Linkage: GERD Treatment Breakthrough -- Magnets!

Breaking news -- LINX, a new FDA-approved magnet-based treatment is proving to be a successful remedy for GERD that is not managed by diet, medications, or other means:

On Monday, April 9, Santiago Horgan, MD, chief of minimally invasive surgery at UC San Diego Health System implanted the new FDA-approved LINX device in a 29-year old patient suffering from gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)... The LINX system is composed of a series of titanium beads, each with a magnetic core, that are connected to form a ring shape. It is implanted at the lower esophageal sphincter (LES), a circular band of muscle that closes the last few centimeters of the esophagus and prevents the backward flow of stomach contents.

One patient praised LINX: "This device has changed my life.  I suffered from GERD for years. Now I can eat what I want, when I want, and where I want.


Here is the UCSD press release/story.

Nashville's News5 includes an interview with Dr. Horgan about LINX

One patient's account from the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette, March 2012

And a video from WebMD about the magnetic band surgery option




For me?  No -- but anything avoiding lifelong medication is something to applaud.  


Addendum:  Still, surgery is surgery -- even minimally invasive surgery.  I'd rather work with my food intake and stress management as a way to control symptoms.