If you’re constantly reaching for antacids to control your heartburn, you may have a more serious problem called reflux disease. Some 25 million Americans have it* and now they have a new option to treat it. Using a newly-approved device for the first time in the U.S., doctors have performed surgery to fix reflux problems without making a single incision.

Developing the technology took decades, but the operation only took an hour. When it was over, doctors at Ohio State University Medical Center may have ushered in a new era of surgery when it comes to fixing reflux problems. Experts at OSUMC say they’re the first in the U.S. to use recently approved remote control instruments to repair the valve between the esophagus and stomach without using a scalpel.

“This device eliminates the need for any incisions whatsoever. The entire reconstruction, or rebuilding of the valve, can be done from the inside all with an instrument through the mouth,” says Scott Melvin, MD, at Ohio State University Medical Center.

By going entirely through a patient’s mouth, doctors don’t have to cut into the body. That can dramatically cut down on recovery time and the risk of complications. Gertrude Green was one of the first patients in the country to try the procedure, after 20 years of trying nearly everything else to control her reflux.

“Over the last 20 years I’ve taken over-the-counter medications, prescriptions and seen more than one doctor,” says Green.

Gertrude has known for years that surgery was an option, but in the past, it was more invasive and would require more time to recover. Now this new technique can change that and possibly more.

“Reflux can give people heartburn, but it also has been associated with an increased risk of esophageal cancer. Right now in North America, esophageal cancer has increased dramatically over the last decade – doubling even tripling the number of cases,” says Melvin.

It’s too early to tell if this surgery will impact the number of cancer cases, but it’s clear to patients like Gertrude that it’s already addressed the burning issue of reflux.

Doctors say getting heartburn once in a while is normal. If you get it 3 or 4 times a week, you should get it checked. Right now, through-the-mouth surgery is only available at certain hospitals. It is expected to become more common in the coming years.

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Johns Hopkins Health Alerts has just published a review of the new GERD guidelines, for safe, effective treatment of your acid reflux.

There are four types of treatments for gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): lifestyle measures, medication, surgery, and endoscopic procedures.

Why it is important to treat GERD

Treating GERD is important. Untreated GERD can lead to serious complications, such as esophageal ulcers (nonhealing mucosal defects), esophageal strictures, Barrett’s esophagus (a disorder of the cells lining the esophageal mucosa, which may lead to cancer), and even esophageal cancer.

Lifestyle changes to treat GERD

Doctors often recommend lifestyle changes as the first-line treatment for acid reflux. These measures can include elevating the head of the bed during sleep, not eating late at night, and avoiding alcohol or spicy foods.

New findings on effective treatments for GERD

However, a new study reported in “The Archives of Internal Medicine” (Volume 166, page 965) shows that NOT ALL of these changes are helpful in relieving GERD symptoms, and some may be unnecessarily restrictive.

Researchers looked at the results of 100 studies conducted on various lifestyle measures for GERD. Only losing weight and elevating the head of the bed showed a CLEAR BENEFIT in well-designed studies.

Other measures not found to be effective

In comparison, there was little evidence to support avoiding many suspected GERD triggers, such as alcohol, caffeine, chocolate, spicy foods, citrus, carbonated beverages, fatty foods, and mint. The same was true for sleeping on your left side or avoiding food late at night.

Although there was evidence that some of these substances and practices can cause GERD symptoms, evidence was lacking that avoiding them will relieve symptoms.

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