Q. I’ve been suffering with a constant swollen sore throat due to acid reflux. I’ve been on several different acid-suppressing drugs that worked temporarily and then stopped working.
Today I tried ginger candy to soothe my throat and it’s working. Have you heard of ginger helping with reflux symptoms?
A. Ginger has a long-standing reputation for soothing stomach disorders. Chinese sailors have used it for motion sickness for at least a thousand years, and many readers have found it helpful for upset stomach. Several years ago, we heard from a reader who discovered a cinnamon-ginger drink helped her heartburn:
“My reflux became really bad when I stopped hormone replacement therapy. Acid suppressing drugs worked great, but after two months I couldn’t stop them without the heartburn recurring.
“One night, I took colleagues to dinner at a Korean restaurant. Someone ordered Persimmon Punch, a concentrated cinnamon-ginger drink, for dessert. A few sips later, I felt fantastic. After a month of adding 3 tablespoons of the cinnamon-ginger drink to my tea morning and night, my heartburn was in control.”
