Treating acid reflux naturally is no simple task but is doable with patience and a few home remedies.
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.
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I’ve dealt with acid reflux most of my life and one day decided to finally do something about it. I did my research and tried every home remedy I could until I was finally able to stop relying on daily antacids and let my body heal. You can read what I did here.
If you have acid reflux occasionally there are a few simple things you can try for quick relief. If you’re dealing with more chronic acid reflux then you’ll want to focus on the long-term strategies to treat acid reflux naturally.
Temporary Acid Reflux Relief
Having occasional acid reflux after overindulging, eating too much of your trigger food, or in times of high stress is common. These are my go-to home remedies to get rid of that occasional acid reflux quickly.
Slippery Elm
This is my go-to supplement for acid reflux. I thought it was strange at first but it’s seriously magic! I take 1-2 slippery elm capsules whenever my acid reflux starts to bother me and it handles it really quickly. You can order slippery elm on Amazon or pick it up at your local grocery store or health foods store. You can also consume it as tea.
Aloe Vera
Drinking Aloe Vera can help cool the heat you may experience really quickly. It’s great when you’re on the go or need some immediate relief… Aloe Vera drinks come in a large variety of flavors and you can typically find a few at gas stations and your typical grocery store. For the best selection check out your local whole foods or other natural food/health food store.
Check out more home remedies for acid reflux here.
Strategies to Prevent Acid Reflux in the long run
Chronic acid reflux is a beast to treat but it’s possible. You have to be prepared to be patient with yourself and give your body the tools and time to heal. Because acid reflux is largely an issue caused by poor gut health you need to allow your gut to heal to find relief.
Identify your triggers
First and foremost, it’s really important for you to understand your acid reflux triggers. It could be specific foods or even caused by something in your lifestyle such as stress or lack of exercise (or a combination of everything). Learn more about different triggers and how you can identify yours here.
Get off your daily antacids
This one was HUGE for me. I took antacids every day for nearly 5 years and if I missed a dose it didn’t matter what I ate, everything made my stomach feel like it was literally on fire. Every year or so I would go back to the doctor and they would up my dosage. I was finally fed up when I got a second endoscopy that showed no scarring or inflammation – yet I still felt like death if I skipped a dose.
The more I learned about antacids the more I realized that they don’t actually prevent acid reflux, they just trick your body into not feeling the effects of it.
I knew that my body could handle something this simple and if I focused on healing my stomach I wouldn’t have to rely on antacids and my body could regulate itself.
So I started a journey of detoxing and healing, and it worked! In about 4 weeks I was able to ease off my antacids and heal my gut and stomach enough that I didn’t have acid reflux.
It’s been nearly 4 years since I did that and I only occasionally have acid reflux in times of high stress or when I eat too much sugar. When that does happen I just use some of those temporary fixes and it goes right away!
I’ve created this guide on how to get rid of acid reflux in 4 weeks to help you do the same. If you rely on antacids and want to get off of them in the most gentle way possible be sure to check it out.
Give your body a break
Give your body a break from foods that trigger your acid reflux and follow an acid reflux diet for a few weeks full of foods that help your acid reflux. This will reduce some inflammation in your body and let it heal itself for a bit. The length of your break will depend on your severity but I would recommend at least a week in combination with some of the other long-term strategies covered here.
Focus on your gut health
Like I’ve mentioned, acid reflux is usually a sign of poor gut health. By balancing the amounts of good and bad bacteria in your gut you can reduce a lot of inflammation and in turn heal your acid reflux. Getting off your antacids is step one, but taking care of your gut health is vital. You can do a lot of good following an acid reflux diet, but adding a prebiotic and probiotic is where a lot of your healing will happen. This is my favorite prebiotic and probiotic that you can order on Amazon or pick up at Target.
**2024 update – this is my new favorite probiotic. I find it much more beneficial for me.