Acid reflux makes you outright miserable if you have it. With all this talk about gut health, we can easily miss one problem without digestion: how to neutralize your stomach acid. I came across this issue in my special needs son who was born with super low muscle tone, which affects your body’s digestive muscles as well.
So, when he ate food, beginning at day 1, his body did it slowly. Plus, he couldn’t move very well, so getting him to properly digest was, well, a nightmare. The doctors gave him reflux meds, three to be exact for years. Then, the day came that they didn’t seem to work very well and we had to find another solution.
So, remember, everything I’m going to tell you is from a Mom’s perspective, who walked the journey of when the doctors don’t know what to do…
Your stomach acid 101
Your stomach acid, also called gastric juice, maintains a pH of 1.5 to 3.5. It must maintain this acidity in order to digest proteins in your stomach. If you are eating a high protein diet, it is a must to keep enough digestive enzymes in your stomach to help it break down the food that you eat.
When your body is improperly digesting food, you can end up with acid reflux. Occasional acid reflux can be easily fixed, but chronic acid reflux, also called GERD is actual damage to the mucosal lining of the esophagus and is more challenging. Both can be easily treated with the following natural ideas. Sometimes the meds work and other times they don’t.
As is usually the case, such concerns can be managed at home with a bit of know-how and ingenuity.
You may need to neutralize your stomach acid.
This may mean, adding more sour things if it is too base, or adding more base things if it is too acidic. Both issues can cause acid reflux. For example, if your stomach is too base, you may need to add some lemon juice to water. Or, if your stomach is too acidic, you may need to add kale to neutralize your acid.
Either way, the goal is to neutralize your stomach acid or bring it to the God-given pH level of 1.5 to 3.5.
And, of course, you can naturally neutralize your stomach acid without expensive medications or over-the-counter antacids. There are also tons of natural supplements helping out with this problem.
Natural ways to improve acid reflux
The primary way to neutralize your stomach acid is to simply begin with a glass of water. Tap water tends to have a neutral pH and will neutralize your gastric juices. Or, Adding just a teaspoon of baking soda to water and drinking can also have a similar or better effect.
However, there are times when this does not help and you need a more scientific approach you can try at home. You can eat certain foods, drink teas, take herbs, or even essential oils to naturally neutralize your stomach acid. Raising your acidity (getting it closer to the 3.5 pH level) requires one approach, whereas lowering the acidity (getting it closer to the 1.5 pH range) requires a different method.
Monitoring the foods you eat together and in what order, can help you do this.
And, some may not want to hear this, but you simply may need to change your diet. Food allergies to specific foods may simply cause you to experience stomach upset. You may also be experiencing GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease which may need to be diagnosed by a doctor.
What is GERD?
Simply put, gastroesophageal reflux disease is when your stomach bile comes back up from your stomach and into your food pipe. It may be caused by a floppy stomach valve or some other malformation of the intestinal tract.
A telltale sign of GERD is when there is burning within the chest area caused by bile irritation of the esophagus. Frequently, it takes GERD medications to get the problem under control.
While GERD may be a problem in your family’s life, it certainly is not the actual source of the problem. This can be a trial and error method, I do admit, but it is possible to listen to your stomach’s digestion of foods you eat, and the combinations of foods.
Ways to lower the pH:
- Eat cruciferous vegetables, like kale, cabbage and broccoli.
- Also drink herbal green teas.
- Eat almonds.
- Eat fruits such as bananas, grapefruit, apples, peaches and strawberries. Or, pears, grapes, kiwi, melons, tangerines, and especially papaya.
- Eat lettuce, green beans, celery, radishes, peas and asparagus.
Ways to raise your stomach’s pH:
- Let me emphasize that if you want to raise your gastric pH you can eat junk food, but these are healthy ways to raise your stomach acid’s pH.
- Drink purified water.
- Drink organic, good quality coffee.
- Eat, organic fair trade chocolate without the preservatives and fillers.
- Eat organic whole grains.
- Eat good quality beef and fish.
- Eat cheese or drink buttermilk.
More natural ways to neutralize your stomach acid
If using foods is not working for you, then you can take the following herbs and/or essential oils:
- Turmeric is well-known for its healing gatric influences.
- Peppermint, or other mint tea or oil is another good method for neutralizing your stomach acid.
- Drinking fresh ginger tea or eating fresh ginger.
- Mixing 1 teaspoon of bentonite clay in a glass or water, and drinking it.
- Drinking fennel tea can also assist in helping your stomach acid.
- Lemongrass is another herb which helps to neutralize your acid and can also be purchase as an essential oil.
- Lemon oil in a glass of water also helps acid reflux.
- All natural papaya and pepermint digestive enzyme tablets (found on Amazon)
Kid-friendly ways to stop an upset stomach
Of course, there are plenty of ways to settle your upset stomach. While natural may work for adults, it doesn’t always work for kids. Nasty tasting remedies won’t do much to help them, simply because they won’t even take them in the first place!
My son’s genetic condition keeps him from really understanding when his stomach is upset or nauseated. Usually, it takes reflux or GERD to really get the fact that he is feeling an upset stomach. Sometimes things like this work for him.
Here are some ways to settle an upset stomach:
- Good old-fashioned ginger ale.
- Sprite or 7-Up carbonated beverage
- Crackers
- The BRAT diet: bananas, rice, apples or toast
- Chicken broth or soup
- Pedialite or another brand of electrolyte replacer drinks
- Digestive enzymes (try these natural but tasty tablets)
- Antacid tablets
