Evidence that antacids do NOT always control reflux, a common symptom of food sensitivities

2010 Digestive Disease Week, held in New Orleans, USA

 Donald O. Castell, MD, Director, Esophageal Disorders Program, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA, was invited to deliver a State of the Art Lecture on improving treatment outcomes in GERD patients. He provided insight about why current therapies do not always achieve durable symptom relief. In particular, he suggested that the long-term focus on acid control has been a successful strategy for healing of lesions caused by GERD but it may not be always be sufficient for control of symptoms and that, after the initial great response of 90% initial remission, only 36% maintain remission on proton pump inhibitor therapy.

DALLAS - Nov. 19, 2009 - Contrary to current thinking, a condition
called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) might not develop as a
direct result of acidic digestive juices burning the esophagus, UT
Southwestern Medical Center researchers have found in an animal study.
UT Southwestern researchers report that rather, gastroesophageal reflux spurs the esophageal cells
to release chemicals called cytokines, which attract inflammatory cells
to the esophagus. It is those inflammatory cells, drawn to the esophagus
by cytokines, that cause the esophageal damage that is characteristic of
GERD. The condition is manifested by symptoms such as heartburn and
chest pain. 

 http://www.utsouthwestern.org/digestive