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…

In the article it’s explained that the patient “Deborah” still had food in her stomach from ten hours previous to her endoscopy. This is not a minor issue! As also stated in the article the stomach normally empties about half it’s contents within 90 minutes of eating. To still have a large quantity of food in your stomach after 600 minutes have passed is a pretty big deal, regardless of what she ate or when she ate it.

But why are we seeing gastroparesis in so many non-diabetics like Deborah? Because we’re spending the majority of our day sitting at a desk hunched over a computer and that couldn’t be more at odds with our hunter-gatherer ancestry and design.

A nice jab at the patient, shifting blame on to them because if their body isn’t working perfectly it must be their fault right? As posted in the comments there were plenty of people who chimed in that they were very active until they were struck with Gastroparesis.

The facts are that you can go spend 30 – 60 minutes a day exercising & still end up spending 10 hours in a day sitting down. It could be at a computer, in a car, on a train or in front of your TV. There is no way we’re going to suddenly run out into the forests and start tackling wild boar, this is why saying something is against our “hunter-gatherer ancestry” is basically saying something while not really saying anything of use at all. What’s our option? Dismantle society? Guess what, people would still get Gastroparesis because many of the people with GP got it out of the blue with very little warning & from something outside of their control.

I am interested in her ideas about stomach motility being a major issue & a contributor to things like chronic heartburn & indigestion, but I don’t like her downplaying people suffering from GERD / acid reflux either.

My first thought had been acid reflux, which, as I like to tell my patients, is not really a disease. Reflux is your body knocking on your door saying, “I don’t like how you’ve been treating me. All that caffeine and alcohol and cheesecake and burgers is making me sick.”

Can she do anything other than blame the patient? Let’s ignore people who have a malformed or diseased esophagus, a dysfunctional lower esophageal sphincter or someone who really does have an overproduction or underproduction of stomach acids. It’s easier to lump everyone in the “lazy pool” & not have to qualify your statements with the exceptions that are actually quite common compared to her narrow assumptions.

While I think the articles intentions were to give people a wake-up call about unhealthy lifestyles, Dr Chutkan made a poor choice in “attacking” those with Gastroparesis as people who have brought it upon themselves with their unhealthy choices in life. There is a way to bring awareness to a disease that may be controllable by the patient, without outright insulting the patient. Bring awareness to things like not smoking to help prevent lung cancer, that’s fine. Don’t write articles saying “Everyone gets lung cancer because they smoked and aren’t listening to their bodies”, ignoring that there are many who got lung cancer from something totally unrelated. The tone of the article seems flippant in nature & comes off like a mother tapping her foot scolding a child.

In her clarification she attempts to differentiate between mild & severe gastroparesis & includes a  few sentences which gloss over treatment options for those more severe cases. I am not sure why she didn’t make mention of the severity with which Gastroparesis could affect people in the first article.

As a gastroenterologist who regularly sees patients with the more severe form of GP described by some of the commenters, I understand how life-altering and devastating this condition can be, and it never was my intention to marginalize the challenges this chronic condition presents.

Then why did she spend an entire article belittling those with Gastroparesis? If that wasn’t her intent then her original article should have never graced the Dr Oz website. Her article may have been the first time someone had ever read about Gastroparesis. Making Gastroparesis out to be less severe than it actually is was a great disservice to those who have to deal with it day in & day out. The fact is, Gastroparesis can be debilitating even for those with “mild” Gastroparesis.

Overall she sounds like a doctor who lacks compassion & perhaps enjoys a body that is well within her control while ignoring the fact that there are many people out there with less than perfect bodies which breakdown out of no fault of their own. Even if someone is partially at fault for their situation, a lack of compassion for the pain that person is now in, is not helpful. Gastroparesis needs more advocates, not adversaries, especially from those within the healthcare profession.

