UC Health team offers Linx treatment for GERD скачать в хорошем качестве

UC Health team offers Linx treatment for GERD

CINCINNATI (Liz Bonis) -- An elementary school teacher in Oxford said her life was changed forever thanks to a breakthrough treatment for a common problem many people experience after eating, heartburn. It looks like a piece of jewelry. As people are moving into the holiday eating season, for many heartburn is just a symptom of a greater problem called GERD or Gastro-Esopageal Reflux Disorder. Now, a team at UC Health West Chester Hospital is offering a new breakthrough treatment that can fix GERD for life. Marsha McQueen knew it was time to do something to get rid of her GERD when it began to interfere with her life as a teacher. I'm a very active teacher so to go out and be active at recess I couldn't get on a swing because I knew anything in my stomach was going to come back up, said McQueen. So imagine her relief when Dr. Valerie Williams, a thoracic surgeon, told her she was a candidate for an outpatient procedure. The procedure simply places a little ring at the bottom of the esophagus to get GERD to go away called a Linx. The Linx is a chain of titanium beads with magnetic core which is placed around the bottom part of the esophagus with a valve lift, said Williams. The Linx stops GERD by correcting the valve that doesn't function properly. Dr. Williams said, So when you swallow the food can go down and the beads actually separate to allow the food to go through. But they stay closed to prevent digestive juices from coming back up through the stomach; back up into the esophagus. McQueen, who is also a Zumba instructor, said it has made all the difference stopping her reflux, nausea, sleep problems and heartburn due to GERD. While most people occasionally experience some of the symptoms, if people are adding more medications to treat heartburn, if they can't lay down and go to sleep anymore and the symptoms are interfering with their life that's the time to see someone to find out if you might be a candidate for the procedure. Dr. Williams told Local 12 News she also may have taken a big step toward a healthier future because, Reflux itself is the number one cause of esophageal cancer in the United States. Now in most cases the procedure is covered by medical insurance plans. If you have questions about the procedure CLICK HERE. Follow Liz Bonis on Twitter @lbonis1, and LIKE her on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @Local12 and LIKE us on Facebook for updates!