Category Archives: Uncategorized

I’ve written several blog posts on the risks of chronic use of PPIs (proton pump inhibitors) for gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD). By “chronic use” I mean daily or several days every week. In order to avoid the risks of PPI usage, a recent commenter asked me about non-PPI management options.

I’ll assume that occasional use of antacids, H2 blockers (histamine 2 receptor agonists like famotidine), and proton pump inhibitors is not an adequate remedy. At some point (sooner rather than later), you’ll also want to be sure the diagnosis truly is GERD and not something else. This may well require a consultation with a gastroenterologist.

BTW, having to pop a couple Tums antacids for heartburn once every 2-3 months is not a disease. It’s not GERD. It’s occasional heartburn. Untreated GERD symptoms are much more frequent and may be more intense or more prolonged.

So here are some non-PPI options for management of GERD in adults. Some of these will help one person but not the next, and experimentation may be in order.

• Lose excess weight. Even common overweight can aggravate the condition.
• Elevate head of bed on 6-8 inch bricks.
• Avoid supine posture after meals.
• No eating for 2-3 hours prior to bedtime.
• Avoid tobacco and alcohol.
• Low-carb diet.
• Avoid tight-fitting garments over the abdomen.
• Avoid common triggers: spicy food, carbonated beverages, onions (especially raw), chocolate, high-fat foods, caffeine. If you’re sure these don’t trigger your own GERD, then no particular need to avoid. A spicy meal one week ago doesn’t cause your GERD today. Your triggers will typically be ingested 30 minutes to 8 hours prior to symptom onset.

Medication alternatives to PPIs and H2 blockers (histamine 2 receptor agonists like famotidine):

• Sucralfate if pregnant.
• Metoclopramide if gastroparesis is present (delayed gastric emptying).
• Sodium alginate.

Bothersome symptoms that are refractory to all usual treatment? Get EGD (esophagogastroduodenoscopy) and ambulatory esophageal pH-metry from a gastroenterologist.

Final options for refractory GERD:

• Anti-reflux surgery
• Transoral incisionless fundoplication

There are probably other options for GERD suppression that I haven’t mentioned.

Finally, I’m not your doctor and don’t know any of the details of your situation. For all you know, I may not even be a real doctor. Work with your personal physician!

Steve Parker, M.D.

Buy Now at Amazon.com

Buy E-book Now at Smashwords

Click to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book also available at Smashwords. com.

I’ve written previously about how Paul Ingraham helped cure my patello-femoral pain syndrome.

More recently, Paul looked into hiccup cures because his father had an intractable case. What finally worked for dad? Breathing into a plastic bag.

Boosting blood CO2 (hypercapnia) by breathing in a PLASTIC bag. This one is quite plausible and is easy and safe to try. Hypercapnia definitely affects some kinds of hiccups. The story (from a smart source, a good “friend of PainSci”): “There’s an even easier way out of hiccups — at zero cost. Learned it from my uncle, who studied medicine in Brazil in the 50s. Anesthetized patients with hiccups were a pain, so they needed to get rid of it ASAP. Method: breathing in a PLASTIC bag, small enough for you to get to hypercapnia (get higher blood levels of CO2). You have to hold the bag REALLY tight around nose and mouth to prevent air from escaping, and if you have troubles with dizziness, it’s advisable to sit down for it. As soon as it gets uncomfortable, mostly after 4-6 breaths, you can stop, the hiccup will be gone. I don’t know what this does to the phrenic nerve, but it works 100%.”

Safety Note: Obviously there could be some danger with this method. If he’d had low O2 or was struggling for breath, we likely wouldn’t have dared. (On the other hand, if he’d been in that state, he would’ve been at the hospital.) But he was supervised, with no possibility of getting stuck, and a matter of only just a few breaths. Perhaps there was still some risk… but I think not treating those hiccups was also a risk.

I’ve never tried that method for my hiccups. My personal favorite home remedy is “drinking from the far side of the glass.” AKA, drinking water upside down. Watch this video of a good ol’ boy demonstrating the technique although I would aim for drinking at least 6-8 fl oz of water before quitting. Don’t ask me how it works; it may have something to do with the soft palate or diaphragm.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Buy Now at Amazon.com

Buy E-book Now at Smashwords

Click to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book also available at Smashwords. com.

Myopia, aka nearsightedness, is extremely common and can start in childhood or young adults. Over time it can lead to early-onset cataract, retinal detachment, and glaucoma. MedPageToday has an eye-opening article on treatments that can prevent myopia progression and complications. For example:

Common evidence-based treatments that offer both statistically significant and clinically meaningful efficacies include daytime multifocal soft contact lenses (MFSCL), overnight orthokeratology (ortho-k), and topical low dose atropine (LDA). Novel spectacle lenses also showed a promising myopia-inhibiting effect, albeit with limited availability in U.S. at the current moment. On average, these options slow myopia progression by 30-70%compared to conventional single vision glasses or contacts. With properly selected early interventions, not only the development of myopia stabilizes at younger ages, the endpoint of the progression is also much lower, resulting in significantly lower risk of complications. Furthermore, with lower level of myopia at stabilization, many myopic patients could be good candidates for refractive surgery with given corneal thickness.

