Start with what food you are eating. Dairy, wheat, soy, sugars, soda, coffee, mint, fried foods, and processed foods can all contribute to heartburn and reflux. Eating a more paleolithic diet of vegetables, nuts, seeds, healthy meats, and healthy fats is recommended. In addition food, optimizing digestion is also important. Most cases of heartburn are actually due to not enough stomach acid. The lower esophageal sphincter is regulated by adequate acid levels. When there is not enough acid the sphincter opens and allows the contents from the stomach to bubble up into the esophagus, which does not have the protective coat of the stomach, so we feel pain and burning. Stress reduces stomach acid levels. Deep breathing with the exhale being twice as long as the inhale puts us in a parasympathetic rest and digest state and increases acid production. Cooking our own food (not with a microwave), smelling when it cooks, and thinking about what we want to eat all increases acid digestive function. Sitting down and relaxing, not driving or watching TV or reading while we eat optimizes digestion as well. Drinking fluids between meals, not with meals is also important. Drinking fluids with meals dilutes the stomach acid. Drinking 2 tsp of apple cider vinegar in 2-3 oz of water 10 min before meals can help stimulate digestion. Most of our digestion occurs in the small intestine by pancreatic enzymes. It is the stomach acid entering the small intestine that stimulates the pancreas to release these enzymes. When we are in a fight or flight/stressed state most of the time, as many Americans are, it inhibits our digestive physiology leading to symptoms like heartburn and burping.