HEARTS AFIRE

Heartburn: New Fears, Facts and Findings

February 13, 2006….That burning sensation in your heart this month may have less to do with Valentine’s Day emotion and more to do with a pervasive health issue: heartburn. More than 15 million Americans suffer from heartburn every day and 60 million suffer monthly.

The discomfort, as anyone who has experienced heartburn knows, is searing. You just want to make it stop. However, Dr. Miles J. Varn, Medical Director for the premiere healthcare advocacy firm PinnacleCare, urges sufferers to heed new findings about potential long term implications of both the heartburn itself and the medicines used to douse the flames. Scientists are now concerned that the medications giving you relief may play a significant role in the growing prevalence of esophageal cancer.

Everyone has heartburn occasionally. The symptoms are familiar: that uncomfortable burning sensation in the chest and taste of acid in the mouth. Pregnant women and older people are more likely to have heartburn symptoms as well. According to the American College of Gastroenterology, more than 60 million Americans suffer from heartburn at least once a month and studies have shown that more than 15 million people in the U.S. experience heartburn symptoms at least once a day.

At first glance popping an antacid or using prescription or over-the-counter medications that limit or suppress the production of stomach acid may seem like a simple solution to a common problem. Yet, persistent heartburn and gastroesophageal reflux disease, known as GERD, can actually be precursors to more serious problems including esophageal cancer. Not only that, some experts are raising concerns that medications used to curb the symptoms of heartburn may play an important role in the increased prevalence of esophageal cancer.

The class of drugs called proton pump inhibitors or PPIs, which includes PrevacidR, PrilosecR, and NexiumR, are highly effective at minimizing and even eliminating the pain of GERD. They achieve this relief by suppressing the stomach’s ability to produce acid, but recent studies have raised concerns. While acid is no longer being refluxed into the esophagus, even more damaging alkaline gastric fluids are. The patient no longer suffers the searing discomfort of heartburn, but the esophagus is still being exposed to serious damage which can pave the way for esophageal cancer.

Compounding the problem is the fact that once patients feel better, they’re less likely to continue to make regular appointments with their physician to monitor their condition. Dedicated monitoring minimizes the chance for esophageal cancer, which has few if any noticeable symptoms in the early stages. Caught in its earliest stage, the five-year survival rate after surgery and chemotherapy is 70% vs. the 5% survival rate for cancers discovered in their later stages.

“Epidemiology shows that adenocarcinoma of the esophagus (the type of cancer that develops when the cells lining the esophagus are damaged by acid reflux) is on the ascent, while squamous cell carcinoma which is tied to smoking, drinking alcohol, is holding steady or on the decline,” notes David F. Hutcheon, M.D. who specializes in gastroenterology and hepatology at Johns Hopkins Hospital.

“Is this because we’re treating GERD on a long term basis? No one really knows at this point,” says Dr. Hutcheon. “But we have to help patients control their GERD symptoms and monitor them carefully to track the condition of their esophagus and digestive system.”

Conventional dietary practices to diminish heartburn include strict elimination of spicy foods, caffeine, alcohol, fatty foods, and carbonated soft drinks. Recently, however there has been growing interest in an apparent connection between heartburn and the consumption of excess carbohydrates. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases reports, “The Committee is aware of new research which indicates a controlled carbohydrate diet may dramatically reduce the incidence of gastroesophageal reflux.”

PinnacleCare seeks out cutting edge research and offers its Members both sides from the world of medicine: both new and tried-and-true. Many anecdotal treatments considered folly by yesterday’s physicians, such as the value of vitamins, have now become accepted by the established medical community. In the case of the touted heartburn diet “miracle” developed by microbiologist Norm Robillard, PhD., PinnacleCare Advocate Barb MacLaverty reports dramatic results from Members who have tried the diet, including her own young daughter.

Dr. Robillard, himself a heartburn sufferer who sought both relief and cancer risk reduction, developed a controlled carbohydrate approach resulting in a complete cessation of his own symptoms. His heartburn research points away from trigger foods and towards a different culprit: the ability of intestinal microbes to produce large amounts of gas from carbohydrates, but not fats and proteins.

In his book HEARTBURN CURE: THE LOW-CARBOHYDRATE MIRACLE Dr. Robillard shows how “limiting carbohydrates in our diets can prevent microbes from producing large volumes of gas, thus eliminating acid reflux.” According to PinnacleCare’s Dr. Varn, the diet’s heartburn results need further study, yet Dr. Varn sees few risk in following the diet, “Reducing high carbohydrates is helpful for weight loss which is clearly a smart move to diminish heartburn.”

Dr. Varn advises the following dos and don’ts for patients with heartburn.

• Don’t confuse relief with cure: your heartburn could be going undercover to cause you later harm. If you find yourself “gobbling” any relief medication for any health issue, you need to see a specialist.
• Do consult a gastroenterologist if you suffer more than two bouts of heartburn in a six-month period.
• Do get a second opinion if your symptoms persist.
• Do try changes in your diet. Why not try the low-carbohydrate solution first? Weight loss in itself is helpful to most heartburn sufferers.
• Don’t think of surgery as the ultimate cure. It can be helpful for some candidates but it is a dramatic procedure. Try other options first.
• If you are a longtime heartburn sufferer, no matter what your age or gender, don’t neglect regular monitoring of your esophageal health at regular intervals. Esophageal cancer, though not as common as other forms of cancer, is uncommonly deadly.

HELPFUL HEARTBURN LINKS

A recent study found relieving the symptoms of heartburn at night significantly improved the quality of patients’ sleep and could help cut the estimated $1,920,528,315 per week in paid hours of lost productivity the condition costs the U.S. economy. MORE http://www.infozine.com/news/stories/op/storiesView/sid/10610/ http://www.pinnaclecare.com/resources/ref/wpapers/impact_html

An intriguing study in Poland suggests a link between GERD and heart disease that may cause an increase in ischemia, the restriction of the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. The study highlights the importance of a holistic approach to treating both diseases. MORE http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_27291.html

A feature article in the Spring 2005 issue of Cure outlines the risk factors and treatments available for people battling esophageal cancer. MORE http://curetoday.com/backissues/v4n1/features/esophageal/index.html

Norm Robillard, PhD., self-described simply as “a microbiologist who once suffered from heartburn” offers a new approach to dietary control of heartburn. http://www.heartburncured.com/

A white paper revealing the growth of the industry called healthcare advocacy, its roots, and how to determine what level of care is best for your family. http://www.pinnaclecare.com/resources/ref/wpapers/advocacy.html

www.PinnacleCare.com

For information, contact:
Carolyn O’Keefe, 443.874.5960 cokeefe@PinnacleCare.com
Sara Hasert, 443.874.5953 shasert@PinnacleCare.com