QUELL HEARTBURNS SAFELY
Heartburns hurts – but so can overzealous treatment, concluded a recent collection of studies in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which looked at proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) – the powerful drugs that shut off production of stomach acid.
PPIs are effective, but heavily used. Researchers have found that hospital patients who take PPI are more likely to be infected with Clostridium difficile, a dangerous superbug. For older women, long-term use increases the odds of breaking a bone. For milder symptoms, an antacid may be all that is needed, say Dr. Mark Naunton, the deputy head of pharmacy at Charles Darwin University, who has studied the use of PPI in Australia.
In the case of more troublesome or ongoing symptoms,
Heartburns hurts – but so can overzealous treatment, concluded a recent collection of studies in the Archives of Internal Medicine, which looked at proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) – the powerful drugs that shut off production of stomach acid.
PPIs are effective, but heavily used. Researchers have found that hospital patients who take PPI are more likely to be infected with Clostridium difficile, a dangerous superbug. For older women, long-term use increases the odds of breaking a bone. For milder symptoms, an antacid may be all that is needed, say Dr. Mark Naunton, the deputy head of pharmacy at Charles Darwin University, who has studied the use of PPI in Australia.
In the case of more troublesome or ongoing symptoms,