Posts Tagged ‘Heartburn’

Esophyx Maker Gains $30 Million in Venture Capital

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

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.

Esophyx is a product made by EndoGastric Solutions. Esophyx works via endoscopy, there is no incision required. The full name of the procedure is “Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication”(TIF). The surgeon places a tube down the patients throat and all tools are transportable along this tube. The tools allow the surgeon to grab the top of the stomach near the LES valve and pull down a piece of the stomach. This piece is then folded onto itself. The fold is then stapled together. This is repeated around the valve to strengthen it. For some this resolves their acid reflux symptoms completely, others have to still take heartburn medications, while some are not helped at all by the procedure. Since this is a rather new procedure,  there is not a lot of data on it.

For actual experiences with the procedure, check out this posting about the Esophyx procedure on HeartBurn-Help.com. Or also check out this more recent posting on HealthBoards.com.

You can also check out this very informative 3D animation of the procedure. Click on the video as some people have posted on their results with Esophyx.

Have you had the Esophyx procedure or know someone who has? Please leave a comment about your experience?

Hypochlorhydria / Low Stomach Acid Can Cause Heartburn & Indigestion

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 Hydrochloride. 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 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, yeast help break the apple juice to an alcohol & then bacteria break it down into the sour substance we know. Most commercial vinegar we see in supermarket shelves has been filtered & pasteurized, possibly even distilled(clear). What you want to look for is Raw Unfiltered Apple Cider Vinegar, as the other products have had all their “goodness” boiled 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 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 powers. Reading up on it though “mother” is an ice 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. I wonder about Turbinado or Panela sugars, as these are raw sugars without excess refining. The flavor after sweetening is like a sour apple juice.

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 a whole lot, but heck it’s pretty cheap & worth a try if you’re suffering from some sort of digestive malady. There is very little harm or risk of side-effect so long as you are taking it with water.

Where to Buy Raw Apple Cider Vinegar?

You can get Bragg Apple Cider Vinegar or Apple Cider Vinegar Tablets from Puritan’s Pride.