Previous 15 Columns   Next 15 Columns

What You Should Know About GERD
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Do you suffer from heartburn, gas, stomach discomfort after eating and sometimes need to belch? Or do you ever feel that food has come back up leaving a bitter taste in your mouth? If so you may be suffering from a motility problem rather than excess stomach acid.

Following a meal, the upper sphincter, a tight ring of muscle separating the stomach from the esophagus (foodpipe) usually remains closed. Heartburn problems occur when the sphincter doesn’t close or opens at the wrong time allowing the contents to splash up into the esophagus. 

Do Laxatives Cause Cancer?
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Can several popular laxatives cause cancer? This is a question many anxious readers have recently asked me. It was triggered by an announcement from Health Canada. It ordered several companies to stop selling certain laxatives by August 8 unless they can prove they are safe.

This prohibition follows recent studies by the National Toxicology Program in the U.S. It discovered that phenolphthalein has carcinogenic potential in rodents.

The Latest Treatment for Peptic Ulcer
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

What’s the best way to cure the gnawing pain of a peptic ulcer? This week I met the doctor who has the answer. Dr Barry Marshall stunned the scientific world by claiming that peptic ulcers were not caused by stress. Rather, he claimed stomach and duodenal ulcers were triggered by a spiral-shaped bacterium called Helicobacter pylori. And that just as you can catch a cold you can catch an ulcer!

Dr. Marshall is currently Professor of Research in Internal Medicine at The University of Virginia in Charlottesville. His research began in 1981 when he was studying gastritis, an inflammation of the stomach’s lining. His colleague, Dr. Robert Warren, a pathologist, noted the curved bacterium present in some biopsies taken from the stomach.

Think “Mother-In-Law” If You’re Constipated
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Do you know if you suffer from constipation? And if so, what can you do about it? I recently told readers that if their stools didn’t float it meant their diet was lacking in fiber. This column unleashed a flood of letters. The majority requested that I write more about constipation. Others are confused about the various types of fiber. And what to do if they need a laxative.

First, here’s a practical “one minute” test to diagnose constipation. If you have to sit on the toilet seat for more than a minute you suffer from constipation. And you’re really in trouble if you have to take a book with you!

It’s Safer Living In Uganda!
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

“Why in the name of Heaven do I subject myself to this indignity and inconvenience every five years?” I ask. The answer is always the same. I prefer not to have a colostomy or die from cancer of the large bowel. Undergoing colonoscopy is the only way to prevent it. That is, unless I decide to live in Uganda?

This year 170,000 North Americans will develop colon and rectal cancer. Sixty-five thousand will die from it. The great tragedy is that practically all of these deaths can be prevented. 

Open The Refrigerator For Relief of Rectal Irritation
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Have you given up hope of ever getting rid of rectal irritation? Every year I see patients who have tried an array of over-the-counter preparations. They’ve consulted a variety of physicians to no avail. And some have undergone a hemorrhoidectomy operation without relief of symptoms.

But for many of these patients relief is as close as the refrigerator door. “Anurex”, a cold rectal probe, is one of the best kept secrets for treating this irritating problem.

The Case of the “Floating Stool”
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

What will I remember most about the start of 1997? No, I didn’t paint the town red and end up with a throbbing hang-over. Rather, I won’t forget the response to the first column of the year. The article dealing with 20 New Year’s resolutions. But it was one specific resolution that provoked the reaction.

Resolution # 6 gave this sage advice, “Eat a balanced diet, which includes dairy products, and increase the amount of fiber in your diet. Few people consume sufficient fiber. If your stool doesn’t float, you’re not getting enough”. The last sentence unleashed a torrent of calls and mail.

The 90 Percent Solution For Hemorrhoids
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

“Could I have prevented this problem?” a patient recently asked me. She had had surgery to treat hemorrhoids. But too much tissue had been removed by the scalpel. Now the rectal opening was too small causing difficult and painful bowel movements. A simple rubber-band could have prevented this complication.

