This does not work for everyone, but it worked for my son-in-law and I. We both had acid reflux. I had read something in a book about licorice oil being an aid. I went to the store and tried to find licorice oil with no luck. (I found later you can order it through a drug store.) Since I couldn't find it, I got to thinking that licorice tastes and is substituted with anise. I went looking for anise oil but couldn't find any. I finally went to the grocery store in the seasonings aisle. I found anise extract.
It was fairly inexpensive so I bought a bottle. I took it home and followed the other instructions I remembered. "Taking it carefully, start with a small amount (up to two TEASPOONS, not tablespoons). I took up to two teaspoons the first time and had relief. I had to repeat a couple months later but haven't had any backup since.
My son-in-law tried it and one dose fixed his problem. My daughter tried it but got the instructions mixed up and took two tablespoons. She has not had much relief. Proving once again that too much of a good thing isn't good.
I shared this with my counselor, who tried it. She shared with her clients. They were cured too. I didn't hear of any failures from her.
Source: I think the book was a Pioneer Cookbook I had purchased somewhere in my lifetime.
This page contains the following solutions.
I was starting to get irritation and acid reflux, so I quit drinking my coffee and red wine, and started to take acid blockers. In the meantime, I compensated for my coffee intake by drinking 1/2 a dose of 5 Hour Energy and drank light beer.
To relieve acid reflux at night, use adjustable bed risers at head of bed only and elevate accordingly. This beats having to pay for expensive wedge pillows that do not always help many GERD sufferers who find them uncomfortable or buying that special adjustable metal bed frame and you don't have to replace the present mattress or box springs.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I was diagnosed with silent-GERD and vocal cord nodules by my ENT doc. The gerd has caused acid burns around the vocal cords. He gave me a medication to control the reflux and to heal the burn, but it will take 2 months to work. If you have silent GERD how do you know when the reflux meds have or are working? Any insight would be appreciated.
By PAUL from Palm Springs, CA
This website, About Gerd.org should give you more information than you ever want to know. This site says there is no cure for gerd and that it requires lifelong treatment. My husband, son, sister, almost everyone I know who is 60 or older has it. My husband has been treated for it for over 20 years.
Here are a few tips that might help. If you can help it, don't bend from the waiste, stoop instead. Losing weight often helps the symptoms. Tomatoes and tomato products can make symptoms worse. Some say Aloe Vera juice helps the throat when you have silent gerd. Avoid caffeine and alcohol. Don't wear anything tight around your waist. It is good to prop up your head at night, but those wedges aren't good enough because they cause your body to bend in the wrong place. When you sleep, you should prop up in such a way that you are bending from the hips. I don't know a thing about a book called "The Maker's Diet" but I do know that on the web, many people with gerd say they followed what the book said to eat and no longer have a problem with gerd.
If you go to different blogs where they are discussing gerd, you can get more tips.
I guess it is pretty common for people to have gerd. I was diagnosed with it a couple years ago but had no heartburn. All at once, I was having a hard time swallowing my food. I was put on meds and now have no problem swallowing. What I DO have a problem with is phlegm in my throat. Sometimes, I can hardly talk. it is so bad. They tell me it is a symptom of gerd and I may have to learn to live with it.
A natural remedy for GERD is apple cider vinegar, especially if you use a brand called Braggs, which you can find in most stores along with the regular vinegar. Here is a website that explains how Apple Cider Vinegar works in healing GERD, and also gives you recipes for drinking the vinegar:
My son gets acid reflux. What can he do to get rid of it? He is looking for a natural remedy instead of expensive medicine.
By Pati Mishler
A site called Earth Clinic has many natural cures. To find a natural cure for acid reflux, go to: www.earthclinic.com/CURES/acid_reflux.html
I take 4 omneprazoles a day. It's a generic & at Walmart's is very inexpensive (prescription needed). Constant irritation can lead to worse things like cancer.
I have heard that a tsp. or Tbsp. of natural Praggs apple cider vinegar works. It's sold in the grocery stores most places. I'd do a Google search on apple cider vinegar.
I drink a small glass of buttermilk every night before going to bed (usually when it hits me the worst). At least 6 ounces. But then I love buttermilk.
Acid reflux is caused from lack of acid in the stomach or not chewing the food up properly. Digestive enzymes work great for either of these problems.
I have horrible heartburn because I'm pregnant and my baby kind of squishes up my stomach, forcing acid back up. I have a teaspoon of mustard, straight, if I have heartburn. It burns real bad going down, then the heartburn is gone, sometimes for several days.
