PROTON-PUMP INHIBITORS: QUESTIONS & ANSWERS Last week I posted Avoiding Acid Reflux with Lifestyle Changes.  I related how I was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and my doctor prescribed a proton-pump inhibitor—brand name Prilosec—as an anti-acid medication.  I took it for several weeks and by also following some anti-acid-reflux lifestyle changes have not had a recurrence. But another reason I stopped taking my proton-pump inhibitor (PPI) was hearing that PPI usage was linked to dementia; newer studies have however contradicted this association. I’ve now read that GERD affects some 20% of Americans; and that this estimate might be low,...