GERD, or heartburn, is not CAUSED by stomach acid. That’s a ridiculous idea that has had the American public buying billions of dollars worth of TUMS, or worse, drugs that block the formation of stomach acid (proton pump inhibitors such as Nexium, Zanax, Protonix, etc) for decades. Stomach acid is critically important not only for proper digestion, but it also sterilizes your food before going deeper into your body, thus acting as a major protectant against infection. Heartburn is caused by an incompetent valve at the base of your esophagus