Alternative Therapies for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease

Therapy	Best Evidence *	Probably Useful †	Least Evidence ‡
Herbals	Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL), 380-760 mg t.i.d./ac.	Caraway; lemon balm; raspberry tea; white wine (increases gastric emptying).	Oregon grape, yellow dock, wormwood.
Diet and Nutrition/Lifestyle	Lactase (for those with lactose intolerance); lipase (pancreatic insufficiency); weight loss; small meals; don't lie down for 2 hr after a meal; elevate head of bed 6 in; avoid foods that promote reflux, like alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, onions, spicy foods, peppermint.		Proteolytic enzymes; vitamin A up to 25,000 IU/day; vitamin C 500 mg t.i.d.; vitamin E 100 IU t.i.d.; zinc 20 mg/day.
Alternative Systems of Care		Acupuncture; ayurveda.	Homeopathy: bryonia 6C q 30 min for 2 hr; carbo vegetabilis 6C q 30 min for 2 hr; lycopodium 6C q 30 min for 2 hr; nux vomica 6C q 30 min for 2 hr.
Hands-on Healing Techniques		Osteopathic manipulation.

^*Therapies with the highest degree of scientific support for efficacy and safety.
^†Therapies that are often helpful but that do not have the highest degree of supporting evidence for efficacy and safety.
^‡Therapies that may be useful but that have limited scientific evidence for efficacy and safety.
NOTE: C denotes the number of times that a substance is diluted at a ratio of 1:100.
SOURCE: Sierpina, VS: Integrative Health Care: Complementary and Alternative Therapies for the Whole Person, F.A. Davis, Philadelphia, 2000.