Thanks so much for your questions this morning. We had a great time! IBS and SIBO receive almost no federal funding and yet these conditions affect up to 40 million Americans and almost 1 billion worldwide. These are also the most expensive conditions in gastroenterology. Doesn’t that sound important? We think so and that’s why we have dedicated our careers fighting uphill to get the answers. Too many unnecessary colonoscopies and testing for these conditions that waste money. Also an incredible cost to patients emotionally and financially. I have met a number of patients where they have spent out of pocket copays totally over $20k. That’s absurd. We will continue to do research in this area. Thanks so much for all your amazing questions! We are inspired by your interest today and this gives us more fuel to go forward in finding the causes and cures for these common and complex conditions (I know- we are nerds). For more information about our research and updates in the future visit our research webpage.
MP, AR, NP, RM
PS Special thanks to the mods for having us on again!!
Hey Reddit – Great to be back (It’s Dr. Mark Pimentel). Last year, I responded to a request to do an AMA having never done one before and was amazed by the amount of questions (and a little unprepared for the response). We knew we had to answer more questions so I’ve teamed up with a group of my colleagues to answer your questions on the latest scientific research on the gut microbiome, as well as the work we are doing. While my research has focused on the association between food poisoning (gastroenteritis) and the disruption of gut flora, SIBO and the pathophysiology of IBS, our group here has researched links between the gut microbiome and diabetes and obesity to the role that the microbiome has affected our hormones.
More about us:
Dr. Mark Pimentel – Gastroenterologist – Executive Director of the Medically Associated Science and Technology (MAST) Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Professor of Medicine (In-residence series) at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, and Associate Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I’m on twitter at: https://twitter.com/MarkPimentelMD
Dr. Ali Rezaie – Gastroenterologist, Epidemiologist – Director of GI Motility at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicin
... keep reading on reddit ➡Thanks so much for all the great questions! It is clear that IBS is so important. We will keep working on this disease. Sorry I could not get to all of you. Hopefully we can do this again soon. I have to go for now...patients to see and research to do....Thanks again! - Dr P
Hello Redditors! I’m Dr. Mark Pimentel and I’m here to talk about the bugs in your body! More specifically, I’ll focus on my research on the association between food poisoning (gastroenteritis) and disruption of gut flora, impairment of GI tract motility, and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth in the pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome – something I’ve been fascinated by and dedicated to studying over the last 20 years. Did you know that around 40 million people suffer from IBS? Despite low federal funding for motility research, there have still been many scientific advancements in this field. My research team has established the concept of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth as a potential cause of irritable bowel syndrome and discovered that methane-producing bacteria in the gut can cause constipation.
More about me: I am the Director of the GI Motility Program and Laboratory at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Professor of Medicine (In-residence series) at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Associate Professor of Medicine at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. I am also the author of a (needing-to-be-revised when there is more time) book called A New IBS Solution: Bacteria-The Missing Link in Treating Irritable Bowel Syndrome. For more background on myself or my research lab, see here. I have been trying out new ways to disseminate information to patients and the public so I’m very excited to be on Reddit doing this AMA today! You can also find me on twitter, facebook, or for more in-depth information at our Global Outreach Symposium on IBS and SIBO in November.
While I would love to answer all your questions, I will not be answering any specific patient medical questions due to HIPAA violations.
I’ll be back at 1 pm EST (10 am PST, 6 pm UTC) to answer your questions, let’s get to it – AMA!