Historians have speculated that Napoleon might have won the Battle of Waterloo if he hadn’t been suffering from hemorrhoids. But even when you’re not astride a horse it’s hard to concentrate if you have painful piles. 

The Tight Pants Syndrome!
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Are you a middle-aged man complaining of vague abdominal discomfort? Do you feel that your abdomen is often distended? Or have you noticed occasional skipped heart beats? And are you concerned you may have a serious intestinal or cardiac problem? If so, you may simply be suffering from the “Tight Pants Syndrome”.

It’s rare that at one time or another a healthy person doesn’t suffer from belching, stomach distension or heartburn.

GERD and LES Are Not The Latest Pop Stars
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Have you heard about GERD and LES? No, they’re not the latest pop stars. Nor are they brother and sister. But LES (lower esophageal sphincter) often determines whether you suffer from GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease). And if you don’t know anything about GERD you may think your pain is due to coronary disease.

Dr. Janhenk Voskuil, a Dutch gastroenterologist, recently addressed the World Congress of Gastroenterology in Los Angeles. He had disquieting news about cardiologists. 

Take Some Honey, Honey For Peptic Ulcers!
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Why write about peptic ulcers again after discussing them a few months ago? It’s not that I’m getting absent-minded or running out of ideas. Rather, I’ve just come across a novel way to treat one of this nation’s major problems.

In a previous article I remarked that ,"He who laughs last, laughs best”. The world’s gastroenterologists had given the “big guffaw” to Australian scientists Drs Barry J Marshall and J. Robbin Warren.

Are You Treating Your Peptic Ulcer The Wrong Way?
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

It’s been said that, “He who laughs last, laughs best”. That’s why Dr’s Barry J. Marshall and J. Robbin Warren must be chuckling to themselves these days. In 1983 these Australian researchers reported that peptic ulcers were caused by bacteria. And all the world’s gastroenterologists guffawed. Now Marshall and Graham are having the last laugh.

But it’s been a tough sell. For years peptic ulcers were supposed to be due to type A personalities who produced too much hydrochloric acid which eroded the stomach wall. And the standard treatment has been to maintain the proper acid balance in the stomach.

Take A Lesson From The Battleship King George V
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Last week I discussed why we needed to start “Constipation Anonymous”. Why millions of bowels become crippled by the needless use of laxatives. And how a change in lifestyle habits can protect people from chronic constipation. This week what you should know about the British battleship King George V. And what eventually happened to Captain L. Cleave.

Most people remember the King George V for chasing Germany’s mighty Bismark. But along with lasting memories of the smoke of battle, Ship Surgeon Captain Cleave holds another recollection. At the same time all 1500 sailors aboard the battleship were constipated. Hardly a fact to deserve mention in the history books.

It’s Time to Start Constipation Anonymous
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Heraclitus was a shrewd observer of humans. In 530 B.C. he wrote “There is always a majority of fools”. Barnum and Bailey added centuries later, “There’s a sucker born every minute”. That may explain why every year millions of dollars are spent on laxatives that cripple normal bowels. So it’s time to start “Constipation Anonymous”.

For centuries people of all nations have embraced phobias about their bowels. The early Egyptians recommended purging at every cycle of the moon. The Romans prepared strong cathartics of rhubarb. The Greeks administered mixtures of aloe, the Arabians senna leaves. 

Beware of Flatus this Christmas
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Why would anyone spend time studying rectal flatus? After all, hell would have to freeze over before this research would win the Nobel Prize in Medicine. But it is rather refreshing, if you will pardon the pun, to learn that a researcher is investigating this malodorous human problem. So none of us should turn up our nose at this unique study. Or get careless at a Christmas party.

Dr. Albert Tangerman is a Dutch gastroenterologist at the University Hospital Nijmegen. He must also be a super salesman who could sell refrigerators to Eskimos.

Previous 15 Columns   Next 15 Columns