This is a guide to getting rid of your acid reflux naturally and for good in as little as four weeks!
I based this guide off of my own experience. After being on prescription antacids for over 5 years I was determined to find another solution. In my mind, I knew that my body could deal with it on its own, and I felt that the blockers just weren’t allowing my body to heal itself. So, like you, I did a ton of research online for natural remedies and committed myself for four weeks to a trying variety of remedies that I found.
These are the exact steps I used to get off my antacids in four weeks. I wasn’t looking for a way to “manage” my acid reflux, I wanted to heal my body and obliterate my acid reflux.
After those four weeks, I did not need to rely on any medication (prescribed or natural) to get me through the day. I was back to eating whatever I wanted without worrying about heartburn. I don’t have to eat a special diet anymore. I allowed my body to heal and while I still choose to eat relatively healthy foods – acid reflux is not an issue in my life anymore.
Who Is This For?
This guide is intended for people who take daily antacids (prescription or over the counter) and can’t skip a day without a crazy amount of heartburn.
If you’ve been diagnosed with GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease) or have persistent acid reflux more than twice a week this guide will help you find relief.
If you only have heartburn occasionally there are tips in here that may help you much faster.
Obviously, everybody is different and you will need to adapt this guide to your body’s specific needs, but use this as a starting guide. As always, you should consult with your doctor before making health changes.
Discloser: I am not a trained health professional. All articles are based on my own experience and opinions. Please consult with a health professional before making lifestyle changes.
How To Get Rid Of Acid Reflux
Quick Links To Each Week Of Your Transition Of Antacids
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Week 1 Of Getting Rid Of Acid Reflux
What to do
Take Your Prescription Down By Half
If you’re anything like I was, you’ve been taking a prescription or some sort of antacid every single day for quite a while (it was 5 years for me). And if you skip a day it’s an awful experience (I would miss work because of it!). If you’ve read about my experience you know that my doctors kept increasing my dose year after year, even though the bottle literally told me you shouldn’t take it for more than two weeks. So I had to ask myself – if most people only need this for 2 weeks why have I been on it for 5 years? I’m not a fan of taking mediation that simply puts a bandaid on the problem instead of fixing the problem. So I turned to natural sources, which included ditching my prescriptions.
I’m not going to ask you to stop taking your medication cold turkey. In fact, stopping quickly may cause more problems than it will help. What I did was take half my dose for a week. I was taking two pills so I cut it down to one. During my first week, I would feel heartburn during the day, but I used some of the next steps to work through those moments. By the end of the week, I felt like I was managing well one just that one pill.
So, take your prescription down by half for this week and use the next steps to fight through any acid reflux or heartburn you may feel during this time.
Apple Cider Vinegar Shots
This week you’ll want to start taking Apple Cider Vinegar twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. By now I’m sure you’ve heard of Apple Cider Vinegar, and maybe you’ve tried it. This is wonderful for acid reflux but needs time to make a difference.
During my four-week cleanse from my prescription I mixed about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (you want to make sure to get one with “The Mother” like this bottle) in 8 oz of warm water with a bit of honey in it.
My doctor told me that the warm water will be more soothing and would make it feel like tea.
Yup, it’s gross. But it works. The honey in the mix really helps cut the taste and can actually increase the healing aspect.
If you can’t stomach drinking it, try these apple cider vinegar capsules. I use them every once and a while nowadays, mostly for their health benefits. They have a strong smell of apple cider vinegar, but if you swallow them quickly there’s no taste. This could be a more convenient option for you. This is the one I use and recommend.
I’ve seen those apple cider vinegar gummies lately, and honestly – not a fan. They’re full of sugar and extra ingredients. And you’d have to take a ton of them to get the same amount of apple cider vinegar. If you need to take a pill, use the ones I linked above.
Take Slippery Elm When You Feel Heartburn
This was a GOD SENT to me. I thought it was a really weird supplement at first, but it’s actually a really great natural alternative to acid blockers.