Looks like there are a lot of different causes for GERD (chronic acid reflux). Mine wasn't due to too much or too little stomach acid, but rather to a loose lower esophogeal spincter (LES) muscle - this muscle acts as a trap door where the esophagus meets the stomach. It allows food into the stomach, but is supposed to close behind it to keep it from coming back up into the esophagus. Apparently the stomach lining can handle the acids the stomach produces, but the esophagus doesn't have the same protection. If the LES muscle doesn't work correctly (like mine), the acidic junk comes back up and can burn the esophagus and throat (thus the sore throat I always had). First time around, the only thing that worked was Prevacid twice a day. However, insurance wouldn't cover the medication twice a day, so my doctor said we'd make them pay for surgery. Nissen fundoplication sugery did the trick - see the link in the Surgery section below if you're interested - essentially they take a small part of the upper stomach and wrap it around the spincter valve to reinforce it. Immediately I was off all medication and was able to have red sauce again or wine with dinner - yea! Everything was great for 4 years, but in the 5th year I started having problems again. Went to a new GI (mine had moved) - apparently the surgical repair had lost its stitches and the LES muscle was back to its flimsly old self again. My friend who works in a GI's office says they do have to "redo" the surgery from time to time. The new GI wasn't fond of the surgery - says it was developed at Mayo and they won't do it anymore - but I'm not fond of medication so went looking up natural remedies. I am trying papaya tablets and so far it seems to be working pretty well. I am still staying away from red sauce, I eat smaller meals, and don't eat late at night.
FYI - my stepmother's GERD was so bad she couldn't sleep laying down, and would spit up through her nose if she ate solid foods. She just had Nissen fundoplication surgery and got immediate relief - she's back to sleeping in bed and eating normally.
The other thing I was told that has always worked for me was sleeping on my LEFT side. Sorry to confuse you since a couple of others said right side, but my doc explained the stomach comes up on the left side and curves to the middle - if I sleep on my left side stomach contents can pour out like a pitcher. Look at pics of the stomach - it makes sense. Bottom line re: sleeping - if I sleep on the right side after a larger or late meal I am sick to my stomach; if I sleep on the left side I feel fine.
My .02 worth...thanks to all for your input!
digestive.niddk.nih.gov/
8/9/2009)
I 'second' the Braggs ACV. Typically when you have acid reflux, there is too much acid in the stomach; taking antacids absorbs this, then the stomach 'says' "Hey, where are the digestive acids. They're gone!", so it pumps out more, hence the cycle of too much acid, then none, etc., etc. ACV neutralizes this acid, not eliminates. A tablespoon of ACV followed by a teaspoon of baking soda in 4oz water will stabilize this, and daily potions of 1 Tbsp. with 4oz water will eliminate the acid reflux.
I am looking for some acid reflux remedies and advice. Any advice would be helpful including diet suggestions, exersizes that might help, foods to avoid as well as drugs that have worked for you. I know it's a common problem so I figured I would start a thread about it. My doctor prescribed Nexium.
I was sick for quite a long time before a doctor finally did an endoscopy and found tears in my stomach. This isn't exactly acid reflux, but I know that the medicine I take, Aciphex, is for that purpose. I actually started with Protonox, but it is very expensive and the insurance company made me try something else. Aciphex works great for me--it's like night and day. So if the Nexium doesn't help, ask if it is possible to either get Protonix or Aciphex. I hope that you have good insurance for prescription drugs, because these things are dam*ed expensive if you have to pay for them outright. But frankly, as sick as I was, I'd give up everything to pay for my medication. I don't ever want to feel like that again!
I wish you all the luck for good health!
Oh, btw--look for real licorice. It's great for your stomach. Try the natural foods aisle. I don't know the brand, but it has a picture of a panda bear on the box. Another great thing is Lipton's "Ginger Twist" tea. Ginger is also good for a bad stomach. Obviously, you want to avoid overly spicey, gassy or heavily fried foods.
Hi Stan, Here's what's worked for me so far. I had gained some weight so took off five pounds with better diet and exercise and have another five pounds to go. I also tackled my eating habits a bit more and avoid the following: too much caffeine in the morning (have limited myself to one cup of tea instead of two at breakfast); pineapple, green peppers, greasy food, wine (I think the acidity botthers me). Also, sit up when eating and don't slouch as when I do, it seems to open that pyloric valve causing the acid to back up. Doing the above and using the occasional over the counter antacid bought at the Dollar Store has helped a lot. I do plan to monitor this closely and will discuss it with my doc at my next appointment as you have to be careful of the acid causing esophageal cancer. I hope my tips and the others help you. Good luck!
