Acid reflux.
Most chronic reflux is a sphincter problem, not a too-much-acid problem. PPIs help short-term — and create new issues long-term.
The sphincter, not the acid.
The lower esophageal sphincter (LES) is supposed to keep stomach contents in the stomach. When it weakens or relaxes inappropriately -- from food triggers, hiatal hernia, low stomach acid, or pressure from above -- contents reflux up into the esophagus and burn.
Here is the counterintuitive part: chronic reflux often comes from too little stomach acid, not too much. When acid is low, food doesn't break down. It sits, ferments, and produces gas that forces the sphincter open. The acid that follows is the symptom you feel, but the low-acid environment that started it is the real problem.
PPIs treat that symptom while compounding the underlying issue. Suppressing acid further can worsen digestion over time and is associated with new problems -- B12 deficiency, bone loss, increased infection risk, and microbiome disruption. Many people arrive after years on medication with the reflux still present and new concerns stacked on top.
Functional medicine flips the script. Instead of assuming too much acid, we test for the actual cause -- low acid, H. pylori, SIBO, food triggers, and inflammation -- and treat that. Not the symptom. The cause. That is what makes a lasting resolution possible for patients across Jacksonville and Orange Park.
Does this sound familiar?
Address the actual cause.
Five years of PPIs, and the reflux was still there
A real estate agent in Jacksonville came to our team after five years on proton pump inhibitors. Five years. The reflux was managed, barely, but she had developed new problems: bloating, nutrient deficiencies, and bone density concerns -- all documented side effects of long-term PPI use.
Here is what nobody had told her. Her reflux was not caused by too much stomach acid. It was caused by too little. When stomach acid is low, food doesn't break down properly, so it sits, ferments, and produces gas that forces the lower esophageal sphincter open. The acid goes up and it burns. The PPI was making the underlying problem worse while suppressing the symptom.
When our providers tested for the actual drivers -- acid levels, infection, food triggers -- the picture finally made sense, and there was a path to resolve it rather than manage it forever.
Why the acid keeps coming up
The standard explanation is that you make too much acid. For most people, the reality is more nuanced and often the reverse. Several root causes tend to appear together: low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria), H. pylori infection disrupting acid production and the gut lining, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth creating upward pressure.
On top of those, food sensitivities can trigger inflammatory responses in the gut, chronic inflammation can impair how the lower esophageal sphincter functions, and stress can shut down digestive enzyme production. Each of these is testable, and each points toward a different, targeted fix rather than a one-size blanket of acid suppression.
How long until the burn stops
Dietary changes can reduce symptoms within the first one to two weeks. Infection eradication and gut healing typically take six to eight weeks as the terrain recovers.
A full PPI wean-off, when appropriate and medically supervised, is a gradual process, usually eight to twelve weeks, and we monitor every step so the taper is safe rather than an abrupt withdrawal that triggers rebound.
Related conditions we look at
Reflux rarely travels alone. Because the same gut environment drives multiple symptoms, we frequently evaluate for leaky gut, food sensitivities, and SIBO in the same workup.
Addressing those shared root causes is often what turns a stubborn, medication-dependent case into a resolved one, and it is why our approach starts with testing rather than another prescription.
Questions, answered.
Stop managing the symptom.
A 30-minute consult to find why the sphincter is failing -- and the protocol to actually resolve it.
Book a reflux consult