The Reflux Company

09/15/2026

MedTech Oktoberfest

Our team is heading back to Houston's thriving MedTech community for the Houston MedTech Oktoberfest, hosted at Arnold Brewing Company.

Ball PhD, CEO & Founder of The Reflux Company, will be representing us this year — connecting with MedTech leaders, investors, and innovators building the future of the industry right here in Houston.

As a company born from innovation in reflux diagnostics and therapy, we're always glad to be part of this community. If you're attending, come say hello — we'd love to meet you!

🔗 https://zurl.co/I9dTf

Annual Bavarian‑inspired MedTech conference featuring insightful discussions, German‑style music, and Kölsch service in Houston’s largest craft brewery and beerhall campus. This conference offers a distinct environment designed to create memorable relationships across the MedTech ecosystem.

09/11/2026

We focus so much on our day-to-day concerns, but on days like today, we pause in remembrance of September 11, 2001.

Twenty-five years ago, our nation experienced a tragedy that changed us forever. We remember the nearly 3,000 lives lost, and honor the victims, first responders, service members, and everyday heroes whose courage and sacrifice we continue to carry with us.

We will never forget.

09/10/2026

Our team is growing, and we couldn't be more thrilled! 🎉

Please join us in welcoming Sutherland-Field our new Sales and Marketing Intern here at The Reflux Company!

A recent UCLA graduate, Sarah brings a fantastic mix of advising, team leadership, and youth program development experience — including her work as an advisor for the teen mentorship program, Appa Health.

We're so excited to see what Sarah brings to our team — welcome aboard!

09/07/2026

This Labor Day, we're thinking about the people behind the work. 🇺🇸

To the clinicians, staff, and teams who show up every day for their patients — and to everyone whose work often goes unseen — thank you.

Wishing you a restful, well-earned holiday.

09/04/2026

A quick note as we head into the long weekend 🇺🇸

Our office will be closed Monday, September 7th in observance of Labor Day, and we'll be back to normal on Tuesday.

Wishing everyone a safe, restful holiday weekend — we'll see you next week!

09/01/2026

FAQ: Can you diagnose LPR from symptoms alone?

It's tempting to assume that classic symptoms — chronic cough, throat clearing, hoarseness, globus — reliably point to laryngopharyngeal reflux. But the evidence says symptoms alone can't tell you who actually has it.

In a study of 167 patients tested for these exact complaints, 43% had completely normal pH studies — meaning nearly half of the people who looked like textbook LPR cases had no measurable reflux at all.

More telling still: when researchers compared the patients who did have reflux against those who didn't, there was no significant difference in their symptoms, symptom duration, or severity scores. Hoarseness, sore throat, globus, cough — none of them distinguished the two groups. You simply couldn't tell who had reflux by how they presented.

The clinical implication is real: treating empirically based on symptoms alone means a meaningful share of patients are managed for reflux they don't have — while the true driver of their symptoms goes unaddressed.

That's the case for objective measurement. In this study, pH monitoring was performed with the Restech Dx-pH system — giving clinicians a way to confirm whether airway reflux is actually present before committing a patient to a treatment path.

Beaver ME, Karow CM. Clinical utility of 24-hour pharyngeal pH monitoring for hoarseness. J Laryngol Voice. 2012;2(2):60-63.

08/27/2026

Can NERD patients get off their PPIs — and be happier for it?

Nonerosive reflux disease (NERD) makes up a large share of GERD cases, and many of these patients respond only partially to PPIs — or simply don't want to stay on them long term.

A 2020 observational study compared the Stretta® procedure to continued PPI therapy in PPI-responsive NERD patients, following both groups for 6 months (28 Stretta, 21 PPI):

📊 Complete PPI cessation: 82% with Stretta vs 52% with PPIs (P=.03)
📊 Patient satisfaction: 89% vs 57% (P=.02)
📊 LES pressure rose meaningfully after Stretta (9.7 → 14.2 mm Hg) but was essentially unchanged on PPIs (P

08/24/2026

How is Gastroparesis managed?

There's no one-size-fits-all approach — management looks different for everyone, and often takes some trial and error to get right.

Common strategies include:

Dietary adjustments — smaller, more frequent meals and easier-to-digest foods are often the first step
Medications — some help move food through the stomach, while others help control nausea
Treating the underlying cause — for example, managing blood sugar when diabetes is involved
Nutritional support — in more severe cases, to make sure the body gets what it needs
Ongoing care — working closely with a care team to adjust the plan as symptoms change

Living with gastroparesis isn't easy — but with the right support, many people find ways to manage their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Learn more on the iffgd website: https://zurl.co/Altfg

The treatment for gastroparesis in an individual depends on the severity of symptoms. Treatments are aimed at managing symptoms over a long-term.

08/21/2026

Behind our work in reflux diagnostics and treatment is a group of people we're proud of — and we've added a team page so you can get to know them: our leadership, our backgrounds, and the experience guiding what we do at The Reflux Company.

Meet the team: https://refluxcompany.com/our-team/

Our Team Key Team Members Thomas Ball, PhD Founder & Chief Executive Officer Thomas Ball is the Founder and CEO of The Reflux Company and an experienced medical device executive with a track record of commercializing reflux technologies across international markets. He founded The Reflux Company in....

08/19/2026

What does Gastroparesis feel like — and how is it diagnosed?

Because the symptoms overlap with so many other conditions, gastroparesis is often missed or mistaken for something else. That's part of why diagnoses can take so long.

Common symptoms include:

Nausea and vomiting — sometimes bringing up food eaten hours earlier
Early fullness — feeling full after just a few bites
Bloating — often with visible abdominal discomfort
Loss of appetite — which can lead to unintended weight loss
Abdominal pain — persistent and hard to pin down

How it's diagnosed:

Ruling out a blockage — because gastroparesis is delayed emptying with no physical obstruction, that has to be ruled out first, often with an upper endoscopy.
Gastric emptying study — the standard test, which tracks how quickly food leaves the stomach over several hours.
Additional testing — other tools, like a wireless motility capsule or breath test, are sometimes used.

Getting the right diagnosis can take time — but it's the first step toward answers and relief.

Learn more about it on the iffgd website: https://zurl.co/9wpzM

Symptoms for gastroparesis can include nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain/discomfort, early satiety and reflux. Learn more