When I drink too much coffee (which I love) I get horrible heartburn and reflux. Tea also does this to me. I think it's the acid in it. I just take the acid reducer in generic over the counter form and it works great for me.
What fun this is!! Just kidding. The acid reflux is very painfui without some help. I am taking Prilosec and it seems to work quite well. I have to be very careful not to go to bed with a full stomach. I try not to eat after 6:30 in the evening or I will wake up with pain. When this starts, I have to sit up in the recliner and take an OTC Zantac until it calms down. I have been told that peppermint and chocolate are both bad for reflux although neither of these seem to contribue to my problem. Rule of thumb: Never lie down on a fully tummy! I hope yours gets better soon !
Drink lots & lots & lots of water. Stay away from ginger ale & caffein & tomatoes & fried food. Even Sliders here in Chgo area.(White castle hamburgers). Believe it or not butterscotch candy. Werthers hard candy. Do just what every one else says too. Feel better.
Well now, I may have a little surprise. It was a large suprise to me when I realized just what it was that had stopped my acid reflux from happening.
My Naturopath physician had me take two tumeric capsules with each meal. Tumeric is a spice very popular in the asian population. This was supposedly for another purpose, but I discovered a long time later that it was responsible for totally relieving the acid reflux problem. So I looked it up in my natural remedies book and, low and behold, tumeric is also a digestive aid which people use to treat acid reflux. Now, I never have to take those medicines which completely stop the production of acid like Nexium and those others. Check this out people, and go see a Naturopath Physician as a first line of helpers. Natural is so much better for and easier on our systems. My local hospital utilizes the services of both. And the Naturopath section is overseen by an MD so my insurance covers it.
take a shot of straight apple cider vinegar or pickle juice right before eating
You might try "Gaviscon". My husband takes one or two spoonsful after each meal. This was at the suggestion of his doctor. It has worked great for him.
Real licorice can cause high blood pressure - be warned!
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Sleep on an elevated wedge. Get your pillow 6 inches above the bed! Doc told me to do this and it helps.
Don't eat:
a. too much protein
b. too much greasy food
c. too much food
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When I go for spicy Mexican food, I always do two things:
at beginning of meal, take a Prelief pill (non-prescription pill available at drugstores, usually stocked in the antacids aisle)
and
at the end of a meal, take a digestive enzyme pill (available at health food stores - the ones with ox bile give me indigestion, so get a vegetarian formula)
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Drink low acid coffee (www.toddycafe.com), also available at health food stores.
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I was put on the www.drmcdougall.com low fat vegan diet. It helped control the symptoms.
I've heard that one of the things that causes this is the fact that you don't have enough acid in your stomach. Try a little apple cider vinegar every day. It's a lot cheaper than any meds you could take for it! The more concentrated it is the more expensive it seems but the less you have to take and 1 bottle will last a loooonnnnng time! Hope this helps.
Ae you sure this is acid reflux? Many ,many people get symptoms of an acid stomach because the proteins they eat are not being digested (too little HCL in the stomach) Drink apple cider vinegar in water (about 1 tablesoon in a glass of water( right after a meal). take note that if it helps then that is your solution. Also try Bromelain. Keep a diary of what you eat each meal, what your symptoms were to help find the culpert that is causing this. <smiley>
use the vinger suggestion it is awesome really works
Vinegar and grapefruit trigger my GERD.
Aciphex is a cure for my heartburn. I have tried most all the others & this works best for me. My insurance company made me try Prevacid & I started suffering after 2 pills. Had to literally FIGHT for samples from my new doctor of Aciphex until this is straightened out with my insurance. Nexium worked for awhile. But everyone is different & not all work for all. 24-7 heartburn is a nightmare. I know.
i too take aciphex for mine. but have a question..does anyone know if this is a lifelong condition.will you always have it once you do get it?
I was put on Prevacid and after I took it for about 7 days, I stopped taking them and it went away for awhile, now when it flares up I take the Prevacid for a few days and BOOM! it is gone...This works for me and my Fiance.
I have heard that the vinegar helps, but I have never tried it.
Another thing to try is the OTC antacids...like the Equate brand at Walmart (we take the little pink pills) in between the Prevacid "treatments" and it works well...in about 15 minutes we feel relief.
Yes, it's a lifelong condition. But the acidity can vary from slight to severe at different times.
Generally, if you are careful about what you eat and have minimal indulgences, you will have minimal repercussions.
That means, when you have spicy food, don't make it extremely spicy and don't eat too much of it.
Also, have a Prelief pill before each meal and an enzyme pill after each meal.
