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December 31, 2008, 8:49 am
Flag as Inappropriate lacy  

I have a lot of problems with GERD. On a couple occasions it was bad enough that I thought I was having some sort of heart attack and went to the emergency room. Are there any natural remedies or treatments for GERD? I try to avoid known trigger foods but I still have problems.

I'm not sure about any natural remedies but there are simple things you can do to help. Don't drink water on an empty stomach as it will produce more acid. Believe it or not, milk will produce the most acid even though it feels like it helps at first - don't drink milk when you have acid already. Don't eat right before bed and when you lie down, try to have your upper body elevated a bit so the acid can't come up easily.

By "natural remedies," if you mean herbal or homeopathic drugs, I wouldn't reccomend anything. Nothing herbal that promises to relieve GERD will be as safe and effective as the non-prescription or prescription drugs available for treatment.

However, there are also several non-drug ways you control GERD. Some of these are:

1. Elevate the head of your bed with blocks (Don't just prop yourself up with pillows. This will cause you to bend at the waste, increasing pressure on your stomach).

2. Don't eat at least three hours before going to bed.

3. Eat smaller meals, thereby putting less pressure on your stomach.

4. Wear loose, non-restrictive clothing, again to put less pressure on your stomach.

5. Avoid foods that trigger GERD (spicy food, acidic foods, and others) . . . you already said you do this.

6. Lose weight.

Jacob Milbradt, PharmD

www.MrMedSaver.com

I wouldn't mess around with it too long though as the acid can cause burns to the oesophagus. If this continues too long it can ultimately lead to cancer of the oesophagus, so really, don't try too long to fix this yourself.

I'm having similar problems, only mine is as a result of having my gall bladder removed. The only thing that I have found helps is taking meds-and I just hate the thought of doing that long term.