“Lazy Stomach” article written by a doctor, makes them sound out of touch regarding gastroparesis & patient’s needs.
I am not sure why I didn’t see this earlier, but there was an article posted on DrOz.com about Gastroparesis by Robynne K. Chutkan, MD titled “Lazy Stomach”. The article belittles & seems to make light of Gastroparesis.
The technical term for Deborah’s condition is “gastroparesis” which means paralysis of the stomach – affectionately referred to as a “lazy stomach”.
Who in their right mind actually refers to Gastroparesis affectionately and uses the term “lazy stomach”? Oh “my stomach is just lazy!”, wrong! How about we just leave it at “my stomach is partially paralyzed and/or malfunctioning” which doesn’t sound quite as cute… Continue reading “DrOz.com “Lazy Stomach” Article Angers Many” »
For the many people dealing with acid reflux, lying down can literally be a painful experience. When a person is lying down on their back they are putting more strain on their lower esophageal sphincter(LES valve). The LES valve is what keeps the contents of your stomach from flowing into the esophagus. One of the reasons for acid reflux disease is a weakened or faulty LES valve, meaning lying down flat on your back is just asking for trouble. Even those who don’t have acid reflux, but have other digestive issues such as Gastroparesis, Functional Dyspepsia or even Irritable Bowel Syndrome/Inflammatory Bowel Disease may have issues when lying down. I personally deal with bouts of indigestion w/ acid reflux combo along with my Irritable Bowel Syndrome, which is why I’ve been looking for a solution. Continue reading “Review – Trademark Bed Risers – Elevating Your Bed For Digestive Health” »
Review: DigestActiv Digestive Enzymes From Source Naturals
Digestive enzymes are an essential part of the digestive process. They are one of the three main things(enzymes,acid & muscle contractions) your stomach uses to breakdown foods into things like sugars and peptides which your small intestine can then absorb. Some are born with digestive enzymes up the wazoo while others may be deficient or as they age become deficient. Signs of enzyme deficiency are rather generic and may mimic many others issues. Usually the symptoms are bloating, belching, heartburn, nausea or indigestion. Digestive enzymes are used mainly in the stomach & don’t normally affect the intestinal tract, however upper digestive issues can manifest new or worsen existing problems in the intestinal tract.
Today I am reviewing DigestActiv by Source Naturals
which is a multiple vegetarian digestive enzyme pill. It’s pretty much a standard mix of enzymes such as Amylase, Lactase, Protease, Pancreatin(vegetable based), Bromelain along with some herbs such as ginger root, peppermint & black pepper extract. They also throw in some Betaine Hydrochloric Acid(stomach acid) for good measure.
DigestActiv is a good starting point when trying out digestive enzymes because it contains lower doses of these enzymes than some of the other brands. Taking too many digestive enzymes may have the opposite effect of what you’re trying to achieve. The pill size, while not small, is about the same size as a quality multi-vitamin capsule. The serving size on the nutrition info is 2 capsules, but I usually only take one. Continue reading “Review: DigestActiv Digestive Enzymes From Source Naturals” »
Endogastric Solutions, the maker of the Esophyx device announced on Monday(Aug 30th, 2010) that they had secured an additional $30 million dollars in funding. You can read more information about the Esophyx procedure from my previous post on it.
Thierry Thaure, President and Chief Executive Officer of EndoGastric Solutions commented: “Our technology offers significant clinical, economic and strategic benefits to our hospital and surgeon customers. Over the past two years, the EsophyX and StomaphyX product platforms have been embraced with a high level of enthusiasm by the surgeon community…
Esophyx is a fundoplication device & procedure that does not require incisions and instead is performed completely through the esophagus. Esophyx has come under fire recently for misleading statements & performance. It is marketed as a reversible procedure, but many have been told that their procedure cannot be undone. Additionally some have found no benefit or have had their symptoms worsen after the procedure. There is currently at least one lawsuit claiming Endogastric Solutions has made misleading statements regarding the Esophyx procedure.
References:
Endogastric Solutions Press Release
Esophyx Procedure Reduces Heartburn For Some. For Others The Results Vary
Update: It appears EndoGastric Solutions is in some hot water from the FDA regarding the device malfunctioning, as well as marketing the device as being reversible when in most(?)/many(?) cases it is not. There is also some legal action taking place as well.
