Yesterday was a day of GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or “acid reflux”) patients at my preceptorship (Naturopathic Doctor Internship). 4 out of 5 of the patients that the doctor and I saw had some type of GERD symptoms, which include burning pain in the stomach or in the chest, belching, sour taste in the mouth, difficulty swallowing, or a feeling of the lump in the throat (which interestingly is known as plum pit qi in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, since you feel like you have a plum pit in your throat – cool, eh? Put THAT on a Snapple cap).
The pathology behind GERD involves the lower esophageal sphincter, which separates the esophagus from the stomach. This sphincter becomes lax, which allows acid to “reflux” back up into the esophagus from the stomach. The esophageal tissue is not only not designed to deal with stomach acid, but is also covered in nerve fibers. Because of the extensive innervation, you feel the pain as a burning sensation, which manifests as the signs and symptoms mentioned before.
Now we all know that babies cry. But how much is too much? Do babies ever get GERD? The answer is that yes, babies do get GERD, however, in my opinion, Pediatricians should not give a baby omeprazole as a first line treatment protocol. My preceptoring doctor mentioned that this is a common situation, and on the rise in this country – prescribing infants adult medications, for adult conditions.
Drugs are adult medications. Plain and simple. Omeprazole is also known as Losec, Omesec, Prilosec. Sound familiar? It has a ton of really harsh side effects (for adults) such as rash, hives, difficulty breathing or swallowing, irregular heartbeat, muscle spasms, light headedness, or even seizures. So just imagine what this prescription drug does to a fussy baby (whether they have GERD or not), and all the potential side effects that it could have on the little developing body and mind. Situations like this make me really upset, and help support my drive to give new parents alternative therapies if they have a common problem, such as this.
Is our country on prescription overdrive? What do you think?
Yesterday was a day of GERD (Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease or “acid reflux”) patients at my preceptorship (Naturopathic Doctor Internship). 4 out of 5 of the patients that the doctor and I saw had some type of GERD symptoms, which include burning pain in the stomach or in the chest, belching, sour taste in the mouth, difficulty swallowing, or a feeling of the lump in the throat (which interestingly is known as plum pit qi in Chinese Medicine and Acupuncture, since you feel like you have a plum pit in your throat – cool, eh? Put THAT on a Snapple cap).
The pathology behind GERD involves the lower esophageal sphincter, which separates the esophagus from the stomach. This sphincter becomes lax, which allows acid to “reflux” back up into the esophagus from the stomach. The esophageal tissue is not only not designed to deal with stomach acid, but is also covered in nerve fibers. Because of the extensive innervation, you feel the pain as a burning sensation, which manifests as the signs and symptoms mentioned before.
Now we all know that babies cry. But how much is too much? Do babies ever get GERD? The answer is that yes, babies do get GERD, however, in my opinion, Pediatricians should not give a baby omeprazole as a first line treatment protocol. My preceptoring doctor mentioned that this is a common situation, and on the rise in this country – prescribing infants adult medications, for adult conditions.
Drugs are adult medications. Plain and simple. Omeprazole is also known as Losec, Omesec, Prilosec. Sound familiar? It has a ton of really harsh side effects (for adults) such as rash, hives, difficulty breathing or swallowing, irregular heartbeat, muscle spasms, light headedness, or even seizures. So just imagine what this prescription drug does to a fussy baby (whether they have GERD or not), and all the potential side effects that it could have on the little developing body and mind. Situations like this make me really upset, and help support my drive to give new parents alternative therapies if they have a common problem, such as this.
Is our country on prescription overdrive? What do you think?