News and Updates Archives - Granite Peaks Gastroenterology of Utah

Granite Peaks – Serving Patients with Precautions In Place

Posted on March 18, 2020December 27, 2024 by fuelmarketing

Granite Peaks GI is committed to serving our patients and keeping them safe during the COVID-19 situation. In accordance with the CDC and Utah State mandates, we are not providing “elective” procedures at this time. However, we are still treating patients who need immediate evaluation and treatment. To help with this, we have instituted a telehealth program that allows eligible patients to stay at home and talk to their doctor via computer or phone application. Patients whose condition requires in-office treatment will be screened prior to entering the building as outlined below. Granite Peaks is providing options for patients to safely receive treatment for their digestive health issues and illnesses.

Please contact our office with questions at 801-619-9000.

To protect our patients and our staff, please note:

All patients will be pre-screened before entering our facilities. If found to exhibit symptoms, you will be asked to exit our facility and contact the Utah COVID-19 Hotline for testing options. Granite Peaks does not have coronavirus tests.
Staff members are available by phone to answer questions for patients who cannot be seen.
Our staff members are screened each day and wear protective apparel to help provide a safe environment for patients and staff.

We ask all patients to follow the CDCs directive to avoid risk of infection. For our patients with chronic Inflammatory Bowel Disease, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation has recommendations for staying healthy and managing your condition during this unusual time. Be sure to review their suggestions and contact your Granite Peaks GI provider with any questions or concerns about your specific condition or medication needs.

To our patients, and everyone around them, stay informed, stay safe and stay well.

https://www.crohnscolitisfoundation.org/coronavirus-update/adults

Guidelines for the Diagnosis and Management of Barrett’s Esophagus

Posted on October 11, 2016December 27, 2024 by fuelmarketing

by Dr. Christopher Cutler

In 2015, the American College of Gastroenterology published clinical guidelines for the diagnosis and management of Barrett’s esophagus (BE). The following is a summary of this guideline which the physicians at Granite Peaks Gastroenterology would like to share with you:

—Screening of the general population for BE is not recommended.

—Screening for BE may be considered in men with chronic (>5 years) and/or frequent (weekly or more) symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn or acid regurgitation) and two or more risk factors for BE. These risk factors include: age >50 years, Caucasian race, central obesity, current or past history of smoking, and a confirmed family history of BE or esophageal cancer (in a first degree relative).

—Screening for BE in females is not recommended. However, individualized screening could be considered in a woman with multiple risk factors for BE including: age>50, Caucasian race, chronic and/or frequent reflux symptoms, central obesity, current or past history of smoking, and a confirmed family history of BE or esophageal cancer (in a first degree relative).

—If the initial endoscopy is negative for BE, repeating an endoscopy to look for BE is not recommended. If the endoscopy reveals significant esophagitis, a repeat endoscopy after PPI (Prilosec) therapy for 8-12 weeks is recommended to ensure healing of esophagitis and exclude the presence of underlying BE.

—For BE patients without dysplasia (pre-cancerous cells), endoscopic surveillance should be performed every 3-5 years.

—For BE patients with dysplasia of any grade, the biopsies should be read by two pathologists, at least one of whom has expertise in GI pathology.

—For patients whose biopsies are indefinite for dysplasia, a repeat endoscopy after 3-6 months of optimized PPI therapy should be performed. If this endoscopy confirms the diagnosis of indefinite for dysplasia, a surveillance interval of 12 months is recommended.

—For patients with BE and confirmed low-grade dysplasia, endoscopic therapy (radiofrequency ablation) is considered the preferred treatment, although endoscopic surveillance every 12 months is an acceptable alternative.

—Patients with BE and confirmed high-grade dysplasia should be managed with endoscopic therapy (radiofrequency ablation +/- endoscopic mucosal resection).

—Endoscopic ablative therapies should not be routinely applied to patients with nondysplastic BE because of their low risk of progression to esophageal cancer.

—Patients with BE should receive once-daily PPI therapy. Routine use of twice-daily dosing is not recommended, unless necessitated because of poor control of reflux symptoms or esophagitis.

—Anti-reflux surgery should not be pursued in patient with BE to prevent cancer. However this surgery should be considered in those with incomplete control of reflux symptoms on optimized medical therapy.

—Endoscopic surveillance following elimination of BE for patients with low-grade dysplasia is recommended every 6 months for the first year, and annually thereafter.

—Endoscopic surveillance following elimination of BE for patients with high-grade dysplasia or intramucosal carcinoma is recommended every 3 months for the first year, every 6 months for the second year, and annually thereafter.

If you have any questions about Barrett’s esophagus or your reflux symptoms, please contact your physician at Granite Peaks Gastroenterology.

Are You Trying To Switch To A Gluten-Free Diet?

Posted on September 20, 2016December 27, 2024 by fuelmarketing

Have you been recently diagnosed with Celiac Disease? Are you looking for celiac disease treatment? Are you finding it difficult to transition into a gluten-free diet plan?

Most people are overwhelmed by the challenge of eating gluten-free as a part of celiac disease treatment. Here is a 7-day beginner’s Gluten-Free Meal Plan to help you start changing over to your gluten-free lifestyle with confidence. This nutritionally balanced Gluten-Free Meal Plan provides three meals and two snacks each day with easy to make recipes and “Quick Fixes” for those on-the-go.

