May is National Celiac Disease Awareness Month

If it seems like you’re hearing more about gluten-free diets and celiac disease, you are. The condition is increasingly common.

According to a several recent studies reported in The American Journal of Gastroenterology, celiac disease is an increasingly common disease that affects 3.1 million Americans.

Celiac disease is an immune-based reaction to dietary gluten (a protein contained in wheat, barley, and rye), and is found primarily in people who have a known genetic predisposition. The only medically accepted treatment is to avoid foods that contain gluten. Read more >>

Study Finds No Link between B Vitamin Supplements and Colon Cancer Risk

For some time, researchers have had mixed opinions as to the effect of B vitamins on the risk of colon cancer. Some have suggested that these vitamins might increase the risk of pre-cancerous lesions, while others believed they might provide some preventive benefit. Read more >>

New study finds screening colonoscopy reduces colon cancer death risk by 70 percent

A new study supports what gastroenterologists have preached to their patients for decades, having a screening colonoscopy greatly reduces the risk of developing colon cancer. Now they know by how much.

The study, published in the March 5 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that for average-risk people, screening colonoscopies produced a 70 percent reduction in risk for newly detected cases of advanced-stage colon cancer – the type most difficult to cure. Read more >>

Are Antibiotics Making Patients Sick?

When you get sick, do you immediately think a prescription for antibiotics would help? Worse yet, do you take what’s left of an old antibiotic prescription?

There is no doubt that antibiotics can be a vitally important medical tool that are effective in treating bacterial infections, certain fungal infections and some kinds of parasites. They are not, however, useful in treating viral infections, such as colds and influenza, most ear infections, or stomach flu. Research shows that antibiotic misuse and overuse is leading to significant health problems. Read more >>

Statins May Reduce Esophageal Cancer Risk

A recent study indicates that statins, the cholesterol-reducing drugs taken by millions of Americans, may have the added benefit of reducing the risk of developing esophageal cancer (cancer of the esophagus). Read more >>

No Relief for Your Heartburn? NERD may be the culprit

Heartburn is a very common ailment in the United States. More than 60 million Americans experience the uncomfortable condition at least once a month, while an unfortunate 7 percent of the population suffers daily. Over-the-counter antacids may spell relief for milder cases. A more chronic condition, known as GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease), requires the strongest acid-reducing medications, called proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as Prevacid (lansoprazole), Prilosec (omeprazole), and Nexium (esomeprazole). For some patients, however, even PPIs fail to remedy the problem. Read more >>

National physician gathering aimed at advancing GI care, furthering patients’ best interests during time of sweeping reform change

Most of GIA’s patients would be understandably unaware that the practice’s physicians are national leaders among gastroenterologists and that its managing partner, Dr. Bergein “Gene” Overholt, co-founded an important national GI physicians conference. Read more >>

Fourth Annual Gastrointestinal Associates’ Screening Colonoscopy Day is Lifesaving

The fourth annual Gastrointestinal Associates’ Screening Colonoscopy Day on Saturday gave 42 Knox-area people a life-saving opportunity – receiving a free colonoscopy.

GIA founded Screening Colonoscopy Day in 2009 for two reasons: to help protect uninsured people from this preventable and treatable disease, and to raise awareness about the importance of you and your loved ones getting screenings. Read more >>

New drug shows promise in treating symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome

The colon – also called the large intestine or large bowel – consists of the last five feet of the digestive tract. Its main function is to conduct indigestible portions of food, or waste material, out of the body. Any disruption of this function can lead to a change in bowel activity – to diarrhea or constipation – and abdominal pain. When all other diseases that may reasonably cause the same symptoms have been excluded, individuals suffering from recurring attacks of abdominal pain, diarrhea and constipation are diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome. Read more >>

Alternative treatment for Barrett’s esophagus — condition results from chronic acid reflux

Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which the esophagus actively tries to protects itself from erosion caused by chronic acid reflux. Cells in the lining of the esophagus transform into tissue similar to the type that lines the stomach. This tissue alteration results in a greater risk of developing esophageal adenocarcinoma, a dangerous cancer that is rising in incidence. Read more >>