LPR People Only... Readers Digest Version... Is there a cure????

[Ol'Line Rebel]

Originally Posted by neddyflanders

There will never be a cure from the medical profession. If their was do you know how much money would be lost from all these companies that make antacids, H2's, PPI's etc. etc. This is something we'll have to figure out for ourselves. Medical community will do what they always do, figure out half baked temporary solutions that probably make you worse in the long run but make them a ton of money.

Nonsense.

Do you know how much money they could make if they could cure things? Much more. Both directly and indirectly by people putting more faith in them for other things.

If things were as you say then aspirin and penicillin - the 2 greatest medicinal break-throughs - would never have been marketed. They quickly destroy serious problems.

[neddyflanders]

Your living in a dream world. This is the USA (unless your from somewhere else). We worship the almighty dollar. Money means everything. You talk about aspirin and penicillin. When were they invented? Early to mid 20th century. After the polio vaccine their have been no vaccines. Their will be no more cures. The best you can hope for is a temporary fix, like they did with AIDS. Millions of people that have to take the cocktail or else they die. Please, don't get me started. Anyway we were talking about LPR and figuring out a way to stop it. I'm thinking dry mouth (whether from antacids or other medication side effects) could be making this so difficult to control.

[Ol'Line Rebel]

I think very highly of the US and its medical profession. We have the best in the world, period, and we got there exactly by encouraging individuals to pursue things for themselves. It works out for the best of society as a whole.

Penicillin wasn’t in regular use until the ‘40s (and it was discovered, as was aspirin but in the 1890s). I guess noone was greedy then. Apparently greed only happened after polio was defeated.

Poo-pooing influenza and various bacteria-borne illnesses compared to slow-acting diseases and conditions (as GERD likely is) is foolhardy. Those things strike hard and fast and kill within weeks, not years. Defeating something that can kill so fast is amazing. Yet noone stopped this cure in the un-greedy ‘40s in favor of just “nursing” the disease.

The fact is doctors and pharm co’s aren’t gods, yet they are treated that way by nay-sayers as well as those who hold them in too much thralldom. Nay-sayers – largely such people as spoiled US citizens whose lives are very good – seem to think docs should know all and are “disillusioned” when they don’t, and can’t cure all. I don’t have those kind of high expections, despite my highly spoiled life. We’re not living in Star Trek time, much less Heaven. Only God could ever resolve all these problems if He so chose.

These people research all the time. The “natural” hawkers don’t. They get 100% profit from what they hawk, whereas research, testing & development and schooling and consulting all take money that may be recouped in the drug/device/service.

It may be some things are very hard to figure out, or at least the cures are. And some things will always be incurable (again, refer to God) because this world is imperfect.

It may also be that some of us with this condition (or even similar) simply are going through a phase. It may work itself out, eventually. Like a lot of mechanical problems people run into. Some people get a bad back that works itself out over a year. This may not be true of every GERD sufferer, but it may be true of many. Some day we may realize that not everyone needs these “nursing” drugs because most will get over it anyway.

[neddyflanders]

Don't get me wrong. I'm not one of these people who think supplements will cure everything. I wasn't taking their side. I was just saying in this country (US, and probably every other one) profit is was run the day. You talk about "natural hawkers" out for a profit and I agree with you. But I also feel that we will never see another real "CURE" in our lifetime, and that means all the major diseases and ailments. It is more profitable to treat the disease then cure it. Also, I am hopeful also that this GERD will run it's course. In my case I have been slowly improving. I rarely get daytime reflux anymore unless I eat a very large meal. Now need to concentrate on eliminating nighttime reflux.

[mommyinVA]

I suppose that we need to have some hope that there is a treatment or that it will go away on its own, because to think of having this LPR for the rest of my life (I am 35) is quite deflating and depressing. I have IBS as well and can manage that quite well with medication (very low dose Elavil) and diet, but the LPR seems so much more difficult to treat. I've had it now for a year and a half and I don't see it going away on its own and I don't do well with PPIs - the side effects are too debilating for me. But, I still need that hope that someday something will be discovered, whether medication or an actual LPR surgery, that will make this go away. Call me naive, but I'd rather have that perspective than the feeling that there is no hope.