Digestive

Heartburn and acid reflux

Burning behind the breastbone, often with an acid or bitter taste rising into the throat.

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1. Pick a type

Kitchen, pharmacy, herbs, body & mind — tap any picture tile below.

2. Follow the steps

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3. Tell us how it went

Tap "I tried this" so we can show the next person what works.

Get help if

EMERGENCY? CALL LOCAL EMERGENCY SERVICES (911 IN THE US)

Difficulty or pain swallowing · Unintentional weight loss · Vomiting blood or black stools · Chest pain with sweating or arm pain · Reflux symptoms starting new after age 55

See a clinician for difficulty swallowing, weight loss, or symptoms needing daily treatment for more than a few weeks. Treat chest pain with sweating as a cardiac emergency until proven otherwise.

Start here

The option members rated highest for Heartburn and acid reflux. Not for you? Pick another type below.

Kitchen remedies
Traditional use

No reports yet — be the first

Head-of-bed elevation

What it is
Using gravity overnight to keep stomach contents where they belong.

Why it might help
Consistently recommended in reflux guidelines and supported by trial data.

Within a few nights.

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Or choose from 28 ways to treat this

Tap a picture below to see those options. Everything is listed best-first, based on what members said actually worked.

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Cohorts with fewer than five reports are hidden so nobody can be identified.

Your personalised pathway

Education only

Reading the community data…

Evidence-based approaches

Lifestyle, mind-body, natural remedies, digital health and alternative medicine with real trial support.

Food & drink
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Meal timing and portion control

What it is
Changing when and how much you eat, which often matters more than what you eat.

Why it might help
Late, large meals are a well-documented trigger for reflux, poor sleep and night-time symptoms.

1-2 weeks.

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Daily habits
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Gradual weight management

What it is
Reducing mechanical and metabolic load where excess weight is driving the symptom.

Why it might help
Even 5-10% weight loss significantly improves knee pain, reflux, sleep apnoea and blood pressure.

8-12 weeks for symptom change.

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Daily habits
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Alcohol reduction

What it is
Cutting alcohol, which disrupts deep sleep, inflames the gut and worsens mood and reflux.

Why it might help
Alcohol suppresses REM sleep and worsens reflux, migraine, anxiety and rosacea in a dose-dependent way.

Sleep and mood shift within 1-2 weeks.

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Daily habits
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Stopping smoking or vaping

What it is
Removing the single biggest reversible driver of cough, reflux, healing delay and vascular symptoms.

Why it might help
The best-evidenced single health intervention available for a huge range of symptoms.

Cough improves over 1-3 months; circulation within weeks.

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Daily habits
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Symptom trigger diary

What it is
Systematically recording what happened before each flare to find the real pattern.

Why it might help
Trigger identification is the foundation of migraine, IBS and eczema management in every major guideline.

Patterns usually emerge in 4-6 weeks.

Members-only detail

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Hands-on therapy
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Massage and myofascial release

What it is
Hands-on manual therapy for tissue tension and referred symptoms.

2-6 weeks

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Sleep & light
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Circadian reset: light, meals and wake time

What it is
Re-timing light, food and sleep so your body clock stops working against you.

2-4 weeks

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Home & workspace
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Environment and ergonomics audit

What it is
Change the surroundings that keep triggering the symptom.

2-4 weeks

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Targeted nutrition
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Functional nutrition workup and targeted repletion

What it is
Test first, then correct the specific deficiency instead of guessing at supplements.

4-12 weeks

Members-only detail

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Whole-body therapies
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Whole-person holistic plan

What it is
Stacking several small changes at once instead of testing one at a time.

4-8 weeks

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Mind & body practices
Strong evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Mindfulness and body-scan practice

What it is
Attention training that lowers symptom intensity and reactivity.

4-8 weeks

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Natural remedies
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Probiotic foods and soluble fibre

What it is
Simple natural inputs - light, food, minerals, movement - with real trial support.

