Cure GERD without Prescriptions or Surgery


GERD is the acronym for Gastro Esophogeal Reflux Disease.  It is characterized by a feeling of heartburn caused by stomach acid coming up into the esophagus, and maybe mouth.  It is worse at night, when lieing down, and it is more than just uncomfortable, it is dangerous.

With GERD you could lose all your teeth due to acid coming into your mouth on a regular basis.  You could choke and possibly die on your reflux in your sleep.  You could get esophogeal cancer from chronic cell destruction from stomach acid.

There are over-the-counter medications to take care of GERD, from Tums to Pepsid.  It is always better to make a natural cure if you can, than to rely on medication.  But you have been warned, if the natural cures don't work for you, or if you are already so advanced in your GERD that you are at risk for more serious consequences, get yourself to a qualified physician right away.  While you are waiting for your appointment or your treatments to work, you can still try this cure.  If you know you react badly to any of these suggested foods, herbs, or activities, skip that instruction and try to find an alternative that will work for you.


Although the tea will start healing your digestive tract right away, the process will be slow and it will also be thwarted if you engage in counter-measures (such as drinking coffee, smoking cigarettes, or engaging in a daily alcohol or chocolate habit ), therefore there is more to the cure than just the tea.


GERD tea.
Drink GERD tea at least once a day, but better twice or three times for the first month.  GERD tea recipe here.  Warning:  if you have high blood pressure, remove or reduce the licorice in this recipe.

Fermented Pickles.
Even more effective than GERD tea.  Do not use pickles that are strongly spiced with garlic or pepper.  Make your own (best) or purchase any of the several varieties available in the refrigerated section in your healthfood store.  Real fermented pickles do not contain vinegar.  Eat half a pickle first thing in the morning, and before each meal.  Miraculous Healing Fermented Pickles recipe here. 

Sleep on a wedge.
Whenever you think you may have heartburn at night, sleep on a foam wedge that elevates your head and throat above your stomach.  With continued adherence to these instructions you should need to do this fewer and fewer times.

Stop eating after dinner.
Give your stomach time to digest food - at least enough time to get it out of your stomach and duodenum before you lie down.  Learn how long it takes each of the foods you eat to pass out of your duodenum into your jejunum.  As you age, your digestion slows down, particularly at night.  It may take as much as 6 hours to digest your last meal of the day.  You can shorten your digestion time by doing challenging exercise just before, or nonstressful movement such as a long walk or dancing just after your meal.

Avoid foods that cause you heartburn or reflux.
Coffee is high on almost everyone's list.  Fried food is another.  Chocolate and spicy foods can also be a problem.  If you can't eliminate the food from your diet totally, at least reduce the amount that you eat, and eat it earlier in the day rather than later.

Eat a plain lean meal for dinner.
For example, a sweet potato without butter, sourcream, or cheese. Salt is okay, but otherwise as plain as possible.
Shrimp cocktail with celery is a good dinner meal because the shrimp are boiled, not fried, not sauteed, and not swimming in butter or oil.
Plain papaya, jello, or grapes make a good dessert.

Calcium carbonate and Digestive enzymes:
Use these any time you feel possible heartburn coming on.  There are a number of solutions available in pharmacies and health food stores.  If you use Tums, get either the sugar-free variety or brush your teeth afterwards to avoid dental decay.  Papain (from papaya) is a good digestive enzyme.  I use chewable Super Papaya Enzyme Plus from American Health.  As your digestion gets stronger, you will need these less and less frequently.

Exercises:
I'm not exactly sure why this works, but it is at least as important as anything else on this list.  There are 3 specific abdominal exercises you need to do daily.  I don't know if these exercises actually work the smooth muscle of the stomach and esophagus, or if the strengthened striated muscle assists the stomach and esophagus.  Your daily minimum is ten repetitions each, work up to it if ten is too many for you.  The exercises are:

The Crunch.

If you aren't sure how to do that, find an example on youtube.  Here is one that I found helpful:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YUnAWuDVDHA

The Bicycle Crunch.

If you aren't sure how to do that, find an example on youtube.  Here is one that I found helpful:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ALYw6hy6Gc

The Clam.

If you aren't sure how to do that, find an example on youtube.  Here is one that I found helpful:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwoLdb-7E1k

Vitamins
The most common nutritional deficits that are involved with gastro-intestinal disorders are: 

Vitamin B12 aka cyanocobalamin aka "intrisic factor".

The digestive enzymes in the stomach don't work without it.  Although our own intestinal bacteria are supposed to supply most of what we need, people with impaired digestion may not have adequate production or absorption.  In addition, the MDA (minimum daily requirement), RDA (recommended daily allowance), DRI (dietary reference intake or daily recommended intake), RDI (recommended dietary intake) or whatever the FDA is calling it these days (they change the name every time they do a major overhaul in their evaluations) is underestimated and there are no contraindications to taking as much as 100 times more per day.

Folic acid.

Folic acid is a B complex vitamin and is required by the human body to utilize B12.  The RDI (recommended dietary intake) is underestimated and there are no contraindications to taking as much as 100 times more per day.

Magnesium.

Magnesium is an essential mineral.  Unlike B12 and Folic acid, it is possible to take too much using supplements, so it is best to get it from food or stay near the DRI when using supplements.

Calcium.

Calcium is an essential mineral.  It works in conjunction with Magnesium.  It is best to get it from food or stay near the DRI when using supplements.  Tums and other similar digestive aids contain calcium, so if you take those, remember to include that in your calculations.

Additional supplement suggestion
Mastic gum (gum mastic) is effective against Helicobacter pylori (aka H. pylori - the virus that is often involved in peptic ulcers) according to the New England Journal of Medicine http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM199812243392618. 
I use Jarrow brand in capsules Jarrow Formulas Mastic Gum at Super Supplements.  Use these if you have ulcer symptoms in addition to GERD.

Additional healing methods
Chiropractic and acupuncture have both been helpful parts of the GERD cure for some people.