Millions of Americans are diagnosed with gastrointestinal disorders every year. Many can be controlled with lifestyle changes and medication. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is one of these gastrointestinal disorders that can be controlled with medication. Looking at pharmaceutical advertising, this paper will focus on two different internet gastrointestinal medication advertisements, one that is FDA approved and one that is not. Both were found on the internet that targets the general population with frequent heartburn symptoms. Each advertisement will be critiqued individually. This paper will also describe the pathophysiology of this GI disorder and the ways medication can alter this pathophysiology. Finally, these two commercials will be compared and contrasted, including the stated use of medication, patient safety issues, and analysis of that company’s claim of its benefits. Critiquing Internet Commercial Acid reflux is something most people experience from time to time. It is usually described as a burning feeling in the throat or chest. It is only when the signs and symptoms start to occur two or three times a week that it becomes a problem. Many people will seek out information about medication that will help either through the internet, magazines or television. There are many commercials out there that promote one medication or another for this problem. Pharmaceutical advertising uses different techniques to get the viewer to buy their product. Two of
Ms. Le is a 25 year-old female, with a height of 5’0” and weights 160 lbs. She described herself as not very active who does not regularly exercise and consumes a high amount of fast food and a few alcoholic beverages weekly. She is currently taking prescription medication called Caziant as a contraceptive and moderately takes ibuprofen for headaches and heartburns. She has a medical history of vomiting, heartburn, chest pains, and sever tooth erosion. Due to the many examinations that Ms. Le underwent such as the endoscopy and ph-monitoring test, she was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease also known as GERD.
Once diagnosed, I found the paucity of reliable, concrete treatments shocking; but, using extensive PubMed research, I cured myself within a year. I overcame GERD by changing habits, chugging gallons of aloe vera leaf juice and essentially understanding my body’s natural processes and ethnobotany, which I found personally relieving and intellectually fascinating. My victory prompted me to partake in Townsend’s series of scientific research classes, requiring my joining an academic laboratory
In this article, you are informed about a disease that is occurring more often in our society. It is commonly referred to as “heartburn” but is more appropriately named acid reflux disease or gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). Most people suffer from this disease, but think nothing of it. Perhaps they have felt it after a big meal, lying down after eating, during pregnancy, or even when bending over. Most people feel that GERD occurs after eating spicy foods, when in fact the major cause of GERD is fatty foods and the quantity of foods eaten.
Televised drug ads have helped to update patients on the positives of pharmaceuticals. The Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) drug ads inform people about medical conditions and the treatments that come with those conditions. As stated by this article, “44% of patients…said that DTC prescription drug ads helped educate them about drugs, medical conditions, and treatments” (“Should Prescription Drugs” 2). For most patients, they are unaware of what is inside of their medications and what the risks are. With prescription drug ads, they allow the uninformed patients to become informed by
When suffering from GERD, it is important to know how to adjust in order to decrease the likelihood from suffering from signs and symptoms of this disease. A person with GERD should try to figure out what kind of food triggers the reflux. There are many foods that may irritate our stomach, for example, coffee, alcohols, tomatoes, and fatty foods, however, each and every one of us may be sensitive for a particular food/beverage and once we find out what it is we have to eliminate it. It is also crucial to decrease the size of our meal. If we are prone to acid reflux, it is important that we don’t lie flat for three hours after we have eaten a meal or snack.
Helicobacter pylori weaken the gastric layer, predispose the stomach to infection which can lead to achlorhydria. “The classic symptoms of GERD are heartburn, acid regurgitation, dysphagia, and belching”( over time cause narrowing and strictures. A person can experience reflux one hour after eating high fatty undigested meals, smoking (nicotine) and alcohol drinking, sore throat and asthma. Pressure on the diaphragm from pregnancy and obesity in male and female increases intra-abdominal pressure exposing the individual to reflux and heartburn. GERD can occur in infants, elderly, and at any age in between. Patient can take antacid (Tums) to neutralize the acidity, H2 blocker (cimetidine, famotidine, or ranitidine) decrease acid production in the stomach and Proton pump inhibitors (PPI) inhibit acid production from gastric parietal cells. Others treatment, Endoscopy of esophagus or stomach, to obtain a biopsies for (precancerous cells), pH monitoring rule out H. pylori infection, looking for edema, erosion, and bleeding. If blood loss is low, replace with
Control gastroesophageal reflux disease(GERD). See your doctor about getting GERD under control, it can be controlled early enough to possibly prevent esophageal cancer.
One study found that reflux occurs as frequently in normal individuals as in patients with GERD. In patients with GERD, however, the refluxed liquid contains acid more often, and the acid remains in the esophagus longer.
