empowereddoctor.com - gastroenterology

A Cure-all Oil?

2008-11-20

Oil of oregano has been touted as curing everything from diarrhea to rheumatism. Various authorities have praised its supposed ability to relieve intestinal gas, sore throat, sinusitis, breathing difficulties, dandruff, diaper rash, bee stings and venomous bites. And experts have lauded it for its apparent power to reduce fever, relieve cramps, mitigate the effects of measles and mumps, and benefit indigestion, nervous tension, toothache, earache and coughs due to whooping cough and bronchitis.

Virtual Colonoscopy Rivals Standard Colonoscopy for Accuracy

2008-10-17

Recent studies are demonstrating that Computerized tomographic (CT) colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, is as accurate as standard colonoscopy in its ability to accurately detect cancer and precancerous polyps. Recent studies are demonstrating that Computerized tomographic (CT) colonography, also known as virtual colonoscopy, is as accurate as standard colonoscopy in its ability to accurately detect cancer and precancerous polyps. As a result the virtual colonoscopy could serve as an initial screening exam for colorectal cancer. It is hoped that non-invasive virtual colonoscopy will encourage more people over 50 to do this life-saving screening. The results of this study were published in the Sept. 18, 2008, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

How Obesity Abets Type 2 Diabetes

2008-09-08

Human fat can be healthy or sick - healthy in lean people and sick in obese. And a new research effort shows sick fat cells can produce proteins that contribute to type 2 diabetes. The study, performed by researchers at Temple University, discovered that fat cells in obese people bear a great deal of stress in a cellular component called the endoplasmic reticulum, which is the cells' protein factory. The stress, says lead researcher Dr. Guenther Boden, apparently produces proteins connected with insulin resistance, a major contributor to obesity-related diabetes. In particular, 19 proteins were more abundant in obese people's fat cells than lean people's, including three that were related to a specific endoplasmic reticulum stress-related response.

How Stress Causes Weight Gain

2008-09-05

The mounting stress in today's society leads to a vicious descending spiral of ever-increasing weight gain. But the good news is that the spiral is not inevitable and can be reversed and transcended. "In times of economic hardship and stress, people gain weight," said Dr. Sasson Moulavi, a bariatric physician in Port St. Lucie, Fla. This is because: -- When the economy deteriorates and the gremlin of stress seizes people, they tend to buy less expensive, lower-quality food, which is calorically rich and nutritionally poor.

Understanding Changes in Overeating As We Age

2008-09-04

Key appetite control cells in the human brain degenerate over time, causing increased hunger and potentially weight-gain as we grow older, according to a Monash University scientist. Dr. Zane Andrews has found that appetite-suppressing cells are damaged by free radicals after eating and said the degeneration is more significant following meals rich in carbohydrates and sugars. Dr. Andrews claims, "The more carbs and sugars you eat, the more your appetite-control cells are damaged, and potentially you consume more."

Understanding "Good" Fat May Help Fight Obesity

2008-09-04

A recent understanding of the origins of brown fat cells - the "good" kind of fat that burns energy and keeps us warm - may lead to the discovery of new treatments for obesity. Researchers at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston said they used a single molecular switch to turn immature muscle cells into brown fat cells in the lab. This suggests that brown fat may be more akin to muscle cells than traditional white fat cells. Another team from the Joslin Diabetes Center in Boston found a protein important for bone growth helped promote the development of fat tissues in mice. Both teams claim their new findings lend understanding about the origins of brown fat, which releases energy, in contrast to white fat, which only stores energy.

Incision-Free Technique Treats Gastric-Bypass Weight Regain

2008-09-02

A few doctors around the United States are beginning to use an elegant new procedure to reduce the size of the stomach, without incisions, in gastric-bypass-surgery patients who have started to regain weight. Because their stapled stomachs start to stretch out and enlarge, some 44 percent of gastric-bypass patients regain weight after a few years, and again become subject to the morbidities of obesity. But with the new technique, called "ROSE" (Restorative Obesity Surgery, Endolumenal), doctors can reduce the patient's stomach pouch and the opening (stoma) to the small intestine to their original post-gastric-bypass size.

Risk Factors for Erosive Esophagitis

2008-05-02

Video: Dr. Jonathan Cohen of the Concorde Medical Group discusses Risk Factors for GERD. Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD is a common disorder with a high incidence rate in adults of 10 to 38%. Diagnosis and treatment of GERD are important because the disease, in addition to the problematic typical symptoms, has numerous known consequences. GERD can affect a patients' quality of life, decrease functional activity, and increase the risk of esophageal carcinoma.

What Is a Peptic Ulcer?

2008-03-12

Peptic Ulcer Disease One out of eight people in the United States will be diagnosed with Peptic Ulcer Disease (PUD) over the course of their lifetimes. As with many diseases are understanding of the issues and causes of the disease have been evolving in recent years creating the opportunities for more innovative and effective treatments. What are the Causes Peptic Ulcers? A Peptic Ulcer is an open sore in the lining of the stomach or intestine. In many ways it is similar to a sore in the mouth. When the ulcer occurs in the stomach it is called a "gastric ulcer". When it occurs in the duodenum it is called a "duodenal ulcer."

Beth Israel Medical Center - Dr. Elliot Goodman a Bariartic Surgeon

2008-03-01

Video interview Dr. Elliot Goodman who discusses bariatric surgery, procedure options, risk factors, important things for patients to know, and frequently asked questions.