Natural Remedies for GERD

GERD. Acid reflux. Heartburn. Silent reflux. Whatever you want to call it, the feeling of acid crawling up your throat is no fun. 

While medications can help with the symptoms, many are turning to natural remedies for GERD to see if they can kick the problem for good. 

The thing is, heartburn isn’t something that normally goes away by using medication to suppress the acid. In order to get rid of reflux, we need to find out what’s causing it in the first place. 

From poor diet to changes in bowel habits, food sensitivities, microbiome imbalances, and even stress, the causes of GERD are unique to each individual. For that reason, tackling reflux needs a personalized and customized approach.

Ideally, seek professional help to come up with a tailored plan that addresses your root causes and symptoms. But in addition, these simple, non-medication approaches may help get your symptoms under control as you work on figuring out the root cause of your reflux in the first place.

Remember, these are simply approaches to consider. And what may work for one person may not work for another.

*The information here is not intended to treat, diagnose or cure any condition. Please talk with your healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet or supplements.

What is GERD?

The official diagnostic term, GERD, stands for gastrointestinal esophageal reflux disease. But we also know it more commonly as heartburn or acid reflux.

All of these terms refer to a condition in which the esophageal sphincter, which provides a “door” so to speak between our lower esophagus and stomach, weakens and opens when it shouldn’t. 

This allows acid to go up.

Most of the time you can feel acid reflux when it’s happening. But sometimes the acid goes unnoticed, a condition called silent reflux. 

In either case, the constant contact of acid with the esophageal cells and throat can cause irritation and inflammation. 

Short bouts of GERD are usually not harmful, but ongoing, long-term reflux should be addressed and corrected.

Medications can provide short-term relief, but natural remedies for GERD along with lifestyle changes may be needed to clear up the problem for good.

Symptoms of GERD

The symptoms of acid reflux can be many. 

Symptoms can include:

• Burning sensation in the upper chest or throat
• Feeling a lump in the throat or needing to swallow and clear your throat frequently
• Difficulty swallowing
• Feeling acidic liquid moving up into the throat or having a sour taste in the mouth 
• Developing a raspy voice
• Frequent need to cough

If you have one or more of these on a frequent basis, consult with your healthcare practitioner to assess if you have GERD or if these problems are stemming from something else.

Causes of GERD

The weakening of the esophageal sphincter is what allows acid to move upward and cause the symptoms we usually associate with reflux.

This weakening may happen with age, structural issues such as a hernia, or genetics, but it’s also common when extra pressure is applied to the abdomen. 

This pressure can result from weight gain or pregnancy, but also when our food doesn’t digest and move down the digestive tract in a normal fashion.

Slow or altered digestion can result from many different factors. Stress, poor diet habits, and imbalances in the microbiome can lead to lowered acidity in the stomach, less production of digestive enzymes and slow motility.

Any or all of these can result in GERD. Bleh.

GERD: The Basic Recommendations

If you are reading this, you probably have tried all the first-line natural remedies for GERD to no avail. But I would be remiss if I didn’t at least provide a quick mention … just to make sure you covered all the preliminary bases. 

Spicy foods, acidic foods, large fatty meals. Try to avoid all those and see how your symptoms fare. Harvard Health provides a good overview of what foods and beverages to avoid.

Additionally, eat less processed foods in general. Switch to mostly whole foods (and ideally high fiber choices) for a week or two and see how your symptoms respond.  What is a whole foods diet? Mayo Health Clinic gives a good explanation. 

And if you are a rapid eater, try s-l-o-w-i-n-g way down. Giving your body more time to digest may help you process food more efficiently and reduce that unwanted upward pressure.

Weight loss may be another strategy. Reducing weight slightly, especially from the mid-section, can lessen pressure on the esophageal sphincter and hopefully reduce symptoms. This is more a long-term strategy given weight loss doesn’t occur overnight, but it’s something to work towards.