Related posts:

1. Hypochlorhydria / Low Stomach Acid Can Cause Heartburn & Indigestion
2. Stomach Banding Weight Loss Surgeries Have Mixed Results

The solution to this problem is to raise the head of ones bed approximately 3 – 9 inches(8 – 23cm). This allows you to lie down at an angle with your head elevated higher than your feet. The idea is that this should reduce the stress applied to your LES valve and allow gravity to help, rather than hurt. It’s now just a matter of how to accomplish this. Often it’s suggested to head to the lumber store and grab some wood, then stack it up under the bed. This seemed like a lot of work & thus was not my cup of tea which is why I never actually got around to raising my bed until I found these:

Trademark brand Bed Risers

These bed risers are essentially sturdy pieces of molded plastic that are approximately 6 inches high. They look like miniature black traffic cones that had the tops flattened down. You get four per pack which is actually quite a good deal considering they aren’t that pricey(I paid approximately $14 from Amazon.com). The hardest part is lifting up the head of your bed to get them under there. You may need another person to help you out. I was a bit concerned if they’d work with the round feet on my metal frame, but they worked fine as each rounded foot dropped into the dimple on the top of each riser perfectly.

As far as results go, I do believe it’s helped me somewhat with my indigestion. It’s not a miracle cure, but I feel it’s been a sound investment. I’ve only had them under the bed for about a week and a half now. We’ll see if more time leads to greater improvement. It’s highly doubtful this will “cure” you, but it may very well make your nights better.

Buy Trademark 6″ Bed Risers from Amazon.com or if you need more height you can buy the Simplify 8″ Adjustable Bed Risers also available at Amazon.com.

Related posts:

1. Review: DigestActiv Digestive Enzymes From Source Naturals
2. Esophyx Procedure Reduces Heartburn For Some. For Others The Results Vary
3. Exercising for Digestive Health

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.

Source Natural’s touts that DigestActiv is “Bio-Aligned™” what this means is pretty unclear, it has something to do with their other buzzwordy “SystemiCare” system which seems to be filled with foo-foo words about bodily harmony. Ultimately “Bio-Aligned” & “SystemiCare” seem more like marketing mumbo-jumbo than anything of real value added to the product. I am not going to knock the product on the marketing though as the contents of the pills seems to be of quality.

The pills do have a funky odor to them, but this is kind of normal for digestive enzymes or hydrochloric acid pills. The stomach doesn’t smell pretty, neither should the pills.

My personal experience with these pills is that they do help from time to time & don’t have the overwhelming effect like some of the other digestive enzyme pills I’ve taken in the past.  I’d suggest these for anyone who has never tried digestive enzyme pills or who has but experienced a mild-worsening of symptoms(heartburn & or nausea, etc..), which might have been a symptom of taking too many enzymes. If you’re dealing with Gastroparesis, heartburn, indigestion or Irritable Bowel Syndrome, these are definitely worth a shot.

Buy DigestActiv by Source Naturals from Amazon.com

Related posts:

1. Digestive Enzymes & Irritable Bowel Syndrome(IBS)
2. Review: Nature’s Life Betaine HCl – Hydrochloric Acid
3. Review: Iberogast for Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

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

Related posts:

1. Esophyx Procedure Reduces Heartburn For Some. For Others The Results Vary
2. Twin Peaks Actor James Marshall Suing Accutane Creator For $11 Million
3. SmartPill Aids Diagnosis of Gastroparesis & Irritable Bowel Syndrome

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.

Related posts:

1. Esophyx Maker Gains $30 Million in Venture Capital
2. Hypochlorhydria / Low Stomach Acid Can Cause Heartburn & Indigestion
3. Stomach Banding Weight Loss Surgeries Have Mixed Results

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.

Related posts:

1. Esophyx Procedure Reduces Heartburn For Some. For Others The Results Vary
2. Review: Nature’s Life Betaine HCl – Hydrochloric Acid
3. DrOz.com “Lazy Stomach” Article Angers Many

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.

Related posts:

1. Weight Loss Resolution Might Have Hidden IBS Benefits
2. Review: DigestActiv Digestive Enzymes From Source Naturals