A Man With Sudden Onset of Gastroparesis
By HANS DUVEFELT Leo Dufour is not a diabetic. He is in his mid 50s, a light smoker with hypertension and a known hiatal hernia. He has had occasional heartburn and has taken famotidine for a few years along with his blood pressure and cholesterol pills. Over the past few months, he started to experience a lot more heartburn, belching and bloating. Adding pantoprazole did nothing for him. I referred him to a local surgeon who did an upper endoscopy. This did not reveal much, except some retained food in his stomach. A gastric emptying study showed severe gastroparesis. The surgeon offered him a trial of metoclopra...
Source: The Health Care Blog - September 16, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs

The Art of Clinical Decision Making: Friday Afternoon Dilemmas
By HANS DUVEFELT The woman had a bleeding ulcer and required a blood transfusion. The hospital discharge summary said to see me in three days for a repeat CBC. But she had a late Friday appointment and there was no way we would get a result before the end of the day. She also had developed diarrhea on her pantoprazole and had stopped the medication. As if that wasn’t enough, her right lower leg was swollen and painful. She had been bed bound for a couple of days in the hospital and sedentary at home after discharge. She could still be bleeding and she could have a blood clot. There were no openings for an ultrasoun...
Source: The Health Care Blog - March 22, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Christina Liu Tags: Medical Practice Physicians Primary Care Hans Duvefelt Source Type: blogs

MKSAP: 35-year-old man with persistent heartburn
Test your medicine knowledge with the  MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 35-year-old man is evaluated during a follow-up appointment for persistent heartburn with chronic cough. He has a 1-year history of gastroesophageal reflux disease and takes pantoprazole twice daily. He reports no nausea, vomiting, or dysphagia. Upper endoscopy performed 1 year […]Find jobs at  Careers by KevinMD.com.  Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.  Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - August 10, 2019 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/mksap" rel="tag" > mksap < /a > < /span > Tags: Conditions Gastroenterology Source Type: blogs

Where did all the magnesium go?
We pay special attention to restoration of magnesium in the Wheat Belly lifestyle. This is because magnesium deficiency is universal, affecting virtually everyone, is severe, and has substantial implications for health. But why? Why has everyone become so depleted in magnesium in the modern world? There are five major reasons: Water filtration—We filter our water out of necessity, since modern waterways are contaminated by sewage runoff, pesticide/herbicides, algal overgrowth, etc. So, rather than drinking from a nearby stream or river that runs freely over rocks and minerals rich in magnesium, we drink water filter...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - May 30, 2019 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Magnesium grain-free phytates undoctored wheat belly Source Type: blogs

Seasoned medical professionals prescribe new medicines sparingly
I prescribe heartburn medicines every day. There ’s a gaggle of them now— Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Protonix— to name a few. As far as experts know, their primary effect is to reduce the production of stomach acid. This is why they are so effective at putting out your heartburn fire. In simple terms: no […]Find jobs at  Careers by KevinMD.com.  Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.  Learn more. (Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog)
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - December 31, 2018 Category: General Medicine Authors: < span itemprop="author" > < a href="https://www.kevinmd.com/blog/post-author/michael-kirsch" rel="tag" > Michael Kirsch, MD < /a > < /span > Tags: Meds Gastroenterology Source Type: blogs

Live the Wheat Belly lifestyle, get off prescription medications
Take a look at the list of medications people have been able to stop by following the Wheat Belly lifestyle. These represent medications prescribed by doctors to, in effect, “treat” the consequences of consuming wheat and grains. They prescribe drugs to treat inflammation, swelling, skin rashes, gastrointestinal irritation, high blood sugars, airway allergy, joint pain, high blood pressure, leg edema and other abnormal effects caused by wheat and grains. The list includes anti-inflammatory and pain medication, acid reflux drugs, injectable and oral drugs for diabetes, numerous anti-hypertensive agents, asthma i...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - October 27, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates autoimmune blood sugar bowel flora cholesterol Gliadin gluten-free grain-free grains Inflammation undoctored Weight Loss wheat belly Source Type: blogs

Bowel disaster
Something like 60 to 100 million of us live with a severe form of dysbiosis called small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, in which bowel microorganisms have ascended up the ileum, jejunum, duodenum, and stomach, a massive onslaught of infection and inflammation that results in increased intestinal permeability and entry of bacterial lipopolysaccharide, LPS, and other factors into the bloodstream that massively increase body-wide inflammation, absolute bowel disaster. But what sets this enormous disruption of human health in motion? Why would a perturbation of human health of such huge proportions get rooted in the...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 2, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates bowel flora grain-free Inflammation sibo small intestinal wheat belly Source Type: blogs

Seven things you probably didn ’ t know about IBS
To an impressive degree, irritable bowel syndrome, IBS, vividly illustrates what consuming wheat and grains do to the human body, as well as the myriad effects of factors such as GMOs containing glyphosate and Bt toxin, veggies and fruits with herbicides and pesticides, water “purified” with awful chemicals such as chloramine (MUCH longer lasting than chlorine in the body and environment), and commonly prescribed drugs like Protonix, Prilosec, and other stomach acid-suppressing drugs. You may already know that many people obtain relief from IBS symptoms just by banishing wheat and grains from their diet. But so...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - September 1, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates autoimmune bowel flora dysbiosis gluten-free grain-free grains IBS Inflammation prebiotic probiotic small intestinal wheat belly Source Type: blogs

