I was diagnosed with Barrett's Esophagus in April, 2008. It appears that this precancerous condition is a lot more common then one would think. It can progress to cancer of the esophagus in a small percentage of cases but cancer of the esophagus is the fastest growing form of cancer in the Western World at the present time. The trouble is that most doctors, other than gastroenterologists, probably have not even heard of it. If you are bothered with gastric reflux (heartburn), don't take it lightly. Don't just continue to take tums, baking soda, or some of the other things available for heartburn. You should go to a gastroenterologist and have an upper endoscopy to make sure you do not have Barrett's Esophagus. Cancer of the esophagus is deadly and can spread rapidly. Many people have Barrett's Esophagus but don't know it. It can be present for ten or fifteen years before it is diagnosed. If it is diagnosed too late, your life may be in grave danger. Most of the time there are no symptoms and, if it appears, your heartburn may seem to get better since the tissue changes taking place in your lower esophagus form tissue like the tissue in your stomach and can stand reflux acid much better. Go to the following link and see an overview of this disease. http://www.barrettsadvice.com
Thank you so much for this great link. I had an upper endoscopy about a year ago. The gastroenterologist did not say I had Barrett's Esophagus, but did show me a very frightening angry looking spot in the esophagus. He then prescribed Omeprazole and said I would have to take it the rest of my life. In addition I was to eat non-acidic foods. Also no coffee, tea, tomatoes, citrus fruits, etc. For a while I followed these instructions but have since reverted back to my old ways. So I continued with the Tums and even recently completed another 14 day course of Omeprazole, only this time it was over-the-counter type. The problem with this is that the acid reflux returns with a vengence after you stop the medication and I was looking for a way to wean myself from this medication. Here's what I found.
Here's your free Quick-Start Guide, "Pain-Free in 1 Day"which has 4 full days of pain-free meals (breakfasts,lunches, dinners, snacks & desserts) Go here now to getyour Quick-Start Guide:http://www.greattastenopain.com/freereports/
I halfheartedly tried this diet for 4 days and got some results. It's quite a unique theory of acid/alkaline "food combining."
What do you think?