Throughout “history” many have felt that GERD is a lifestyle disease under patients’ control. As such, numerous dietary and lifestyle modifications continue to be advocated as important in therapy of GERD and sometimes aggressively “pushed” on patients (
Table 9-1). Lifestyle and dietary modifications are based on physiologic data that certain foods, body positions, tobacco, alcohol, and body mass index (BMI) contribute to an increase in transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations, reflux, or both. In addition, certain drugs have been documented to…