I get the impression from the article than treatments need to be started in childhood.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Buy Now at Amazon.com

Buy E-book Now at Smashwords

Click to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book also available at Smashwords. com.

Chinese researchers reviewed the literature on time-restricted eating and metabolic effects on humans. I’m not paying $31.50 USD for the full text article, but here’s the abstract:

Time-restricted feeding (TRF), a feasible form of intermittent fasting, has been proven to benefit metabolic health in animal models and humans. TRF restricts the daily feeding window to 3 to 12 h for eating ad libitum, with fasting for the rest of the day. To our knowledge, specific guidance on the appropriate time period for eating during TRF has not yet been promoted. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to summarize the current literature on the effects of TRF with different eating windows in humans and compare their effects on metabolic health–related markers. Early TRF (which restricts food intake during the early period of the day) and delayed TRF (which restricts food intake during the later period of the day) studies have shown that both TRF regimens improve metabolic health in terms of reducing energy intake, decreasing body weight, improving insulin sensitivity, reducing blood pressure, and reducing oxidative stress. Differences between the consequences of early and delayed TRF were found, including differences in changes in blood lipid factors. These preliminary findings may help to provide guidance for choosing suitable eating windows during TRF. Future studies with rigorous designs and direct comparisons between the effects of TRF regimens with different eating windows on metabolic health markers are still needed.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Buy Now at Amazon.com

Buy E-book Now at Smashwords

Click to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book also available at Smashwords. com.

Ilana Mercer reminded me that testosterone levels in men have been falling for the last several decades. It’s unclear why. May be related to pollution, overweight and obesity, or decreased incidence of smoking. Not mentioned by Ilana is the dramatic drop in sperm counts.

From Ilana:

It is very possible, even likely, that the feminization of society over the past 20 to 30 years is changing males, body and mind. It is very possible that the subliminal stress involved in sublimating one’s essential nature is producing less manly men.

Consider: When they are not twerking tush with transexuals, today’s tykes are required to hack their way through page-turners like One Dad Two Dads Brown Dad Blue Dads. Boyhood today also means BB guns and “bang-bang you’re dead” are banned.

Boys are hardwired for competition; the contemporary school enforces cooperation. Boys like to stand out. But team-work obsessed, mediocre, mostly female school teachers teach them to fade into the background. Boys thrive in more disciplined, structured learning environments; the American school system is synonymous with letting it all hang out.

Sons are more likely to be raised without male mentors, since moms, in the last few decades, are more inclined to divorce (and get custody), never marry, or bear children out of wedlock. The schools have been emptied of manly men and staffed by feminists, mostly lacking in the Y chromosome. Although boys (and girls) require discipline, the rare disciplinarian risks parent-driven litigation.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Buy Now at Amazon.com

Buy E-book Now at Smashwords

Click to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book also available at Smashwords. com.

Only one thing really matters. That’s your relationship with Jesus Christ/God. Who was Jesus? Did he exist? Was he crucified for your eternal salvation?

Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He died for my sins. After my death, I’ll be with him in heaven forever.

Steve Parker, M.D.

From News.com.au:

Former federal MP [Member of Parliament?] Dr Kerryn Phelps has revealed she and her wife both suffered serious and ongoing injures from Covid vaccines, while suggesting the true rate of adverse events is far higher than acknowledged due to underreporting and “threats” from medical regulators.

In an explosive submission to Parliament’s Long Covid inquiry, the former Australian Medical Association (AMA) president has broken her silence about the “devastating” experience — emerging as the most prominent public health figure in the country to speak up about the taboo subject.

“This is an issue that I have witnessed first-hand with my wife who suffered a severe neurological reaction to her first Pfizer vaccine within minutes, including burning face and gums, paraesethesiae, and numb hands and feet, while under observation by myself, another doctor and a registered nurse at the time of immunisation,” the 65-year-old said.

Steve Parker, M.D.

Buy Now at Amazon.com

Buy E-book Now at Smashwords

Click to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book also available at Smashwords. com.

Yes, there are exceptions…

U.S Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in her Senate confirmation hearing had difficulty defining “woman.” IIRC, she she couldn’t do it, saying “I’m not a biologist.” Well, I’m not either. But I do have a BS degree in Zoology from way back in 1977.

Without putting much thought into it, here’s my proposed definition of an adult male or female:

If you’re 18 or older (“adulthood” in the U.S.) and a majority of your body’s cells have XY chromosomes, you’re a man. If not, you’re a woman.

Check out this .gov website for alleged facts on sex chromosomes (X and Y). A snippet:

Variation in the number of sex chromosomes in a cell is quite common. Some men have more than two sex chromosomes in all of their cells (the XXY variation is called the Klinefelter syndrome), and many men lose the Y chromosome from their cells as they age. 

“Variation in the number of sex chromosomes in a cell is quite common.” Quite common? Klinefelter syndrome occurs in 1 to 2.5 per 1000 boys and men (0.1 to 0.25 percent). It’s news to me that “many men lose the Y chromosome from their cells as they age.”

If a “man” wants to compete as a “woman” in women’s sports, he/she should have a majority of cells with XX chromosomes. Not all cells, but at least 50.001%

Steve Parker, M.D.

Buy Now at Amazon.com

Buy E-book Now at Smashwords

Click to purchase at Amazon.com. E-book also available at Smashwords. com.