In the natural course of human events, your stomach secretes hydrochloric acid (HCl), which works hand in hand with the protein compounds called enzymes to digest practically any food you can toss down your gullet. As a secondary benefit, HCl does a fine job of knocking off many potentially harmful bacteria that ride in on the food.

Many people worry that prescription drugs for heartburn or reflux reduce the amount of acid in their stomachs to the point that they won't be able to digest food properly. Although these prescription drugs do slow the natural HCl secretion, the stomach never completely stops secreting HCl. As a result, you always produce sufficient stomach acids to digest your foods.

Note: OTC antacids have no effect on acid secretion; they neutralize stomach acids, making them less irritating to your esophagus.