Published 10:34pm Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Tens of millions of Americans suffer with daily heartburn or other symptoms of reflux such as regurgitation, chronic cough, hoarseness and dental erosions. until recently these people faced either lifetime of daily medications and often incomplete resolution of their symptoms or the risks of invasive surgery.Now they have a better option. The new Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication procedure, or TIF, using the innovative EsophyX(r) device, is performed completely without incisions and is now available from Dr. Abbas Syed of the Center for General Surgery at Lakeland Community Hospital, Watervliet.Syed is the first provider in seven area counties to be trained on the TIF procedure.“The TIF procedure can significantly improve quality of life for our patients,” said Syed. “Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is an anatomical problem which needs an anatomical solution. Reflux medication like PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) can help relieve patients’ heartburn symptoms but don’t solve the underlying anatomical problems or prevent further disease progression. in addition, recent studies have shown that long-term use of PPIs can lead to inadequate absorption of minerals such as calcium and can result in bone fractures. after the TIF procedure, clinical trials show that most patients can eat and drink foods they avoided for many years. Reflux no longer impacts their life like it previously did.”The TIF procedure is based on established principles of surgical repair of the antireflux barrier, except that it is “surgery from within” performed transorally (through the mouth).Visit lakelandhealth .org/TIF to learn more.

BELFAIR —Many people have experienced some sort of heartburn in their life. In fact, it is among the leading conditions for which people seek prescription medication to help combat it. once thought to be caused from eating spicy food or overindulgence and only on occasion, it is now happening to people regularly.

There is even a new condition called GERD, or gastroesophageal reflux disease. GERD occurs when food in the stomach is pushed upward into the esophagus, or “food pipe.” Stomach juices consist of acids that break down proteins and enzymes that break down protein, fats and carbohydrates. The esophagus is not designed to handle stomach acid and so when food gets pushed back up into it, it creates that burning sensation.

There is a prevailing philosophy that if you suffer from GERD, your stomach produces too much acid. The problem with acid reducing medications is that the stomach is supposed to be acidic and so the medication causes the condition to worsen with time! Acid in the stomach is needed to break down protein. if the protein is not completely broken down and gets into the blood stream, your body can develop an allergy against that protein. This can cause both food allergies and autoimmune disease.

Yet, here is the bigger problem: Continual irritation of the esophageal lining can cause changes in the esophageal lining, which can lead to a precancerous condition called Barrett’s esophagus. Rates of esophageal cancer are increasing in industrialized nations at a rate faster than any other cancer. This is related to poor dietary habits, stressful lifestyles and lack of physical activity.

Because many people do not know what is causing their GERD or they want the quick fix, they turn to drugs for help in reducing their symptoms.

Drugs used for GERD fall into several categories: H2 receptor antagonists (Tagament, Zantac), proton pump inhibitors (Prilosec, Prevacid) and antacids (Tums and baking soda). all of these decrease the acidity of your stomach. The problem with H2 receptor agonists is that while they relieve symptoms, they may do nothing to stop the reflux.

Proton pump inhibitors do, however, actually stop the production of acid in your stomach. Then, nature takes over and in response to the low-acid environment created by the drug, the stomach secretes large amounts of the hormone gastrin (a hormone that stimulates the proton pumps to create acid). This is another formula for digestive tract cancers, because high levels of gastrin are associated with esophageal, pancreatic and stomach cancer.

All this being said, there are times when the aforementioned pharmaceuticals may be appropriate to treat GERD. Discuss this with your doctor. Get the crisis under control, then start working to get your body healthier and hopefully reduce medications as they are no longer needed.

Below are a few tips to help reduce the symptoms of GERD.

Don’t lie down within three hours of eating. Being vertical allows gravity to help your stomach contents to stay where they belong. Avoid the following: peppermint, chocolate, soda, coffee, tea (herbal teas are OK), smoking, alcohol and bad fats, especially fried foods.