They come in capsules and don’t have a taste. In my first week I would take one of these anytime I felt any heartburn or acid reflux. I just kept the bottle in my bag for whenever I needed it. It provides really quick relief. When I was doing this cleanse that relief only lasted half a day or so, and then I would take another one as needed.
Nowadays I keep a bottle around for those times that I eat a ton of sugar or get really stressed and have a bit of heartburn. I take one or two capsules and it’s gone in a flash and doesn’t return quickly at all.
Here’s the one I use and recommend.
What to eat
During these four weeks, you’ll want to be eating a really simple – mostly bland diet. This will help your body heal faster, but don’t worry – it won’t last forever.
As far as what not to eat, that will depend on you. If you know certain foods bother you, like dairy, sugar, or nightshades like peppers and tomatoes – avoid those. If you aren’t sure here’s a quick list of the common foods that trigger acid reflux. You may consider avoiding all of them or focus on the ones you know cause pain.
Foods To Avoid:
- Dairy products
- Gluten products
- Coffee
- Soda
- Garlic
- Onion
- Peppermint
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Fruit juices
- Chocolate
- Fatty foods
- Spicy Foods
- Raw veggies (these can be hard on your stomach lining)
If you’ve never done any sort of elimination diet that may seem like a lot – but there are plenty of yummy foods you can eat during the next four weeks. When I did this I was in college and mostly focused on cheap simple meals. I would pack everything in my backpack and take all my own food everywhere. Here’s an idea of what I ate:
Breakfast: Oatmeal (overnight oats, low sugar), Eggs (plain, no onions, peppers, or cheese), vegan protein shakes, smoothies (with acid reflux happy fruits like berries)
Snacks: Bananas, cooked vegetables (no raw veggies)
Lunch/Dinner: Cooked Chicken with rice (or cauliflower rice), Fish, Potatoes, broth-based soups like a chicken noodle (not tomato soup or anything tomato-based), lunch meat and crackers
Now I’m a super boring eater and during this time was on a very limited budget and was desperate for relief, so eating chicken every day wasn’t a problem for me. However, if you need a little more variety here’s an idea of other foods you can eat.
Foods To Eat:
- Bone broth
- Cooked veggies
- Kefir
- Kombucha
- Avocado
- Pumpkin and other squashes
- Chamomile Tea
- Tuna
- Eggs
- Lean meats
- Beans
- Nuts and seeds (if they don’t bother you)
Acid Reflux Friendly Recipes
If you need some more ideas about what to eat during this transition, check out these links. You can also check out my Acid Reflux Meal Plan which has over 50 recipes and meal ideas to help you during your transition.
Acid Reflux Friendly Smoothies
Acid Reflux Friendly Breakfasts
Week 2 Of Getting Rid Of Acid Reflux
Adjust Your Antacid Dose Again
So at this point, you should have an idea of how well you’re doing with half your dose of antacid. If you’re still struggling, stick with what you’re doing. If you feel like you can manage it at this point, try taking it to every other day. So you’ll be doing half your original dose every other day (at this point I was taking one pill every other day).
Again, everybody is different. Your body might be responding really well and you can get to this point much quicker. Or your body may need some extra love and you stick with week 1’s plan for another week. Listen, breathe, and do what’s best for you.
Have Slippery Elm And Apple Cider Vinegar On Hand When You Need It
At this point in my cleanse I was keeping the bottle of slippery elm with me and taking those as needed. But I found that they took a little to kick it as I decreased my antacid dose. So I started mixing apple cider vinegar in a water bottle and keeping it with me (a couple tablespoons to the bottle of water, as much as you can handle). When I would feel the “heat” rise, I would take a big sip (as much as I could stomach, like a vodka shot lol). This seemed to help me get relief right away as I waited for the slippery elm to take effect. In time my body started reacting more quickly to the slippery elm, but drinking apple cider vinegar throughout the day was really helpful.
