The Doctors: What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease? What Is GERD?

The Doctors: What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease?

Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a condition that causes chronic heartburn and acid reflux. The Doctors talked to a 29-year-old woman named Jenny, who suffers from the condition and said her condition became increasingly severe over time. Over-the-counter medications and changes in her diet didn’t help her symptoms at all. She also went to doctors that gave her various prescription medications that didn’t help either. Finally, she sought treatment from Dr. Kenneth Chang, who finally diagnosed her GERD and utilized the cutting-edge Stretta procedure to cure Jenny of her symptoms.

The Doctors helped out a woman named Jenny who suffered from GERD and spoke with her doctor about the new cutting-edge Stretta procedure that offers patients a non-invasive alternative to surgery to fix GERD symptoms.

Dr. Chang said that refluxes come in all shapes and sizes. 20 percent of Americans have weekly refluxes. 4 million people are also on medication for their refluxes.

The Doctors: What Is The Stretta Procedure?

The Stretta procedure is an outpatient procedure that’s quite novel in that it’s non-invasive, fast, effective, and safe. The procedure is getting more and more attention. Dr. Chang said that refluxes come in all shapes and sizes. 20 percent of Americans have weekly refluxes. 4 million people are also on medication for their refluxes. Up until recently, the only options for these patients were invasive surgeries or medications.

The Doctors: New Stretta Procedure

During the surgery, Dr. Chang slips a slender catheter down the esophagus during the procedure. The catheter has a balloon that inflates to stabilize the catheter and then from the balloon, four tiny electrodes penetrate into the muscle of the esophagus and delivers radio frequencies that bulks up the muscles and restores their natural barriers to protect against reflux.

Jenny said that the recovery process was very short. Within in a month, she went in for a check-up with Dr. Chang and she was already reducing the medications she was on for acid reflux. Today, she doesn’t even have to take those medications anymore because her symptoms have reduced so much.