Aspirin, ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), sodium naproxin (Alleve) and other pain pills destroy the lining of your stomach and esophagus. Use these only when absolutely necessary.

Manage your stress! Have your spine checked; spinal problems can cause your body to stray from balance and health and into distress and disease. Lose weight if you’re overweight. The extra weight puts pressure on your stomach contents and can actually “push” the contents back up into the esophagus. (Our office has an excellent weight loss program.)

Eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. these foods contain the vitamins and minerals needed for digestive health. Supplement your diet with fish oil, probiotics and vitamin D for overall health and wellness.

GERD can pose serious risks to your health over time. Don’t wait until it is a huge crisis — your body may be giving you warning signals now.

Carl E. Ehresman II, D.C., C.C.W.P. is a local chiropractor and certified chiropractic wellness practitioner. He may be reached at (360) 275-4401 or go to belfairwellness.com.

gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD also called) is a common disease that afflict modern life. with our usual day to day eating and sleeping irregularities never before has there been so common. the esophagus, which is the vital link to life, conveying food consumed by the mouth to the stomach is to keep pace with a valve or sphincter at a one-way transit of food in the stomach and esophagus if not vice versa. But thisSphincter can sometimes malfunction due to a progressive weakening of the muscles to control it, through years of bad lifestyle, bad diet and other reasons. the sphincter, in such circumstances, the contents of the stomach acid into the esophagus result in pay. the stomach is well protected by a mucous membrane on the inner wall and protects it from damage by highly acidic digestive juices. the esophagus leads, but no such protection and coatingHow do I get seriously irritated by the reflux. the result is a "heartburn," a very unpleasant burning sensation in the chest and neck.

symptoms of GERD, when they occur, a doctor is called. If a person is diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease, you do well not to neglect and to talk with a doctor. many of us tend to keep an eye compress to acid reflux, because we do not believe that he was very serious andexpect that the symptoms go away by themselves, may prescribe antacids can use some simple dietary adjustments and some of them. there is great danger in this kind of thinking, because GERD is often involved in severe inflammation and bleeding in the esophagus, the development of esophageal ulcers, dysphagia, gastrointestinal bleeding, odynophagia, anemia, choking and chest pain. furthermore, delaying the treatment of GERD, leading to narrowing of the esophagusdue to the formation of scar tissue and cancer. Severe symptoms of GERD can also cause cancer, a condition known as Barrett's esophagus, the precursor is like. of the 100 cases with a severely damaged esophageal lining, will lead to a cancer. GERD is also known to cause pulmonary fibrosis and other respiratory complications.

many of us tend to the tests and final exams, which are usually necessary to prevent diagnose correctlygastroesophageal reflux disease. the easy availability of over-the-counter antacids and acid suppressants, which help a fast relief of acid, even if only temporarily, accidentally encourages us to take the state easily. some of us also withdrawn fall into the habit of regular antacids, violently suppressed the symptoms of acid reflux when they always appear, but suffers from a severe attack, when medications are.

Hiatushernia, heartburn is a symptom of other serious GERD. Fortunately, it is relatively rare, but potentially very dangerous and must be treated urgently stopped. the condition occurs when moving a person's stomach muscle up by a long pause. there are three types of hiatal hernia. the first type is the sliding hiatal hernia, which occurs when part of the stomach, which came through the film hiatus and back through the chest. ThisType of hiatal hernia, with the second type is relatively harmless. the third type of hiatal hernia, known as severe hiatal hernia, which the whole stomach to the chest may appear very acute symptoms of GERD with persistent heartburn and chest pain.

while severe symptoms of GERD to call urgent medical attention, you can avoid the first place when the agent takes a holistic few. this means treating the body as a whole and the eradicationany deep-seated root causes of disease rather than treating the symptoms alone. this leads to a complete recovery and gastroesophageal reflux disease has been banished from your life for the better.

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