Walk into any pharmacy in the United States and you will find them right there on the shelf. Prilosec. Nexium. Prevacid. Protonix. These are some of the most purchased over-the-counter and prescription medications in the country, and the class of drug they belong to, proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, is among the most widely prescribed […]
If you have ever read anything about acid reflux or GERD, you have probably come across the term lower esophageal sphincter, usually abbreviated as LES. It gets mentioned briefly, described as a valve that is not working properly, and then the article moves on to talk about symptoms and treatments. What rarely gets explained is […]
There is a moment that many people with upper digestive discomfort eventually reach. The burning is happening too often to ignore. You have started avoiding certain foods. You are Googling your symptoms at midnight. And somewhere in your search, two conditions keep coming up side by side: GERD and peptic ulcer disease. They both involve […]
Most people with GERD notice their symptoms most acutely after meals. The burning sensation after dinner, the discomfort on the couch, the sour taste that lingers after eating too much too quickly. These are unpleasant. But they are also usually temporary, and most people manage them and move on with their evening. What gets far […]
You have probably seen the lists. No coffee. No chocolate. No tomatoes. No citrus. No spicy food. Avoid mint. Avoid alcohol. Avoid anything that makes life enjoyable at the dinner table. If you have been diagnosed with GERD or deal with frequent acid reflux, you may have already tried cutting out entire food groups based […]
Introduction You finish dinner, settle onto the couch, and then it starts. A burning sensation rising from your chest toward your throat. Maybe a sour taste in your mouth. Maybe the uncomfortable feeling that food is creeping back up. You reach for an antacid, it helps for a while, and then tomorrow night — it […]
Folate deficiency is less common in the United States than it once was – largely because of mandatory folic acid fortification of enriched grain products introduced in 1998 – but it still occurs, and in specific populations it remains clinically significant. The consequences range from megaloblastic anemia to neural tube defects in developing fetuses, and […]
You’ve had bloodwork done and the report shows something called PT or INR – maybe flagged, maybe not. If you’re on a blood thinner like warfarin, you’ve probably heard “INR” more times than you can count. If you haven’t, the term likely means very little. Either way, understanding what this test is actually measuring – […]
You get a liver function panel back and bilirubin is flagged. Or your doctor mentions it while reviewing your results and you nod along without really knowing what it means. Bilirubin sounds technical, but the concept behind it is actually fairly simple once you understand what it is, where it comes from, and why the […]
Your liver function panel came back with two numbers flagged – ALT elevated, AST slightly elevated, ratio sitting at something your doctor is calling “interesting.” Or maybe everything looks borderline and you’re not sure what to make of it. Either way, you’re trying to figure out what ALT and AST actually are, what the ratio […]