GERD is known as Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease. It is best defined as a back flow of gastric or duodenal contents or both into the esophagus and past the lower esophageal sphincter. It can cause acute epigastric pain (heartburn). The pathophysiology of GERD is multifactorial, involving transient lower esophageal sphincter relaxations and other lower esophageal sphincter pressure abnormalities. As a result, reflux of acid, bile, pepsin and pancreatic enzymes occur, leading to esophageal mucosal injury (Gastroesophageal Reflux disease, long-term care, 2017). The degree of mucosal injury is based on the amount and concentration of refluxed gastric acid, proteolytic enzymes and bile acids. Due to the lower esophageal sphincter being dysfunctional, the esophageal motility is slowed, leading to decreased clearance of acidic material.
Commonly known as heartburn or reflux, is a condition where reflux of the gastric content into the oesophagus leads to symptoms which significantly impact a person's quality of life. Gastroesophageal reflux disease gerd is the most prevalent acid related disorder and is associated with significant impairment of health-related quality of life. Gastroesophageal reflux disease gerd occurs when acid and food in the stomach back up into the esophagus.Gerd often occurs when the lower muscle (sphincter) of the esophagus does not close properly. The sphincter normally opens to let food into the stomach. It then closes to keep food and stomach acid in the stomach. If the sphincter does not close properly, stomach acid and food back up (reflux) into the esophagus. The following may increase your risk for gerd. Gerd may be associated with several extra esophageal syndromes such as chronic cough, asthma, laryngitis, oropharyngeal ulceration and dental erosions. Available evidence indicates that therapy response rates in gerd are related to the degree of acid suppression achieved. Having an appropriate discussion with a physician is key to understanding the condition, available treatment options and the degree to which acid suppression can be achieved.
Studies have shown that there maybe a relationship between asthma and GERD, but the precise relationship remains uncertain. Asthma symptoms may be worsened by GERD, but GERD can also be worsened by asthma and the medications used to treat asthma. However when treating GERD, the asthma symptoms can be relieved, therefore furthering the suggestive correlation between asthma and GERD. Sometimes clinicians look at GERD to be the cause of asthma when asthma starts in adulthood, worsens after meals, lying down or exercise and when asthma is not responding to treatment. As we discussed earlier, the link between the two remains unknown, but one reason may be that the acid causes injury to the throat and airway, therefore inhalation becomes difficult
Lifestyle changes are important factor in combating GERD. Loss of weight, avoidance of the foods causing the reflux, and staying upright for several hours after eating can all aid in preventing or minimizing the reflux. Antacids can assist in the treatment of occasional heartburn but will not help GERD. The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) diminish the daily will diminish the reflux and allow healing of the esophagus (Collins, 2018). RLZ is on the PPI, Prilosec. He has not opted to change his alcohol consumption nor diet food choses at this time. He does remain upright for several hours after the meal of the day prior to retiring for the evening.
First of all, explained the most frequent clinical manifestation of GERD, which is a heartburn, it occurs 30 to 60 minutes after eating. Therefore, patient should: eating smaller portions, consuming less fat, avoiding laying down for at least two hours after eating, avoiding snacks before bedtime, wearing loose clothing, elevating the head of the bed about six inches, avoiding alcohol, particularly red wine., tobacco, and foods that trigger symptoms such as black pepper, garlic, raw onions, and other spicy foods, chocolate, citrus fruits and products, such as oranges and orange juice, coffee and caffeinated drinks, including tea and soda, peppermint and tomatoes (Badillo & Francis,
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) is a disease of the digestive tract that can cause asthma and other complications. GERD does not affect the heart itself even though the heart can burn as a result; GERD can mimic the signs of a heart attack. This report will discuss how a prescription is not necessarily needed for treatment, medicine can be purchased OTC. This disease also affects infants and small children.
Federal Food and Drug Ad\ministration when drug companies advertising drugs the advertisement must include the most significant risks associated with the drug, in an understandable language for consumers. The FDA typically categorized ads in three categories; Product Claim Advertisement in which the advertiser must provide the name of the drug and discuss its benefits and associated risks. It must also include at least one FDA approved use for the drug. Reminder Advertisement it give the name of the drug but typically not he uses for the drug This ad type assumes the consumer is knowledge about this drug. These ads do not have to disclose any risk information. Help-Seeking Advertisement focuses on ads that describe disease or condition like allergies, high cholesterol. These ads will include the drug company name and may provide some help lin information such as a 800 number. None of these ads must be false or misleading in any way