Just read about the Esophyx procedure on NBC’s Dallas Fort Worth website. The procedure is offered as an alternative to Nissen Fundoplication. The goal is to resolve acid reflux symptoms by strengthening the Lower Esophageal Sphincter valve.
Nissen Fundoplication is usually done via laparoscopic surgery, which means one or more incisions are made and a tiny camera is used through these incisions to guide the surgeon. The surgeon wraps part of the stomach around the LES valve and then staples it together so it holds tight around the LES. In some cases mesh devices are needed to help hold the stomach in place. Overall it is a serious procedure with side effects being the inability to belch causing a build of of gas, the inability to vomit, dumping syndrome as well as others. Continue reading “Esophyx Procedure Reduces Heartburn For Some. For Others The Results Vary” »
Hypochlorhydria / Low Stomach Acid Can Cause Heartburn & Indigestion
Many people believe stomach upset, indigestion or heartburn are usually caused by too much stomach acid. This is not always the case & one should not always assume you have too much stomach acid as there is a chance your stomach may not have enough stomach acid.
A Possibly Under Diagnosed Problem
Most doctors, after hearing about a patients complaints regarding heartburn, prescribe a “Proton-Pump Inhibitor”(PPI). Proton pumps in your stomach are what supply the acid that helps digest food. For people who do have an overproduction of acid or have a malfunctioning lower esophageal sphincter(the thing that keeps food/acid from harming the tender esophagus), PPIs can be helpful. On the other hand, people who are producing too little acid may have an increase in symptoms when taking PPIs. PPIs have also been reported to have psychoactive properties, some people become more anxious or nervous while on PPIs due to how they work.
If you are dealing with chronic heartburn/GERD, it may be worth talking to your doctor regarding low stomach acid before accepting a prescription for PPIs. Or if PPIs are not helping you right now visiting your doctor and having a test run for low stomach acid may be a good idea. Many doctors do not run many or any tests before prescribing PPIs.
Treatment
Treatment of Hypochlorhydria is usually a simple supplementation via Betaine HCL pills
. Usually you take one pill before a meal and this increases acid in your stomach and hopefully improves symptoms. If symptoms worsen or do not improve, then you may not be suffering from Hypochlorhydria or there are other issues involved as to why you’re experiencing chronic heartburn/GERD.
Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits for IBS/GERD
Apple Cider Vinegar has a lot of buzz going for it on the Internet and the natural health circuit. It can reportedly help with all sorts of problems ranging from gout to heartburn to weight-loss. While a lot of these claims haven’t been proven, I decided to give it a try.
Vinegar is fermented apple juice thanks to yeast helping to breakdown the apple juice to an alcohol & then bacteria break that down into the sour acidic substance we know. Most commercial vinegar we see in supermarket shelves has been filtered & pasteurized, possibly even distilled(clear). If you’re looking for health benefits then you’ll want to skip those & look for Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar. Filtered & pasteurized ciders have had all their “goodness” boiled or strained out of them.
As far as digestion goes Apple Cider Vinegar is suppose to work two ways:
- 1) It increases acidity in the stomach which could helps digest food. Now people with heartburn might think this is a bad thing, but in some cases heartburn/indigestion is caused by a lack of acid, not too much.
- 2) It has something called “mother” which is the cloudy unfiltered stuff in the vinegar. Most people purport the “mother” as being the source of Apple Cider Vinegars healing properties. Reading up on it though “mother” is a nice way of saying “dead bacteria & fermentation byproducts”. There really may not be a whole lot of stuff inside the “mother” that does anything. It is not dangerous to drink though.
Apple Cider Vinegar on it’s own is too acidic to drink, so it is recommended to mix about 1 tablespoon(15ml) with 8oz(235ml) of water, plus you’ll probably want to add something to sweeten it a bit. It’s strongly advised to use natural sweeteners like honey instead of refined white sugar. You could probably also use raw sugars that haven’t been overly refined. The flavor after sweetening is like a very tart apple juice.
My results were iffy. They seemed similar to results I received with digestive enzymes. Some days it seemed to help, other days it seemed to make my symptoms worse. One meal I’d feel less bloated, another day I’d feel more bloated and sometimes nauseated. Overall I do not think the apple cider vinegar helped me a whole lot, but heck it’s pretty cheap & worth a try if you’re suffering from some sort of digestive issue. There is very little harm or risk of side effects so long as you are taking it with water.
Which Brands?
I’d suggest you try out Source Naturals Apple Cider Vinegar Pills
or Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar
.
