Lipitor and statin drugs are all designed to lower cholesterol levels. Of course they will contribute to GERD, Inflammation, swelling and acid reflux!

The liver needs phosphatidylcholine and several other nutrients to properly process and reduce cholesterol levels. The stomach and intestines need plenty of chloride from chlorophyll molecules and healthy rock salts like Redmonds, himalaya salt, etc, to create proper stomach acid and prevent your intestines from having to work overtime by creating their own hydrochloric acid.

Try increasing your stomach acid levels with a betain HCL supplement with pepsin in it, to increase the breakdown of food faster. This will help reduce the amount of acid reflux you recieve up the throat.

Next, go for a phosphatidyl choline supplement to increase circulating levels of choline in your body. It is important to keep acidity levels in the digestive track high, and choline levels strong to allow bile stones to flow easier out of your liver. Bile flow allows you to keep your small intestines healthy, absorb fatty acid nutrients, and maintain a healthy colony of small intestinal gut flora, while restricting the overgrowth of fermentational gut flora.

Fermentational gut flora like candida albicans generate several byproducts while they have free reign on your food. Many nutrients go lost because of uncontrolled colonies of biofilms (research this on youtube. they're also called FODMAPS/mucosal plaque/related to mycoplasma.) enjoying the friendly atmosphere in the gut, and are not fulfilling the role they are meant to have! Among their byproducts are ammonia, acetaldehyde, and gliotoxin (http://bodyecology.com/articles/cleansing-the-body-of-candida%E2%80%99s-dangerous-toxins ). These help induce brainfog, take a high toll on body energy reserves, influence emotions by taxing the kidneys and liver, and help continue making the body a pleasant place for fungal overgrowth- whether inside the gut, or outside.

These overgrowths in the small intestine can exascerbate feeling bad after eating, with reflux and burps, because they generate gasses and their byproducts and your own bile can be carried back up the esophagus. Healing GERD starts with upping stomach acids and helping the liver break down fatty acids, not suppressing symptoms.

Never the less, a huge help in the arena of bad burps and heartburn pain is sodium bicarbonate (natron, baking soda), 1/2-1 tablespoon in water, taken quickly, but not too often Be very careful when you purchase sodium bicarbonate that there are NO aluminiums in the product!

It is very, VERY important to keep chlorophyll intake high, and not to overload on sodium products, so that your postassium levels are strengthened. So do what helps you, and try not to develop a strong dependance upon sodium bicarbonate. Freshly-pressed lemon juice can also help lower bad burps, because the ascorbic acid (pure vitamin C and other bioflavanoids in the uncooked juice) lowers the fermentation activity in the gut, and lowers inflammatory responces.

That is one of the reasons that a veggie-heavy diet low on easy starchy foods like grains, sugary products, processed milk and pasta often makes people feel much, much better. Their stomach acid levels and bile production is improved, and the bacterial overload on their systems is very pleasantly reduced.

There are several nutrients which speed cholesterol metabolisim, such as folate, methylcobalamine, tri-methyl-glycine, phosphatidylcholine, and many more. Try reading up on each nutrient in turn, the best food sources, and which foods are very high in chlorophyll, choline, and methylcobalamin.

Blessings and may you have a swift, peaceful healing,
-illys