PPIs are medications used to reduce stomach acid and heartburn. Heartburn is the burning pain you feel when stomach acid rises out of your stomach and flows up into your esophagus. (more…)
Gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, affects 14% to 20% of adults in the United States.[1] The most common first-line treatment for this very prevalent disorder is drug treatment with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). These drugs can cause some serious side effects, including increased risk for pneumonia, osteoporosis, heart attack, and … Read More
Omeprazole and other proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are a group of drugs used to treat what is now the most common chronic disease in the world: gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). These drugs, which work by blocking the secretion of gastric acid, include Nexium, Prilosec, Protonix, Prevacid, and Aciphex. Although these … Read More
If you tend to develop a headache while exercising or start feeling a headache after you exercise, it’s likely that you’re suffering from the exertion headache phenomenon. You’re more likely to experience an exertion headache if you also suffer from migraine symptoms, which can also stem from vigorous exercise. Exertion … Read More
Many older adults take several different medications every day. If you do, and you aren’t careful about managing prescribed and over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, you may suffer potentially harmful side effects. These can stem from taking drugs that shouldn’t be combined, taking the wrong dose of a drug, or forgetting to … Read More
You may have heard the term scleroderma but what does it mean? The first half of the word has roots in the Greek word "skleros," or "hard." The second half of the word, "-derma," means "skin." According to the American College of Rheumatology, “Scleroderma (or systemic sclerosis) is an autoimmune … Read More
Gastritis refers to inflammation of the lining of the stomach. It may last for a few days (acute gastritis) or it may linger for months or years (chronic gastritis). It is a clinical finding, caused by a variety of disease processes including medication reactions, excessive alcohol intake, and bacterial infection. … Read More
Up to 15 million Americans every day are thought to suffer from heartburn—a form of indigestion that feels like a burning sensation in the chest. It isn’t normal, however, to have heartburn after every meal, according to Mount Sinai gastroenterologist Brijen Shah, MD. “If you do," he warns, "it’s possible … Read More
The diaphragm is a large muscle that separates your chest and abdominal cavity. The diaphragm contains an opening called the hiatus, through which your esophagus passes to connect to the stomach. In some people, especially those who are overweight, over age 50, or who smoke, the stomach bulges up through … Read More
Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are prescribed to some 15 million Americans to reduce stomach acid and ease heartburn. Millions more use over-the-counter PPIs. New research, however, is showing a link between long-term, high-dosage PPI use and ischemic stroke. An ischemic stroke is the most common type of stroke and is … Read More
