Archive for the ‘Gastrointestinal’ Category

Is it new year resolutions time again? Researchers from Norway report that patients who were scheduled for colonoscopies around the December-January holiday season were one and a half times more likely to keep their appointments. Similarly, patients who were given medical appointments in the weeks immediately subsequent to their birthdays had higher attendance rates. The researchers believe that reminders of aging triggered by annual milestones may be the underlying mechanism for the increased compliance. This certainly sounds logical. Screening programs - and physicians at large - should keep this in mind as a cost-effective way of improving patient compliance.

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The FDA has announced warnings against two prescription drugs - Visicol and OsmoPrep - used to cleanse the bowels before colonoscopies. The concern is over the potential of these drugs in causing kidney damage due to their high phosphate content. Similar over-the-counter medications, such as Fleet Phopho-soda, should not be used for bowel cleansing either; however, at lower doses, they are still safe to use as laxatives. Commonly used alternatives - GoLytely and Halflytely - exist and are safe to use for colonoscopy preparation. We know that colonoscopies can save lives, so this should not dissuade anyone from getting one, especially when safe bowel prep regimens exist.

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Halitosis is the medical term for bad breath. Aside from brushing and flossing there are a variety of other surprising causes of halitosis, one of which is skipping breakfast. Eating breakfast stimulates the secretion of saliva which helps to rid the mouth of odor-causing bacteria. Other interesting causes of halitosis include medications that dry out the mouth, snoring, alcohol use and h. pylori, the bacteria responsible for stomach ulcers.

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A new study reported in the British Medical Journal finds that often overlooked over the counter remedies for irritable bowel syndrome are more effective than placebo. The study shows that ispaghula husk, antispasmodics (particularly hyoscine), and peppermint oil are all effective treatments for irritable bowel syndrome. The researchers, however, did not distinguish between constipation- and diarrhea-predominant IBS. The study authors stated that the advent of newer and more expensive drugs, these remedies are overlooked as potentially effective treatments.

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“TOGA” is the acronym for transoral gastroplasty, a new type of weight loss surgery that involves making the stomach smaller by stapling it - by way of the mouth, rather than through incisions on the outside of the body. The procedure has now been performed on 98 individuals in Europe and and Mexico and, on average, those who have passed the one year mark have lost about 40% of their excess body weight. Only a few patients have tried it so far in the US as part of a study funded by Satiety, Inc., the company which makes the staplers. They are hoping to get FDA approval for the procedure, which falls in line with a current trend to make surgery less invasive and less painful. By not making incisions, you minimize many of the risks and side effects of surgery.

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By age 60 one third of the US population develops diverticulosis, the condition of having diverticulae - small outpouchings in the colon due to weaknesses in the muscle layers of the intestines. Health practitioners have historically advocated an avoidance of corn, nuts and seeds in people with diverticulosis because of a theoretical risk that they can irritate and damage diverticulae and cause bleeding and inflammation (diverticulitis). However, there is little evidence to actually support this recommendation. In the latest Journal of the American Medical Association, a new study that followed nearly 50 thousand men showed that consumption of nuts, corn, and popcorn were not found to be associated with an increased risk of new diverticulitis or diverticular complications. In fact, there was an inverse relationship between nut and popcorn consumption and the risk of diverticulitis. Full story.