Acid Stomach (heartburn)
Does Your Microbiota Change When You Take Nexium…
The "royal we" may be more accurate than we imagine, and not only for individuals of noble descent. All of us might practice thinking of ourselves a a collective. That is because each of us contains m…
PPIs and Kidney Damage | Nephrologist Spanks GI …
Many specialists live in silos. By that we mean they hang out with other experts like themselves. They reinforce each other’s understanding of the world. These specialists may not hang out with auth…
More Bad News About PPIs and Kidney Damage
The FDA loves proton pump inhibitors (PPI)s. So do doctors, especially gastroenterologists. Drugs like esomeprazole (Nexium) lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec) used to top the doctors' …
What Is the Right Dose of Baking Soda?
We love simple remedies using ingredients you already have on hand in your pantry, so long as they work and they are safe. One time-honored approach to ease indigestion is taking a baking soda solutio…
Will Apple Cider Vinegar Lower Your Blood Pressu…
Apple cider vinegar is an extremely popular home remedy. More than 50 years ago, D. C. Jarvis, MD, published his best-selling book, Folk Medicine: A Vermont Doctor's Guide to Good Health. In it, he pr…
Will Apple Cider Vinegar Cure Your Heartburn?
Do you get uncomfortable after a big meal? A burning sensation under the breastbone after eating is common. If you have ever suffered from this type of indigestion, you may want to know how to cure yo…
What Happened to Cod Liver Oil as a Home Remedy?
The origin of many a home remedy is lost in the mists of time. Usually we don't have a good record of who started using it or when, and we also rarely have information on when and how it falls out of …
Show 1144: New Ways to Heal Your Digestive Tract
Heartburn is a common problem. Many people take powerful acid-suppressing drugs like Nexium or Prilosec every day to treat gastro-esophageal reflux disease or GERD. If untreated, chronic irritation of…
Do You Swallow a Spoonful of Mustard for Heartbu…
Do you suffer from heartburn? Many people do, judging from the popularity of acid-suppressing drugs such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec). Antacids like Maalo…
Aspirin and Ulcers: A Potentially Deadly Reactio…
We like aspirin. It’s inexpensive and as effective as any other OTC pain reliever on the market. Millions take it or another NSAID (ibuprofen or naproxen) every day. They swallow such pills to ease …
Should You Be Taking Vitamin Supplements?
There is growing consensus among health professionals that most people should not be taking vitamin supplements. Their view is that this is a waste of money that will do no more than lead to expensive…
Will You Get Osteoporosis If You Take Omeprazole…
Do you take omeprazole (Prilosec) or another proton pump inhibitor such as esomeprazole (Nexium) or lansoprazole (Prevacid)? Such PPI drugs were once thought to be relatively free of side effects, but…
Swapping Losartan for Valsartan Results in Stoma…
The ongoing valsartan recall has caused a lot of trouble. Pharmacists have had to hunt for alternative suppliers that did not use the contaminated active ingredient from Zhejiang Huahai company in Ch…
Yet Another PPI Complication | Acid-Suppressing …
We know you are getting weary of reading about serious side effects linked to proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). They are among the most popular drugs in the pharmacy. They include dexlansoprazole, esomep…
Can You Use Almonds to Stop Heartburn?
Heartburn may seem like a recent problem, but in fact, people have been struggling with indigestion for as far back as medical history reaches and probably beyond. Hippocrates wrote about it more than…
Why Papaya for Heartburn Is Surprisingly Helpful
Papaya was once considered an exotic fruit. You had to visit a tropical country to find it. Now, fresh papaya can be found in most food markets. You can purchase papaya enzymes in tablet form in healt…
How to Manage Your Heartburn Without Drugs
The American diet seems designed to create digestive problems. We love fast food, which is low in fiber and high in processed carbs and fat. We also eat on the run. As a result, many people suffer fro…
How to Avoid Trouble at the Pharmacy Checkout
In one of the first scenes of the returning show, Roseanne, Roseanne is sitting at the kitchen table when her husband walks through the door, prescription bag in hand. “Oooh! My favorite! Drugs!” …
Skimping on Magnesium May Mean Trouble Sleeping
How often does a treatment for one problem lead to another problem? We suspect it may be more common than anyone could imagine. Who would guess that low magnesium levels resulting from a heartburn med…
Can Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) Blow A Hole…
People have been using a natural antacid (sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda) for a very long time. It is cheap and surprisingly effective for easing symptoms of indigestion. But too much of a good t…
Are Heartburn Drugs (PPIs) Linked to Stomach Can…
According to our calculation (based on the most recent data available), more than 110 million prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are filled each year. That does not count the tens of mill…
How To Choose Safe and Effective Over-The-Counte…
Americans love to play doctor. And the FDA has made it easy. That’s because the agency has allowed Pharma companies to switch many Rx drugs to OTC in a big way. We spend $33 billion on over-the-coun…
Do Mothers with Heartburn Have Babies with Asthm…
Heartburn is a common symptom during pregnancy. New research suggests, however, that pregnant women who relieve their reflux with potent acid-suppressing drugs may precipitate unexpected complications…
Why Do Cough Lozenges Ease Indigestion?
