If you have GERD, have you tried vinegar?

[SiouxJ]

I know it sounds weird but I've had it for about 5 years (GERD) and take Prilosec daily, so I'm willing to try just about anything to get rid of it. I'm so sick of paying for and taking this stuff! Anyway, I had insomnia the other night (something else I suffer from, lol) and I was flipping channels and I happened upon this guy who was touting his natural remedies book. Normally I would have flipped right past, but he was talking about acid reflux, so I stopped for a second. Anyway, he says by taking ant-acids you are prolonging your GERD and that's what the drug companies want. He says, the actual problem is that you don't have enough acid to digest food properly, which causes gasses to bubble up in your stomach, which pushes the contents back into the esophagus. Well, it sounds like the worst possible thing to do, if you have GERD, but he said you should take a teaspoon (I think that's how much he said) of vinegar to increase the acid in your stomach and help digestion, thus stopping the turmoil which causes stuff to back up. Well, I tried this yesterday (and skipped the Prilosec) and it burned like hell going down, but then I didn't have my usual heartburn all day! I was pretty shocked. Normally if I forget my Prilosec, I'm paying for it all day. Trying it again today, so we'll see. I was just wondering if anyone else had tried this simple thing. Imagine if this really works and word gets out! Those poor drug companies, who over-charge for all those anti-heartburn, meds will be out of luck.

[babylonsister]

1. My dad, who has suffered from heartburn for years,

heard about this recently and was shocked as well. It works! And yes, I believe he said only a teaspoon was the recommended dose.

[SiouxJ]

2. Well I tried it again yesterday and didn't have as much

success as the day before, but I took more than I did on Sunday. I'm going to give it one more shot today (using less). I think it depends on what the cause of your GERD is. Mine could be related to my MS (stomach muscles not functioning properly) so it may not work for me, like it did your dad. Anyway, thanks for letting me know as now I think I'll stick it out a little longer. If you search the web, there's all kinds of info about this treatment. It still seems counter productive to me but we'll see.

Thanks again!

[raccoon]

3. I'll try that sometimes

I have managed so far to control GERD through diet and behavior (not lying down til several hours after I've eaten, using two pillows instead of one) but it still flares up at times.

[astral]

4. I have, and I did, and it is WORKING!

I have never been to a doctor to confirm exactly what I have, but I know it is acid reflux, that burning sensation in your throat after eating something too rich, or maybe after too much coffee after having eaten a bigger-than-necessary meal . . . I suspect it might be caused by my habit of loving to drink coffee ever since I was 12 years old . . . still haven't quit the coffee!

I was getting this at least four times a week for awhile, and it scared me because I knew I needed to do something but am afraid of doctors. Drinking a glass of water right away would clear up the burning sensation, but often it would require more water several times over again and an occasional antacid which I tried to avoid using too much.

I am using the vinegar, and will tell you how I am doing it, and I am having ***NO*** acid-reflux in . . . how long, now? Couple weeks maybe? There are many other benefits to the vinegar, and the juice mixture I list below just happens to include the items I am interested in taking, they don't come from anyone else.

First I will specify what I read about the subject:

It should be natural organic apple cider vinegar, not the cheap chemically-made stuff. It has the "mother" in it, which is the cloudy stuff in the bottom of the bottle, which you want to shake up each time you use it so you are ingesting it. I was hearing about it from Patricia Bragg who does internet radio interviews and have her apple cider vinegar book.

I use much more than a teaspoon now, just because it got to be real palatable to me after I got used to it. Here's what I put in my glass, and I don't use the organic honey which she recommends.

(all measurements are mere guesses)

1/3 cup real organic black cherry juice
1 cup of springwater
tablespoon of vinegar
juice of one wedge of lemon
dash organic cayenne pepper
tablespoon liquid minerals
teaspoon or so of oregano juice

I just started adding the lemon juice part and very INTERESTINGLY enough, it makes the whole drink sweeter and less mouth-puckery, and therefore I started putting in a larger doses of both vinegar and cayenne pepper into it. I love drinking it.

You are supposed to have some very diluted vinegar throughout the day, according to Bragg, and she does suggest only a teaspoon per glass of water, with some raw honey in it, but I only take my concoction once in the morning or else once at night, trying to do it after or shortly after having eaten something, but when I had it on an empty stomach it wasn't too bad.

Check out the many benefits of organic apple cider vinegar online. It's good for a lot more than acid reflux. And you know what? It CAN'T hurt you! (I won't list any links right now as I'm not promoting anybody's particular product. The Truth Is Out There!!!)

[SiouxJ]

5. That's great that it's working for you; didn't work for me

I'm back on the meds. I think it depends on what the cause of one's acid reflux is. Thanks for sharing. I find the whole idea of fighting fire with fire pretty fascinating.

[shanti]

11. that drink

sounds like a liver cleanse.

[rbnyc]

6. My dad told me to try...

...2-4 TBS Apple Cider Vinegar vefore each meal. He read it in a book by some guy whose name I don't remember, but he impressed my dad, and that's saying a lot.

I haven't tried it yet, but I plan to. Next time we go grocery shopping, we'll pick some up and I'll check in.

[Sgent]

7. Remember

Prilosec stays in your system for up to 96 hours (and it also can take that long to reach full effectiveness). Success after one day probably means the prilosec is still working.

There maybe something to taking vinegar at meal times, but 1 teasponn of vin. can't stay in your system that long.

The more likely explanation is that vin actually RAISES the PH in your stomach, making any heartburn less severe for an hour or two. Remember, acetic acid is very weak, and the acid in your stomach is very strong.

[I_Make_Mistakes]

8. I met an older guy at Kohl's today and he told that Apple Cider

vinegar has helped him with GERD also. It was weird, I read this here like 2 weeks ago, and he is telling me the same thing.

I have seen alot of things vinegar is good for. I have to do some more research on it. It's great cause I love vinegar!

[REP]

9. Supposed To Be Good for Arthritis

An old folk remedy for arthritis is cider vinegar in hot tea. I adore vinegar, so I was willing to give it a try; after all, it couldn't hurt. I can't say it improves my arthritis, but it does seem to make me feel better when I have an upper respiratory illness (could just be from drinking hot tea!) and it does taste good.

I had terrible, awful heartburn and two ulcers for several years; turned out I had an h. pylori infection. That was back in the day when it was dx'd by endoscopy and the cure was amoxicillin, Flagyl and bismuth for two or three weeks, which was pretty nasty, but damn! the ulcers healed and I don't have acid erupting up the back of my throat 24/7. I think it's dx'd by a breath test now and there's a combo antibiotic + an h2 receptor agonist + bismuth to treat it.

[shanti]

10. do you use apple cider vinegar?

i also take medication for GERD (i hate this too!!!) and would like to stop. it's only been in the last 3 years or so. i'm going to try this too. do you take it straight or mix it with something?

[Dogmudgeon]

12. Yep

I tried it several times, but it never worked. Until I started making my own salad dressing with vinegar and oil.

I can't say I've cured it, but it controls it pretty well.

But some people have more stuff going on than GERD, and I may be in that group. Right now, my greatest health risk is no health insurance. And, ergo, no health care.

--p!

[I_Make_Mistakes]

13. My mom just read that vinegar also helps with diabites. My guess

is the AARP magazine, but I will follow. The article said, either 4 tsps. or in salad dressing, I extra vinegar my salad dressings.