the efficacy of these measures, expert opinion holds that it is reasonable to educate the patient about factors that may precipitate reflux. Antacids, alginic acid, and over-the-counter acid sup- pressants are useful in the symptomatic relief of milder forms of GERD 172, 73, 79]. In the past several trials suggested that effective symptom relief was obtained in the majority of patients taking over-the-counter medication [80, 5.1. Acid Suppression for GERD. Histamine 2 receptor antag- onists (H2RAs) were the acid suppression therapy of choice from the mid-1970s until the introduction of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) into clinical practice in the late 1980s (821