Reducing stress can also be hugely helpful. How? High stress levels alter our digestion and may even cause imbalances in the gut. Calming down can help keep food moving and our esophageal sphincter shut tight. The tricky thing is, stress is not an easy one to simply get rid of. Like weight loss, this should be part of a longer term strategy.

Lastly, consider testing for H Pylori or Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE).

H Pylori is one of those annoying little bacterial overgrowths that can hamper your digestion in one of two ways. It can affect the cells that regulate gastric acid secretion in such a way that they overproduce acid, OR alternatively underproduce. In either case, this can lead to GERD. 

EoE is an autoimmune condition where the cells of the esophagus become inflamed. This can trigger mild or intense GERD symptoms. Your doctor can test to see if you have this condition and offer treatment suggestions. 

Diet can have a huge impact on EoE as well. See our recent blog post on EoE to learn more about this condition and if it might be triggering your reflux. 

You’ve tried all of these? Ok, read on for additional natural remedies for GERD. I guarantee you will find new ideas here that could help conquer your symptoms for good.

Increase Acidity (yes, increase)

I know, this seems counterintuitive. Give acid when you already feel overly acidic? 

The thing is, in some cases, the stomach is underproducing acid, a condition called achlorhydria. When not enough acidity is produced, food doesn’t digest well. Some might say it feels like food just sits in their stomach. 

Poor digestion adds extra pressure on the esophageal sphincter that allows what little acid and other digestive juices there are to move upwards. 

How to fix it? In this case, adding acidity may be the answer.

I like to start with apple cider vinegar in most cases. Just mix 1 tbsp in 3-4 ounces of water and drink with each meal. See if your digestion improves over time. 

If this isn’t strong enough, I’ll often have my clients move to hydrochloric acid capsules. Taking somewhere between 2-4 pills with meals may provide just enough digestive support to provide relief. 

When considering either of these natural remedies for GERD, please use in conjunction with a knowledgeable practitioner who can guide you on how to use these aids and for how long. They are often recommended with other strategies as part of a comprehensive GERD management plan.

Bitters & Digestive Enzymes

Besides acidity, the general output of digestive enzymes may be affected. Whether it’s from something like H. Pylori or some other gut imbalance, our digestive enzymes can be affected.

Thankfully, while we hunt down the root cause, we have a few tools that can help.

Digestive bitters are a great option. Not only do they taste good (in my opinion) and are easy to use, but they are known to be very effective at increasing the production of digestive enzymes, bile acids, and other gastric secretions. They are like a one-stop shop for overall digestive support.  

To use, add bitters as directed in water and drink before a meal. 

Additionally, straight-up digestive enzyme supplementation is another consideration. I like using a multi-enzyme product to cover all the bases. In most cases I advise my clients to take 1-2 pills with meals and see if things improve over time.

Enhance Intestinal Movement – Prokinetics

Pro-what? This may be a new one for most, but prokinetics are one of the lesser known approaches to helping with general reflux.

I’ll try to keep this simple, but normally, all day long our intestines are doing various types of movements to keep food, bacteria and any other matter moving down through the system in an organized fashion.

This helps with proper absorption of nutrients, keeping bacteria down in the colon, (where they should be), and helping with regular elimination.

When peristalsis is not happening as it should (either too fast, too slow, or not at all), this can lead to issues such as diarrhea, constipation, indigestion, and even gastroparesis. 

Cue prokinetics. These helpful aids stimulate the intestines to do the work they want to do.

There are several pharmaceutical prokinetic options available that can be described by your doctor. But, the cool thing is that we have many natural, over-the-counter prokinetics as well. 

Many herbs, such as ginger, artichoke extract, and other blends, have powerful prokinetic effects. 

One of my favorite herbal blends is a simple product called Ibergast.* You can easily find this product on Amazon. Before you add this to meals, however, consult with your doctor to make sure none of the herbal ingredients are contraindicated for you.

*This is an affiliate link where I may earn a small commission if purchase from here.

