar. Thank God I found your website by spelling out APPLE CIDER VINEGAR FOR ACID REFLUX. I have heard many times about ACV for Reflux-GERD, had some in the cabinet that I bought and afraid to try it. I have been experiencing the lump/burning in my throat that I decided to try it. My body is sensitive to any supplements etc., that I take, I decided to follow what one of your online friends wrote and followed the above amounts. Within an hour, I have noticed already how the lump feeling and burning is starting to heal. Thank you and God Bless. It really is true that Natural Cures work and that we can cure ourselves. P.S. I see my throat specialist in two weeks and can not wait to see what he says when he looks in my throat with his scope in the office.
Kathy (Vancouver, WA) on 01/20/2007:
It's been 10 days and I can honestly say I am nearly cured of this horrible GERD that I had developed over the past several months. After the first dose of ACV I noticed a difference and now am nearly symptom free. This is the best advice I've ever received. Better yet, I've passed it on to other gerd sufferers and they are experiencing relief for the first time in years! Thank you Thank you!!!
Ryan (Ottawa, Ontario) on 12/03/2006:
I have been experiencing recurrent chest pain for almost the last year, all tests (ECG's, Halter Monitor and lots of blood work) indicated that there was nothing wrong with my heart so the doctors put me on one of those fancy (and expensive) proton pump inhibitors as they assumed everything was related to GERD (acid reflux). I am not sure if it was GERD that I had but the chest pain has gone away. As a bonus I have been shedding pounds like never before. However I do think that the weight loss is mostly water due to the fact that ACV acts as a mild diuretic. Interestingly enough unlike other natural diuretics ACV doesn't affect your salts/electrolytes because it contains potassium. Really happy to have found this website!
Isabel (Chicago, IL) on 11/18/2006:
For the past 5 weeks I have been experiencing coughing fits that would get worst nocturnally. It originated from a sinusitis infection that turned into what I thought was now a chest cold. Tried antibiotics and over the counter cough medicines along with codeine to control the coughs. All this did was mask the underlying problem which I finally realized was GERD (acid reflux) . My doctor wanted to try a more potent antibiotic but I refused since the first didn't work. I coughed so much I strained my back muscle which made breathing nearly impossible. I asked her to give me a proton pump inhibitor (Prilosec) and thankfully I got samples to try so I didn't have to waste my $$ if it didn't work. I tried the Prilosec that night and I was up ALL NIGHT COUGHING AGAIN. The only thing it did was reduce the burn. I went on the internet to learn more about GERD and a pop-up-screen came up saying apples was the cure but I had to pay $$$ to get the info which to me is insane. I linked "apples and GERD" and this site came up. Got the'ACV on 11/17/06 and it WORKED and I slept for 6 1/2 hrs straight! Woke up at 4:00am with a cough took a dose of ACV again and within 15 minutes (in the mean time I remained sitting up and meditated) my coughing fit stopped and went back to sleep. I have not slept through the night in weeks; it's quite liberating. With continued use I hope to heal the damage done to my esophagus and get back to my normal self. Thank you for sharing this with the rest of us. Isabel
Renata (Malden, MA) on 11/14/2006:
I have had gerd for about 3 months now. After switching back and forward to all sort of anti acids, prilosecs, protonix and etc my condition has not gone away. In fact, when I switch from one to the other the pain and burning comes back worse. There are some pills that do not work at all at this point and others that help very little even though I'm taking them at the highest dosages possible. Tonight I was at the end of my wits with the symptoms. Tomorrow I have an upper endoscopy. But since I could not stand the pain I went to the kitchen I drunk a glass of water with 1.5 tbs of ACV, then 1tbs of honey. I can't say that all the symptoms. have gone completely away, but they certainly have improved. I hate the traditional medicines but since I'm too scared to just cut them off completely. I'll try to let go of them gradually and incorporate the natural remedies instead. If you guys know of anything else other apples, ACV and pickles that could help me, please let me know.
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