Digestive Disease Associates of Rockland, P.C.

Tuesday, January 27, 2015... Our office phones are now open. We have a few employees in our office today that are willing & able to assist our patients. We have no clinical staff in the office today. Our physicians have been placed at Good Samaritan & Nyack Hospitals in advance of the storm and are available to assist with any Urgent and Emergent situtation from those locations. Stay safe!

Wishing Everyone a very Happy & Health 2015. From the Physicians and Staff of Digestive Disease Associates of Rockland.

March is National Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month. Among cancers that affect both men and women, colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. Every year over 140,000 Americans are diagnosed with colorectal cancer and more than 50,000 people die from it each year. The risk of getting colorectal cancer increases with age. More than 90% of cases occur in people who are 50 years old or older. Ea...rly detection is vital, over 90% of all cases of colon cancer can be prevented with recommended screening. Despite its high incidence, colon cancer continues to be one of the most detectable and most treatable forms of cancer. Reduce Your Risk: If you’re 50 or older, getting a screening test for colon cancer could save your life. Here’s how: Colorectal cancer screening tests can find precancerous polyps so they can be removed before they turn into cancer; so colorectal cancer is prevented. Screening tests also can find colorectal cancer early, when treatment often leads to a cure. Symptoms of Colorectal Cancer: Precancerous polyps and colorectal cancer don’t always cause symptoms, especially at first. Symptoms for Colorectal Cancer may include: Blood in or on your stool (bloody bowel movement), stomach pain, aches or cramps that do not go away or unexpected weight loss. These symptoms may be caused by something other than cancer. If you have any of these symptoms, the only way to know what is causing is to see your physician. Are you at Increased Risk for Colorectal Cancer; You should begin screening for colorectal cancer soon after turning 50 and then keep getting screened regularly, we recommend every 5 years. Some people are at a higher risk than others for developing colorectal cancer. Having any of these things may increase your risk: Inflammatory bowel disease A personal or family history of colorectal polyps or colorectal cancer. Genetic syndromes such as Lynch syndrome. If you think you may be at high risk for colorectal cancer, talk to your doctor about when and how often to get tested. Did You Know: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) now requires all health care insurance plans cover preventative services, including colorectal cancer screening for individuals aged 50 or older, without any cost sharing to the patient. What this means for our patients is that 100% of the allowed amount of your screening colonoscopy should be covered by your insurance carrier. This may or may not include the costs of anesthesia services. Please check with your carrier. AFLAC and other voluntary benefits programs may pay you from getting a colorectal cancer screening. Please check with your carrier or employee benefits department. Call our office today to schedule your screening colonoscopy!

Dr. Richard Moccia was interview by The Rockland Times on GERD Awareness and Prevention. The 12th annual Gastro Intestinal Reflux Disease (GERD) Awareness Week was held from November 23rd to November 29th. It is sponsored by the Intestinal Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) to focus attention on GERD diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Moccia commented that often diet and lifestyle modifications are all that is required to reduce or eliminate GERD Symptoms. To read the entire article, please clinck on the following link. http://www.rocklandtimes.com//take-some-good-advice-dont-/

Tuesday, January 27, 2015... Our office phones are now open. We have a few employees in our office today that are willing & able to assist our patients. We have no clinical staff in the office today. Our physicians have been placed at Good Samaritan & Nyack Hospitals in advance of the storm and are available to assist with any Urgent and Emergent situtation from those locations. Stay safe!

Wishing Everyone a very Happy & Health 2015. From the Physicians and Staff of Digestive Disease Associates of Rockland.

Dr. Richard Moccia was interview by The Rockland Times on GERD Awareness and Prevention. The 12th annual Gastro Intestinal Reflux Disease (GERD) Awareness Week was held from November 23rd to November 29th. It is sponsored by the Intestinal Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders (IFFGD) to focus attention on GERD diagnosis and treatment. Dr. Moccia commented that often diet and lifestyle modifications are all that is required to reduce or eliminate GERD Symptoms. To read the entire article, please clinck on the following link. http://www.rocklandtimes.com//take-some-good-advice-dont-/

Dr. Vipul Shah weighs in on the use of probiotics for general wellness as published on LOHUD, the website for the Journal News on May 19, 2014. In his remarks , Dr, Shah indicated that he doesn't believe probiotic supplements are necessary for general wellness. Nor does he recommend them to patients who are immunosuppressed, such as those undergoing chemotherapy.He commented that "while we think they are good bacteria, good bacteria in one person may not be so good in anot...her person." Dr. Shah references data suggests that probiotics can reduce the length and severity of infectious diarrhea. But points out that there is conflicting evidence about the effectiveness in the treatment of inflammatory diseases like Colitis and Crohn's, Dr Shah emphasizing that probiotics should not be the first line of treatment for such conditions. "Nowadays, this is very trendy, because it's being used for diseases that we don't have black-and-white answers for." Moreover, it's difficult to know which probiotics might be helpful because there are so many different kinds (with various strains and amounts of bacteria) on the market."You want to make sure you're picking the right ones for the right reasons." Still, Dr. Shah doesn't discount the possible usefulness of probiotics as an additional therapy. "But it should be on a case-by-case basis

The Professional Staff at Digestive Disease Associates of Rockland.

Comedian Robert Klein honors Dr.Elliot Heller at CCFA Walk at Boulder Stadium in Pomona NY

On Sunday September 21st Dr. Elliot Heller was honored by the Rockland and Orange County Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation at their Take Step Walks at Provident Bank Park in Pomona, NY. Dr. Heller was recognized for his many years of dedicated and compassionate care of the IBP patients of Rockland & Orange Counties and for his years of leadership as a member of the Chapter’s Board of Directors and Chairman of their Medical Advisory Committee. Despite overcast ski...es, the Take Steps Walk was well attended and succeeded to raise in excess of $80,000 to be used to fund IBD & Crohn’s research, patient education and patient support activities. A special guest appearance was made by comedian and actor Robert Klein to honor Dr. Heller and to underscore the importance of having screening colonoscopies for individuals over age 50. Mr. Klein sang the first two stanzas and the chorus of his colonoscopy song, one of his stand-up comedy routines to entertain the attendees. In his remarks Dr. Heller expressed his gratitude to the CCFA Foundation for the great honor and thanked them for all of their grassroots efforts on behalf of the crohn’s & colitis patients of Rockland County. In addition he recognized his colleagues and staff who work with him at Digestive Disease Associates of Rockland and who share his passion for and commitment to the patients of Rockland County. Please consider joining the physicians, staff and friends of Digestive Disease Associates of Rockland by making a donation to the Rockland & Orange Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation so that they can continued their good work for the people of Rockland County. http://online.ccfa.org/goto/DDAR.