Ep. 156 RefluxRaft: A New Option Beyond Conventional Therapy with Dr. Spencer Payne

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. --- 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 --- 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