The Drs: Heartburn Surgery, EsophX, TIF with Dr Carson Liu

The Doctors TV Show today was called Soothe That Burn, because they spoke about a bunch of ways to soothe different types of burns.   1 in 4 people in the US have Heartburn, according to studies.  Did you know that there is a new Heartburn Surgery called EsophX or Transoral Incicionless Fundoplication (TIF) which helps reduce heartburn and is an outpatient surgery?

The Doctors TV Show: Heartburn Surgery

The Doctors brought on Dr Carson Liu who does the Heartburn Surgery called EsophX.  He said that he uses a device that goes over an endoscope to pull on the junction between the stomach and esophagus.  Then he fires plastic sutures that create a partial one way valve to keep bile and acid from going up into the esophagus.  The EsophX is a very simple outpatient procedure which sounds like it could help many people suffering with heartburn.  Dr Liu said that after the Heartburn Surgery, 90% of people can remain off of heartburn medications for the long term – so they no longer have to take a pill or two every day.  Dr Travis Stork pointed out that Heartburn Medication really just decreases acidity in your stomach, but it does not actually solve the problem of heartburn.  And you really want to avoid taking heartburn medication on a daily basis over the long term, because it can cause all  kinds of other problems including Osteoporosis.

The Drs: EsophX or Transoral Incicionless Fundoplication (TIF)

Dr Carson Liu did the Heartburn Surgery on a lady named Mica, and Mica came back on The Doctors TV Show 3 weeks after her surgery to share her experiences.  Mica said that her heartburn was gone and she was already eating solid foods.  She said that EsophX was wonderful and she can now eat spicy Mexican food, Italian food, drink wine, and do anything she wants.  Dr Liu said that Mica was a good candidate because she had tried every medicine available for Heartburn – both prescription medication and over-the-counter drugs – and nothing worked.  If you only have Heartburn problems once every six months or so, the Heartburn Surgery is probably not for you.