GH (BC, Canada) on 06/24/2025

I had AR for years until I finally stopped and considered the simple mechanics of digestion and modified my behaviour so that I was not interfering with that process. When we eat the stomach produces acid in the volume necessary to digest the food consumed. That acid is also at the necessary concentration to digest the food. When we drink just before or during meals, or just after meals, we dilute the stomach acids to the point where their function is greatly impaired. The body naturally detects this and produces more acid to restore the required acidic concentration. The result, depending on how much liquid is consumed, is a much greater quantity of acid than was needed to digest the food. This requires a commensurately larger quantity of bile to neutralize when the chyme enters the small intestine. When I stopped drinking before, during or until about 30 minutes after meals, my acid reflux ceased immediately and completely and has never returned except on rare occasions when I broke this rule on social occasions. Primitive man not only feasted and fasted, he ate and drank mostly at different times. Give it a try!