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Questions to Ask your Doctor: Helping You Gather Acid Reflux Facts

tuan megai — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:25:24 +0000

A patient always wants to know more about his condition. All of us have our own concerns depending on the existing medical illness we have. In view of acid reflux facts, there are pertinent questions you may commonly ask your doctor. Below is a list of what will help you during your consultation with your health care provider.

Questions to ask your doctor about acid reflux

In order for you to understand all the things concerning the so-called acid reflux disease, you can try to ask your doctor some questions regarding the matter. It is important that you should learn all the facts regarding this condition so that both you and your doctor can come to a perfect decision on what to do with your problem and how to treat it. Here are some of the good questions to ask your doctor:

Complications and foundations of acid reflux. In your opinion, why do you believe that acid reflux disease is the source of my dilemma? What other circumstances aside from GERD might be the foundation of my difficulty?
Diagnosis. What examinations could be applied to analyze GERD and to rule out other kinds of circumstances? What do you think is the best kind of test to diagnose the disorder? Why do you want to perform these specific examinations? Are there any side effects I will experience from these types of examinations?
Medications. What are the medications for acid reflux? Which medication are you prescribing? Is it better than other kinds of medications?
Side effects on medications. What kinds of side effects shall I anticipate from these treatments? Is it essential to perform some types of checking in order to keep an eye on its side effects?
Drug interactions. Will there be any drug interactions from the present medicines I am taking-in with the drugs you will be prescribing for GERD?
Existing medical conditions. Do I have certain medical problems that may cause difficulties for the proper analysis and medication for my GERD?
Lifestyle changes. Is there a need for me to alter my lifestyle and eating habits?
Total elimination of GERD. Can I anticipate for the possibility of my GERD to disappear in time? Is there a possibility that other problems will build up in my system?
Follow-up. What indications should I be alarmed about?

Since your health is your primary concern, it is vital that you should discuss everything with your physician. Inform your physician of the vitamins, herbs, and medicines you are presently taking so that he can evaluate your condition properly. There are particular vitamins and non-prescription drugs that can be the cause of your problem especially if you are already using it for a long period of time. Everything that you will discuss with your doctor can help both of you achieve the best medications to resolve acid reflux. This may even lead you to the road of full recovery especially if you will follow the advice of your physician.

GERD Surgery: Acid Reflux Facts Behind This Treatment

tuan megai — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 08:11:52 +0000

People say that GERD surgery is not a good way of treating acid reflux. There were claims that medication is still a better way to treat the condition. One publication was founded through the study conducted on a group of patients with GERD who underwent surgery and the traditional medication. This research was made known in the Journal of the American Medical Association. In this regard, let us see the acid reflux facts on this treatment.

Studies made on GERD surgery

The initial research was conducted from 1986 to 1988 in various hospitals. Individuals with serious cases of GERD were chosen to go through medication or anti-reflux surgical procedure. After two years of continuous follow ups made on these patients, results showed that surgical procedures done for GERD patients was considered a better way of improving the condition rather than the conventional medication given. It was found out that surgery had a good result in controlling the signs of GERD. In fact, there were lesser requirements for medication. Overall cost was cheaper than oral medication.

On the other hand, recent studies showed that the original patients who were initially studied for the two types of GERD treatment are still continuing to take their usual medication. Those who underwent surgery are also taking GERD medications. This goes to show that surgery is not as effective as what the initial study claimed. This contested the previous study made on GERD surgery thus making it somewhat inefficient in alleviating the signs of GERD, after all.

Advantages of GERD surgery

The advantages presented by patients who underwent acid reflux surgery include:

Curing of acid reflux.
No further medications required.
Some patients also reported that they use lesser medicines and the symptoms of their condition had been alleviated.

Disadvantages of GERD surgery

There were reports that more patients who underwent GERD surgery died because of heart ailment rather than those who were taking oral medicines. However, this disadvantage must not be totally blamed on GERD surgery because there may be some underlying reasons for the death of the patient. This disadvantage is not accepted as of the moment.

There is still no conclusive comparison between GERD surgery and medication. There are various factors to be considered in order to make a final statement to which of these two treatments will be best for the condition. The best thing to do is to establish the individuals who need GERD surgery and separate them from those who only need oral medication. In addition, long-term studies should be made before anti-reflux surgery is recommended to individuals with GERD problems.

To make things clearer, you have to scrutinize these treatments properly. Both GERD surgery and medications have their own advantages and disadvantages. There is still a need for further studies to make conclusive evidence to what is the best treatment for GERD and to find out what is really the best cure for the condition. This goes to show that you have to go to your doctors first before putting a stop to the problem.

Digestive Disease Myths: Eight Problems to Talk About

admin — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 10:05:24 +0000

The digestive system participates in the proper digestion of food. It is especially susceptible to disorders brought on by tension and other emotional disturbances. It is very important to note that digestive diseases must not be self-treated. As always, it is necessary to go for treatment. Acid reflux is just one of the cases to be treated in the system. In this regard, it pays to check on the most common myths linked to the disorders of the digestive system.

Common myths involving digestive system diseases

Below, you will find the most common myths involved in digestive system diseases. We want to share them with you so you may separate them from the facts behind these disorders:

Ulcers. There is a common belief that this kind of digestive system disorder is a result of eating too much spicy foods and stress. The fact about the disease is that it is a result of either bacterial contamination or excessive intake of aspirin, ibuprofen, or naproxen. It may also be caused by cancer.
Heartburn. Some people think that cigarette smoking can cure heartburn. Truth is it is a factor to the condition. You must understand that heartburn happens if the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) loosens up making way for the acidic stuffing of the stomach to move upward to the esophagus.
Celiac Disease. People think that this disease affects children only. Well, it also affects the elderly. Although the symptoms of this condition may occur throughout childhood days, it may continue up to adulthood.
Bowel Regularity. People say that when regular bowel movement will not cause any problem in the digestive tract. Well, this should not be used as a gauge for overall health. It may cause problems in the long run.
Constipation. Many people think that using enema will cure constipation. The fact is there is still no evidence on the safe use of enemas. Before undertaking this treatment, you must consult your doctor first.
Diverticulosis. Some people think that this condition is rare. It is not quite true because almost all Americans whose ages are more than 60 are affected by this condition.
Inflammatory Bowel Disease. This disease is often linked to emotional problems. The cause to this problem is not known up to now. However, researchers say that it results from a virus or bacterium that infests the immune system.
Cirrhosis. The usual belief is that this liver ailment is due to alcoholism. The fact is alcoholism is only a contributing factor to this disease. There are other causes that can trigger this condition like hepatitis B or C.

These are but a few of the disease of the digestive system that had been taught of falsely by a lot of individuals. In order to cure these situations, you have to direct your concerns to your doctor. Assumptions will not help you cure the plight. Self-medication is not allowed. It is better to spend your hard-earned money in order to alleviate the condition. Otherwise, severe situations may result like that of acid reflux.