How's Your Gi Tract?

There is something so powerful about digestive problems that makes them difficult to talk about in courteous company, which leaves a good number of us suffering a digestive problem in utmost silence. My brother Pius has been a victim of this silence suffering at least twice or thrice. And it's not only him alone, almost all my other family members have complained of one or two digestive problems. Surprisingly what I came to learn is that fixes to digestive problems can be as simple as taking over the counter remedies or making well-versed lifestyle changes.

I recall a time when Pius was complaining of a severe heartburn. He had dismissed it as just a normal heartburn until I confronted him when it did happen in two successive weeks. "Why don't you see your doctor?" I kept on insisting to Pius. On the day he was to see his doctor, I promised to accompany him to the hospital. The hospital receptionist received us warmly and soon ushered us to see the doctor. I had being to this hospital before as an intern. Dr Dawood greeted us with a warm smile as he made us welcome. Previously, we had brushed shoulders in the hospital corridor when I was working as an intern. He was happy to see me again in the hospital premises. Soon he began to take a medical record on Pius. He confided to us that in deed Pius was suffering from a digestive disease commonly referred to as gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). This came as a shock to me and to Pius. "Tell us more about GERD," I urged Dr Dawood. This is a very common digestive problem and involves a burning or hot feeling going up from the middle of the stomach into the chest below sternum or breastbone. He added, "It is usually followed by a lot of salivation or sour taste in the mouth." "And what is its cause?" I asked Dr Dawood. "The heartburn may be caused by alcohol, pregnancy, some medications, and taking certain foods or alcohol," said Dawood. He also confided to us that there was a wide range of treatment options like drugs such as Prevacid, Tagamet, Prilosec, Aciphex, Zantac, and Pepcid-that reduce the level of acid. Fortunately, Pius was put under medication and recovered fully shortly afterwards.

I must say that this experience with the Pius was an eye opener for the rest of the family. We began to take issues of lifestyle and diet more seriously. We often take for granted small illnesses that come our way. Little do we know that if unchecked they may lead to very serious diseases. In the case of GERD, which Pius was suffering from, studies show that GERD can damage the esophagus if unchecked and could even lead to cancer of the esophagus. Most people in our families go through these issues but often overlook the factors that lead to some of the digestive problems. I gathered that there are certainly many ways one could prevent heartburn. One of them is eating small bits of food. Eating excess food at once may put one at