TIF —incisionless procedure that treats GERD-will it replace PPI?

You’re cordially invited to join us for a free VIRTUAL educational event on GERD and the most advanced treatment options available to you.
The event will be hosted by Dr. Phoenix Nguyen, Gastroenterologist from Providence's St. Jude Medical Center and Mission Hospital!
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TOPIC: Providence Surgical Pathway for GERD: Transoral Incisionless Fundoplication (TIF)
DATE: Wednesday November 4th, 2020.
TIME: 12:00-12:30pm
WHERE: Facebook Live
LINK: [www.facebook.com]

TIF is an incisionless procedure that treats GERD at its source and rebuilds your body’s natural reflux barrier!
We look forward to supporting you on your path to better health.

More about TIF
[www.hopkinsmedicine.org]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/30/2020 08:22PM by susan.d.

In the Resources section, the report: No More Heartburn... [www.afibbers.org]...
goes into detail on the various forms, causes and remedies for gastric disturbances. This was a cumulative effort based on my own gastric distress issues many years ago. Fortunately, I was able to eliminate all those related issues thanks to the info included in the report, specific targeted testing to help rule out various negative influences and treat what was found mainly with regular use of digestive enzymes with meals and probiotics to ensure healthy gut/GI microbiome. It's all connected.

Managing stress is an important part of the solution as well. I found once the digestive issues were noticeably lessened, it was easier to manage other stressors and the combined efforts eventually paid huge dividends in that all those problems were gone and continue to remain that way, thankfully.

Jackie

Licorice may interact with your drugs. I would love to have licorice and some of the following supplements in the link provided but I stopped once learning about the inhibitors interactions.

[www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov]

Susan - the DGL form of licorice has been used to avoid the various interactions. Obviously, it would have to be checked for each specific med, but overall, the reports from physicians recommending it is positive. That's what I was prescribed.
Michael Murray, ND has written extensively about DGL.

Jackie

[www.mountsinai.org]

[healthcenter.ucsc.edu]
Safe if dose is not more than 400mg daily. My concern maybe potassium loss.

Worth asking a cardiologist if it’s safe. Thanks Jackie. Mount Sinai suggests not to take any form of licorice for more than 4-6 weeks. One should check to see which cyp450 liver enzymes are affected first and then ask their cardiologist. However, most cardiologists or doctors in general would not had learned about this form of licorice in med school unless they recently took a CE class on this subject. That’s why a knowledgeable pharmacist would be helpful.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/31/2020 08:51PM by susan.d.

Yes, Susan - the appropriate tests are always the initial steps.

As you know, the causes of reflux vary and often, underlying nutritional deficiencies or pathogens go undetected... esp. when PPIs are prescribed 'automatically' for GERD. I recall one of the afibbers had a severe case of GERD and had been treated with PPIs (not effective)... he was nearly disabled...the acid burned his throat so badly he could barely speak and eventually was was treated by fundoplication and the 'raft' approach. Even with that, he continued to suffer. He had a high-stress job, life, the death of a beloved child and the emotional stress aspect was just unremitting.

My case case was stress related... but mild, by comparison. With with the guidance of my family practice MD who was more 'holistic' than typical for that era...20 years ago (+-)... it was a welcome and easy remedy. Also, I had attended an A4M convention and a presentation by Dr. Michael Murray and also had talked to him at his booth about DGL so I felt reassured. It didn't take long to reverse the symptoms.

As is known by those who manage digestive ailments and especially GERD, it's often the case that the lack of stomach is the cause. I was instructed to take betaine HCl with protein-containing meals to be sure that was broken down properly. That made a huge difference and I made it a regular, ongoing practice to take digestive enzymes w/betaine HCl. Still do. I do have annual CDSA evaluations for total GI health because my FM MD wants to monitor the whole "tract health." [healthremedies.com]

Jackie

Quote
Jackie
... he was nearly disabled...the acid burned his throat so badly he could barely speak and eventually was was treated by fundoplication and the 'raft' approach. Even with that, he continued to suffer. He had a high-stress job, life, the death of a beloved child and the emotional stress aspect was just unremitting.

Similar to me. I’m on a probiotic, saccharomyces Boulardii, Prilosec daily and gaviscon. While on multaq it was daily episodes. I’m off multaq a week and last night had a bad episode after dinner. Drooling acid, I couldn’t swallow my saliva and it burned so badly I also couldn’t speak. I have to wait in pain, breathe through my nose until there was a pause in acid to swallow cold whole food’s 365 unsweetened almond milk. It’s a thick coated drink and resolved the problem almost instantly to neutralize the acid. Better than any drug for instant relief. My stress is still around from my mom’s death, PVCs since the ablation (just annoying) and this annoying covid19 because I’m not entering retail stores (markets, garden shop, pharmacies etc) since March 16. I’m very busy at home but am getting cabin fever. CA has higher covid19 cases so I have to be careful because my immune system (white count) hasn’t fully recovered from chemo years ago. I am going to break this 230 day house isolation (except for ablation and ecv’s when I left the house) and go and get a flu shot this week at cvs and finally pick up some items that are in store only....maybe check out new probiotics.

Thanks Jackie. You are a wealth of info.

Susan - Email news today from Critical Health News website of Joel D. Wallach, BS, DVM, ND recipient of the Klaus Schwarz Award recognizing the work of pioneers in the field of trace-element research on the topic of Heartburn and GERD offers this clip on the Causes of GERD by Ben Fuchs, Registered Pharmacist and a nutritionist from Colorado:

" One of the most prevalent of all health issues is the always unpleasant upflow of acid from the intestine and stomach into the esophagus, throat and mouth, technically called acid reflux. When it happens occasionally, it's probably not a big deal. When chronic, it can lead to gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, a condition marked by esophageal inflammation, ulceration and scarring called Barrett's esophagus and ultimately EAC or esophageal adenocarcinoma, a relatively common and frequently deadly cancer.

While most patients and doctors believe that the best solution to the problem of reflux is taking medications that absorb acid or suppress its production, that strategy can only provide temporary and symptomatic relief. That's because acid reflux is not really caused by excess acidity. It's more about a loosening of the muscular opening called the lower esophageal sphincter or LES that separates the contents of the stomach from the esophagus.

When the low pH stomach liquids splash upwards, it's the result of less acidity, not too much acid. Because stomach acid is important for the breakdown of food and the absorption of vitamins and minerals, long-term use of antacid drugs can result in digestive issues as well as malnourishment.

The best way to deal with acid reflux is to avoid the foods that trigger the condition including chocolate, onions, citrus, spicy and deep-fried foods and processed carbs. Losing weight and laying off caffeine can help, as can enjoying smaller portions and meals. Don't forget probiotics. Disturbances in gut bacteria can create gases that exacerbate acid reflux.”

[criticalhealthnews.com]

Jackie

Thanks Jackie! No chocolate since 2004 (worried maybe chocolate triggers af) , no citrus at all, no carbonate drinks, nothing spicy, not even black pepper. No fried foods. I eat bland, steamed tasteless foods and am gluten free and very limited processed foods (only gluten free cereal nothing else) and dairy free. It’s not my diet. I just wish I knew what causes it.

Update—After writing the above and having a calm heart after my ablation, I ate for the first time since 2004 a 1/3 portion of a tiny teeny processed gluten free cookie (half size of a quarter consumed). First time sugar and chocolate in almost 17 years. I didn’t miss it. Sugar is way too sweet now but the chocolate was a post ablation treat :-). that I don’t plan on repeating but it’s comforting to know that I can handle it.