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Call it a "home remedy" or a "life hack", this simple solution dramatically reduced my acid reflux. [1]

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Date: 2022-12-22

Baking soda, a common household product, with many practical and money saving uses including baking + cleaning + face scrub + tooth scrub + and now a gargle to reduce symptoms of acid reflux and the related post nasal drip that sticks in your throat.

I’ve never posted a diary like this but when one stumbles upon a practical, affordable, effective solution for a very common problem, I can’t help but want to share it.

Let me say up front that I am not a medical professional nor is this medical advice. This is a simple, practical home remedy using a 100% natural, proven, safe baking product most people have in their kitchen. This solution may provide someone else much needed relief from the notorious acid reflux, Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD), silent reflux aka Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR) and the obnoxious related post-nasal drip that sticks to the back of your throat that you have to hack and clear constantly that can at times make it hard to swallow.

Also for the record, I want to say that I do not work for nor have I ever worked for any baking soda manufacturer. This is absolutely not an ad for nor a sponsorship of any brand of product.

For decades, as long as I can recall, I have struggled with a mild to moderate form of acid reflux. Not the severe variety that gives you painful heartburn or that requires a medical diagnosis plus prescription from a doctor to attempt to manage, just the annoying variety that after a heavy meal or certain foods, I’d get reflux; the increasingly annoying “burp ups” of my food up into the back up into my throat and mouth. On and off I have tried over-the-counter treatments such as Tums, Pepcid, Pepto-Bismol, to gain relief but have always been concerned about the long-term health risks of taking these products too regularly.

Recently, the frequency and severity of my reflux episodes had increased and my throat was getting burned, irritated, and my post-nasal drip was constant and frustrating. My reflux situation was getting harder to ignore and I was beginning to think I might need to breakdown and go see a doctor about it, dreading our ridiculous co-pays and high prescription drug costs that result from our crappy medical insurance. And who knows the long term side effects of whatever medication I might be prescribed. Managing high blood pressure, I dreaded the thought on being on yet another medication. Could they interfere with each other? Would it solve the problem or create a new one?

(This dovetails into the greater political problems associated with our dysfunctional American for-profit medical care and for-profit medical insurance industries which are very expensive leaving many people to suffer with aliments because they literally don’t have the resources: time and money to go get treatment for chronic medical conditions. But, before I digress, this diary isn’t about that, it is about the amazing powers of baking soda.)

I had read all the other “home remedies” to help manage my acid reflux: eat smaller portions, avoid dairy, avoid spicy foods, avoid greasy fatty foods, avoid carbs, don’t lay down after eating, don’t eat three hours before going to bed, avoid alcohol, avoid caffeine, blah, blah, blah. Not that these aren’t helpful suggestions but done together daily as a whole, they literally suck the joy out of life because for me, eating and drinking are the source of some of life’s greatest joys. Eating and drinking are among our most natural, frequent forms of socialization, fellowship, community ... sharing good food together with family and friends is a joy. Too many limits on food and drink stifle that joy.

I searched online about acid reflux and was discouraged that everything was either pointing to going to a doctor and getting on prescription-strength proton pump inhibitor such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec) etc or pointing to a bunch of supplements that just seemed sketchy and pricey.

Then on TikTok, I saw a post from a lady who recommended making a baking soda solution to spray into the back of your throat. Not having a spray bottle handy, I realized that gargling is as good as if not better at coating the back of the throat than spraying, so I tried it and was amazed. So, here is my version of her solution:

THE SIMPLE SOLUTION TO REDUCE ACID REFLUX SYMPTOMS:

½ cup of warm water

¼ to ½ a teaspoon of any brand of baking soda (typically $1.75 for a small box)

stir vigorously until baking soda is dissolved

take a sip, tilt head back until you look at the ceiling, gargle for 10-15 seconds, spit it out in the sink

repeat the process, sip + gargle + spit out until all the baking soda water is gone

Optional step: swallow the last sip of the mixture so a tiny bit of baking soda goes to your stomach. Sidenote, more is not always better because if you drink too much baking soda it can give you diarrhea, which for some could be a natural solution for constipation. Baking soda is amazing but don’t over do it. Just like salt or many other baking ingredients, less is more, moderation is key.

Rinse out your mouth by drinking a small glass of regular water.

That’s it. My reflux is almost completely gone. I can’t believe how simple + effective this is. My burp-ups of food are almost completely gone. My post nasal drip is dramatically reduced. In my research I read that the nagging post-nasal drip that clogs up your throat is a symptom of reflux due to the reflux spraying small amounts of stomach acid up into your sinuses, aggravating them and causing them to over produce mucus that drips down the back of your throat that you have to hack and swallow to clear it out.

My husband is also having very good success with this gargle for his chronic hack. Not as dramatic of results as me but he isn’t doing it as consistently as I am which is once daily after dinner which was always my worst meal that triggered my reflux. I use the word “was” because again, my reflux is essentially gone. I no longer need pay $40 a month to use some supplement, nor pay out of pocket to go see a doctor and get a pricey prescription because the problem no longer exists.

If you are seeing a doctor for reflux, GERD, LPR, sinuses drip, please consider discussing gargling baking soda with them. Again, I am not a medical professional and this gargle is not medical advice. Much like my mom’s home remedy advice of gargling salt water to ease a sore throat (next sore throat I will try this same baking soda gargle), likewise this is a simple, safe, home remedy that has strong potential for reducing symptoms of acid reflux.

Everyone is different, it may not work for you or you may not like gargling or you may not want to try anything that wasn’t first recommended by your doctor, but if this post helps one person then it was well worth my time to post it. There is nothing to lose, no risk to trying it and if you get half the relief I have gotten then it is well worth the try.

As big meals and over indulgence of the holidays are about to commence, I hope in the spirit of caring and sharing that this post helps someone out there. Please consider sharing this home remedy with someone you know to help them manage their acid reflux + post nasal drip symptoms and gain some well-deserved relief.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/12/22/2143351/-Call-it-a-home-remedy-or-a-life-hack-this-simple-solution-dramatically-reduced-my-acid-reflux

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