Chris Kresser put together a killer series on GERD a while back.

As soon as I went low-carb, I developed a moderate case of heartburn. For several months, it was quite nagging, and I did not know what to do. I took Nexium (PPI) for 3 days, then found Chris's series, and immediately stopped, since that only exacerbates the issue and will never ever cure it.

Honestly, strange as it sounds, the best thing that worked for me was a tablespoon of raw Active Manuka Honey 16+ every day for almost 2 months. I used the Wedderspoons brand that you can find on Amazon.com.

My symptoms improved immediately, and have subsided by about 80-90% from the worst point.

I think I radically altered my gut flora so much when I changed my diet that it shocked my system and threw it off balance. It may be H.pylori, or it may not, but since the honey definitely helped a lot, I suspect that H.pylori had at least something to do with it. Heartburn/GERD is super tricky. Some people are able to nix it quickly and easily. For others, it becomes a very long battle, and can last years if not addressed properly, especially if Proton Pump Inhibitors and antacids are being used to neutralize the stomach acid. This generally provides a safe haven environment for H.pylori to sort of run wild. Ultimately though, I think it's about gut flora, and as I've added several new foods, including very diverse salads and some safe starches (which I had completely cut out for several months in the beginning), my heartburn has really gone down a lot and often times feels completely gone.

Hope that helps.

I would refer you to this Paleohacks previous: http://paleohacks.com/questions/17327/stopping-acid-reflux#axzz1Jo01T8mw

Acid reflux is a condition of not enough acid in the stomach rather than too much. Too little acid causes some of the food to not be digested and then it goes gassy and up comes the gas along with stomach acid.

Put more acid into your body, complete digestion occurs, no more AR.

Tea alone has aggravated my heartburn as well. I would advocate using a non-camellia sinensis plant if you really want a morning tea without a snack or meal. Or just take it with lunch.

Along with the paleo approach, I've started food sequencing or combining - eating food in a specific order - that has done me a world of good and has cut down considerably on heartburn and stomach acid. There is quite a bit out on the internet about it, and it boils down to eating your food in this order:

Fruit

Raw vegetables

Cooked vegetables

fats (avocado, dairy if you eat it)

protein (meat, fish, nuts)

This is based on research done in the 19th century by a Dr. Beaumont done with the cooperation of a Civil War vet named Alexis St. Martin who's gunshot injury to the gut healed leaving a fistula open. Dr. Beaumont was able to observe how the stomach digests food in real time. It seems that we digest in layers and fruit digests the quickest with the other categories following in digestion length. If food is all mixed up, proteins will digest first and the rest will ferment in the stomach. Kind of gross and gas producing.

Also, you mention tea - I am also a tea drinker and in my research on this question discovered that stomach ph is high (basic) in the morning and pouring tea and coffee on it, just creates gas. So, before eating, I drink peppermint tea. It's hot, tasty and doesn't cause the issues that highly acidic drinks do. I drink the acid after breakfast.

This has worked for me. I've never seen anything on this board about food sequencing and the coffee/tea on a basic stomach in the morning, but there is a lot out there on the web about it.

http://www.drkaslow.com/html/food_combining.html

http://www.google.com/search?q=food+combining+chart&hl=en&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=9kGrTeuGKM3UgAfghsjzBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CBwQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=675

http://www.alderbrooke.com/chart.php

http://www.healingdaily.com/detoxification-diet/food-combining.htm

Hope this helps.

I used to take a daily cocktail of Prilosec/Tagamet/Tums, depending on how badly I was hurting and when. No wonder my gut was a mess. After 1.5 years of 80/20 Paleo, I don't take any of those (and haven't for at least 9 or 10 months) and have no heartburn at all. I agree that sometimes the "too much acid" diagnosis is completely incorrect and the opposite is actually the case (too little stomach acid). I take about 750mg of HCL with meals, which I have found to be very helpful. Also, I have added in probiotics to help heal my gut. The only time I ever experience heartburn now is if I eat heavy garlic or allow in some grain based food iten (i.e. corn tortillas). If you do nothing else, stop taking the meds and Tums ASAP. Don't give in to them. They are temporary relief and do far more harm than good to your gut.

Read this book and follow the advice and it will cure you. I had SEVERE heartburn about 5 years ago and was able to cure myself with the protocol recommended in that book. It's counter-intuitive but when you read the physiology of heartburn explained in the book, you will understand why supplementing with HCL (hydrochloric acid), in addition to other things, will help you overcome your problem. Believe me on this one and get the book.