"heartburn" news and stories

Believe it or not, 15-year old Faye Campbell of Great Britain has eaten nothing but french fries ("chips" to the Brits) for the past ten years.

According to an article in the Daily Mail, Campbell suffers from a "bizarre physical condition which made her ill every time she tried anything other than chips."

This "bizarre" condition? Gastrooesophageal reflux...commonly known as heartburn.

For whatever reason, it took the girl's doctors way too long to realize the cause, and in the meantime, pardon me for being slightly insensitive, but she's been milking it for all it's worth.

I don't doubt that salty potatoes are easier to digest than, say, acidic fruits or juices. But how I'm impressed with how long this girl has convinced her parents to let her eat fries at every meal - every kid should be so lucky! And conveniently, french fries go down easier than say, Brussels sprouts or bananas...

The good news? To her parents' delight, Campbell has now moved onto foods other than french fries. Her diet now also consists of burgers, noodles, Chinese takeout, and waffles. (Don't you wish you had this girl's parents when you were 15?)

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For some people, food and heartburn go hand in hand. Unfortunately, doctors have long been recommending that those who suffer with heartburn (also known as gastroesophageal reflux disease) give up many foods, such as fried and spicy foods, alcohol, carbonated beverages, coffee and chocolate,  in an attempt to prevent unpleasant symptoms. New research from Stanford University shows, however, that cutting out favorite foods does not actually stop heartburn for most sufferers. There are two lifestyle changes that showed a clear benefit: losing a few pounds and sleeping with the head elevated, to "reduce stomach acid from entering the esophagus while sleeping." Changing both of these things produced better, more consistent results from patients when compared to those who simply cut back on or cut out various foods.

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