What actually helps with acidity and reflux?

The measures with reasonable evidence: eating smaller meals, not lying down within two to three hours of eating, raising the head of the bed rather than using extra pillows, losing weight if relevant, and avoiding personal triggers, which vary — common ones are very spicy food, fried food, coffee, alcohol, and late heavy dinners. Smoking makes it worse. Long-term daily use of acid-suppressing medication without review is worth avoiding; these are effective but intended to be reassessed. Warning signs needing prompt assessment: difficulty swallowing, unintentional weight loss, vomiting blood, black stools, or anaemia.