While medications can help with acid reflux, complementary and alternative options can provide relief. For example, you might want to consider trying relaxation techniques, acupuncture, or herbal remedies.
Complementary methods work alongside traditional treatments, while alternative therapies replace them. However, there’s limited scientific evidence supporting alternative treatments as replacements.
Always talk with a doctor before trying complementary or alternative treatments. Some herbs and supplements may negatively interact with medications you’re already taking, so it’s important to get medical advice.
Read on to learn more about alternative remedies for acid reflux and GERD.
Acupuncture is a type of traditional Chinese medicine that’s been around for thousands of years. It uses small needles to stimulate healing. Only recently are there clinical trials studying the effectiveness of acupuncture for GERD, so there’s limited evidence supporting this option.
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Electroacupuncture (EA), another form of acupuncture, uses electrical current along with the needles.
Research remains limited in this area, but
Melatonin is usually thought of as the sleep hormone made in the pineal gland. However, your intestinal tract — including your stomach, small intestine, colon, and esophagus — also produces a lot of melatonin.
Melatonin can reduce:
- pain after eating
- pressure on your lower esophageal sphincter
- the pH level of your stomach fluid
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Stress often makes GERD symptoms worse. Your body’s stress response can increase the amount of acid in the stomach and slow your digestion.
Learning how to manage stress can help with these triggers. You might consider trying:
In particular, yoga encourages the relaxation response. It may be beneficial to practice yoga in addition to taking your medications to treat your GERD symptoms.
Hypnotherapy, or clinical hypnosis, is the practice of helping a person reach a concentrated, focused state.
For digestive health, hypnotherapy
- abdominal pain
- unhealthy bowel patterns
- bloating
- anxiety
Current research on hypnotherapy is still limited. However, in
Herbalists may recommend different types of herbs to help with GERD. Examples include:
- chamomile
- ginger root
- marshmallow root
- slippery elm
Currently, there’s little clinical research to back up the effectiveness of these herbs in treating GERD. The current studies are small, low quality, and use small sample sizes, so they haven’t shown that these herbal remedies can actually help with GERD symptoms.
You can take these in their natural form, or as a dietary supplement in a pill or capsule. If you’re taking a supplement, be sure that you choose one from a reputable source that’s been certified by a third-party company.
Always check with your doctor before you take herbal supplements. Even natural herbs can cause unintended side effects.
Baking soda is an antacid, which means it can neutralize acids. Some people take baking soda to temporarily neutralize their stomach acid, providing relief from acid reflux symptoms.
If you want to try this home remedy, dissolve 1/2 teaspoon in a 4-ounce glass of water. However, it’s important to be aware that baking soda can cause unpleasant side effects like gas, bloating, nausea, and diarrhea.
Some of the best treatments for GERD are lifestyle adjustments. These can prevent acid reflux from happening in the first place, so they’re a great place to start.
Here are some lifestyle changes you might consider trying:
- Quitting smoking: If you smoke or use tobacco products, trying to stop or cut back can help reduce your symptoms. It can also lower your risk of other health complications.
- Maintaining a moderate weight: Having a higher weight can put extra pressure on the stomach, which can cause acid reflux. If you have overweight or obesity, making suitable and sustainable changes to lose weight can help.
- Wearing loose clothing: Clothes that are tight around the waist can put extra pressure on your stomach. This added pressure can then affect the lower esophageal sphincter, increasing reflux.
- Elevating your head: Elevating your upper body when sleeping ensures that stomach contents flow downward instead of upward. You can do this by placing wooden or cement blocks underneath the head of your bed.
- Adjusting your diet: Some foods can worsen acid reflux, so avoiding them and paying attention to which foods trigger your symptoms may be useful. Common
triggers include chocolate, carbonated beverages, alcohol, and high fat foods.
Acid reflux is relatively common, and while medication can help, alternative and natural remedies might be a good choice for some people.
You might want to try relaxation exercises like deep breathing, meditation, and yoga. Some people also find that acupuncture and hypnotherapy reduce their symptoms.
However, keep in mind that many alternative remedies are not evidence-backed. Do not use them as a substitute for medication and speak with your doctor before trying any new herbs or supplements.