Heartburn is hardly a new phenomenon. Humans have probably had to contend with indigestion for as long as the species has existed. Still, it often seems as though 21st century Americans suffer more of…
Will Your Heartburn Drug Cause Depression?
Proton pump inhibitors, or PPIs, are widely used for a range of digestive tract difficulties. These popular pills, including esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec) and p…
Will Enteric-Coated Peppermint Oil Help Your Dig…
When you learn that an herbal medicine is helpful for some type of health condition, it may be a little tricky to sort out just which problems it helps. One reader found this especially troublesome wi…
A Pharmacist Remembers a Link Between Omeprazole…
On November 1, 2017 we sent out a People's Pharmacy Special Health Alert asking the question: "Do Acid-Suppressing Drugs Cause Cancer?" This article was based on new research from Hong Kong (Gut, onli…
Do Acid-Suppressing Drugs Cause Cancer?
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are among the most popular drugs in the pharmacy. Physicians prescribe them to 15 million people every year for ulcers, acid reflux, heartburn and Barrett's esophagus. Th…
PPI Side Effects Continue to Scare Us To Death
Have you ever met people who have a hard time admitting they might have made a mistake? Such individuals defend their decisions and actions no matter what the consequences. It feels to us as if the Fo…
What Do You Do When Your Specialists Disagree?
Let's face it. We used to be at the mercy of our doctors. If a specialist said "jump," they expected us to inquire "how high?" If a medication was prescribed, we were expected to take it. The fewer qu…
Will Home Made Ginger Ale Ease Heartburn?
Every family has at least a few simple remedies that can help in managing everyday problems, from hangnails to heartburn. Which ones did you learn while you were growing up? One reader learned to make…
Turmeric in Milk Prevents Stomach Upset
Have you considered taking turmeric for its anti-inflammatory properties? Perhaps you've considered it as a way to ease psoriasis instead. Researchers have suggested that turmeric or its principal com…
PPIs and Death: Why Are These Acid-Suppressors s…
PPIs (aka proton pump inhibitors) remain incredibly popular. These acid-suppressing drugs help heal ulcers. That's a really good thing. For short term use, they're terrific! The trouble is that they a…
What Are the Risks of Pepcid Complete?
Managing acid reflux can be challenging. You might take a proton pump inhibitor like omeprazole (Prilosec), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or esomeprazole (Nexium). Chances are, within a few weeks your sympt…
Will a Gluten-Free Diet Help Your Heartburn Symp…
Judging from the popularity of medicines like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec), heartburn symptoms are extremely common. Is there a better way to prevent the re…
How Breastfeeding Helps Babies Establish Good Di…
Why should new mothers consider breastfeeding? Pediatricians have been recommending that babies be breastfed exclusively for the first six months if possible. One benefit of breastfeeding is that it …
Should You Worry About Kidney Damage with PPI He…
Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are incredibly popular. By one estimate, nearly 8% of adults took a prescription drug like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec) in the …
How to Help Your Heartburn with Persimmon Tea
Heartburn is an ongoing problem for many people. Gastroenterologists may prescribe a proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as dexlansoprazole (Dexilant), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec) or p…
Does Ranitidine Have the Same Risks as a PPI?
Americans must suffer from an awful lot of heartburn, because drugs to treat this painful condition have been best-sellers for a number of decades. The current favorites are proton pump inhibitors (PP…
Do People on PPIs Have More Infectious Diarrhea?
Is it smart to block the production of stomach acid with powerful proton pump inhibitor drugs (PPIs)? Millions of people take these drugs to control acid reflux, ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux dis…