Acid Reflux- any success stories?

[LittleBirdy]

Hi everybody,

I was just wondering if anybody has been able to cure his/her acid reflux (or GERD)? And how? 

I am struggling with severe symptoms and have tried a lot over the years but feel really stuck right now. I have tried various medications, undergo a big lifestyle change and I can't notice much of a difference. Any success stories would be much appreciated. 🙂 ❤️ Birdy

[Tomq]

In a word great! I believe fortunately that I caught my symptoms early
before they became too severe.

[Mac81]

I finally cured mine this year! I'm a 37 year old Scottish male who took the medication since I was 19, tried everything before, lots of different cutting out of foods etc but eventually came across this information from Chris Kresser, an American Clinician after reading about how bad the medication is for you, and puts you in a backwards cycle - I stopped taking my medication and followed the guidance.

https://chriskresser.com/how-to-cure-gerd-without-medication/ 

I basically did the below for 8 weeks:

1. Didn't drink water whilst eating to avoid diluting the little acid I have left after using acid stopping drugs for years

2. Ate a very low carb diet, cut out rice, wheat, gluten, potatoes, caffeine, any processed foods, sugar, alcohol, meat - eating a lot of vegetables, soup, eggs, fish, nuts etc and only very low carb fruit (berries etc) - this ended up being a bit of a keto diet for me which worked excellently as taking in natural fats has a lot of digestive tract friendly bacteria

3. Took herbal supplements for the digestive tract such as milk thistle, dandelion, probiotics/prebiotics

4. Increased my intake of fermented foods high in good bacteria - greek yoghurt, soft cheeses and Kefir

5. Took an HCL with Pepsin supplement with every meal 

6. Added natural sea salt with meals, rock salt not the cheap kind

After 8 weeks I had lost two stone (I wasn't massively overweight before) and no longer had the symptoms, my gut has healed for the first time in my whole life and I have now reintroduced a higher carb diet without issue - still can't believe it has worked! There is a solution, it just take some dedication. 

Below is a summary of what causes the issue taken from the link above.

Hope that helps, do some reading, let it repair and change your diet for the better. Good Luck.

Low stomach acid causes Carb malabsorption  and bacterial overgrowth.

Bacterial overgrowth generates excess gas and increases abdominal pressure.

This pressure manifests as GERD.

[skivett]

I had acid reflux and esophagitis for years.  My doctors kept pressing me to try different PPIs, however, for various reasons, I could not tolerate any of them, or even the less helpful, antacids.  Finally, I read a study that concluded alkaline water was just as effective as PPIs.  So I bought different brands of alkaline water and tested them for their alkalinity. The brand with the highest alkalinity was called PH from Costco.  I bought cases of it and drank only that water over the course of 2 - 3 months.  Before I began drinking the water, I had scheduled an appointment with Mayo Clinic in Rochester to see whether there was an available procedure to help with the acid reflux. Even though I was doing much better, I decided to keep the appointment at Mayo.  The doctor at Mayo performed an endoscopy to look at the condition of my esophagus and stomach.  The result is that everything looked great!  He told me there was no sign of esophagitis or acid reflux, only some old scar tissue from when I had it.  The doctor told me to keep doing whatever it is I am doing. I wanted to share this experience so that maybe others might benefit from alkaline water as much as I have.  I will continue drinking it.

[ZP51]

Got acid reflux back in 2014. It made me change life style, I lost 4 st in weight, started to exercise regularly, had to avoid food triggers , been on ranatidine 150 mg and learned to live with it. Last year I went for a full dental makeover. I have to say , after full dental treatment my reflux symptoms are away!  Seem like my gums were infected with h pylori and that was the root cause of my problems. I did have bleeding gums and bad breath. When dentist fitted new crowns on my healed gums, he advised me to use water flosser device  It can be found online for around £60. I keep my oral hygiene spot on now.  NHS doctors and dentists were useless. I went for dental treatment abroad. I really hope my experience will help someone with similar problems.

[SunsetRunner]

A very small portion (less than half of a Dixie cup full) of oatmeal before bed will help.  It keeps the acid in your stomach from coming up at night when you lay down.

[macaw22]

I have had some success with drinking Akaline water. One glass before the meal, one glass during meal and one after. It neutralizes the acid and makes my symptoms barely noticable.

