A California surgeon has recently come under fire after suggesting that a female patient perform oral sex on her husband to address her gag reflex. The woman, who has chosen to remain nameless for obvious reasons, had sought the doctor's referral over an endoscopy on her throat, CBS13 reported.

An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy uses a flexible endoscope to see down the gastrointestinal tract including the esophagus, stomach, and part of the small intestines. The procedure is valuable in the detection of ulcers, precancerous conditions, bowel obstructions, inflammation, and hernias.

The woman voiced concern over the procedure, given troubles with her gag reflex during routine trips to the dentist office. According to the doctor, the best way to combat her sensitive gag reflex was to perform oral sex twice a week on her husband.

Dr. J. Peter Zegarra now faces action from the California state medical board due to the indecent nature of his recommendation. The board asserts that even as a joke, the suggestion has no place in a doctor's office.

"This constituted unprofessional conduct, and so this is a message that this probably wasn't appropriate, a more appropriate response should have come with regards to dealing with her gag reflex issues," California Medical Board spokeswoman Cassandra Hockenson told CBS Sacramento.

In preparation for an upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services suggests the patient to not eat, drink, chew gum, or smoke within four to eight hours of the procedure.

Anesthetics, along with other sedatives, are administered to the back of throat in order to numb and soothe any gag reflex, a fact which Zegarra probably should have considered before giving his piece of advice.