There are many natural treatments that you can read about that help with the symptoms of GERD–also called acid reflux. One of the common suggestions that you will see is taking raw apple cider vinegar. This approach has a lot of merit as it will often help a great deal.
First, because with acid reflux, you have fermentation and actually low acid in the stomach caused from a yeast or Candida overgrowth, the acidic raw apple cider vinegar helps to change the PH in the stomach. Normal PH for good digestion is between .2 and 2.8, but when the PH rises to 4.0 and above, there will be a rapid colonization of yeast, bacteria and viruses in the stomach–this is not ideal! GERD or acid reflux is caused by fermentation in the stomach from low acid and a yeast overgrowth. So the raw apple cider vinegar can raise the acidity of the stomach to improve digestion and keep yeast, bacteria and viruses in check.
Second, the raw apple cider vinegar contains healthy bacteria like acidophiles that eat the yeast. As the yeast overgrowth disappears, the PH of the stomach will be normalized.
However, raw apple cider vinegar is mostly a symptomatic treatment for GERD and does not address the long-term malnourishment that goes along with any digestive disorder. Malnourishment is a precursor to chronic illness. The only way to truly heal from the nutritional ramifications of having GERD is to eat a diet that is rich in traditional, nutrient-dense foods.
For more information on healing and building health with nutrient-dense foods, see our e-book on healing acid reflux and our book Performance without Pain.
Best in health,
Kathryne Pirtle