2-4 weeks

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Pharmacy medicine
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Over-the-counter digestive aids

What it is
Pharmacy options you can buy today for fast, short-term relief while slower approaches build.

immediate to 1 week

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Physical therapy
Strong evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Physiotherapy-led rehab plan

What it is
A graded, assessed exercise programme rather than generic stretches.

6-12 weeks

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Procedures & surgery
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Clinical procedures and specialist options

What it is
What conventional medicine can offer when self-managed approaches have not worked.

varies

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Talk & behaviour therapy
Strong evidence

No reports yet — be the first

CBT-based self-help programme

What it is
Talking-therapy techniques that reduce symptom impact even when the cause stays.

6-8 weeks

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Heat & cold
Moderate evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Warm abdominal compress (castor oil pack)

What it is
Heat, cold and water therapies that shift blood flow, pain signalling and recovery.

1-3 weeks

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Community-proven solutions

Ranked by what members reported actually worked, weighted by how many people tried it.

Kitchen remedies
Traditional use

No reports yet — be the first

Head-of-bed elevation

What it is
Using gravity overnight to keep stomach contents where they belong.

Why it might help
Consistently recommended in reflux guidelines and supported by trial data.

Within a few nights.

Members-only detail

Plus members see the full protocol, amounts, sourcing, evidence notes and cautions for this approach.

See membership options
Sign in to rate
Natural remedies
Traditional use

No reports yet — be the first

Slippery elm

What it is
A mucilaginous bark that coats and soothes an irritated digestive tract.

Why it might help
Traditional use is extensive; formal trial evidence is limited but it is very well tolerated.

Days to 2 weeks.

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Ayurveda
Traditional use

No reports yet — be the first

Triphala and warm-food agni routine

What it is
Ayurveda matches routine, food and oils to your constitution.

4-8 weeks

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Breathing exercises
Traditional use

No reports yet — be the first

Slow breathing and vagal toning

What it is
Breathing patterns that calm the nervous system and change pain and stress signalling.

1-2 weeks

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Herbs & plants
Traditional use

No reports yet — be the first

Peppermint oil, ginger or chamomile herbal protocol

What it is
Plant medicines with active compounds that target the mechanism behind the symptom.

2-6 weeks

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Kitchen remedies
Traditional use

No reports yet — be the first

Warm water with lemon and a post-meal walk

What it is
Free kitchen-and-bathroom fixes people reach for first.

immediate to 2 weeks

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Experimental & emerging

Early, mixed or anecdotal only. Clearly labelled so you can judge for yourself.

Vitamins & supplements
Emerging evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL)

What it is
Licorice with the blood-pressure-raising compound removed, used for reflux and gastritis.

Why it might help
Small trials support DGL for functional dyspepsia and gastritis symptoms.

2-4 weeks.

Members-only detail

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Devices & wearables
Emerging evidence

No reports yet — be the first

Gut-directed hypnotherapy app and vagal tone tracker

What it is
Digital health and hardware that measures or stimulates rather than medicates.

2-6 weeks

Members-only detail

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Light, sound & scent
Anecdotal

No reports yet — be the first

Reiki, sound therapy or aromatherapy

What it is
Sensory and energy practices. Evidence is thin, but many people report real relief.

immediate to 2 weeks

Members-only detail

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Homeopathy
Anecdotal

No reports yet — be the first

Homeopathic Nux vomica or Lycopodium

What it is
Highly diluted preparations chosen by symptom picture. Evidence is weak - included for completeness and clearly labelled.

2-6 weeks

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Chinese medicine
Emerging evidence

No reports yet — be the first

TCM spleen-support formula and abdominal acupuncture

What it is
Traditional Chinese Medicine treats the pattern behind the symptom, not just the symptom.

4-8 weeks

Members-only detail

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Educational information only — not medical advice. Speak to a clinician before changing any prescribed treatment.