Natural Healing

Hi All. Glad I found this forum. I have been suffering from GERD for a number of years and have recently be diagnosed with a medium size Hiatal Hernia and Barrett's Esophagus- no dyspalsia. I currently take 40mg Prilosec and they work only if I eat smart. I don't plan to be on them forever- so in the past month I have aggressively researched and tested various natural remedies for chronic GERD and moderate to severe heartburn. I have found lots of different things that work for me (and collected concensus from the internet and friends as well). I thought I would share the list for other people to try. Obviously taking a holistic approach (smaller meals, less fatty foods, no big meals before bed, etc., etc.) is best- but occasionally you are going to eat something and you are going to get whacked!

*Remember* what works for me might not work for you. You will need to experiment...

----*UGH* STOP the pain NOW remedies

D-limonene, 1000mg gelteb, 98.5% food grade orange peel extract.
Apple Cider Vinegar (must be raw, unpasteurized and unfiltered)- take 2tbsp with water and honey
Candied Ginger (3 x 1.5inch pieces best before meal- but can work after, just takes longer)

----Minor Pain, need something to soothe

Raw almonds, they must be raw, unsalted, etc. If they are roasted it will make HB worse
A few slices of green (grannies, etc.) and certain types of red apples (gala).
2-4oz. of Aloe Vera Juice- whole leaf or inner filet variety (Lily of the Valley is the brand I use)
2-3 fresh Celery stalks, chew slowly and well to release juices
Organic Ginger tea (1.5g concentration), after meals
Small banana
DGL (deglycerized licorice)

If you have your own natural remedies- add to this post.

Good luck and good health!
-MM

Hi Nolique,

I have taken Prilosec for about a month now. Prior to that I would take them on and off for the 2 week course- depending on how I felt. There is no doubt in my mind that I will see a rebound if I were to stop. I may try to wean down to 1 per day with some natural supplementation and change in diet. I am not sure I want to take these for the rest of my life and given that I have Barretts and a HH (both very curable) I will likely go for a Nissen and a Halo360 procedure.

MM

Hi Alcie-

Thanks for your suggestions. I agree. I am scheduled 01/19 to go through extensive testing at the Mayo clinic in Rochester. Even if I think that I am a candidate for the surgery they may tell me otherwise. I may not have any surgery other than for Barretts. Lifestyle changes- diet and excercise seem to be helping so far. I just hope that I am able to heal and with time go off the drugs. Hopefully, I have not done irreversible damage via my hiatus hernia.

MM

Mattnapa- I have heard that about Magnesium too! Any idea about about the dosage? I am already taking probiotics- just started a couple of days ago- 5 Billion critters per day. Aside from drinking filtered water, I have also heard that you need to have a relatively acid free stomach as well. Could be wrong? MM

 I think the Magnesium thing is going to be somewhat case dependent, and is complicated. If you check out Martie's info maybe we can compare notes. There is transdermal magnesium which seems to avoid some of the problems with digesting too much magnesium. I think up to 100mg/per day is safe. I have arecomendation to take 500 to 800 at bedtime, and if your taking a multi and have a high magnesium diet this would probably be about right. Also there is a school of thought that taking sodium bicarbonate helps get magnesium into the cells.