GERD/ASTHMA...natural treatment

I'm asthmatic and think I have GERD.  Have tried a couple PPI's.  I've had astham since childhood and was able to control/manage with meds.  Last 3 months I've had tight airways in the upper chest/throat, doesn't respond to meds.  I took to the internet as Dr's weren't getting me anywhere.  A lot of people  have found relief from GERD symptoms from using apple cider vinegar and water...some additional things too.  I am trying them now.  Search it on internet.  A lot of people swear by it....when we are desparate we will try anything.  I am on day 3..and I am breathing good.  Why don't doctor's every recommend this?  Has our medical field turned into a mirror of politics and $$$ controls everything???  (drug companies)  Very frustrating.

[Flycaster305]

Taking a couple of PPI's isn't going to help GERD symptoms.  They have to be taken over a two week span, and exactly as prescribed.  In my opinion, asthma and GERD aren't directly related.  I suppose anxiety over GERD symptoms could trigger asthma, but don't think there are any blockbuster studies that would suggest GERD and asthma are related.

There are many causes of GERD, and many remedies.  Be careful being an internet doctor, I've lost two family members from that mentality.

[overit4now]

I too have GERD and Asthma. They were both diagnosed at the same time and I feel that they are related. In my research i have read that when GERD is bad you can actually aspirate small amounts of stomach acid causing inflammation and asthma symptoms in the lungs. Even when my peak flow meter reads fine, I feel like it's hard to breathe when my GERD is bad. I think it's great that you are looking for alternatives but be careful as Flycaster warned. If your body is not responding to the PPI's, then you may have other issues that need to be address. I hope it woks for you. I have read about ACV and the benefits. This is my understanding- ACV is acidic and can bring on or worsen GERD symptoms. According to my allergist vinegar in general can trigger an asthma attack. Even though ACV is acidic it will actually alkalanize (sp?) your body's system and lower you overall pH. So my take on this is- bad for the belly ok for the body. I recently switched to a very low acid diet and ACV is on the do not eat list. I hope this works for you. Let me know. My experience is the most doctors will not offer natural remedies. You need to see a naturpath or similar type of professional but you really want to be sure exactly what you are treating before you go this route.  Good luck!

[overit4now]

I just wanted to follow up this discussion. I am wondering how the ACV is working for you. I wanted to let you know that in my search from natural cures for tonsilitis I can across a great resource for natural remedies and ACV is the top rated cure for reflux. For my virus, I took this along with cayanne, tumeric and garlic (no no's on my low acid diet) but needed to kick out this virus ASAP several times a day. It did seem to bother my reflux some but that could be the garlic and cayanne. What was intersting is that for the past few days I have stopped all PPI's (for some tests) so I thought the reflux would be REALLY bad but it was not any worse than normal with PPI's (which never seemed to work much anyway). Also my breathing has not felt this clear in many months. It is as if someone removed a layer of gauze in my throat and I can take a clean clear breath now. Intersting. I think after my upcoming tests I will try ACV routinely for a few weeks and see what happens.