Q. Several months ago I went to the ER because of severe chest pain. I thought I was having a heart attack. After some tests they told me it was heartburn.
My highly respected naturopathic doctor told me not to take the heartburn drugs, because they can be hard to stop. Instead, he put me on DGL tablets. I take one twice per day and have not had any heartburn since. I think this would be very helpful for people who do not want to take acid-suppressing drugs for heartburn.
A. DGL is short for deglycyrrhizinated licorice, a natural medicine that can be helpful against heartburn. Other non-drug approaches include chewing gum (to stimulate saliva production), herbal tea, ginger or mustard. You will find more information on these options in our Guide to Digestive Disorders.
Your doctor is right that getting off acid-suppressing drugs can be challenging. Gradual tapering of the dose, along with DGL, ginger or persimmon tea (all found in the Guide) may be helpful. Have your naturopathic doctor monitor your progress to make sure the remedy you have chosen is working as it should.