Source: Celiac Disease Foundation

Mindful Eating

Posted on May 13, 2015December 27, 2024 by fuelmarketing

We all live hectic lives. The pace of modern life, with all of its technical distractions, can sometimes take away from the joy of eating. We gulp down our food while watching TV, texting, or tweeting, and don’t really take the time to eat our meals with mindfulness and savor our food. Thich Nhat Hanh, a well-known Vietnamese Buddhist, teaches there is nothing more precious than the present moment, so even eating becomes an activity worthy of our undivided attention. Eating with mindfulness will allow us to avoid ingesting all the stress of a distracted mind. The calmness and presence gained from eating mindfully will bring each of us greater health and happiness and allow us to enjoy life more fully.

Below is an excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh’s book, Savor: Mindful Eating, Mindful Life

Take an apple out of your refrigerator. Any apple will do. Wash it. Dry it. Before taking a bite, pause for a moment. Look at the apple in your palm and ask yourself: When I eat an apple, am I really enjoying eating it? Or, am I so pre-occupied with other thoughts that I miss the delights that the apple offers me?

If you are like most of us, you answer “yes” to the second question much more often than the first. For most of our lives, we have eaten apple after apple without giving it a second thought. Yet in this mindless way of eating, we have denied ourselves the many delights present in the simple act of eating an apple. Why do that, especially when it is so easy to truly enjoy the apple?

The first thing is to give your undivided attention to eating the apple. When you eat the apple, just concentrate on eating the apple. Don’t think of anything else. And most important, be still. Don’t eat the apple while you are driving. Don’t eat it while you are walking. Don’t eat it while you are reading. Just be still. Being focused and slowing down will allow you to truly savor all the qualities the apple offers: its sweetness, aroma, freshness, juiciness, and crispness.

Next, pick up the apple from the palm of your hand and take a moment to look at it again. Breathe in awareness a few times to help you focus and become more in touch with how you feel about the apple. Most of the time, we barely look at the apple we are eating. We grab it, take a bite, chew it quickly and then swallow. This time, take note: What kind of apple is it? What color is it? How does it feel in your hand? What does it smell like? Going through these thoughts, you will begin to realize the apple is not simply a quick snack to quiet a grumbling stomach. It is something more complex, something part of a greater whole.

Then, give the apple a smile and slowly,mindfully take a bite, and chew it. Be aware of your in-breath and out-breath a few times to help you concentrate solely on eating the apple: what it feels like in your mouth, what it tastes like, what it’s like to chew and swallow it. There is nothing else filling your mind as you chew – no projects, no deadlines, no worries, no “to do” list, no fears, no sorrow, no anger, no past, and no future. There is just the apple.

When you chew, know what you are chewing. Chew slowly and completely. Chew consciously, savoring the taste of the apple and its nourishment, immersing yourself in the process one hundred percent. This way, you really appreciate the apple as it is. Ans as you become fully aware of eating the apple, you also become fully aware of the present moment. You become fully engaged in the here and now. Living in the moment, you can really experience what the apple offers you, and you become more alive.

www.savorthebook.com

The physicians at Granite Peaks Gastroenterology are dedicated to helping you achieve your best health possible. Each of us would welcome the opportunity to sit down with you to discuss mindful eating and other ways to support your optimal well-being.

Announcing the Launch of Our New Online Home!

Posted on March 27, 2015December 27, 2024 by fuelmarketing

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our new website! The fresh design was built to provide our current and potential patients with increased ease of use, sufficient location/condition information, and quick access to assistance from Granite Peaks GI (GPG) staff. Learn more about the new features below for Granite Peaks GI!

Patient Portal

Creating and logging into your personal Patient Portal account allows you to discuss your condition and procedure privately with your physician. You may also use this platform to request appointments, renew medications, and access your personal health record. The system provides a secure place for you to store information and discuss your needs. You can access Patient Portal by clicking the “Patient Login” tab located within the white text on the second row of the navigation.

Book an Appointment

Booking an appointment with a GPG professional is simple using the new website. Just click the “Book Appointment” tab in the top right corner of the screen. Here, you can click the “Book Online” button to begin the process of securely booking your appointment online. This page also provides contact, location, and physician information.

Resources

Required forms for your office visit can be found on the Resources page. You can access this page by clicking the “Resources” tab located within the white text on the second row of the navigation. This will allow you to review, download, and print each form you will need for your first visit with GPG.

Provider Information

If you’d like to learn more about the providers at GPG, click the “Providers” tab to find a full page of bios. Information regarding each physician can be found by clicking on their image located on this page.

Procedure and Service Information

Whether you’re new to our facility or a returning patient, it’s likely that you’ll have questions regarding your care. Although our physicians and staff will be available to answer any and all questions you may have, our procedure and service information pages are a great place to find quick answers. You can find informative pages in the white text on the second row of the navigation as well. These will be located under the “GI Conditions” and “Services” tabs.

Questions?

Should you run into any questions while using the new website, our team will be happy to help you find your way! For site assistance, facility information, over-the-phone booking, or general questions regarding your care, please feel free to give our offices a call at 801-619-9000. You may also visit our contact page to request information.