5 Natural Remedies for Acid Reflux

Acid reflux disease can be a scary experience. Especially since the signs and symptoms can mimic a heart attack. How can you know which of the two you have? There is no real way for me to tell you which one you are having. If you are experiencing chest pain or tightness and you have not been diagnosed with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) you should go to the emergency room and be checked out. Getting this wrong could be disastrous! If you have been diagnosed with GERD then you should be familiar with your symptoms and what your GERD flare ups feel like. If in doubt, go get checked out.

There are several drugs you can either be prescribed or get over the counter to help with acid reflux or heartburn. When I used to work in the emergency room we used to call it the "cocktail". It was mostly a mixture of pain reliever and stomach antacids. In spite of working in the medical industry, I am not a big fan of pharmaceuticals, not that I have not used them before, I just prefer not to. If you are feeling an onset of symptoms, there are several remedies you can use to help you get rid of those burning sensations in your throat, upset stomach, or to help with chest pain, provided it's not an actual heart attack. Here are 5 natural remedies for acid reflux you can use that have helped me.

 Mint is an herbal remedy for acid reflux.  It is used all over the world for medicinal purposes and has been used at least since the middle ages for heartburn.  Most people either eat it in mint form or drink it as a tea.  This "good herb" as it is called in South America, can be used in a tea and helps digestion.  Some cultures use it for weight loss in conjunction with vinegar.  Simply dip the mint leaf in vinegar and chew on the leaf.  It helps suppress appetite.  I have used it and it takes a week or two to start working, but it does help reduce your cravings. 

If you do decide to try mint, know that it is a diuretic, so consult your physician on whether this will interact with any medications you might take or medical conditions you might have.  It should be safe for most, as its usage is very wide spread, but please consult your physician if you have any concerns. 

Ginger is a geared for helping with upset stomach and nausea. Remember when you had the flu and your mother used to get you ginger ale because you were sick? It is the ginger, not the carbonation that helps soothe your nausea. When I go that route, I try to drink a real ginger ale from a health food grocery store. It is much stronger than a regular ginger ale, but I find it works better.

If you don't want to go the soda route, after all, carbonation is not good for acid reflux, you can eat the ginger root itself. A friendly warning, ginger root has a very sharp biting hot taste, so be prepared. You simply cut off a small section of the root, you do not want a large chunk, it will overwhelm you, and you chew on it. You can also eat an organic ginger candy. We eat these for snacks. They took some getting used to, but now I really like them.   You can also take ginger supplements or drink ginger tea. 

Papaya is a powerhouse fruit that is not used nearly enough in our society. Papaya is an excellent natural remedy for acid reflux disease.  It is not only a low acidic food, but contains an enzyme called papain that is designed specifically to help with digestion.  It also consists of potassium which is helpful in providing  an healthy bacterial setting for your intestines.  This eases the digestive process and helps your stomach not work as hard.  This is the underlying source of health to fix the disease process. 

Papaya also has more than the recommended daily allowance of vitamin C.  vitamin C also helps with digestion.  You don't necessarily have to eat papaya to get it's benefits.  You can also buy a papaya enzyme supplement.  My family uses this to get our papain and it comes with a mint taste. 

Yogurt is another good choice to help your acid reflux because it has acidophilus in it.  Acidophilus promotes healthy bacterial growth in your digestive tract.  Healthy digestion is crucial to getting rid of acid reflux disease.  If you don't like yogurt, which I don't, you can buy acidophilus pills at most natural health food stores. 

 Cherries are a powerhouse as a natural remedy for many different diseases.  Cherries and gout pain are probably what cherries are most famous for but they are also useful for acid reflux disease.  Cherries contain a lot of antioxidants so they are able to help repair damage done by this condition.  In and of themselves, cherries are not going to cure you, but they are a strong component of a healthy diet. 

Cherries are also a low-acidic food and this helps not to cause further damage.  Not only that, but they contain alot of vitamin C and potassium.  The potassium and vitamin C help aid digestion and therefore help to treat this disease. 

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