Acid Reflux

I was having issues fairly frequently, but now that I've lost 20 lbs I don't seem to have as much trouble. Be careful with things like peppermint--esp. before bedtime (peppermint ice cream, tea, etc...) it can relax the muscles that prevent reflux. Reduce fatty food intake before bed, greasy things can give you reflux--I wasn't that excited by them before, but I've cut out all white sauces (a guaranteed cause of heart burn for me) bechemel, Alfredo, hollendaise...Try to stick to smaller meals--don't eat until you feel full, just satisfied (which sounds like what you're doing). But if it's really bad you should see your dr. You may have GERD or some other stomach related issue.

Most dairy products cause reflux in my case: Most milks, pretty much all yogurts, cottage cheese and most other soft cheeses (soft young goats cheese is fine though), and lots of other things. Very specific brands of full fat milk are fine, but others again aren't. Really odd: I've lived in many different countries. All dairy in Denmark was problematic and only certain hard cheese imports were ok while I could eat and drink pretty much everything in the Middle East.

Basically: find out what the culprit is for you and try to ignore.

Look into the FODMAP diet. All but cured me.

Squeaksfriend wrote: »

I had bad, continuous acid reflux until I cut out all grain products. Within a couple of days it went completely went away and hasn't come back.

Same here. would drink a shake before bed and get it every time but randomly disappeared and never came back

You need to figure out what triggers your reflux. Mine are sugar and carbs.My reflux was pretty bad and happening daily. i lived off of zantac and tumms.. as soon as i cut out all added sugar and most carbs the reflux vanished. Believe it or not and i don't want to open up a can of worms, Apple cider vinegar with the mother worked for me. i make a salad dressing out of it and was surprised on how well it controlled my reflux. but it has to be the raw apple cider vinegar with the residue( the mother) on the bottom of the bottle.i happen to like the taste, but you can add it to a glass of water and sip it.. recommended amount is 2 table spoons daily. maybe it will work for you

TeaBea wrote: »

xosarahduh wrote: »

I actually have been to the doctor, just trying to find some more natural remedies to help relieve it. Thanks for the help!

You're going to get different food lists from different people. It's not grains or sugar or dairy for me, it's high fat and high(er) acidic foods.

Some will recommend fighting acid with more acid (vinegar).....it works for them.

No night time eating for me. I raised the head of my bed. I wear looser clothes.

Tomatoes, garlic, onions, chocolate....all in smaller portions for me. Ketchup, and barbeque sauce - OMG! horrible. I cut out all cola. Diet A&W Rootbeer is very low acid.

Lower acid fruits that I tolerate- Gala & Fuji apples, raspberries, various melon, cherries, and bananas

this is about my list. but i can eat before bed

I'm also going to suggest the vinegar. I took 2 tablespoons of vinegar followed by a glass of water and symptoms went away within about 20 minutes. I did the same any time it recurred which was infrequently and have not had any real stomach issues in the past few years.

I had it bad for years. was on different meds over the years for it. I was on omeprazole for a few years(until recently) and it starting making my acid reflux worse.I was having headaches,leg cramping/restless legs.muscle pain and they messed with my hormone as well as other side effects from it(its also now proven to increase dementia in patients who take it long term,they are not meant to be taken long term either) anyway. I got off of it and was fine for a few weeks. then started taking a different medicine that kinda aggravated it. I started on some generic famotidine(generic pepcid AC) and so far so good and no side effects as of yet.

I will never take another PPI(proton pump inhibitor).too many side effects and they rob your body of a lot of key nutrients. I would see a dr because it can be ulcers,GERD, or other issues causing it, and a change of diet or weight loss may not work for some people. It hasnt for me. but yes,definitely see a Dr and maybe a specialist that can do a scope to see what causes it. Some acid reflux can cause barretts esophagus which can lead to cancer.Its best not to try and treat it yourself because you may or may not know the cause and it can mimic other health issues. Be safe and make an appointment.

michelle172415 wrote: »

Eliminating grains and most dairy is the only way that I'm ever able to keep my acid reflux under control. I fell off the wagon hard last summer and am currently back on my meds, Nexium in the AM and a PPI at bedtime. I've been off the grain and dairy for about a week now and it's already getting better. It usually takes me about 30 days for my system to heal enough for me to get completely off the Nexium but I anticipate getting off of the PPI within the next week.

oh let me tell you getting off the PPIs are HELL. especially if you have been on them awhile. I just got off mine a little over a month ago and your body will produce more acid in response. Im taking a generic acid reducer which helps a lot. You may have other side effects as well.also wean off of the PPI slowly.I was fine for the first 2 weeks then it hit me.but I had to quit the PPIs as they were causing me many health issues.but good luck with getting off of them.

Strawblackcat wrote: »

CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »

paisleyfan24 wrote: »

I've had chronic gastritis/Gerd for many many years, tried several drugs, currently take Omeprazole and Zantac. I switched to being Vegetarian about 8 months ago and am Currently reading more about eating an Alkaline diet. I started drinking chamomile tea in the afternoon or evening, supposed to very healing for the gut. Trying to limit sugar, which is a big trigger for me, and less processed foods. Good luck!

no such thing as an alkaline diet. you cannot change your body/bloods PH levels. your body tries to keep your PH levels to a certain level for a reason.

From what I've heard, the logic behind an alkaline diet is that eating alkalinity-promoting foods prevents your body from having to draw minerals out of bodily tissues to maintain the slightly basic pH that the body prefers. Since you wouldn't be eating acidic foods, the body wouldn't have to draw minerals like calcium and magnesium out of bone tissue to balance out acidity, which could help prevent bone loss.

A lot of people with acid reflux have low stomach acid, though, so I wouldn't necessarily recommend an alkaline diet to help with that. I would try taking apple cider vinegar or Betaine HCl + Pepsin supplements to supplement their own stomach acid so that they would be digesting their food more efficiently. Digestive bitters or digestive enzymes may also help.

apple cider vinegar may work for awhile but fighting acid with acid is counter productive in the long term,it can also cause more acid to be produced which is not always a good thing,not to mention what it can do to your teeth and so on.as for using anything over the counter before you know the cause of the reflux or lack there of,its best to see a dr and make sure its not an underlying illness or disease causing it.people think an alkaline diet will cure their body of all kinds of things.It has nothing to do with drawing minerals out of bones and so on. people think that if they can change their alkalinity in their body then they can somehow cure themselves. you cannot change your PH balance in your body. your body, if working properly keeps it in balance, any foods you eat is not going to make a difference. some meds can cause acid reflux as well and something over the counter could interact with that.which is why its best to see a dr first and go from there.

Acid reflux can also be caused by sleep apnea. I was suffering and drinking Gaviscon like water to calm the burn, ever since my apnea is treated, the reflux is GONE and i can eat freely again!

Hiya, my hubby had reflux for years, actually since he was 15. Spaghetti bolognaise and orange juice were killers.. He now takes lanzoprozole tablets daily but he has a mild hernia, so please get yourself checked out.. Weight loss will only cure so much . Xx