What is Considered a Normal Number of Reflux Episodes?

Depending on whether one is talking about GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) or LPR (layrngopharyngeal reflux) , I believe the answer is completely different. As it pertains to GERD and what literature, doctor, or testing equipment is used, 73 plus or minus some change is what is considered a normal number of reflux episodes a typical adult may experience in a 24 hour period of time. What exactly does this number mean? This number describes how many times stuff in the stomach regurgit…

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Mattress Wedges for Reflux Treatment

I often see patients with throat symptoms of reflux including: • Cough • Throat-Clearing • Phlegmy or Mucus Sensation in the Throat • Mild Sore Throat • Swollen sensation in the throat etc, etc, etc Although this can be treated with medications including proton pump inhibitors ( prilosec , prevacid ) as well as H2-blockers ( zantac , pepcid , axid , etc), there are some lifestyle changes which also can be just as if not more effective than medications. Such lifestyle changes includ…

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NYT Article on Reflux (and NOT the Acid Kind)

A patient brought to my attention the other day that there was an article in the NYT on June 29, 2009 regarding non-acid reflux . Overall, the article is good, but readers should keep in mind that heartburn and other symptoms below the shoulders may NOT be present! Furthermore, the usual reflux medications may not work. Read the NYT article here . Read more about reflux here .

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Mucus in Throat or the Phlegmy Throat!!!

NOTE: A more complete discussion on this topic can be found here . A common complaint of patients seeing an ENT doctor is for a persistent phlegmy throat or sensation of mucus in the throat. Other symptoms that a patient may complain of include constant throat-clearing, cough , raspy voice, and a lump sensation in the middle of the throat (aka, globus ). Reflux (Acidic or Non-acidic) In the VAST majority of patients with this complaint, it is due to a disorder called " laryngophary…

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Multichannel Intraluminal Impedance (MII) Testing for Non-Acidic Reflux

Image by Wikipedia As far as we know,  Virginia Hospital Center's Heartburn Center in Arlington, VA and now Fauquier Hospital are the only places in Northern Virginia that offers 24 hour Multichannel Intraluminal Impedance (MII) testing to look for non-acidic reflux. Oftentimes, this test is combined with pH probe testing and manometry to measure the more traditional acid reflux as well as esophageal motility. MII testing is extremely important to evaluate those patients with persis…

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