[Robina8716]

I became vegan and it all just disappeared I had ringing in my ears as well as pain I was sent on an emergency 2 week appointment as I kept loosing my voice it was really husky too. I got a tube down my nose and into my throat and he took a pic of it. It was quite red at each side? The doctor said I had silent reflux. My voice is now back to normal.very very seldom have any pain if I do it’s because iv eaten to fast. I do know that there are different forms of reflux some is caused by bile and the other is stomach acid. I did take omeprazole for 2 months but I still had that croaky voice so I became vegan for that sake of my health, I was a real meat lover but it’s now 2 years since I stopped eating meat and I have high blood pressure and even my blood pressure has gone down iv also lost weight it’s been very hard to change my diet completely as I was so used to cooking meat and veg. Its impossible to just steam veg it’s so boring iv had to learn how to make food taste great with herbs and spices. I hope you recover from this annoying disability as that’s what it is, your frightened to eat and have to have very small meals I love my food.

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[KyDestiny]

I've heard that bed wedges for your back can help with acid reflux flowing back up through the esophagus.

Good luck,

T

[Dave1055]

You are approaching this all wrong. You are correct that the alkaline water will reduce your symptoms, but only temporarily. You seem to be assuming your symptoms are caused by excess stomach acid. Almost no one has excess stomach acid. In 99% of cases, acid reflux is caused by low stomach acid. You need to increase your stomach acid by taking either apple cider vinegar or Betaine HCl. Don't do this if you are taking PPI's or H2 blockers. Wean yourself off of them first - do not quit cold-turkey.

Check out this article:  https://theacidrefluxsolution.com/how-to-determine-if-you-have-hypochlorhydria/

Then read this: https://theacidrefluxsolution.com/safely-increase-stomach-acid-naturally/

I hope this helps.

[Dave1055]

Great comment Mac81. I've followed the same prescription and have been symptom-free for over 4 years now. I had acid reflux for almost 25 years. I will add that after you have increased your stomach acid using the Betaine HCl for a few months you can stop taking it and only use it when you eat a high protein meal. It scares me how doctors treat patients with acid reflux. Do they check stomach acid, no? They immediately reach for the prescription pad and prescribe PPI's or H2 blockers. Excess stomach acid is not the problem. 99% of people with acid reflux do not have enough stomach acid. 

[Robina8716]

Im now cured of this horrid infliction. I changed my diet totally and am now vegan, no more omeprazole or gaviscin thank goodness. I had a 5 hour operation as I had a gallstone growing in my bile duct. I had the whole bile duct cut out and a new on reconstructed and my body would just not accep meat or dairy a few months after changing my diet I was able too stop all the medication and feel so much better. This is not for every one it’s just my experience .im so glad as I was loosing my voice I was given a 2 week appointment to see if I had something more sinister thankfull it’s all worked out fine for me I hope that anyone else with this will find what works for them

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[Leonacedes]

I had GERD persistent for 12 days. I even passed out at my work and admitted to the hospital. I went to Gastroenterologist and the next day I had upper endoscopy. I have GERd It is better to have endoscopy for better findings. It is betterif your gastroenterologist and the one who will conduct endoscopy is the same person. Going to endoscopy will give you peace of mind. Remember if you are anxious, your body will produce more acid. If you google, you will come across esophageal cancer which makes you more anxious and nervous. Better consult a gastroenterologist and undergo laboratories for you to have peace of mind. My dr prescribed me Omeprazole, digestant and mucosta. These work. At the time that I still had heartburn, tiredness, nuseau etc., I took the prescribed medicine and change my eating habits. Just be patient, some medications will not instantly give you relief, it takes weeks, but not a month. When GERD is acting up, I eat sweet potato at 7 AM, boiled white egg at 10 AM, rice porridge at 12 noon, boiled white egg at 3 PM, sweet potato at 5 pm. Make sure you eat on the same time interval. If you feel that you have sour feeling in your stomach, eat something. Don't be full, but don't have empty stomach. Drink water 2 ounces every 15 - 20 minutes. If you drink water a lot in one go, your acid will go up to your esophagus or mouth. I do this until I feel that I do not have anymore acid reflux. I can still eat food that can trigger GERD with moderation. Eat half banana in the morning with 2 ounces of water and the half in the afternoon. It will coat and protect your esophageal lining. Vomiting can cause acid to go up to your esophagus or mouth, better put salt on one cup hot water. Drink it lukewarm;  and in the morning on an empty stomach and in the afternoon before dinner on an empty stomach. God bless! Pray harder! 

[Mannysrei]

Theirs so many things you can do for reflux, initially I started out taking bitters & worked my way to changing my diet & lifestyle added betaine hcl & a select few other supplements, that combination made a huge difference for me 

[dsvi]

I've been dealing with gastritis and some type of reflux for the past year or so. Came to understand the symptoms have a various set of causes, but most of them are emotional. Also, the more you think about it, the more it creeps up the gut. That's because there's a tenth cranial nerve called The Vaugs Nerve which is a modulator in the gut-brain axis which will trigger your acid production or dyspepsia in no time.

Ever since I started taking PPIs (Nexium and then Controloc), my then-silent IBS came back to life. I started getting sinus infections more often and now I get brochitis after every cold.

