There are several things a person can do on their own to treat GERD symptoms. One of them, if they are overweight, is they can lose weight. That’s a known contributor to reflux disease. If they smoke, that is also a contributing factor. If they’re eating late at night and going right to bed, giving themselves about three hours before lying down can help. Certain things in their diet, like excessive caffeine and alcohol, can be at least reduced substantially. Those can get a patient started to see if they can manage some of the symptoms themselves. Additional things, there are over-the-counter products such as Pepcid, Zantac, Prevacid, over-the-counter Prilosec and Nexium. Those all can be taken as directed by the package, which is typically once a day. If symptoms come back after the short use of these medications, that’s another reason to see their physician or a gastroenterologist for further evaluation.