Aloe vera could be the cure to your acid reflux problems
Q: You recently answered a reader asking about natural remedies for heartburn. You listed apple cider vinegar and ginger as possible candidates.
I was diagnosed with a hiatal hernia in my late 20s and took various heartburn medications for many years. About 10 years ago, I saw a suggestion that aloe could help. I drank a small glass of aloe juice every evening before bed.
It tasted like it would cause heartburn but actually did the opposite. It worked so well that I started drinking it less often.
Aloe grows readily here in Florida, so I planted some in my yard. I cut off a part of the leaf and eat a small amount of the inner gel. I haven’t needed to take any medication since I started using aloe. While I don’t know if this works for everyone, it definitely worked for me.
A: The clear gel in the center of the aloe vera leaf contains mucopolysaccharides that seem to be calming to the digestive tract. Be careful not to include the outer part of the leaf. It contains compounds that act as strong laxatives.
Two recent studies considered aloe vera in combination with other natural remedies (Internal and Emergency Medicine, Oct. 2020; Nutrition Research, April 2020).
Neither was placebo-controlled, but both suggest that aloe vera may be helpful against reflux.
Q: Zantac helped my heartburn for years when other medications
didn’t. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) like omeprazole caused me serious side effects.
I was very disappointed when Zantac was pulled off the market. Frankly, I’d rather be given the choice to continue with the Zantac than wonder what to do for heartburn.
Yesterday in the drugstore, I saw a product labeled Zantac 360. Are they bringing it back? What’s the deal?
A: The Food and Drug Administration requested removal of Zantac (ranitidine) more than a year ago. That’s because tests showed it and generic ranitidine products could contain NDMA (N-nitrosodimethylamine), a probable human carcinogen. According to the FDA, “The agency has determined that the impurity in some ranitidine products increases over time and when stored at higher than room temperatures and may result in consumer exposure to unacceptable levels of this impurity.”
Zantac was a popular brand name, originally as a prescription antiulcer medicine. Later it was sold over the counter for heartburn.
The drug company that sold Zantac prior to the recall is reintroducing the brand as Zantac 360. This nonprescription heartburn medicine now contains a different ingredient, famotidine. It was originally sold under the brand name Pepcid and is now also available OTC as Pepcid AC. There is no NDMA problem with famotidine.
Q: I just read that some sunscreens are being recalled, including Neutrogena Beach Defense and Neutrogena Ultra Sheer. Does this mean that my Neutrogena face moisturizer (SPF 50) might also be contaminated?
A: The Johnson & Johnson company has recalled five aerosol sunscreens, including Neutrogena brand Beach Defense,
Cool Dry Sport, Invisible Daily and Ultra Sheer. Also included is Aveeno Protect + Refresh aerosol sunscreen. Your Neutrogena face moisturizer has not been recalled.