Probiotics

Adding some good gut bugs to the mix is another possible natural remedy for GERD. The theory is that by adding beneficial bacteria, you crowd out “bad” bacteria and help improve the digestive process. 

The end result is less upward pressure, which equals less reflux.

And studies seem to back this up. Lactobacillus and bifdobacteria species seem to offer the most benefit, but I usually recommend of good blend of beneficial bacteria for my clients.

Spore-based probiotics also show promise in studies. These are probiotics that are designed to withstand stomach acid and get down in the lower gut. There they release their spores that can more easily colonize in the gut. 

But please, don’t take probiotics if you aren’t sure you need them. My first comment is always, if your gut isn’t broke, don’t fix it. 

Adding new bacteria to the gut is not without risk. If you feel like your overall digestion is normal, try other methods first. 

But, if you think your gut is off balance and could benefit from probiotic therapy, talk with your trusted healthcare provider before starting. The type, timing, and dosage can make a big difference.

Test for Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth (SIBO)

SIBO is another HUGE contributor to symptoms of reflux. SIBO is a condition where unwanted bacteria migrate into the small intestine and begin wreaking havoc on your digestion. Symptoms often include changes in bowel habits, bloating, abdominal pain, burping, acid reflux, and general indigestion.

For a good overview of SIBO and how it differs from IBS, check out our recent article on the topic.

The key here is that SIBO often causes a lot of gas and bloating in the upper GI, and … you guessed it … that adds pressure. 

For some, diagnosing and resolving SIBO is the overlooked step to getting rid of reflux for good. 

If you think you might have SIBO, talk with a gastroenterologist, naturopathic GI specialist, or even a GI-focused dietitian like myself to see about testing.

Breath testing is the most common test for SIBO, but some practitioners will treat based just on symptoms alone. Certain stool tests can give us clues too. 

Treatment options vary, from prescription antibiotics to over-the-counter herbal therapies. Check out our article on herbal options to learn more.

But each plan is individual, so never start a SIBO protocol without professional guidance. 

Test for Food Sensitivities

Lastly, there could be inflammatory food triggers that are causing your reflux. A condition called intestinal permeability, aka “leaky gut,” can allow foods and the immune system to interact.

This interaction may cause the body to mount a response to certain foods. Over time, some may notice annoying digestive symptoms pop up that seem to correlate with food, but it’s often too hard to figure out which ones are the problem.

Elimination diets can help, but these are merely guesses. Sometimes we get it right, say by removing gluten or dairy, and sometimes those common triggers are not the problem. 

Cue food sensitivity testing. 

In my practice, we use the Mediator Release Test (MRT) as our sole means of uncovering tricky and hidden food sensitivity reactions.

To learn more about MRT and how it works, read our recent blog post that goes more in-depth on the process and procedure.

Basically, the test allows us to form a customized, anti-inflammatory diet plan that helps heal the gut and allows all foods to become our friends again. And with that, many often notice their symptoms of reflux diminish dramatically.

And, if someone has a diagnosis of EoE, I have seen the MRT diet plan work wonders there as well.

While I don’t normally turn to MRT first when working with clients with GERD, I do certainly keep it in mind if other methods are unsuccessful, or if the client already has a history of known food sensitivities. 

Uncovering food sensitivity reactions can be just one more piece to the puzzle when it comes to dealing with pesky reflux for good.

Final Thoughts

Chronic GERD can be a tough issue to resolve. There are many potential pieces to the puzzle, and rarely does one strategy alone work.

If your reflux has not been responsive to traditional approaches, considering natural remedies for GERD can be a great next step in figuring out how to help and heal your digestion.

If you have been suffering with GERD for a long time, don’t give up hope. I have seen many clients kick their reflux for good by working through some of the suggestions offered here. It takes time though, so don’t expect results overnight.

If you need a partner to help you walk through this, please reach out!

Additionally, I am happy to pass along referrals to some of my favorite gastroenterologists and naturopathic GI specialists for overall management.

You don’t need to do this alone. Make this the year you say goodbye to acid reflux!