Acid Reflux - Not As Innocent As It Seems

This isn't my normal 'I found this great tip thumbing through my magazine and want you to know about it too' post. Instead I want to let you know a little about a subject that has hit me close to home in the past couple months. Less than two months ago a co-worker of mine was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. I personally knew little about this cancer, but it's very aggressive. We tend to hear a lot about breast, prostate, and even testicular cancer, but I wasn't aware of the causes of esophageal cancer and what we can do to avoid it. Now that I know, I want to share it with you. As the doctor went over my workmates condition with him, he said, you have acid reflux, and apparently you've had it a long time, what do you do for it? To which my workmate replied, I take Tums. He said that chronic acid reflux needs to be treated by a doctor and when it isn't it's like having an open wound that won't heal and your body is so busy fighting to heal that the cancer cells (we all have them, we just usually fight them off) have a chance to multiply, and so they do! I had no idea that heartburn (acid reflux to be specific) could lead to cancer, and I don't think most people do. So what should you do to prevent esophageal cancer? www.About.com had 5 tips:

1. If you smoke, stop!
2. Limit alcohol consumption.
3. Eat healthy!
4. Keep a healthy weight.
5. Don't let heartburn go untreated.

For further, in-depth, information read the full article HERE. And be sure to share with everyone you know, that heartburn isn't just irritating, it's a serious matter. You just might save a life!