Natural Remedies for the Treatment of Acid Reflux

Acid reflux is associated with “heartburn”, which is a burning sensation behind your sternum that sometimes travels up your throat. In some cases, this pain can be severe enough to be mistaken for a heart attack.

Conventionally, acid reflux is thought to be caused by excessive amounts of acid in your stomach, which is why acid-blocking drugs are typically prescribed or recommended. This is a serious medical misconception that adversely affects hundreds of millions of people, as the problem usually results from having too little acid in your stomach.

What Causes Heartburn?

After food passes through your esophagus into your stomach, a muscular valve called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) closes, preventing food or acid to move back up.

Acid reflux occurs when the LES relaxes inappropriately, allowing acid from your stomach to flow (reflux) backward into your esophagus.

Acid reflux is not a disease caused by excessive acid production in your stomach; rather it’s a symptom more commonly related to a hiatal hernia and/or a Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection.

It is recommended to not eat for at least 3 hours prior to going to bed at night. This will reduce the pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter, lessening the amount of acid reflux.

Are You Suffering a Drug Side Effect?

Besides these underlying conditions, certain prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications can also cause heartburn. Common culprits include anxiety medications and antidepressants, antibiotics, blood pressure medications, nitroglycerin, osteoporosis drugs and pain relievers. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to review ALL the medications and supplements you’re taking to see if one or more of them cause heartburn. If a drug is the cause, speak to your doctor about alternative treatments.

Why Medications for Heartburn Can Do More Harm Than Good:

One of the most commonly prescribed drugs for heartburn and acid reflux are proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which are very effective at blocking acid production in your stomach.

While that may sound like an appropriate remedy, considering the fact that your condition can typically related to your stomach producing too little stomach acid, not too much.

There are over 16,000 articles in the medical literature showing that suppressing stomach acid does not address the problem. It only temporarily treats the symptoms.

Your First Line of Treatment – Unprocessed Foods and Probiotics:

Ultimately, the answer to heartburn and acid indigestion is to restore your natural gastric balance and function. Instead of eating processed foods, you may want to try a lot of vegetables and other high-quality, ideally organic, unprocessed foods. Also, eliminate triggers. Common culprits here include caffeine, alcohol and nicotine products.

Next, you need to make sure you’re getting enough beneficial bacteria from your diet. This will help balance your gut flora, which can help eliminate H. pylori bacteria naturally without resorting to antibiotics. It will also aid in proper digestion and assimilation of your food. Ideally, you’ll want to get your probiotics from fermented foods. If you aren’t eating fermented foods, you most likely need to supplement with a probiotic on a regular basis.

Addressing Low Acid Production:

High-quality sea salt (unprocessed salt), such as Himalayan salt, will not only provide you with the chloride your body needs to make hydrochloric acid, it also contains over 80 trace minerals your body needs to perform optimally, biochemically. Sauerkraut or cabbage juice is also a strong, if not the strongest, stimulant for your body to produce stomach acid. Having a few teaspoons of cabbage juice before eating, or better yet, fermented cabbage juice from sauerkraut, will do wonders to improve your digestion.

Other Safe and Effective Strategies to Eliminate Heartburn and Acid Reflux:

The following remedies are discussed in detail by using the provided link.

1. Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar
2. Betaine
3. Baking soda
4. Aloe juice
5. Ginger root or chamomile tea
6. Vitamin D
7. Astaxanthin
8. Slippery elm
9. Chinese herbs
10. Glutamine
11. Folate or folic acid (vitamin B9) and other B vitamins

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