Posted in Category : Common Ailments | May 26, 2009

Natural Remedies for Gerd

GERD is commonly referred to as acid reflux. The full form of the abbreviation is gastro esophageal reflux disease. While there could be a vast variety of reasons for this disease, there are a few tried and tested remedial measures you can use to control it. The first and most important one is to control your diet. Keep in mind that the cause for GERD is an excess of acid deposited in the stomach, which then develops a tendency to regurgitate via the esophagus. This can only happen when there is too much of acid in the system. When you reduce this, you will find that the problem is slowly taken care of by itself. To start with, you should begin eating fresh yogurt with every meal. Yogurt contains probiotics, live and active bacteria that can help with neutralizing acid content in the body to a great extent. It will also soothe the burning that typically accompanies the problem of acid reflux. Apples and all products made using apples can be very helpful in dealing with the problem of acid reflux. In particular, chilled apple juice that has been freshly pressed will be very useful. Apple cider vinegar is also a good way of dealing with the problem. Though this sounds contrary, the acid in the vinegar actually helps in neutralizing the acids released by the body. However, this is not a universal remedy. It is one that may or may not work, so you can start by drinking a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar that has been diluted with two tablespoons of water. If this shows positive results, you can continue further and adjust the quantities as per your requirements.

Chewing on fresh mint or wintergreen leaves may also be very useful in dealing with the worst of the symptoms of GERD. You can do this intermittently during the day. Aloe vera juice is also known to be particularly useful in dealing with the acidity. Aloe also has the soothing property of providing cooling relief to your throat and the entire esophageal tract. You should also avoid eating fried and spicy food if you are regularly afflicted with GERD. This will help by not aggravating your symptoms. It is also advisable to drink large quantities of water if afflicted with GERD. This is also very useful in neutralizing the symptoms of severe acidity. If you are pregnant, you should eat smaller and lighter meals.

• • •
Related Topics