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If you have GERD -- a common condition that causes symptoms from acid indigestion to chest pain severe enough to be mistaken for a heart attack -- you've probably tried conventional treatments, such as over-the-counter or prescription acid-reducing medications.

But you may not know about alternative treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease. Here are three options. Santa spoiler alert: One treatment will have you stepping away from the holiday cookies.

Take melatonin. Mention this natural hormone and most people think "sleep aid." But research reported in the April 2011 Journal of Pharmacology shows melatonin reduces stomach acid but doesn't block it, as many GERD medicines do, notes Mark Stengler, a naturopathic medical doctor and author of books on integrative medicine. That matters because "you need stomach acid for normal digestion" and "to prevent bad bacteria," he explains. For his adult GERD patients, Stengler prescribes 3 to 6 milligrams of melatonin daily at bedtime; it is not recommended for children and pregnant women.

Cut carbs. Obese GERD patients who cut back their carbohydrate intake to 20 grams a day or less had "a substantial decrease" in acidity and symptoms, reports gastroenterologist Nicholas Shaheen, whose team did studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. In his practice, Stengler has his GERD patients cut back to 75 grams of carbs a day, or about half the average daily intake; if you try this but haven't seen notable improvement in two weeks, he says, carbs are not your answer.

Sleep on your left side. An easy remedy that helps relieve GERD by taking advantage of anatomy and gravity is simply sleeping on your left side, says Lauren Gerson, gastroenterologist at Stanford School of Medicine. Her team's review of research showed that right-side sleeping makes reflux worse. Other research found that stomach sleeping is the worst position for people with GERD because it puts extra pressure on the stomach and a key muscle in the esophagus.

(c) Copyright 2011 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

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