This mainstream book is hopelessly out of date. The cure for acid reflux is more acid, not less acid. This fact was discovered more than three decades ago and has been championed by Drs. Wright, Leonard, and Chartrand ever since. It all comes down a graph given as Figure 1-1 in the Wright book, which states:
"Contrary to popular belief, stomach acid secretion tends to decline with advancing age. This graph shows mean stomach acid secretion from the second decode to the eight decade. Adapted from K. Krentz, et. al., 1984."

In other words, your stomach produces less acid as you age. Acid reflux (AR) occurs when the valve at the top of your stomach fails to work properly. According to Dr. Wright, that valve closes in response to the difference between the pH in the esophagus and the pH in the stomach. The stomach has a pH as low as 1.5, while the esophagus probably has a pH of about 7.0. As Dr. Wright pointed out and even Dr. Lamont admitted, stomach acid provides a necessary barrier to organisms that might infect the intestines. Few foods and few drinks have acidity that low and I know of none that have a pH less than 1.5. Blueberries have a pH of 3.3 and cranberry juice has a pH of 2.3. The upshot: acidic foods are unlikely to make your stomach more acid than it naturally is. Recommendations to avoid acid foods are bogus. There is a whole industry surrounding the stomach’s failure to produce enough acid as we age.

Now to the book… Dr. Lamont does a nice job of presenting case histories of his patients and the various treatments that generally fail to cure AR. The usual treatments involve “proton pump inhibitors” such as Prilosec and Nexium (check the ads for old timers on your 6 o’clock news). Like Tums and other acid reducers, these will work for some people. You would still have reflux, but it would not be acidic because you thereby destroy the acid your stomach produces naturally. One thing Dr. Lamont fails to emphasize: Proton pump inhibitors are not to be taken indefinitely because of serious side effects, so they are not a cure. Some of his treatments are drastic (e.g., operations to tighten the esophagus).

Now, let me tell a little anecdote about myself. At least a decade ago I was diagnosed with AR. I noticed the problem when I tried to swallow relatively large multivitamin pills. It got so bad that I thought I had throat cancer and was a goner for sure. The diagnoses included the usual Barium test (positive) and the endoscope of the esophagus (positive, showing reddening due to acid irritation). I was prescribed Prilosec, which I used for awhile. Then, a friend mentioned Wright’s book and how he was cured by using the recommend HCl pills. I took the 650 mg pills daily, slept with a pillow under the mattress and AR was history for me.

Back to the book… I was surprised that Dr. Lamont failed to mention that it is best for those with the AR condition (it is really not a disease) to sleep on their left side. This increases the elevation between the top of the stomach and the top of the esophagus, making it difficult for acid to travel upward enough to irritate your esophagus. He recommends elevating the head by using a wedge. I did not find that comfortable—an extra pillow under the mattress works just fine.

He does recommend that you not overeat. Excessive food dilutes your natural stomach acid, making it difficult for the esophageal valve to receive the proper acid differential signal. Along this line, also remember that any extra pressure on the stomach will tend to push against that valve in spite of the proper acid differential. Also, forget about all that nonsense about not eating spicy foods. I use Sriracha sauce everyday without any problem—as long as I don’t overeat. If you do overeat and/or are overweight, expect to be revisited by spicy foods.

All in all, I cannot recommend this book for anything other than some background reading on stuff your doctor probably will regurgitate to you anyway. I do recommend Wright (inexpensive) and Chartrand (free). In this matter, it is extremely important for you to think critically. Untreated AR causes inflammation that can cause cancer.

References

Krentz, K., and others, eds., 1984, Gastrointestinal tract disorders in the elderly: Edinburgh, Churchill Livingstone, 62-69 p.

Chartrand, M.S., 2014, Overcoming acid reflux: Righting what's upside down, DigiCare Monography Series [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236647500_Overcoming_Acid_Reflux_Righting_What's_Upside_Down].

Wright, Jonathan, and Leonard, Lane, 2001, Why Stomach Acid Is Good for You: Natural Relief from Heartburn, Indigestion, Reflux and GERD, M. Evans & Company, 285 p. ( )