I used to self-treat with calcium carbonate (Tums). I was buying Tums at Costco to get the volume pricing. That was just masking the symptoms. Stomach lesions, the underlying issue of gastroesophageal reflux, are not treated just by using Tums.
I have used Prilosec in two treatment iterations. Prilosec does work. You have to use it every day for three weeks for the symptoms to disappear. The symptoms came back eventually, though, all too soon.
I have also used every OTC remedy on the market. The last one I used was Tagamet. That's a histamine H2-receptor antagonist that inhibits stomach acid production. Tagamet always works. But Tagamet is a powerful drug, interacts with other medications, and you're only supposed to take it for two weeks.
A few years ago, I started collecting aloe vera cuttings, and cultivating the plant. There are dozens of varieties.
To treat, I break off a leaf and stick in whatever drink I am carrying around. Aloe is somewhat bitter, so I take it with iced tea with lemon, and the sour of the lemon counteracts the bitter of the aloe.
It took several months, but it did happen. The aloe vera cured my stomach lesions, and my acid reflux. And what's most amazing to me, is that I don't seem to overproduce stomach acid anymore.
I have seen aloe vera in bottles at the market. I've never tried them, and can't vouch for their efficacy. The whole reason I cultivate, it's about something that gets lost in the whole "buy local" fervor. The reason you buy local is because every plant and animal has its own immune system, and a plant that has been cultivated nearby has proven that it can tolerate environmental stresses very similar to the ones you encounter. Air pollution, noise, temperature, all these affect the viability of every living thing. When you ingest a plant that has developed immunity to the same environmental stresses that you face, it helps you.
I wouldn't even recommend trying aloe vera without talking to your doctor. All I know is that it works for me. I trust pharmaceuticals only for treating very specific disorders, and then, only for a limited time.
Originally posted 6/15/15
UPDATE: 1-27-16
At the time of this writing, aloe vera surreptitiously treated another stomach affliction and I just noticed. For years, I would experience cramps in the area between my stomach and duodenum. Even hours after eating, it felt like the food hadn't left my stomach. I would describe it as incomplete emptying. And I couldn't trace it to any one food. It happened one time right after eating a few macadamia nuts. I realized several months ago that I haven't had symptoms of this for at least six months. Whether it's correlation or causation, all I know is I believe this condition has also been cured.
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