I prefer vegetarian enzyme pills as the non-veg ones make it worse probably because of the ox bile.
These pills are available at health food stores, Whole Foods Market, Central Market... might even be at your local drugstore if it has a large enough vitamin pill selection.
Some people find that taking Probiotics seems to help significantly.
I hope you are all careful with remedies. I too have it, although I don't get heartburn. I had a endoscopy recently because I was having pain right where the ribs end and vomiting. I have a small hiatal hernia and gastritis. They said my espohagus is just beginging to change and it can later in life become cancerous. I was given Previcid. No red wine, tomatoes ( right, my favorite food) no milk or fatty foods. The mattress should be raised about 6-9 inches at the head. Not pillows, the top of the bed. Don't eat for 3 hours or more before bedtime.
Val
i told my doctor there was no way that i could live without my fresh salsa and other very spicy foods. one of the reasons is my sinus's are so bad i can't taste anything without the spice. he said he did not care but luckly the hispanic nurse heard me and when he left she told me about alovera juice that you can buy at any walmart or pharmacy. it is better cold but if you are having an attach just turn it up. i don't take any meds now and i dont even have to use the aloe that often anymore.
I guess I have had reflux for a long time but did not know it until recently when I am overloaded with stress and after 2 SIGMOI tests in one month. Since them my stomach really acts up. I have gas coming up to my mouth quite a few times in a day. I even burp as soon as I wake up in the morning. My throat is dry, though I do not cough. And I still have a lump in my throat.
My Dr prescribed famoditine and instructed me to avoid caffeine, tea, alcohol, etc. Also no food & drink (water included) 3 hrs before bed. Raise headboard 6 inches. It's been 12 days since I started to take famotidine. My throat is still dry, occasionally the lump is still there, though the frequency of burping is somewhat lessened.
Does anybody have the same symptoms as mine? How did you go about to lessen it without taking Famotidine or any prescribed med? What alternative meds do you use? I'd love to hear your advice or suggestion. I don't want to get throat cancer :( Thanks.
Hi everyone, I just want to give some tips on how to feel better when the acid attacks:
1. Put 1/2 tsp of baking soda in a cup of water drink every 2 hours.
2. Acidophilus promotes optimal intestinal health you can get it at walgreens or walmart.
3. Omega 3,6,9 oil capsules
4. Radinitine 1/2 hr before eating
5. Drink a lot of water, and eat 3 times a day 4 hrs a part with moderate portions.
You will feel better, good luck.
Hi everybody. I have been suffering from sore throats, no coughing though. I also get stinging eyes and nostrils and also earache sometimes! I was wondering if this could be acid reflux? I don't often feel heartburn, but I do suffer from belching after meals. Thanks in advance.
I am looking fro a natural remedy for acid reflux. I have it so bad that I can't eat anything without being in pain and sick.
By Gina
Has anyone heard of using apple cider being used for acid reflux?
Donnie from Portsmouth, VA
The theory here is that you take the vinegar to help your digestion - which should help the reflux - there is one theory that a LACK if acid can also cause trouble (and using antacids or such will just decrease the stomach acid).
Actually I tried that and it made it much worse. Be very careful!
Yes, I have. I am a technician in a pharmacy and one of my coworkers had the same problem of reflux. When she told us she'd read online that this worked and she was trying it, we all thought she was crazy. But she claimed it actually worked. She also was not supposed to drink alchol with drinking apple cider (she actually ate an apple instead) because I guess the alchol didn't work with it. Good luck.
First find out what is causing the acid reflux. Apple cider vinegar works great for some, but for others, like myself, it did not help. I have an extremely acidic stomach, and adding more made mine hurt so much. I broke out in an intense sweat, my stomach felt as if it were on fire, and it intensified my problem for a while even after I stopped taking it. Apparently, reflux can be caused by either too much or too little stomach acid, along with other reasons. Hope you find what works for you.
I am looking for recipes for people with acid reflux. They can't be high fat, acidic, have caffeine, or be spicy foods. I don't like taking medication for it, because that hid a problem that I needed emergency surgery for. I can tolerate dried onions, but not fresh or frozen. We eat a lot of beef, because that is all my husband likes. He is also diabetic. Thank you.
By Sandra Moore
This is a page about homemade antacid recipe. Heartburn and acid reflux can be very uncomfortable and it helps to have a convenient remedy.
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I have had acid reflux, or Gerd, for five years. I've been taking Nexium that whole time. It is now starting to make me vitamin deficient and cause other problems as well! It's hard to know who to believe on the internet. I was wondering if anyone knows of a natural alternative to Nexium for my problem?
