If you have or had GERD or Acid Reflux and tried an alternative treatment to Nexium or over-the-counter antacids, what did you use and what were your results?
This may surpise you, but I found after years of acid reflux that I had several food intolerances: dairy, gluten, corn, the sulfides in carbonated drinks, and winter squash. When I eliminated these from my diet, the acid reflux went away as well as other awful, more obvious allergic symptoms.
An alternative quick fix is Alka Seltzer Gold. Has no aspirin or cold medicine in it, just some minerals to ease stomach acidity. Or I get the same help from a 500 mg magnesium capsule.
I hope you get some immediate relief from one of these. And then explore possible causes: low stomach acid? not enough friendly bacteria in the gut? food intolerances? heart problems?
Carol
I started drinking green tea w/ Kombucha (old chinese remedy). I don't notice the reflux at all anymore. You can get more information from the internet on Kombucha and reflux pretty easy . . . tons info available. I don't know if you have a Whole Foods market near you, but that is where I buy mine. Good luck!!
Kricket,
After reading your post, I spent about 2 hours on the internet researching Kombucha. There was a wealth of information on this symbiotic spore. After reading everything I could find on the subject, I'm game! If it does nothing else but taste good, it's harmless to try (when made in a clean environment) and it is rich in anti-oxydents. I'm getting some immediately.
A great old chinese remedy for acid reflux is fresh ginger juice. You take 1/4 to 1/2 tsp a day of ginger juice in water a day for 2 weeks and your GERD should disappear. If you don't own a juicer you can purchase fresh juiced ginger at most health food stores. It can be stored in the frig for up to 3 months.
I have suffered from Acid Reflux off and on for the last 10 years. I have tried Prilosec, Prevacid, Tagamet, Nexium, etc, etc, but my symptoms only seemed to worsen. After a gastroenterologist told me last year that I should either take more medicine or have surgery, I decided to try a natural approach. I have not taken any medicine for the last year and I am doing very well. Initially, I took probiotics (good bacteria supplement) every day; drank Aloe Vera Gel Concentrate three times a day and took Licorice Root (DGL) 2-3 times a day. I noticed a difference in my symptoms in the first week. Now I still take probiotics daily, but only drink Aloe Vera Gel or take Licorice Root every now and then if I feel the slightest heartburn. I also started seeing a Massage Therapist bc I felt that stress and difficulty relaxing were exacerbating my symptoms. I hope this helps!
I am in the minority of GERD sufferers in that I rarely have symptems, and even then, only minor. I didn't even go to the doctor for that. I originally went to a doctor to find out why I was unable to sing anymore. I used to sing soprano. That's when I found out I had acid reflux. He said it had probably damaged my esaphegus (sp) and that's why my voice was cracking. I'm glad to hear others are finding relief in alternative ways. I'm getting ready to buy the Kombucha and give that a try.
Hagan,
Thank you for your suggestion. What is the probiotics supplement? I'd like to know, because the more choices I have in treating myself, the more likely I'll find something that will work for me.
This is going to sound crazy but I had on and off mild acid reflux and discovered (by accident) that cayenne pepper made it go away. I started taking cayenne capsules for a a boost of energy to help with my depression, which it does. Upon the first week or so of starting cayenne, it's common to have a false sense of heartburn just after taking a dose. Actually, the so called burning is only a sensation and not harm being done as one would assume. This sensation went away in a matter of days, along with my acid reflux. Cayenne is now believed to have many benefits to the digestive system, not to mention blood circulation and the immune system.
I totally forgot about cayenne pepper! I bought some just last week to try after reading about it on a website. Problem is, I don't know how to use it. Do you add it to your food, drink it w/ something..........? How do you take it and how much do you use? Duh! Just had a thought. Something tells me I was supposed to get it in capsule form? I bought loose cayenne. hehe
You can take it in capsule form, but that is hard on the stomach. Its best to take it diluted in water or juice and drink it. You can also put it on your food.
I have been drinking the tea for about 6 months now, and have noticed a few changes. My stomach has settled greatly like I mentioned. I haven't had the reflux at all! Thank god! My appetite diminishes greatly after drinking the tea, and I don't find myself snacking as much. Lost about 5 pounds or so. I just feel better overall. Haven't been sick in any way really . . . just feeling great. Hope it works for you! I found it by accident one day, and have been so grateful ever since.