Like each and every one of you, I researched and stumbled upon a ton of scientific and unscientific crap - but digged through the clutter and realized the following:
- if a very specific diet or food type elimination does good to you, it's not a stomach issue, but a lower gut imbalance causing the reflux or reflux-like symptoms;

- if exercising and better eating does wellto you, the reflux is stress/anxiety/depression based;

- if losing weight does well to you, it's because the fat was crushing your sphincter between the somatch and the esophagus, thus a biomechanical issue, releasing stomach content up the gut.

Let there something be clear from the start: do not auto-diagonse yourself & do not let you doctor diagnose you without and endoscopy. Also, mention the exact region where you stomach problems usually are and what type are they (pressure, burn etc.) - maybe it's IBS. Also, if you believe there may be a bacteria imbalance (which probably is), test for SIBO and Dysbiosis. I myself have tested for Dysbiosis and came out positive. I need medicine for it, but no doctor is willing to give it to me, since I comissioned the test by myself at a lab in Germany. It's tragic and comic at the same time.

Also, don't let panick take over, thinking of it as a handicap or stuff like that. All my problems started since I started paying attention to them - I swear. I live with IBS (stress triggered) for the past 10 years without making it a life-changing situation. Then, I went to a GI and everything changed. Also, Nexium made me sick and almost all PPI. I had to eat very small meals. Becaus,e probably, i didn't have acidity issues.

Anyway, expose all the probabilities to your GI and make him/her feel responsible for the treatment he/she is prescribing. No more 'drink more water, stand up more frequent' and other crap like that.

[lmrwoody]

I have had gerd for over 20 years and I know what your going through. If there was a pill to stop this I would be the first to take it. I did find out if you don't smoke, drink, no coffee, no dairy products and no fried or greasy foods you will do better. I eat jello, oatmeal, eggs, bananas, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, salads with very little honey mustard dressing, sausages, brownies, spaghetti and meatballs, vegetables and potatoes. Also gluten free cans of soups. I drink flavored water and Cranapple juice. I do slip every once in a while like buying a pizza and when I have a couple of slices I'll run to the bathroom because of the cheese on the pizza. So knowing what you eat depends on whether or not you have to visit the bathroom before you go out. I make sure I'm safe all the time.

[Tomq]

The program I linked to in my original post is a comprehensive system to
clear your digestive tract of two specific bacteria known to cause GERD.
When these two common bacteria build up in your digestive tract over time,
they lead to many different digestive abnormalities. I recommend to anyone
suffering with GERD to look into the program and follow it for 30 days.
Dietary precautions are good (and are part of the program) but can only
help so much when the bacteria is built up in your digestive tract.


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[Mannysrei]

Wow I’m sorry to hear you having to go through it for that amount of time, It can really get in the way of things, have you taken anything to help you in the process?

[hapyheartgeorg]

How have done well

[Bikie]

I have had Acid Reflux for nearly 30 years and have been on acid blockers all that time. The medical profession has got it wrong. They always treat the symptoms because it is easier. Over the years I have had all sorts of tests and diets, nothing worked like it should have. Recently after more health problems I decided to go after the CAUSE of my reflux. I went off the blockers and tried to find out what was pushing the acid up. Bad digestion is the answer. If you don't have a nice flow through your pipes then they get partially blocked causing all of the symptoms that ALL of the people in this forum are  writing about. I have had all of these symptoms and more. Look at why your food isn't digesting,

 I have precancerous Barrett's esophagus and it is a symptom of acid reflux.  Too much acid and too little acid have the same symptoms of acid reflux. Incomplete Protein and incomplete carbohydrate digestion will have the same symptom of acid  reflux. The pancreas makes the enzymes that the body needs to digest food. It also stimulates stomach acid and controls food out of the stomach. If it doesn't work properly then BAD DIGESTION. My digestion has been fixed by taking digestion enzyme supplements before each meal. I must have a weak pancreas. ALL symptoms have GONE. 

If the medical profession had the time to look at CAUSES I would not have had to put up with Acid Reflux and associated health problems for nearly 30 years. Mind you all of my research into this has shown that not all acid reflux is the same. This worked for me. 

[Dave1055]

I totally agree. The medical industry are too quick to get out the prescription
pad to prescribe drugs before understanding the underlying cause. I had acid
reflux since my twenties. Five years ago I also decided to research the problem
because even with the meds I was still experiencing acid reflex 2 or 3 times per
month. But unlike you, I found no relief from taking digestive enzymes. My cure
came from taking Betaine HCl. I had relief almost immediately. I have been
reflux free and symptom-free for five years now. I'm 65. Glad you found the
answer. The medical profession needs to wake up and stop treating symptoms.