Q. My gastroenterologist prescribed Prilosec for GERD. After reading about the negative side effects, I talked with a staff member at my local health food co-op whom I trust.

She recommended DGL licorice extract, digestive enzymes and aloe vera gel. I take the licorice and enzymes before meals and the aloe vera once a day.

I also take probiotics in the mornings. It has worked beautifully for me.

A. Thank you for sharing your drug-free approach to managing acid reflux. DGL, deglycyrrhizinated licorice, has long been recommended to ease reflux symptoms.

At one time, doctors used it to treat stomach ulcers (Lancet, Oct. 9, 1982).

With the development of powerful acid-suppressing drugs like omeprazole (Prilosec), physicians are much less likely to prescribe it.

That doesn’t mean it has lost any ability to help.

Aloe vera gel is another time-honored heartburn remedy. An Australian study found that a combination of aloe vera with other natural products such as curcumin and slippery elm was helpful in alleviating a range of digestive symptoms (Nutrition Research, April 2020).

People who would like to learn more about DGL, aloe vera and other natural approaches to calming heartburn may wish to consult our “eGuide to Overcoming Digestive Disorders.”

This online resource may be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

Q. You have written about the importance of vitamin B12 and medications, like metformin, that might interfere with it.

Older adults (over 50) can lose the ability to absorb B12, even with a diet high in foods that have a lot.

Lack of absorption means that even supplementing can fail to solve the problem. In that case, using sublingual (under the tongue) B12 tablets can work well, since this allows the vitamin to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream via the mucus membranes of the mouth. Research has shown that this approach works as well as injections and is far more convenient and consistent.

Sublingual B12 changed my life. It didn’t take too long for the confusion and other symptoms to abate.

I’m a fan.

A. Suboptimal levels of vitamin B12 can lead to nerve pain, weakness, unsteadiness, depression and confusion, among other problems.

That’s why we stress the importance of checking vitamin B12 levels for people taking acid-suppressing drugs such as omeprazole or esomeprazole. Like metformin, these can deplete vitamin B12 over time.

You are correct that sublingual administration of vitamin B12 is effective.

An Israeli study found that it raised vitamin B12 levels even better than intramuscular injection of the vitamin (Drug Delivery and Translational Research, June 2019).

Q. I don’t have gout, but I have had uric acid kidney stones. I brought my uric acid level down from 7.2 to 6 by drinking cherry juice and eating cherries. I did not take any medication. I have had no further kidney stone problems, and it has now been two years.

A. A meta-analysis found a link between tart cherry juice consumption and reduced uric acid levels (Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Dec. 4, 2019). However, a recent randomized trial in 12 healthy adults did not identify lower uric acid as a result of drinking tart cherry juice (Nutrition and Health, Jan. 28, 2026).

Since you have gotten good results, you might continue your practice.

We do not know why studies are inconsistent in the results of tart cherry consumption on uric acid levels.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 300 W. 57th St., 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”