The fecalization of America
I’ve been lately discussing the issue of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, or SIBO, a situation in which bowel microorganisms (especially of the undesirable Enterobacteriaceae variety such as E. coli and Shigella) ascend up from the colon and colonize the ileum, jejunum, duodenum, and stomach. This has numerous health implications that are only beginning to be appreciated: irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), fibromyalgia, psoriasis and other skin rashes, restless leg syndrome, diverticular disease, heightened body-wide inflammation, increased risk for colon cancer—SIBO is either synonymous with these condition...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - July 9, 2018 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: News & Updates bowel flora dysbiosis Inflammation microbiota prebiotic probiotic sibo small intestinal bacterial overgrowth undoctored wheat belly Source Type: blogs

One Barely Noticed Settlement by Pfizer Suggests the Futility of Polite Protests about Health Policy
A few days ago we noticed just one more marcher in theparade of legal settlements.  But it was once again a huge health care corporation, and it had aspects that demanded attention.Pfizer Makes $94 Million Settlement of Allegations of Fraud to Delay Generic CompetitionA tinyitem in Becker ' s Hospital News on November 28, 2017, stated:Pfizer will pay $94 million to resolve allegations that it used fraudulent patents to delay generic competition for its anti-inflammatory drug Celebrex.The lawsuit, brought by 32 direct purchasers of Celebrex in April and certified a class action lawsuit in August, claimed Pfizer attempt...
Source: Health Care Renewal - December 3, 2017 Category: Health Management Tags: adverse effects Celebrex deception impunity legal settlements Pfizer restraint of competition Source Type: blogs

An August Appendectomy
In August, (one month ago today)I had an appendectomy. There was very little drama involved, the doctors office visit led straight to a same day CT scan and an emergency review with the radiologist who informed me the appendix couldn ' t be seen but the colon was most definitely inflamed and I should go to the ER if it got worse. To the ER I went that night, to a hospital where the D Care is very good (had that going for it). They admitted me under observation, coursing enough pain medications through me to make me sick for the next 14 hours. The plan was to do another CT the next day. In observation, as I was trying not t...
Source: The D-Log Cabin - September 20, 2017 Category: Endocrinology Authors: HVS Source Type: blogs

7 ways to save cash on prescription drugs
The prescription retinoid that my dermatologist suggested sounded like a great idea. It was a topical vitamin A-based cream, which has been shown to help reduce fine lines and wrinkles. Now that I’m a middle ager, I thought I’d give it a try. Then I got to the drugstore, and found that the little tube had a huge price: $371! I didn’t want to shell out that much for a mere face cream, so I didn’t fill the prescription. But my case was only skin-deep. What about people who can’t — or don’t want to — pay for prescription medications to treat chronic or serious illness? “It’s a real problem. Medications onl...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - May 18, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Heidi Godman Tags: Drugs and Supplements Health Managing your health care Source Type: blogs

Did Big Pharma BUY Big Media?
Healthcare is at the top of the list of societal problems in the U.S. Healthcare interactions are unsatisfying to most people, costs are out of control and cost every American nearly $10,000 per person per year while bleeding 17.5% of GDP, more than any other nation on earth for a system that ranks low or last  in quality compared to other developed countries. For a problem as big as healthcare, big enough to cripple the entire economy in addition to bankrupting more and more Americans, you would think that media reporting would be filled with debate, criticisms, and in-depth coverage about the problems in healthcare. But...
Source: Wheat Belly Blog - May 2, 2017 Category: Cardiology Authors: Dr. Davis Tags: Undoctored abc bias big pharma cbs cnn drug industry fox gluten grains health healthcare illness media nbc pharmaceutical tv wheat Source Type: blogs

H. pylori, a true stomach “bug”: Who should doctors test and treat?
In 1982, two Australian scientists discovered that a certain bacterium, Helicobacter pylori, was a common cause of persistent stomach inflammation and stomach ulcers. This realization revolutionized ulcer treatment. While fairly common, this infection usually causes no symptoms, but it can sometimes lead to ulcers in the stomach or the very first part of the small intestine (duodenum), and to certain types of stomach cancer. There is also evidence linking H. pylori infection to other conditions like iron-deficiency anemia and vitamin B12 deficiency. The bacteria are thought to spread through contaminated water, vomit, or f...
Source: Harvard Health Blog - April 5, 2017 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Wynne Armand, MD Tags: Digestive Disorders Health Infectious diseases Tests and procedures Source Type: blogs

Coronary artery disease: Primary care and prevention
Symptomatic coronary artery disease can be divided into stable coronary artery disease and acute coronary syndromes. Asymptomatic coronary artery disease seldom present to the primary care physician and is often detected by a routine health check up or pre-operative evaluation. Stable coronary artery disease usually presents in the form of chronic stable angina. Acute coronary syndromes could be either unstable angina or acute myocardial infarction. Acute myocardial infarction can be further subdivided into ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) depending on the prese...
Source: Cardiophile MD - December 17, 2016 Category: Cardiology Authors: Prof. Dr. Johnson Francis, MD, DM, FACC, FRCP Edin, FRCP London Tags: Cardiology Source Type: blogs