In this episode, Dr. Spencer Payne, a rhinologist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine, shares his journey developing RefluxRaft, a natural, alginate-based reflux therapy, with host Dr. Ashley Agan.

First, Dr. Payne describes how his research interests and father’s premature death spurred his interest in functional medicine. Wary of side effects associated with conventional reflux medications, he teamed up with fellow UVA faculty member and laryngologist Dr. James (Jim) Daniero to develop RefluxRaft, a natural dietary supplement. Starting from his initial concept, Dr. Payne delves into challenges marketing, manufacturing, and distributing RefluxRaft. He then explains how RefluxRaft uses alginates to combine with stomach acid and form a gel-like “raft” that stops movement of acid into the esophagus. The episode concludes with an overview of how to dose and order RefluxRaft.

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SHOW NOTES

00:00 - Introduction
03:45 - Holistic Approaches to Medicine
06:46 - Functional Medicine Perspective on Reflux
08:54 - Dietary Modifications for Reflux Patients
17:07 - The Development of RefluxRaft
20:00 - From Concept to Prototype: The Kitchen Lab Experiments
20:57 - The Business Side: Marketing, Manufacturing, & Logistics
27:21 - The Product: Understanding Alginates & Their Benefits
36:29 - The Future: New Flavors & Holistic Reflux Therapies

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RESOURCES

Dr. Payne’s UVA Profile
https://med.virginia.edu/otolaryngology/faculty/spencer-c-payne-m-d/

Dr. Daniero’s UVA Profile:
https://med.virginia.edu/otolaryngology/faculty/james-j-daniero-m-d-m-s/

RefluxRaft: Natural Reflux Relief:
https://refluxraft.com/

RefluxRaft YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@refluxraft