Trying to eliminate Acid Reflux naturally

[ohyes]

A few years ago, I was totally convinced I had acid reflux....never diagnosed, but then I never went to doctor about it. After reading aloe vera juice might help, I started drinking 3 oz twice a day and it made a huge difference. A friend of mine had success with aloe vera juice, as well.

Fast forward a few years, I had emergency surgery to remove gall bladder very early one morning.

It probably never was acid reflux; however, the aloe vera juice helped whatever I had 95%.

I am curious if anyone has had success with using it. If I could be certain I ever had acid reflux, I would recommend aloe vera juice with no hesitation.

I always chased it with a big glass of water.

 

[SJ1_]

had it in the early 2000's found out i had real high blood sugar and went on a low carb diet lost 30 lbs and it pretty much went away. So carbs was the trigger for me.

 

[Blue531]

I use sodium bicarbonate (Baking Soda) for heartburn and acid indigestion. Even says that's one of its uses on the side of the box, never noticed that before. Half a teaspoon in a glass of water does the trick in 30 seconds. Some problems we have as we get older are due to decreased stomach acid, from what I've read, anyway.

 

[John Galt III]

Diagnosed with acid reflux years ago, was prescribed Prevacid. Solved the problem completely. But decided to go off Prevacid after reading about the problems (low stomach acid resulting in inadequate absorption of nutrients). My doc was OK with me taking Prevacid forever, every day, though! Fast forward to today. I have been off Prevacid for a few years now, and I control my reflux by not eating anything after 6 PM. I still get some irritation in my throat during the day, but I just take a calcium antacid pill for it.

 

[Kwirk]

My younger brother treated his reflux with baking soda and antacids (and bourbon) but didn't follow up with a gastroenterologist. He died of esophageal cancer at 62.

Please follow up with competent medical care.

 

[Katydid]

My younger brother treated his reflux with baking soda and antacids (and bourbon) but didn't follow up with a gastroenterologist. He died of esophageal cancer at 62.

Please follow up with competent medical care.

So sorry for your loss....

I will get with my regular family doctor now since I had seen the ENT and tell her of all the changes i have incorporated and see what we need to do next but I really do not want to take meds IF I can do this naturally..

I do not want my issue to turn into esophageal cancer either.

 

[Ian S]

My younger brother treated his reflux with baking soda and antacids (and bourbon) but didn't follow up with a gastroenterologist. He died of esophageal cancer at 62.

Please follow up with competent medical care.

+1! Yes, it really isn't something to diddle around with. A good friend who was quite health conscious tried to deal with his constant heartburn using an holistic/alternative medicine approach. By the time his symptoms were properly diagnosed, he had esophageal cancer and six months later we attended his celebration of life. My best friend's father also succumbed to esophageal cancer.

 

[Ian S]

So sorry for your loss....

I will get with my regular family doctor now since I had seen the ENT and tell her of all the changes i have incorporated and see what we need to do next but I really do not want to take meds IF I can do this naturally..

I do not want my issue to turn into esophageal cancer either.

I don't know if your GERD history would suggest it, but an EGD (scope of your esophagus, stomach and duodenum) might put your mind to rest that all is OK. maybe explore that with your doctor.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

Have you tried an alkaline diet? I usually just eat fruits and veggies for a few days until the over-acid feeling goes away, then add back in more acidic foods gradually. Fruits and veggies are almost all alkaline. Lots of cabbage and broccoli. Monitoring with pH paper helps me. Traditional Indian medicine has diets tips that we found really worked for one of my relatives (how to pacify a pita dosha.) We think ginger was actually one of the foods that was causing him to be over acid. Peppermint tea also help me.

Too much lactic acid producing gut bacteria from fermented foods like yogurt and Kimch, or probiotics can cause excess acid.

If you are only eating produce, especially raw produce, it seems like it would be pretty hard to still have acid reflux.

 

[daylatedollarshort]

A number of studies have found that berries, including freeze dried strawberries, have a protective effect on esophageal cancer in humans and animals.

 

[Katydid]

I don't know if your GERD history would suggest it, but an EGD (scope of your esophagus, stomach and duodenum) might put your mind to rest that all is OK. maybe explore that with your doctor.

I have made an appointment with a gastroenterologist so I will see what he says.. Thanks

 

[tmm99]

I've read that Betaine HCL works for many. I don't get heartburns, but I ran into this supplement researching something else...

 

[Earlygirl]

I had acid reflux. I lost 40 pounds and it went away. Now I don't notice it no matter what or when I eat. However, I watch every calorie so I rarely overeat. My 40 year old daughter had a similar experience. Good luck! Loosing weight and keeping it off requires constant vigilance for most people.

 

[sroby2020]

weight loss helps

Weight loss worked for me. At 6', 230 lbs. I was gobbling antacids without much success. It was really bad at night. I correcting my diet away from added sugars and HFCS, I lost 35 pounds and haven't had acid reflux problems in over 5 years. I am convinced reducing sugars is the key.

I used to have acid reflux and went through all the food changes, but what did the trick was losing 35 pounds.
Hands down that was the reason, as for example at the lower weight, I felt nothing when eating tomato sauce, chocolate, etc.

 

[dadu007]

A wheat-free, dairy-free, carbonated beverage-free, low-carb (almost keto) diet cured mine. Weight loss is a side benefit.

 

[plex]

I've had it a couple times, once due to the stress of 100+ hours of work/school, started getting it about 6 months in, dialing the work way down stopped it within a month, had to go through a few packs of Tums during that time.

