Paradoxically I found that drinking a glass of diluted (#) vinegar extinguishes the reflux for me. My rationalization is that a sudden punch of vinegar causes the esophagus to slam shut in response to increased acidity, as it is designed to do. By contrast a slower drip of stomach acid was not sufficiently strong to trigger the same reaction.
(#) I dilute it to the point where it's still strong but already drinkable.
I use apple cider vinegar whenever I get acid reflux. It works but often only for about an hour. Perhaps I should start doing it proactively whenever I eat. How much water do you mix it with? I just take a tablespoon of concentrated vinegar.
I mostly suppress my reflux through a twice daily regimen of cider vinegar (diluted* ), more walking, eating more conscientiously, and forcing myself to sleep on my left side.
These are all very minor changes, and the biggest impact came from sleeping on my side.
My gastroenterologist was very against the daily PPI my primary put me on. There are a lot of potential negatives there.
* Straight up cider vinegar is very acidic and can irritate or damage the throat and mouth. I drink 1/2 tbsp in a glass of water.
Consider an alternative theory: the vinegar is a digestive aid (just like pineapple) and your root cause or part of it is, in fact, indigestion. I only suggest this because I found indigestion to be the one and only consistent cause to heartburn/reflux in myself. Seems like some foods don’t want to break down from normal stomach acid but will respond to other acids. So that’s my theory. But whether it’s accurate or not, it does work.
> Also, if you have acid reflux, vinegar will absolutely destroy your stomach and make your acid reflux 100% worse
I replaced my Prilosec prescription (for severe acid reflux) with diluted ACV. After a few years, I no longer needed even the ACV, although I occasionally take it for various other claimed benefits. It has been about eight years since I last needed Prilosec. I don't have a hole in my stomach, and in fact am healthier than most people I know - mostly hooked on some meds.
Sounds like your friend did something wrong. Possibilities: she took way too much ACV, or she didn't dilute it. In my experience, it's pretty common for people to mess up even simple [nutrition and healthcare] instructions.
Achtung ! Proceed with caution ! Friend of mine was consuming a lot of Apple cider vinegar for what she consider "health and dietary reasons" and end-up with small hole in her stomach. One day, she felt a severe pain ended up in hospital, where they found a hole. It is possible that she had small ulcer that was made worst by the continuous consumption of vinegar.
She stopped taking vinegar, took medication for a while and now ulcer is almost gone.
Also, if you have acid reflux, vinegar will absolutely destroy your stomach and make your acid reflux 100% worse.
EDIT: I want to bring up another important point. People who suffer from acid reflux might not notice it's effect for years, but if you look at statistics, they suffer from higher rates of stomach and esophagus cancers, worst teeth and myriad of other health issues. Continuously raising your stomach pH might not be good for your in the long run. Keep this in mind when reading this article. Temporarily taking ACV might work, contentiously for years - not a great idea.
Vinegar has nothing on the natural stomach acid already present in your digestive system. People don't give enough credit to how resilient the human body actually is.
Yup, no coffee / dark chocolate / dairy / alcohol / citrus for me for over a decade now, among other things. I don't miss any of it, except chocolate milk.
I've seen vinegar recommended for GERD online before, but was curious whether there's much medical know-how behind it (studies or at least a clear theory of why it would help me vs. PPIs).
With a weak LES (lower esophageal sphincter) a lot of "just do this" GERD folk remedies don't work.
Alka-Seltzer always knocks reflux down for me pretty quick. Still get woken up by the reflux and have to haul myself out of bed to get the goods, but a few sips and I can get right back in bed.
"When you look at the data, blaming GERD on too much stomach acid doesn’t make sense. Stomach acid actually tends to decline, not rise, with age, while GERD risk increases with age. (4) In fact, 40-year-olds, on average, generate about half as much as stomach acid as 20-year-olds do. And, according to one study, over 40 percent of people age 80 and up may be producing almost no stomach acid at all."[4]
"The ideal pH for the stomach can approach 1 but should be below 3, where most pathogens cannot survive. When the pH rises above 5, several dangerous bacterial species are able to survive. Acid-blockers can increase the stomach’s pH ..."[4]
For lower esophageal sphincter to properly work, you in fact need normal levels of acid and proper acidity.[0][1][2][3] If you have the oposite, the sphincter does not fully close and boom, there's your heart burn.
The real mechanism of gerd is more complicated than "too much acid" or "acid too strong". I don't suggest you start drinking unwatered vinegar. I suggest you study the sources I've linked and only then decide for youself.
> I've seen vinegar recommended for GERD online before, but was curious whether there's much medical know-how behind it (studies or at least a clear theory of why it would help me vs. PPIs).
Tablespoon of apple cider vinegar during meals (mentioned this in the GERD thread, also helps with my gut and brain fog issues too).
There are a ton of rabbit holes you can go down for SIBO, leaky gut, gastroparesis, MMC, etc. All of them revolve around how fast and how well food transits your gut. Longer food stays inside you, the more problems you have.
I'm obviously not a doctor. I can only say that in my experience, eating a teaspoon of coffee works for me and relatives of mine who have tried it. And it works amazingly fast and well.
Of course, I also know what kind of food or drinks I shall avoid in order not to get acid reflux, so I always try to avoid getting it in first place.
The goal isn't to keep your acid low it's to keep your stomach moving.
If you have low acid your digestion will be slower and if it's low enough you will develop bacterial infections. PPIs lower your stomach acid and can cause long term issues.
1/2 tablespoon in a large glass of water. Do not drink cider vinegar straight up. It will burn you. Literally.
Paradoxically, I cured my reflux with betaine HCL (with pepsin) and digestive enzymes.
I found that when I eat meat and/or when I’m stressed, my body doesn’t naturally produce enough “good” acid. This leads to a build up of reflux because the meat is essentially rotting in my stomach, which creates awful “bad acid” reflux.
Instead of the drug(s), with every meal, I recommend taking one capsule of betaine HCL (with pepsin) and one digestive enzyme capsule.
I'll have to try this! I have reflux or heartburn daily if I don't do things right. A few things help me.
1) Don't have an empty stomach. My stomach goes crazy.
2) Don't overeat. Large portions cause it nearly every time.
3) Don't eat anything within 2 hours of bed time.
So, basically, if I eat small meals often I am usually fine. And then there are trigger foods like too much coffee and alcohol and red sauces, and garlic and other things that cause indigestion.
I can't find it but I once read that acid reflux was actually due to not enough acid, as what you were ...refluxing was partially digested foods. You might try taking an acidifier and see if that helps.
(#) I dilute it to the point where it's still strong but already drinkable.
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