I continued to drink apple cider vinegar in the morning and evening as well, but it was helpful to sip on it throughout the day as well. If you’re taking the capsule, just take them during the day as needed just like the slippery elm.
Try Aloe Vera Drinks
This week, I want you to try something new if you still need more relief. Aloe Vera Drinks. Yes, they’re pretty weird, but they don’t taste as bad as apple cider vinegar and can provide a cooling effect pretty quickly if you’re in desperate need of relief. You can find these at most grocery stores and I’ve even seen them at the gas station. If you can’t find them near you try a health food store like Whole Foods.
I didn’t love it enough to keep trying it and found better success with the apple cider vinegar and slippery elm, but I want to give you another tool if you need it.
Week 3 Of Getting Rid Of Acid Reflux
Try Cutting Your Antacid All Together
This is it! This is the week I stopped taking my antacid altogether. If you think you’re ready to take the leap – do it! I used more slippery elm this week in place of the antacid like I’ve talked about, so don’t feel like you just have to suffer through it. I definitely felt more acid reflux this week, but I felt I could manage it with my slippery elm and apple cider vinegar in my water bottle.
Again, if you don’t feel ready to take the leap, wait. Listen to your body and go at your own pace. Just know at some point you will have to deal with the not-so-fun parts to finally kick it, so don’t want too long. If you haven’t cut your dose to every other day maybe try that this week.
Use Slippery Elm And ACV When Needed
Just like last week, take the slippery elm when needed, keep a bottle with apple cider vinegar in it for when you need it, and continue to take the apple cider vinegar in the morning and evening. If you liked the aloe vera drinks from last week and they help, keep those handy as well.
Add Turmeric To Your Diet
This is another trick I want to introduce to you. It doesn’t have as much of an immediate effect as apple cider vinegar and slippery elm, but over time it will help.
I have a turmeric superfood blend I throw in my smoothies, this makes it really easy and I don’t taste it at all. The one I highly recommend is this one from Your Super!
Personally, I love all the powders from Your Super, they’re really high quality and super clean. The turmeric powder is also a stress reliever – which is the main root of my acid reflux so it’s like a double punch!
Want to give Your Super a try? Use this link to save $10 on your first order of $50!
I also like ordering juices from my local juice shop that have turmeric in them. I wouldn’t recommend the juice cleanses from the grocery store, I’ve never found one of those to be quite as good as my local shop. If you’re not from Utah do some research to some similar shops and see if they have an option for you!
You can also use the seasoning in dishes like stir fry or with baked chicken. Adding this a few times a week will really help with inflammation that tends to cause acid reflux.
Week 4 Of Getting Rid Of Acid Reflux
Yay! You’re Off Your Antacid!
By this point, you should be completely off your antacid. If you’re still easing up on it try and take the next step and keep those slippery elm pills and apple cider vinegar handy. Still having really bad heartburn? Take another look at your diet and make sure you’re not eating anything to trigger your acid reflux (especially coffee and soda).
If your diet is good another trigger could be stress – that was the main trigger for me in addition to certain foods. If you think that may be the case try and take something off your plate – Delegate. I know, it’s a scary word, but it’s good for your health I promise. We’ll talk more about issues like this in a little bit too. Keep reading.
Add In Probiotics
Now that you’re off your antacid and starting to feel better you’ll want to add a probiotic to help your body continue to heal. You can do this sooner – I just added them in later so I wanted to present it in the order I did it. A good probiotic will help heal and fortify your body to prevent inflammation from happening again which is most likely the root of your acid reflux.
Here’s my favorite probiotic I recommend.
Add In Omega Supplements
Another supplement I recommend for long-term relief is Omega. This is especially important if you don’t eat fish very often. I really like this omega supplement because it has zero fishy aftertastes.
