acid reflux -- disease

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meirman - 12 Jan 2004 06:50 GMT

A commercial for some drug refers to "acid reflux disease".

Since it isn't caused by a germ (or other things I haven't thought
of), it seems more like a syndrome than a disease.

And since it only has one symptom, afaik, it doesn't sound like a
syndrome.

So I think it should just be called acid reflux. Are they afraid
people won't think it's bad, so they have to call it a disease? Or
what?

s/ meirman If you are emailing me please
say if you are posting the same response.

Born west of Pittsburgh Pa. 10 years
Indianapolis, 7 years
Chicago, 6 years
Brooklyn NY 12 years
Baltimore 20 years

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Martin Ambuhl - 12 Jan 2004 07:55 GMT

> A commercial for some drug refers to "acid reflux disease".
>
> Since it isn't caused by a germ (or other things I haven't thought
> of), it seems more like a syndrome than a disease.

Of course the sufferer feels dis-ease. Besides, check this from the COD10
and point to the part requiring anything like "a germ."

[COD10]
disease
· n.
1 a disorder of structure or function in a human, animal, or plant,
especially one that produces specific symptoms or that affects a specific part.
2 a quality, habit, or disposition that adversely affects a person or
group: the British disease of self-deprecation.
– DERIVATIVES diseased adj.
– ORIGIN ME (in the sense ‘lack of ease; inconvenience’): from OFr. desaise
‘lack of ease’.

> And since it only has one symptom, afaik, it doesn't sound like a
> syndrome.
>
> So I think it should just be called acid reflux.

Why? It certainly *is* "a disorder of structure or function" and it
certainly "produces specific symptoms" and "affects a specific part."

> Are they afraid
> people won't think it's bad, so they have to call it a disease? Or
> what?

The one thing they are *not* afraid of is meirman making up ad-hoc reasons
to disallow the word disease.

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Martin Ambuhl

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Raymond S. Wise - 12 Jan 2004 09:08 GMT

> A commercial for some drug refers to "acid reflux disease".
>
[quoted text clipped - 7 lines]
> people won't think it's bad, so they have to call it a disease? Or
> what?

It looks to me like it is a marketing term for "gastroesophageal reflux
disease" or "GERD." If you want to know the scoop on why it should be called
a disease, do a search on a non-pharmaceutical site you trust--I suggest the
National Institute of Health or the Mayo Clinic. Or simply do a Google
search for

gerd nih

or

gerd mayo

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Raymond S. Wise
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA

E-mail: mplsray @ yahoo . com

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / January 2004

acid reflux -- disease