Last week, our president was diagnosed with GERD.
Most of us are familiar with GERD and know that untreated GERD can have serious consequences and raise the risk of esophageal cancers.
It is important to avoid the list including: red wine, alcohol, smoking, tomatoes, dairy products, red meat, mint, coffee, chocolate and I always add gluten and refined sugars. It's a dietary wake-up time because gastrointestinal cells turn over rapidly and can mutate quickly into active cancer cells.
The medical experts will undoubtedly prescribe a proton pump inhibitor. You know the commercial about every house should be a purple Nexium house. Here is a reprint of an earlier blog I wrote last May about proton pump inhibitors.
Proton pump inhibitors were prescribed to decrease the risk and development of esophageal cancers. A nationwide study in Denmark of almost 10,000 patients newly diagnosed with Barrett's esophageal showed that no cancer-protective effects from the proton pump inhibitors were found. Long-term use of proton pump inhibitors was associated with a significantly increased risk of adenocarcinoma and high grade dysplasias.
Millions of Americans are taking proton pump inhibitor drugs because doctors were told that they reduced the incidence of upper G.I. cancers. Regular MD's get two hours of mandatory nutritional training in medical school and they can't fit in nutritional advice in a 3- to 5 minute consult. I'm just pointing out the limitations because the odds are stacked up against the patient and the doctor to make meaningful lifestyle changes that won't require medications. Even in my two hour plus intake I can't always cover specific details about nutrition until I test and identify food and chemical allergens. We have an active exchange about food plans after the test results come back.
We offer short nutritional consults. Some food allergy testing is covered by insurance.
In the Denmark study all esophageal cancers and high grade dysplasias were identified. They factored in gender, medication and low grade dysplasias. No cancer-protective effects from the proton pump inhibitors were found. Long-term use of proton pump inhibitors was associated with a significantly increased risk of adenocarcinoma and high grade dysplasias.
What does this mean? Dis-ease means change. If you are a long time user of proton pump inhibitors it's time to schedule an appointment with your Naturopathic physician. Changing your diet could mean being cancer-free. Our Naturopathic pharmacy offers effective formulas to correct the condition. Second Nature patients take Xymogen's GastrAcid, ProbioMax DF 100 B and GlutAloeMine for upper G.I. tissue repair. We have a wide array of specific treatments for acute and chronic H. Pylori infections. There are easy to swallow liquid RX homeopathic formulas for stomach ulcers, reflux, pain, tissue erosion and generalized inflammation.
Sometimes dis-ease requires more radical change so our GOOD GUT products can replace your meals for a digestive healing holiday. Before you swallow another dose of a medication that increases your risk of esophageal cancer - stop and think. Wouldn't it be a better choice to schedule an appointment and find out what is causing your dis-ease? An empowered patient is a healthier patient.
Previous blogs on cancer
