Heartburn News and Research

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Heartburn, also know as acid reflux, is a painful and burning sensation in the esophagus, just behind the breastbone usually associated with regurgitation of gastric acid (gastric reflux).

The changing dynamics of doctors' offices

The New York Times reports on how some physicians are dispensing drugs in their offices. Meanwhile, CNN Money explores the "demise" of the solo practitioner.

13 Jul 2012

First Edition: July 12, 2012

Kaiser Health News staff writer Phil Galewitz, working in collaboration with The Philadelphia Inquirer, reports: Penn is one of a small, but growing number of hospitals taking their advertising campaigns to Facebook, Google and other websites. Fewer than 150 of the nation's 6,000 hospitals use Google and Facebook to market services, estimates Rob Grant, executive vice president of eVariant, a Simsbury, Ct.-based hospital consulting firm.

12 Jul 2012

Lesogaberan development halts following disappointing results

Lesogaberan is only marginally superior to placebo in gastroesophageal reflux disease patients who are partially responsive to proton pump inhibitor therapy, results show.

10 Jul 2012

$Chinese herbal preparation reduces fragility fractures$

Chinese herbal preparation reduces fragility fractures

Herbal Fufang – a multi-herbal preparation used in traditional Chinese medicine –increases bone mineral density and reduces fragility fractures in postmenopausal women, Chinese researchers report.

27 Jun 2012

Romney's recent health policy decisions leading some conservatives to 'scratch their heads'

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney insists that when it comes to health care, his first priority is the full repeal of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. But some of his actions of the past few days have conservatives scratching their heads. First, there was the appointment of Mike Leavitt, a former Utah governor and Health and Human Services secretary, to lead a potential Romney transition team.

7 Jun 2012

Statisticians devise new predictive algorithm for future medical conditions

Analyzing medical records from thousands of patients, statisticians have devised a statistical model for predicting what other medical problems a patient might encounter.

5 Jun 2012

Polarization Gating Spectroscopy may detect pancreatic cancer

By simply shining a tiny light within the small intestine, close to that organ's junction with the pancreas, physicians at Mayo Clinic's campus in Florida have been able to detect pancreatic cancer 100 percent of the time in a small study.

22 May 2012

Inflammation might be an important factor in the progression from reﬂux to esophageal cancer

Inﬂammation might be an important factor in the progression from reﬂux to esophageal cancer, according to a new study in Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the official journal of the American Gastroenterological Association.

11 May 2012

Health Canada announces labelling update for Cipralex

Health Canada is informing Canadians of a labelling update for the prescription drug Cipralex (the brand name of the drug escitalopram) regarding a dose-related risk of abnormal heart rhythms. Cipralex is used to treat depression and belongs to a family of drugs known as Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs).

7 May 2012

Bile plays a critical role in development of Barrett's esophagus

For many people with gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD, acid reflux drugs are the answer to their woes, curbing the chronic heartburn and regurgitation of food or sour liquid characteristic of the disorder. But when it comes to Barrett's esophagus, a condition commonly found in people with GERD, acid control may be less important than beating back another bodily fluid - bile.

25 Apr 2012

Merck wins New Jersey FOSAMAX litigation

Merck, known outside the United States and Canada as MSD, today said a state court jury in New Jersey found in its favor in the Sessner v. Merck case, rejecting the claims of a woman who blamed her jaw-related problems on her FOSAMAX use.

19 Apr 2012

PPIs improve sleep and daytime quality of life for sufferers of GERD

The use of proton pump inhibitors improves the sleep and daytime quality of life for sufferers of gastroesophageal reflux disease, according to a systematic literature review in the April 2012 issue of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

12 Apr 2012

Post-operative complications after oesophageal cancer surgery may cause other health problems

Oesophageal cancer is a very serious form of cancer that, if not fatal, requires extensive surgery. A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that when serious complications arise after surgery for oesophageal cancer, many patients suffer other health problems, such as breathlessness, fatigue, insomnia and eating problems, for five years afterwards.

4 Apr 2012

MiR-375 regulates IL-13-induced changes in allergic diseases

Researchers have taken a critical step in understanding how allergic reactions occur after identifying a genetic signature for regulation of a key immune hormone, interleukin (IL-13).

29 Mar 2012

Researchers identify genetic signature for eosinophilic esophagitis

Researchers have identified a genetic signature for a severe, often painful food allergy – eosinophilic esophagitis – that could lead to improved diagnosis and treatment for children unable to eat a wide variety of foods.

12 Mar 2012

FDA may allow many chronic ailment drugs to be available over-the-counter

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is deciding on a proposal to waive prescription requirements for commonly used drugs that treat conditions like diabetes, asthma, and migraines.

11 Mar 2012

Longer looks: Former Komen VP's new 'bona fides'; Alzheimer's definition changing?; Palin on her special needs child

Even if you put politics and ideology completely aside, Karen Handel had to resign from Susan G. Komen for the Cure. It's hard to think of the last time an employee did so much damage to such a respected brand in so little time. ... But while Komen will sustain long-term damage, Handel probably will be just fine. Yes, she's lost her position as Komen's vice president for public policy. But Handel has long had political aspirations, and she's now a right-wing cause célèbre.

10 Feb 2012

Patients with GERD benefit from radiofrequency ablation

Heartburn. Acid reflux, GERD. They're different terms for the same type of condition - stomach acid used for digestion travels back up the esophagus, the "food pipe" that connects your throat to your stomach.

9 Feb 2012

$Heart burn drugs and hip fractures in postmenopausal women smokers: Study establishes link$

Heart burn drugs and hip fractures in postmenopausal women smokers: Study establishes link

A new study shows that postmenopausal women with a history of smoking who take heartburn drugs called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for two years or longer may be more likely to sustain a hip fracture. The risk rises with longer use say researchers. But the risk does disappear after women stop taking these drugs for two years. Further women who never smoked were not at increased risk for hip fracture even if they took PPIs regularly, the study showed. The new findings appear in the journal BMJ.

2 Feb 2012

Lansoprazole increases risk of sore throats, respiratory problems in children with asthma

Adding the acid reflux drug lansoprazole to a standard inhaled steroid treatment for asthma does not improve asthma control in children who have no symptom of acid reflux, according to a new study funded in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health. Lansoprazole therapy slightly increased the risk of sore throats and other respiratory problems in children, however.

25 Jan 2012