Since the days of the snake oil salesmen to the present day television commercials the purveyors of treatments for symptoms of real or imagined ailments have thrived. Today you can’t turn on your TV without being bombarded with ads for drugs prescribed for heartburn. The so-called “medical-industrial complex” involves insurance companies, pharmaceutical producers and even the government. They would have you believe that the production of too much acid causes this problem and all you need to do is take a pill and you can control this disease. The fact is that the pills cannot cure the disease that comes from heartburn, nor can they prevent the complications of this disease. They can make you feel better and for that, the industry reaps Billions each year in profits.

The logical question one would ask is: Why if surgery is successful in controlling this disease don’t physicians refer their patients for antireflux surgery? During medical school doctors are indoctrinated with the bias that surgery is only necessary for disease that is not treatable with medication. Surgeons on the other hand are oriented towards curing a given disease, whether it be removing an infected appendix or a cancerous tumor. Physicians who prescribe antireflux medications have the perception that they are inadequate clinicians if they have to refer a patient for surgery. They have difficulty in acknowledging their therapeutic failures when the patient has persistent complaints.

Physicians also do not believe the scientific literature demonstrating the success of surgery for GERD. Their bias away from surgery makes them susceptible to accepting studies supporting that bias. Thus we have two camps of thought. The so-called “medical literature” and “surgical literature” camps. In reality there is only one standard and that is truth, supported by proven facts, provided by the scientific method. For example, a few years ago, a study was published that showed that surgery for GERD provided only a temporary relief of symptoms and that a high number of patients had to go back to taking their medications. This made headlines in the media and was proclaimed as gospel by the doctors who kept writing prescriptions. (see article: Current Medical Hoax) That the scientific method was violated during this study and that the conclusions were not supported by the data was conspicuously overlooked by the experts in the media. Studies supporting long term efficacy of surgery do not get press.

There is also a perceptual bias against the success of surgery. Physicians, particularly gastroenterologists, do not see patients again if they have successful surgery. They tend only to see the patients who fail surgery. This supports a bias that the rate of surgery failures is higher than it actually is. They not only do not want to refer to surgery for fear of losing their income but they also tell the patient who fails, that surgery is not the right treatment for this disease. I realize that the word conspiracy connotes an illegal activity. The fact is that we have a major health problem evolving. More people than ever are turning up with cancer while on medicine for heartburn. Just because there is no law against this doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be.

FACT: PEOPLE REFER THEMSELVES FOR SURGERY FOR HEARTBURN

Modern healthcare, as it is, demands an interactive relationship between doctor and patient. The patient now must be well informed of potential long-term effects of prescribed treatments because his “health care provider” may change more often than the past and the continuity of his care may suffer. No longer are we able to have close personal relationships with a family doctor, but must rely on clinicians who have less time to spend evaluating and treating our multiple issues. People are less inclined to stay on medical treatments for their heartburn over a period of many years, especially if they require more and more medication to control their symptoms. When they develop new or persistent symptoms while on medication or when they find they cannot go out and have that plate of spaghetti and glass of wine without suffering they begin to doubt the effectiveness of their treatment.

Others find that their prescription fails to control their weekly discomfort despite their compliance with their doctor’s instructions. They begin to doubt the diagnosis they are given and seek an explanation. When the heartburn is in control but regurgitation of stomach juice into the throat and lungs occurs they seek a surgical resolution. Many times a family member or a friend who has had successful antireflux surgery will prompt them to call. Very few understand the link of heartburn, reflux disease and cancer but when they do they become actively involved with their own healthcare.

The Heartburn Center of San Diego

Since 1993 the Heartburn Center of San Diego has been a leader in relieving reflux disease without the need for long-term acid suppression. The minimally invasive surgeries we offer have relieved hundreds of heartburn sufferers from their reflux symptoms and dependence on antacids. We have discovered cancer in many of our patients and have intervened with life saving treatment. We are affiliated with pathologists who are best able to evaluate biopsies from the esophagus. We can now predict which patients are at greatest risk of developing cancer better than ever before.

The Future

No one can really predict the future of esophageal disease. However, the trend now exists that if people keep taking more and stronger acid suppression medications to control their heartburn symptoms, we will continue to see more esophageal cancer. Only with early detection and intervention can we reverse this trend. If you or a loved one suffers with reflux disease and has any one of the above risk factors, you owe it to yourself and those you love to get the testing you need to find out your risks and make informed decisions. Call us at 619-265-8484
or E mail us at

Return to Page 1...

About the Director

Questions?

Conditions We Treat

Specialty Procedures

Our Location

Testimonials

Heartburn, Gerd and Cancer Risk (Continued from Page 2)

THE FACTS ABOUT HEARTBURN, REFLUX DISEASE AND CANCER

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3 FACT: THERE IS A CONSPIRACY AGAINST SURGERY FOR HEARTBURN.

FACT: PEOPLE REFER THEMSELVES FOR SURGERY FOR HEARTBURN

The Heartburn Center of San Diego

The Future

Page 1 | Page 2 | Page 3

FACT: THERE IS A CONSPIRACY AGAINST SURGERY FOR HEARTBURN.