The next time you reach for an over-the-counter (OTC) product to treat your upset stomach or heartburn, consider whether you should use one of the many antacids that don’t have aspirin. Why? Aspirin-containing medicines to treat heartburn, sour stomach, acid indigestion, or upset stomach can cause stomach or intestinal bleeding, especially in some people, warns… Continue reading Beware of Antacids Containing Aspirin
Category: Digestive Health
More than 70 million people in the U.S.have issues with their digestive system. Learn more about some of the most common digestive problems.
Could Your OTC Antacid Put You at Risk for Heart Disease, Dementia, and Kidney Failure?
Chronic use of over-the-counter drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux (GERD) speeds up the aging of blood vessels, according to a paper published early online in May 2016 in Circulation Research, an American Heart Association journal. This accelerated aging in humans could lead to increased cardiovascular disease, vascular dementia, and… Continue reading Could Your OTC Antacid Put You at Risk for Heart Disease, Dementia, and Kidney Failure?
Better Gallbladder Surgery
UCLA researchers have discovered an optimal way to image the bile ducts during gallbladder removal surgeries using a tested and safe dye and a real-time near-infrared florescence laparoscopic camera, a finding that will make the procedure much safer for the hundreds of thousands of people who undergo the procedure each year. The new imaging procedure… Continue reading Better Gallbladder Surgery
Vinegar Could Help Fight a Chronic Disease
Vinegar, one of the most commonly used ingredients, may have another purpose as well: fighting ulcerative colitis. Researchers, who published their findings in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that vinegar suppressed inflammation-inducing proteins while improving the gut’s bacterial makeup in mice. Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, is a… Continue reading Vinegar Could Help Fight a Chronic Disease
Good Bacteria Might Help Prevent Middle Ear Infections and Pneumonia
A January 2016 study from the Forsyth Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts is helping to shed more light on the important connections among the diverse bacteria in our microbiome. According to research published in mBio, scientists at Forsyth, led by Dr. Katherine P. Lemon, along with their collaborator at Vanderbilt University, have demonstrated that a harmless… Continue reading Good Bacteria Might Help Prevent Middle Ear Infections and Pneumonia
Tips to Prevent Heartburn During Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving week is also GERD Awareness Week. The heartburn caused by gastrointestinal reflux disease (GERD) can make those who indulge in a big holiday feast less than thankful. With some help from the national non-profit advocacy organization, Esophageal Cancer Action Network (ECAN,) you can avoid the discomfort of heartburn. ECAN Board Chairman Bruce Greenwald, M.D. of… Continue reading Tips to Prevent Heartburn During Thanksgiving
Refrigerating Food the Right Way
With age comes a change in our immune system: It becomes a bit sluggish in recognizing and ridding the body of harmful bacteria and other pathogens that can cause foodborne illness. The body doesn’t react like it used to – older adults who contract a foodborne illness are more likely to have a lengthier illness… Continue reading Refrigerating Food the Right Way
Are We Close to a Better Treatment for Ulcerative Colitis?
Experts are optimistic about a one-step ulcerative colitis treatment that uses an oral drug consisting of microparticles and natural herbal molecules that target the colon. The treatment was developed by researchers from the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University and Southwest University in China. The findings, published in the journal Colloids and Surfaces… Continue reading Are We Close to a Better Treatment for Ulcerative Colitis?
Intestinal Bacteria Could Be Clue to Aging
Analyzing intestinal bacteria may help predict health outcomes of aging people – and lead to treatments that could help delay physical decline. Researchers from UCLA discovered changes within intestinal microbes that precede and predict the death of fruit flies. The findings were published in the journal Cell Reports. “Age-onset decline is very tightly linked to… Continue reading Intestinal Bacteria Could Be Clue to Aging
Natural Remedies for IBS: Do They Work?
Should you use complementary health remedies to combat Irritable Bowel Syndrome? The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), part of the National Institutes of Health, offers an overview: Probiotics There is some preliminary evidence that suggests these microorganisms may improve symptoms of IBS; however, benefits have not been conclusively demonstrated, and not all… Continue reading Natural Remedies for IBS: Do They Work?
IBD Linked to Anxiety
People who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease are twice as likely to have generalized anxiety disorder as those who don’t have IBD. The findings, by researchers from the University of Toronto, were published in the journal Inflammatory Bowel Diseases. “Patients with IBD face substantial chronic physical problems associated with the disease,” said lead-author Professor Esme… Continue reading IBD Linked to Anxiety
Promising Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Pinaverium offers quick and effective relief of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms, according to clinical trial results published in June 2015 in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association. A release from the association notes that pinaverium bromide (pinaverium), an antispasmodic, is used widely in many countries around… Continue reading Promising Treatment for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
A New Culprit in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Researchers from Washington University in St. Louis have made a discovery that could lead to better treatment for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The illness affects 1.6 million people in the United States, causing abdominal pain, diarrhea, constipation, rectal bleeding and other potentially debilitating symptoms. Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common forms of… Continue reading A New Culprit in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Many Probiotic Supplements Are Contaminated with Gluten
More than half of popular probiotic supplements contain traces of gluten, according to an analysis performed by investigators at the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) in New York City. Tests on 22 top-selling probiotics revealed that 12 of them (or 55%) had detectable gluten. A release from CUMC reports that probiotics… Continue reading Many Probiotic Supplements Are Contaminated with Gluten
What You Need to Know about Listeria
Although you might be more familiar with food-borne bugs like salmonella and e. coli, listeria is an even more dangerous bacteria that causes the illness listeriosis. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC), listeria causes an estimated 260 deaths; in 2011, the CDC says, it caused an estimated 33 deaths in 28 states… Continue reading What You Need to Know about Listeria
Listeria Pathogen Is Prevalent in Retail Delis
Researchers at Purdue University have shown that standard cleaning procedures in retail delis may not eradicate Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which can cause a potentially fatal disease in people with vulnerable immune systems. The paper was published in February 2015 in the Journal of Food Protection. A release from the university notes that a study led… Continue reading Listeria Pathogen Is Prevalent in Retail Delis
Update on Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatments
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an often misunderstood and underdiagnosed condition that affects about 15.3 million people in the United States. No one remedy works for all patients, so there’s a great medical need to develop new therapies for IBS, says Andrew Mulberg, M.D., a gastroenterologist with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That’s why… Continue reading Update on Irritable Bowel Syndrome Treatments
Tracing Tainted Food to the Source within an Hour
Foodborne illnesses kill roughly 3,000 Americans each year and about 1 in 6 are sickened, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Yet according to a January 2015 release from the U.S. Department of Energy and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) in California, most contaminated foods are never traced back to their source.… Continue reading Tracing Tainted Food to the Source within an Hour