Future Weeks
Your Pace
Well, you’ve made it through the four weeks! (at least you’ve read through it) At this point, you may find yourself still easing off your medication. That’s ok. Like I’ve said, listen to your body and go at your own pace. Everyone is different and is going through different things. I really hope these tricks work as well for you as they did for me. If you haven’t reached total relief yet I urge you to keep at it, be patient and keep trying. Your body was not designed to be dependent on an antacid, you got this!
Establish A Supplement Routine
Adding supplements to your daily routine will help maintain inflammation and allow your body to balance your stomach acid better. You’ll want to specifically take a high-quality probiotic, a magnesium supplement to fight candida yeast which can be a major cause of acid reflux.
Add Foods Back In
At this point, you’ve hopefully been avoiding certain foods. Now is the time to slowly introduce them back in. You may find that you can eat dairy without any problems but nightshades still bother you. If it bothers you, take some slippery elm and continue avoiding it for now.
Other habits you may have to evaluate:
My acid reflux was caused by inflammation. The root cause of my inflammation was stress. So basically I would get really stressed out, inflammation would occur, and then food would bother me and cause acid reflux and a whole other load of issues.
Giving my body the chance to heal itself allowed me to work backward, reducing the acid reflux, and then using probiotics and other supplements to reduce inflammation. But solving the root issue of stress was something that has taken me a long time to sort out (and I’m still working on it).
This may be a similar situation for you. Can you identify the root cause of your acid reflux? Typically it’s inflammation. So what’s causing you inflammation? I recommend taking a deep look at your body and lifestyle to determine what’s causing this. Once you’ve done that these four weeks won’t be in vain. If you can adjust what caused this problem in the first place it’ll never come back.
Here’s a list of things that commonly cause inflammation that you might take into consideration:
- Stress
- Weight and overall health
- Habits such as smoking and drug use
- Food allergies such as dairy and wheat (which are often results of inflammation as well)
If you still feel like you’re dealing with a lot of inflammation after getting off your antacids you may need to focus on these deeper issues while you allow your body to heal. I hope to write soon about how I’ve come to tackle my own deeper issues and reduce inflammation. Until then, please feel free to email me at simplynoelblog@gmail.com – I’d love to chat and be your support during this transition!
If this method works for you please come back and let me know in the comments! I’d love to know how this is helping others just like me.
If you have any questions about this process please drop a comment or shoot me an email at simplynoelblog@gmail.com.
Happy Healing!
Hi! I’ve been dealing with acid reflux for awhile. I’m refusing meds. I’ve done the acv before, but maybe I didn’t give it enough time to work. How long did it take for you? I will gladly drink it forever if it takes away the acid reflux. Thanks!
I made up a water bottle of it and sipped on it whenever I felt the heat rising for about two weeks. But everyone is different so I can’t guarantee what your experience would be.
What kind of omega do you take? Take acv with water everyday even you don’t have any symptoms? Also take acv capsules everyday? Whenever you feel better, can you eat normal food or still strict with food? I can’t live without chocolate!!! When it comes back to my life again?!? Haha
Here’s the link for the current Omega I’m taking a really like. I only supplement with acv (liquid or capsules) when my acid reflux is really bad. For me, it was more of a way to help heal my body than suppress my acid reflux. For the most part, I can eat regular foods now, but if I feel really stressed or overdo it on one of my trigger foods I’ll need to take some slippery elm capsules to prevent acid reflux. At this point, if I do have a flare up I can manage it within a few hours with slippery elm capsules. As far as when you can get to that point it really depends on your body and how it responds to the different supplements and dietary changes you make. For me, it was a few weeks till I could eat regularly but for others, that time period may be longer or shorter.
Thank you for sharing! I am dealing with acid reflux for the first time being more chronic and I believe it is stress related due to some stressful life events. I cannot get rid of it, the reason I have researching and came across this. I can’t wait to try the 4 week plan, I do not mind eating whatever you suggest as it hurts to eat much right now. Thanks again!!
You’re so welcome! I hope it goes well for you!