Got Heartburn? Try Vinegar
I suffered from chronic heartburn for years. In 1996, it irritated me so much I went to see a doctor about it. He diagnosed me with Esophageal Reflux Disease (acid reflux) and prescribed Zantac. I took it until the prescription expired. Guess what? The heartburn returned as soon as the last tablet wore off.
I was popping Tums and generic tums-like tablets like candy, everyday, to keep the bile at bay.
The Vinegar Trick
In 2005, a close friend of mine suggested that when the heartburn came on, that I take a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. He had been told that I needed more acid, not less.
Not much later, the familiar burning sensation returned. I thought about what he had said and started rooting around the kitchen cabinets looking for any kind of vinegar. There was only a bottle of coconut vinegar (my wife cooks with that instead of the regular stuff).
I downed a tablespoon of the vinegar. Ick! It burned. Five minutes later the heartburn was gone, completely! I told myself it wouldn't last. I didn't get a heartburn attack again for months, and I did the exact same thing. When I moved here to the Philippines in 2006, I had heartburn the first month I was here (April). I did the coconut vinegar trick again. Now, here it is almost 11 months later and I haven't been stricken with heartburn yet.
My advice to anyone who suffers from heartburn: Try the vinegar trick before heading to the doctor or the drug store to get over-the-counter antacid products. It may work for you too!
[Update in 2009: I wrote this short article nearly two years ago. Since that time, I haven't suffered from acid reflux disease or any kind of heartburn for that matter. You see, I'm not always full of shiitake (or any other colorful metaphors) when I write about my experiences.]
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Sounds like something to try. I've had bouts of bad heartburn as well and the only thing that sometimes would curb it was Zantac or Gaviscon. Too bad for my sis. She can't have any vinegar at all for any reason.
Last time I had prednesone, I had hearburn so bad, Tums gave no relief at all, but Zantac took care of it.
My mom will get indigestion every now and then, and the way she takes care of it is by drinking some "pickle juice." She can't bring herself to drink straight vinegar.
Drinking straight vinegar is hard. Anyway, if it doesn't clear up the heartburn in 5 minutes, do it again, especially if it was after eating.
I have suffered from heartburn since I was a little kid. It just never let up, and I have eaten more rolaids than I can count. It seems to be hereditary, since my dad has it worse than me.
About a month ago, I started eating a whole grapefruit first thing in the morning. In two days, no heartburn! It seems the acid from the fruit is the trick. I did some research and found out about the apple cider vinegar after the fact, but haven't done it yet.
If I don't have a grapefruit, the acid comes back, so I guess I'll try vinegar. Thanks!
GERD advice…
While the web continues to round up heartburn web pages, we'll try to recommend them to you….
I have learnt that apple cider vinegar is good for digestion disorders such as heartburn and acid reflux. However, I take apple cider vinegar to lose weight and to maintain my weight. If the liquid apple cider vinegar is too sour for you try taking it in pill form. I take 2 pills twice daily. Do drink plenty of water and you'll be happy with the results.
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Actually eating papaya helps too.
"Scientists have learned that papayas are loaded with papain which is an enzyme that breaks down hard to digest protiens."
Try it!
I wouldn't know about Papayas. I haven't had heartburn once since I wrote the article. Not once.
Thanks, I will try it, odd that more acid helps though.
I'll have to try that. If found that when I lost weight the heartburn went away, but after I gained some of it back it looks like the heartburn comes back some as well.
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many different fatty foods will cause heartburn pain
My latest blog post: Heartburn Foods
I have chronic heartburn…my doctors tell me it is because of a combination of my chemotherapy for a previous cancer and GURD that runs in my family. I am only 24 and Im scared of heartburn it effects me…Im willing to try anything thanks
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My spouse suffers from terrible heartburn. I am going to try this trick and see how it works. Thank you for sharing it with us – you might be onto something there!
I have suffered from heartburn since 2002,I always try to find natural remedies for heartburn.so I will try this trick later.
My latest blog post: 5 tips to cure your heartburn
I haven't ever tried it but I think I should. Thanks for the information.
-Mini
Love the page, i write about natural remedies on my own blog(http://www.natural-fix.com), going to subscribe.
This may be the way to stop heartburn naturally.Let's try it!
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whoa this is weird, isn't vinegar acidic? maybe it's some sort of bodily feedback effect, like when you add more vinegar it causes the body to respond in an anti-acidic way. in contrast when you take a tums, it does the opposite and makes the heartburn worse. just a theory.
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Thanks, I will try it, odd that more acid helps though.
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Great Article. Too many people are quick to jump to modern medicine when there is natural cures out there.
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You should do a followup on this article. And spend more time on natural cures.
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