Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or GERD as it is normally called is a condition that ails the upper gastrointestinal tract. It is a chronic disease in which the stomach contents are backwashed to the esophagus, the long narrow tube that connects the oral cavity with the same. GERD occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter, a valve that controls the passage of food from the esophagus to the stomach, fails to close.