A bracelet could calm the acid reflux of the stomach …
Who hasn’t had those burns that go up in your stomach one day, whether you are standing or more often lying down? They are just as unpleasant as they are frequent: 10% of adults complain about it on a regular basis and at least one in two adults will suffer from it at least once in their life! This is called gastroesophageal reflux, a somewhat complicated term which has the merit of really describing what is happening: the stomach acid goes back up into the esophagus and it burns!
And why does this acid go back up?
We often invoke stress, dishes that are a little heavy and fatty, in short the main problem lies in a weakness of the esophagus-stomach junction where there is a certain ring which must allow liquids or solids to pass in only one direction: to the esophagus to the stomach. When the passage is done in both directions, doctors prescribe effective drugs, but not always!
And if so, when it gets really painful, what to do?
Operate! But it’s quite a heavy surgery and specialists think twice before embarking on it. Hence the interest of a new method, certainly surgical, but much gentler!
Softer and more chic! It’s a bracelet that we put on!
Exactly ! This bracelet is placed at the level of the sphincter, that is to say at the esophagus-stomach junction, without having to open wide. It is made up of magnetic beads which, thanks to their attraction, tighten the sphincter, preventing stomach acid from rising. On the other hand, the closure is flexible enough to allow food and liquids that have just been swallowed to pass through and which exert strong pressure on the bracelet allowing it to open.
And it works ?
Yes it works very well, as evidenced by the study published in the New England Journal of Medicine on 100 patients followed for 3 years. The main disadvantage occurs in the first months after the operation and consists of a small difficulty in swallowing, but it is short-lived. Of the 100 patients, only 6 had to have the bracelet removed.
Here are some rather promising results, but of course which remain to be confirmed on a greater number of people. Note however that these patients will no longer be able to do MRI because of the possible interference with the magnetic beads: the bracelet could then break !!!
Reference
New England Journal of Medicine
Esophageal Sphincter Device for Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
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