Natural Way

I have had Chron's disease for nearly 25 years and a few friends I have that also have digestive disorders swear by something called Black Cherry juice.

I also know people who take blue green algae supplements for IBS.

Worth a shot!

HI C.,

Carrie's right about the apple cider vinegar (or any). The cause of the reflux is not too much acid, but not enough of it. The body alternates in being alkaline and acidic. The esophagus is alkaline and the stomach is acidic. Stomach acid is what breaks down foods for it to digest and go to the next stop. When there is no stomach acid, then the food rots, if you will, and ferments and causes issues.

Have you ever left a tupperware container in your refrigerator too long and the food in it spoils (badly)? When you open it, it spits at you. That is because the food has rotted and the gases that are building up from the fernentation process need to escape. That's what happens in the stomach. The gases rise and push on that delicate esophageal valve and burn going into the esophagus. If there is enough acid to break down the food, it continues on it's way through the digestion process.

Prevacid and other antacids actually cause it to get worse because the body is confused. The antacid may relieve the symptom at the time but it will come back with a vengeance. I had this problem and actually went to a Naturopath and he prescribed Betaine HCL with pepsin. That's simply stomach acid. I took it with each meal until my tummy started making it's own. Vinegar or even lemon in water with each meal will do basically the same thing. Avoid processed foods and sodas as the chemicals in them confuse the stomach as well.

There are also complications when food does not digest. Besides the small intestine and colon issues like IBS, colitis, ulcerative colitis, or crohn's, and ultimately colon cancer, lack of digestion can cause kidney stones, eczema and all sorts of issues. If you get his tummy straight now, he should be fine.

Hope I helped!

M.
www.squidoo.com/ifyourbabycouldtalk

We did chiropractic care with our son and he is no longer on medecine! Amazing. Don't just go for one or two visits and think it will be all better you have to give it a little time. Our son was so tight in his upper body and once the body was aligned better he was off his doctor made sleep wedge and and off the medicine, we started him younger so it might take a little longer for your son. But it was amazing. He went from a never happy child to the most smiles and laughs we have a new son now and I love it!

I would start with diet and maybe probiotics. Is he a nervous child. Stress can also be a factor. Has he tried Zantac. It has less permanent side effects and it is cheaper. If you decide to try something herbal, please do research on it. Just remember herbal/natural does not mean safe, especially for a child.

I do want to put in a word about Apple Cider Vinegar. While it is great for reflux (cures mine in an instant!) I would caution you to NOT give your son any tablets. They can erode the esophagus. If you decide to try to give the liquid to your son, try putting it into a cup of warm water to make a "tea" like beverage. I would do about a teaspoon OR LESS per cup of water for a little one.
I use Braggs raw apple cider vinegar.

Have you tried chiropractics? That helped my daughter when she had reflux. We started taking her to be adjusted when she was an infant.

A naturopath is a good choice! I hope you find one that can help your little one.

My husband has severe acid refux, and we try to manage it with diet. Anything acidic, we cut out, orange juice, etc. We buy him pear juice from the natural food section of Hyvee, since pears dont affect him. We also had to cut out tomato products until we discovered that when making spagetti sauce, if you put in a teaspoon of baking soda, it neutralizes the acid. we are gradually adding things back into his diet, now that the reflux is more under control. Here is a website with a list of foods to avoid:
http://heartburn.about.com/cs/dietfood/a/heartburnfoods3.htm

Another thing that really helps him is sleeping elevated at night. We bought him a wedge pillow at Bed Bath and Beyond that lifts him up, and it really helps. He can always tell when he needs a newer, firmer one because he wakes up with the burning.

Try a spoonful of local honey or raw honey mixed with a pinch of ceylon cinnamon (do not use cassia cinnamon...the kind you usually find in the store!) It's a wonderful acid reducer, it's all natural and tasty! I would think your child would eat it up!

Also, try yogurt with live cultures. But the first thing I would do is check for food allergies. I had horrible acid reflux and they put me on meds which made it worse (because the meds reduced the acid in my stomach) and I found that I'm allergic to milk and eggs. Once they were removed from my diet the reflux stopped.

Now when I have reflux from eating something spicy I just eat some honey and cinnamon. It works for me!

I would go to the health food store and get probiotics which are fantastic for the GI tract. I have a smaller than normal esophagus, which is hereditary. My Nana had her esophagus stretched. All of her kids have the problem and I do to. When I was with my family over Christmas and my mom was suffering from heartburn really bad. I mentioned to her that apple cider vinegar was great for the digestion. She tried it and has never had another problem. I know that they have apple cider vinegar tablets for adults. There might be chewables for children because my son takes the chewable probiotics for children. I love the natural remedies because they usually solve the problem and not just put a bandaid on it.