Blog

This month’s blog will take an alternative approach to the usual format, focusing not on the patient but instead the practitioner. In 2012, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) opened its investigation into the private healthcare market. The key finding ...

Probiotics and prebiotics, both of which assist in maintaining a healthy gut, are often confused for one another. This blog will set out the definitions and differentiations between the two. Probiotics are defined as “live microorganisms, which, when administered in ...

Constipation is a common condition that is more common in women and is generally defined by infrequent bowel movements (usually less than 3 stools per week) with the passage of hard stools with straining. The 3 most common causes of ...

GORD is a chronic relapsing condition whereby acid produced in the stomach moves up into the lower part of the gullet, or oesophagus, leading to a “burning” discomfort or heartburn. The actual amount of acid is not increased but the ...

During episodes of gastro-oesophageal reflux, the stomach’s contents (containing hydrochloric acid) may rise to the upper oesophagus, beyond the upper oesophageal sphincter (a ring of muscle at the top of the oesophagus) and into the back of the throat. This ...

Over the last 20 years many patients have asked for my advice on losing weight (often following a discussion about hiatus hernia, reflux or fatty liver….). It appears that all diets work (albeit some quicker than others) when people ...

IBS is a chronic disorder consisting of abdominal pain or discomfort associated with defaecation and/or accompanied by a change in stool form and frequency (constipation or diarrhoea or both). Usually, the abdominal pain or discomfort is either relieved by defaecation ...

There are billions of bacteria in the human gut and they are referred to as the gut microbiome. Its role in health and disease is the subject of extensive research. Imbalance of the normal gut microbiota, or dysbiosis, is thought to be ...

Gut Reaction #15: The LINX procedure for Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease (GORD) Gastro-Oesophageal Reflux Disease, or GORD, is a chronic relapsing condition whereby stomach acid refluxes back into the lower part of the gullet, or oesophagus, due to a weak muscle ...

Gut Reaction #14: Risankizumab - Targeting interleukin 23 for Crohn’s disease The Lancet recently published results from a study which assessed the efficacy and safety of risankizumab, a monoclonal antibody that targets interleukin-23 only (ustekinumab targets interleukin-21 and 23), in ...