Magda was a new patient who was referred by one of my ENT colleagues for “refractory reflux”. She’d been on the proton pump inhibitor Nexium at a dose of twice daily for over a year, and was still complaining of symptoms. She’d cut out caffeine, alcohol, chocolate and late-night eating when the symptoms first began, […]
Did you know that small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) is often mistaken for acid reflux? In my practice, at least half the patients who come in with a reflux diagnosis are actually suffering from SIBO. Why is the mistaken diagnosis so common? The symptoms of the two conditions are very similar and even identical in […]
Recently diagnosed with esophagitis and reflux, my doctor recommends I take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) for the rest of my life, but I’d prefer to use alternatives, such as a healthy diet, exercise and stress reduction. Is this possible? -Dan Dr. Chutkan: Dan, you’re on the right track in being cautious of lifelong PPI use. Stomach acid […]
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) increase the risk of pneumonia in older adults (60+ years). Researchers analyzed data from over 75,000 adults who used PPIs for 1 or more years. They then looked at the incidents of pneumonia in year 2 of treatment and compared these rates to a control group (age and sex-matched) not taking PPIs. […]