Originally published October 12 2005
The Wall Street Journal reviews heartburn and the range of treatments available to sufferers
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
An estimated 15 million Americans suffer from heartburn each day, so treatments ranging from acid-suppressing drugs and antacids to anti-reflux surgeries have come to the attention of the American media looking to provide answers to a widespread problem.
An estimated 100 million Americans suffer from it every month; about 15 million battle it at least once a day.
In fact, heartburn is so common that most people don't worry about it.
At a time when most cancer rates are falling, esophageal adenocarcinoma -- the type linked with heartburn -- has jumped fivefold in the past 30 years.
"There may be only 14,000 cases now, but if you keep up that rate of rise, it's going to pass them all," says Scott Swanson, chief of thoracic surgery at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York.
Even more troubling are the theories about why esophageal cancer due to heartburn is gaining ground at such an alarming rate.
Although obesity and poor dietary habits are likely culprits, there's mounting evidence that the way doctors and patients treat heartburn symptoms may also be making things worse.
Some preliminary research suggests that the use of acid-suppressing drugs such as proton-pump inhibitors or PPIs -- which are highly effective in curbing heartburn symptoms -- may play a role in the rise of esophageal cancer.
While the drugs themselves are viewed as safe, the concern is that long-term use of acid-reducing drugs alters the environment in the digestive tract in a way that allows cancer to take hold in certain patients.
In addition, while the drugs clearly make patients feel better, studies show that stopping symptoms may not be enough to stop continuing damage to the esophagus.
"There's an explosion of the use of these drugs to treat reflux disease," says Jeffrey Hagen, associate professor of surgery at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California.
Doctors say heartburn sufferers 20 years ago often showed up with esophageal ulcers, narrowed passages that interfered with swallowing and other complications directly related to exposure to stomach acid.
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