Author: Jeff Kreikemeier

True or False? 

Obesity increases the risk of disease associated with the metabolic syndrome…diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and strokes…and has NO impact on cancer risk.

False…obesity is directly linked with 13 different cancers.  Many, but not all, are digestive related.  Cancers such as colon, esophageal, gastric, pancreatic, and liver cancer are all directly linked to obesity through mechanisms thought to be related to inflammation and harmful alterations of the microbiome.   Read More “Quick obesity quiz”

It’s about TIME…literally!  Direct specialty care values time, and in so doing, honors the patient physician relationship.  It’s also time to offer transparent and affordable endoscopic care to St. Louisans.  At PostRx Digestive Health and Wellness we are excited to offer bundled pricing for endoscopic services in the St. Louis healthcare market!   Read More “Bundled pricing for endoscopic services”

Diverticular disease is common and so is the misunderstanding regarding the difference between diverticulosis and diverticulitis.  Diverticulitis is an infected diverticulum and requires treatment such as a liquid diet and antibiotics.  Diverticulosis is a structural finding and as such causes no symptoms. Read More “Another reason for diet and lifestyle changes…”

The basic premise of insurance is the transfer of risk. Unfortunately, with increasing premiums, out-of-pocket high deductibles, and rising healthcare costs, health insurance no longer effectively transfers financial risk from patients.

Did you know that many healthcare services are actually cheaper than the negotiated, “in network”, insurance rate? Read More “Cash is king!”

The gut microbiome is important and we are learning more about interactions between diet, the microbiome, gut immunity, and systemic disease.

Consider these facts… Read More “The gut microbiome is amazingly…important, complex and diverse!”

and other chronic digestive disorders.  While some of the medications used to treat GI disorders are also effective at controlling joint inflammation/arthropathy, there are many medications that actually worsen GI symptoms. Read More “Joint pains are one of the most common extra-intestinal manifestations of IBD…”

And, so are the ticks.  It’s long been known that ticks can be vectors for human disease.  In gastroenterology, most tick-borne disease manifests with liver problems such as elevated liver enzymes.  But now, there is growing understanding of a tick-borne illness transmitted by the Lone Star Tick (common in the Midwest down to Texas and on the East Coast) that causes symptoms similar to irritable bowel syndrome—abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea. Read More “Summer is here…”

Exciting news for IBD patients!  Listen to the podcast below to learn about new treatment options for patients with crohn’s and colitis. 

Read More “New options for crohn’s and colitis management”

Data doesn’t lie…thanks to Ge Bai, Turquoise Health and their teams analyzing hospital price transparency data, it might be possible to envision a future of affordable healthcare.  Finally, we have data on 70 common CMS-specified high-volume healthcare services.  And, it turns out, that cash prices determined unilaterally by hospitals are often lower than commercial prices negotiated between hospitals and insurers.   Read More “Healthcare pricing transparency”

Things like smoking and genetics put us at risk for developing various diseases but neither are the most significant risk factor for disease onset and progression.  Nutrition is… Read More “Serotonin levels, the gut microbiome, and nutrition”