You can take it in capsule form, but that is hard on the stomach. Its best to take it diluted in water or juice and drink it. You can also put it on your food.
"Hard" on the stomach? That initial feeling of discomfort goes away after a week or so. The burning sensation should not be confused with damage. That's been the commonn belief for so long. Now, many herbalists see cayanne as a treatment for common digestive problems. At least my own experience would say so. Obviously, a person with ulcers will have severe stomach discomfort from cayenne. But that's not to assume it's making the condition any worse.
I totally forgot about cayenne pepper! I bought some just last week to try after reading about it on a website. Problem is, I don't know how to use it. Do you add it to your food, drink it w/ something..........? How do you take it and how much do you use? Duh! Just had a thought. Something tells me I was supposed to get it in capsule form? I bought loose cayenne. hehe
I take three 450 mg capsules daily. You should start with 40,000 H.U. strength only. It also comes in 100,000 H.U. Cayenne is now one of the most popular selling herbs and the capsules can be found in any vitamin/health store. Expect the sensation of some mild heartburn right after taking it for a few days. After that, it should go away completely. You could also experience more frequent bowel movements while your system is being adjusted.
Last edited by isolated one; 08-23-2004 at 10:10 AM.
I can't thank all of you enough for responding. If any one of these work, I just might have to 'sing' about it!
I'm not really concerned about a little sensation of heartburn. You know, now that I think about it, my husband and I used to cook a lot of chili in the wintertime. We would eat it for lunch almost every day until we run out of the batch. Then a week or so later, we would make more. We use lots of cayenne pepper in it. Anyway, I remember feeling great when I ate chili. There's no burning sensation for me, just an all-over warm feeling. Mmmm....
I do like the idea of taking the capsules since it might be difficult to incorporate cayenne in my meals every day, especially during the hot summer months.
So far I have these things to try:
Kambucha
probiotics
cayenne pepper
ginger juice
I still don't know where to get the probiotics though. Anyone else know?
You can get probiotics in any health store. I take something called PB-8. It's the only probiotic which can be stored at room temperature. I started taking it for my IBS. As for the cayenne, taking the capsules will give you the medicinal dose. If you do reasearch, you'll find the variety of health benefits are probably unmatched by any other herb.
You can get probiotics at any health food store. I use the Jarro brand, but there are several good brands available. I don't know if you live near a Whole Foods Market, but they have them there, too. Good luck!
Since I stay away from white bread, milk and most all of the white flower products I am pretty much reflux free as well. This just started a few years ago so who knows what kind a crap they are now proccessing those foods with.
Without reading all of the posts, I'll just mention that I saw an infomercial that said to take a tsp or tbsp (couldn't remember) of vinegar (yes, very acidic). What the medications do is kill the existing acid so the stomach then responds by flooding it with new acid. The condition, he said, is not that there is too much acid, but too little. Hence, the vinegar.
If I had acid reflux, I'd certainly try this, as it's a cheap experiment that could save big $$ and help you avoid unnecessary medications.
I give no guarantees on this, though. Like I said, it was an infomercial.
Without reading all of the posts, I'll just mention that I saw an infomercial that said to take a tsp or tbsp (couldn't remember) of vinegar (yes, very acidic). What the medications do is kill the existing acid so the stomach then responds by flooding it with new acid. The condition, he said, is not that there is too much acid, but too little. Hence, the vinegar.
If I had acid reflux, I'd certainly try this, as it's a cheap experiment that could save big $$ and help you avoid unnecessary medications.
I give no guarantees on this, though. Like I said, it was an infomercial.
I saw the infomercial you're referring to and I did try the vinegar. I don't have any symptoms like heartburn so I wouldn't know how often to take the vinegar, and it tastes awful. What the speaker was saying actually makes sense to me. All of the over the counter meds I've used have only made it worse. Your stomach needs acid to aid in the digestion of food and to get rid of it by using an antacid has always sounded wrong to me. Your stomach would have to go into overdrive producing even more acid to try and balance itself out. Makes you wonder who's side the FDA is on.
Alternaive Treatments For Acid Reflux Anyone? 