Also got it once from eating way too much saturated fat in undergrad when I bought a bunch of low quality discounted cheese sticks and ate them everyday for a couple weeks, that went away after a week of a normal diet.

Didn't experience it during the brief period I ballooned and became overweight, but that may have been because I didn't give it enough time to wreak havoc due to immediately calorie restricting for several months.

 

[shoppingBag]

PepZinGI supplement worked for me.

I used the PepZinGI product from Endurance for about 6 weeks, 2 tablets per day and it worked for me.
I use it occasionally now for maintenance. I have not eliminated any foods and can sleep on my back with no reflux.

 

[Ger0n1mo]

I used to have acid reflux and went through all the food changes, but what did the trick was losing 35 pounds.
Hands down that was the reason, as for example at the lower weight, I felt nothing when eating tomato sauce, chocolate, etc.

Losing weight made the biggest difference for me as well.

 

[bookman51]

I used to have acid reflux and went through all the food changes, but what did the trick was losing 35 pounds.
Hands down that was the reason, as for example at the lower weight, I felt nothing when eating tomato sauce, chocolate, etc.

I used to have it and lost 25 pounds and not experienced it for since then.

 

[RAE]

Chris Kresser has a series of good articles on how to cure acid reflux without medication. Here's the link, if you are interested:
https://chriskresser.com/how-to-cure-gerd-without-medication/

 

[Old Microbiologist]

I will caution everyone about using the various Prozole's for GERD as they are directly linked to osteoporosis. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27224743/

Apple Cider vinegar does work and works well. I add cinnamon to it as well which helps cut glucose absorption and shits it (slightly) to muscle production rather than stored fat. I went full Keto with One Meal a Day (OMAD) and that worked even better. My GERD is completely gone and now I don't do the vinegar at all anymore. I fast 20-22 hours a day now and have been doing this for almost 2 years without issue. My carbohydrate content is limited to 50 grams a day or less. Of course, it could also be due to weight loss as I did lose 35 pounds in the process and my body fat is around 7% now (I can easily go lower but look too skinny if I do (to my wife)). I will add that going OMAD and Keto food no longer is a central part of my life. I eat on schedule not because I am hungry but because if I don't I lose too much weight. I eat things I like and have learned to not eat any bread or such at all. If I get stuck because my wife decides to bake something I compensate by not eating some other things. I also limit portions if my weight goes up a bit. Keto is difficult in a marriage where only one person is doing the diet and both people cook. Because my wife does day trading every day on the US market I do all the cooking M-F. I only cook Keto but it is enjoyable and I have found good substitutes for pasta etc. She lost 30 pounds as well even though technically she is not on the Keto diet. She is very happy about it as her figure is now the same as when she was in college. The drawback is wrinkles show more and at 73 years old this is a crisis. Her reflux went away as well and she stopped taking pantoprazole as well.

 

[EastWest Gal]

My younger brother treated his reflux with baking soda and antacids (and bourbon) but didn't follow up with a gastroenterologist. He died of esophageal cancer at 62.

Please follow up with competent medical care.

His choice of bourbon was probably the cause of all his problems. Alcohol is a major cause of reflux. Reflux can cause pneumonia. Pneumonia is a huge problem with alcoholics. Reflux is the connector between the two. I’m sorry for your loss of your brother, to alcohol and cancer.

 

[VanWinkle]

Acid reflux is really something that you want to control well. Over time it can cause damage to the esophagus lining that can turn cancerous. Silent reflux is when folks don't have the painful heartburn that lets you know something is wrong; instead the symptoms are more subtle (https://www.webmd.com/heartburn-gerd/guide/laryngopharyngeal-reflux-silent-reflux) but should be taken just as seriously.

My DW passed away May 2019 from esophageal cancer after battling GERD
for over 40 years. The doctor said the acid reflux was most likely the cause.

 

[slowsaver]

For some, the problem is worst at bed time. My husband started using this "wedge pillow", and it fixed his acid reflux AND mostly solved his snoring too! Bonus!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FINTS4M/

 

[audreyh1]

I went full Keto with One Meal a Day (OMAD) and that worked even better. My GERD is completely gone and now I don't do the vinegar at all anymore. I fast 20-22 hours a day now and have been doing this for almost 2 years without issue. My carbohydrate content is limited to 50 grams a day or less. Of course, it could also be due to weight loss as I did lose 35 pounds in the process and my body fat is around 7% now (I can easily go lower but look too skinny if I do (to my wife)). I will add that going OMAD and Keto food no longer is a central part of my life. I eat on schedule not because I am hungry but because if I don't I lose too much weight. I eat things I like and have learned to not eat any bread or such at all. If I get stuck because my wife decides to bake something I compensate by not eating some other things. I also limit portions if my weight goes up a bit. Keto is difficult in a marriage where only one person is doing the diet and both people cook. Because my wife does day trading every day on the US market I do all the cooking M-F. I only cook Keto but it is enjoyable and I have found good substitutes for pasta etc. She lost 30 pounds as well even though technically she is not on the Keto diet. She is very happy about it as her figure is now the same as when she was in college. The drawback is wrinkles show more and at 73 years old this is a crisis. Her reflux went away as well and she stopped taking pantoprazole as well.

I think a lot of people get acid reflux/digestive relief from going low carb “just eat real food”, and it’s not just the weight loss. It’s a lower inflammatory diet in general.

I only had a few minor issues, not indigestion and very rarely acid reflux. But there was definitely a change in my GI tract. Any minor issues completely disappeared, and output is now “very well formed”.