For many people, a bit of heartburn in the middle of the night from a double burger with cheese and extra mayo at dinner can be remedied by chewing a couple of dry antacid tablets. Between these chalky tablets and that little purple pill endlessly advertised on Matlock and Murder, She Wrote television reruns, the problem appears solved. Almost instantly. And when we say heartburn, we’re also referring to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), acid reflux, and ulcers. But here’s the thing. Yes, those over-the-counter cures do the trick for many sufferers, but have you considered the potential impact on your health? We’re talking about cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and even cancer. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently recalled the prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) ranitidine medication commonly known by the brand name Zantac. The feds said their scientists discovered a probable human carcinogen — a substance […]
GERD
Heartburn has been in the news a lot lately — and we’re not referring to the type you might experience while watching a talking head or pundit on CNN, Fox News, or MSNBC. Rather, we’re referencing recent reports that drugs commonly used to alleviate symptoms associated with heartburn, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), acid reflux, and stomach and small intestine ulcers, may raise the risk of numerous fatal health conditions. Among these risks are cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease, and upper gastrointestinal cancer. One such study — Estimates of mortality associated with proton pump inhibitors among US veterans — was published in May 2019 in the British Medical Journal. In that peer-reviewed study, researchers from the Department of Veterans Affairs-Saint Louis, Saint Louis University, and Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis concluded taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) is associated with