Funny thing, a friend of mine just asked me this weekend about some natural solutions for reflux/GERD. I'll just post the reply I sent her:
Regarding your heartburn, it could be that you're consuming too much protein and not enough "green stuff," especially raw, leafy stuff. It takes our bodies a great deal of effort and a great deal of stomach acid to digest animal protein, so making this too high in your diet could lead to heartburn/GERD, as well as over acidifying your body. Our bodies were meant to exist in an alkaline state and making plants (grains don't count!) the primary bulk of our diet helps us raise and maintain our alkalinity. Plant material, especially raw, contains natural enzymes that help break down food and give our stomach acid a break. I think the good guideline out there right now is to make at least half your plate veggies and no more than a 1/3 meat/protein. Just eating straight meat with not much else will be more likely to give you heartburn. Do you use organic coconut oil at all? Swapping some of your protein calories for healthy fats could also help your GERD in addition to give you more energy.
One product I love to take is something called digestive enzymes. My digestion isn't always the best either and I find when I've got heartburn or indigestion or I know I'm about to eat a hard-to-digest food, I can take enzymes and they really help. Papaya chewable enzymes are easy to take, inexpensive and fast acting and you can find them at the health food stores. I usually buy this one or something similar:
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/american-health-super-papaya-enzyme-plus-180-tabs. It really works. Another, stronger product I use sometimes together with that is enzyme capsules that contain a variety of enzymes like protease, lipase, lactase, etc. [which digest protein, lipids (fats) and lactose, respectively]. Source Naturals is my favorite, but there's lots of good ones out there.
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/source-naturals-essential-enzymes-500-mg-240-caps Those aren't as fast-acting since they're capsules, but they do a more thorough job...sort of like TUMS versus a Prevacid capsule. Caroline uses this product as well, and you know it must be good if it helps her!
Another thing that might help you, especially since you're also trying to get your hormones in balance is probiotics. You might consider sampling some naturally fermented veggies like "live" kimchi, sauerkraut or pickles. This would not be the cans or jars you get at the store, as this stuff is sort of "alive" in that it is still actively fermenting, like beer. Bubbies is a popular brand. Natural health stores have it in the refrigerated section and you've got to keep it cold or "burb" it, otherwise it will explode! 😊 It is full of gobs of beneficial bacteria that will help correct the imbalances in your gut that have led to poor digestion, blood sugar issues, etc. The US is kind of unique in that we don't really regularly consume many natural, fermented vegetables...no wonder we have more bowel issues than other countries! There's also this drink called Kombucha which is great, but since you're on the low sugar thing, this might not be the best at the moment. Same thing with kefir, which is sort of a yogurt drink--commercial versions aren't that strong and usually contain loads of sugar, so I don't recommend those. I make my own kefir and if you're interested in experimenting, I could give you some of the "grains" used to ferment the milk.
You can also try taking probiotic capsules which kind of do the same thing and are easier to deal with. You may notice changes in your bowel habits for a short time, but consistent use will result in better regulated bowels. You can talk to someone in your local health food store for recommendations, usually, if you're not sure what to buy. I think everyone is different, as I've tried certain probiotic pills and they either did nothing, or made me bound up or have diarrhea too much, so you may have to experiment. Enzymatic Therapy makes some really excellent products like this one,
http://www.swansonvitamins.com/enzymatic-therapy-pearls-ic-intensive-care-probiotics-90-caps, but they are a bit pricey. You could start with something cheaper and see how it goes.
When I've really got pain in my stomach or esophagus from heartburn or some irritating thing I ate, I use something called DGL. DGL is an abbreviation for a really long name that basically means licorice extract with the blood pressure raising compound removed. It comes in tablets that you have to either chew or suck on because it needs your saliva to activate it. Does it taste good? No, not really. Actually it's rather nasty...especially to me because I really don't like licorice. And it turns my tongue brown, kind of like Pepto. But it sure works when you're really in pain. Somehow, licorice soothes the lining of your stomach. So, it doesn't help you digest your food so much as it just soothes the irritation. I've used this when nauseous and it stopped me from throwing up. Great for when you're trying to sleep!
Another thing that helps when you're hurting is aloe vera juice. Again...not the greatest taste, but this you can at least mix with other stuff. They also make aloe vera pills which I use occasionally when I'm all irritated inside. They also help constipation if you have that problem.
Ginger Chews, ginger capsules or ginger tea helps me sometimes, especially if my tummy is just really feeling wonky all day. Ginger can really get things settled down for you and is also great if you think you're going to puke. I buy a lot of products through the website I keep posting, Swanson Vitamins. Their products are much cheaper than stores and they have really great reviews on their products so you can see how things have worked for others. They also often post the age range of the people giving the reviews, so sometimes you see if people your age had success with something or not.
Sorry, this might have been more than you were looking for! Sorry to ramble on. For more ideas on how to correct your body from GERD as well as other quick fixes I didn't mention, you can check out
http://www.naturalnews.com/035720_acid_reflux_natural_remedies_heartburn.html.
