Conventional medical treatment options for heartburn or GERD are directed toward symptom relief and include a variety of acid reducing medications that are often taken on a regular basis. These medications can have adverse long-term effects including an increased risk of fractures, pneumonia, kidney disease, vitamin deficiencies and dementia. Over time medications like proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) radically affect food and nutrient absorption and can cause additional digestion problems. In Naturopathic medicine, we strive to treat the root cause of heartburn or GERD without also causing nutrient absorption issues and other drug reactions. Rather than giving regular antacid medicine to take every day…