Homeopathy and Heartburn

I'm a long time sufferer of heartburn, and recently I tried the homeopathic remedy of drinking some apple cider vinegar in order to relieve it.To my surprise it worked.My question is, why? Conventional wisdom would say that since vinegar is acidic, and heartburn is caused by excess acid in the stomach, it should worsen it.Does anyone now where I can get some credible studies that pertain to the cause of heartburn? Is it simply directly proportional to the amount of acid in your stomach?I've read some vague statements that sometimes heartburn is caused by not having enough acid in the stomach, which causes indigestion, and the food begins to move up the esophagus (sp?).I've tried google, but since the heartburn industry is so big, it's heart to find sites that aren't just trying to sell you a remedy.

Also, I was thinking this would be a short term topic.

Thread moved here from the Proposed New Topics forum.You could have started the topic directly into the "Short Subjects" forum. - AdminnemooseusThis message has been edited by Adminnemooseus, 10-25-2004 10:28 PM

Yea ya know what, now that I think about it I might just post here for my questions on homeopathic suggestions...
Ok, well this one im not completely sure of but I was watching a paid advertisement promoted by a man with his new book on homeopathic remedies to everyday ailments. The only remedy he mentioned on the air was the INSTANT treatment for heartburn. He said, as you mentioned that heartburn is the result of too LITTLE stomach acids. He then stated that to treat heartburn you have to put more scidic material in your stomach to level things out. He suggested VINEGAR. I actually tried this and it seemed to help although I couldnt get over the acidic taste and was weary of his advice. Therefore, I didn't take much more than a teaspoon full of vinegar, and it still helped a noticable amount. My suggestion: give vinegar a try. If it doesnt seem to work after youve had a few tablespoons..then I might be able to find another homeopathic alternativ for you.

Homeopathy is supposed to work by using substances that induce the symptoms, not by stimulating the causes.While it's pure speculation on my part it is possible that the acidic nature of the vinegar is detected by the tongue and that causes the body itself to try to reduce the acid level in the stomach.Thinking a bit more you might try experimenting with fruit juices to see if more palatable acidic substances will do the trick. (Of course there may be a placebo element and a bad taste could help that :-)This message has been edited by PaulK, 11-11-2004 08:27 AM

Homeopathy refers, as paul said, to a specific kind of quack medicine. Here's an overview:Homeopathy: The Ultimate Fake | QuackwatchRecently the terms "natural" "holistic" and "homeopathic" have all gotten jumbled together in people's minds because none of them have any legal meaning.I think that apple cider to cure heartburn would be considered a "natural" remedy, as it does not fit the actual definition of "homeopathic".Everything I found in a cursory search said that one should avoid acid with heartburn.hmm

Perhaps it is a combination of several things1. Placebo effect: If we are willing to try a "solution" there is at least some measure of belief in its potential effects.2. The body reacting to the acid on the tongue.3. Acetic Acid (vineger) is a weak acid often used as a buffer in acidic solutions and could have changed the H+ concentration in the solution in Justin's stomach.BTW: Home remedies are not necessarily classified as "homeopathic". Now if you had diluted that vineger by 2 or 3 orders of magnitude then it would be homeopathic solution. However, HCl in solution would have been more "spot-on" as a homeopathic remedy.

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