Is this the WORST idea for heartburn yet?!
Surgery… for HEARTBURN???
That sounds to me like lobotomies for headaches!
Yet some surgeons have found they can make a quick buck by operating on patients with GERD.
And as a result, there’s been a SHOCKING surge in what has to be one of the LEAST medically necessary operations of all time.
But don’t be tempted by this one yourself, because as you’ll see in a moment…
You can COOL the burn… SOOTHE the pain… and CALM the bubbling cauldron of acid…
With some quick and easy actions you can do ENTIRELY on your own.
GERD surgery used to be reserved for some pretty EXTREME cases.
If your reflux is SO bad that it’s causing SERIOUS damage inside the esophagus or elsewhere…
Or if you’re suffering from an unusual condition such as a “short esophagus” and the like…
Then you MIGHT be a candidate for surgery.
But today, some docs are turning this procedure into their latest cash grab. And a new study feeds the MYTH that surgery is a viable option!
The study compared two of the most common GERD surgeries: partial fundoplication and the more aggressive total fundoplication, both of which tighten up the connection between your esophagus and the top of your stomach.
And over 15 years, outcomes in BOTH groups were more or less the same… with many reporting major improvements in both symptoms and quality of life.
Sounds good, right? I’m sure they hope we’d all stop reading right there!
But here’s the thing: While the surgery offers relief, it’s NOT a cure by any stretch.
Over time, many of the patients in the new study ultimately battled some degree of a return of the VERY SAME SYMPTOMS that led to surgery in the first place.
And one part of the study REALLY sets off my alarm bells…
A few years later, about 1 in 4 patients who had either surgery were back to taking PPI drugs to control reflux and other problems.
Tell me again how effective this is?!?!
If this were some quickie in-and-out procedure… and your GERD was super bad… maybe you’d think about it anyway.
But it’s not.
It’s ROUGH procedure that could leave your throat feeling like it’s on fire… with WEEKS or even MONTHS of painful recovery.
They also put you on a strict (often liquid) diet… or even FORCE you to be fed through a tube!
And that leads me to the WORST part of the new study.
It isn’t what’s there, on the page. It’s what’s NOT there!
Because the study DOESN’T include a group that tried natural options!
There are PROVEN therapies that could help bring real and lasting relief — without the DANGERS of drugs or the RISKS of surgery.
For starters, give licorice a go. Not the candy, but an extract made from licorice root called DGL, which often delivers quick relief.
Many folks also find that acidophilus supplements and digestive enzymes help.
And don’t forget the most effective option of all — and that’s something most conventional docs couldn’t be BOTHERED with.
Find the TRUE cause of your reflux symptoms… so you can SPOT and AVOID the triggers…
Or FIX the underlying problem completely.
Work closely with a doc who practices naturopathic medicine and can exhaust all possibilities and options before you consider anything as extreme as surgery.
