(HealthNewsDigest.com) – BALTIMORE -Thanksgiving week is also GERD Awareness Week. The heartburn caused by reflux disease (commonly referred to as GERD) can make those who indulge in a big holiday feast less than thankful.
But you can head off the discomfort of heartburn by following some of the following tips from gastroenterologist Bruce Greenwald of the University of Maryland Greenebaum Cancer Center who is also chairman of the Esophageal Cancer Action Network (ECAN):
1. Schedule your Thanksgiving meal in the afternoon rather than in the evening.
2. Don’t lie down right after eating – take a walk instead.
3. Avoid overeating; start out with smaller servings and you might not want seconds.
4. If you are hosting a feast, do your guests a favor by using smaller plates – it will make every portion seem larger and keep overeating to a minimum.
5. Drink in moderation – Alcohol worsens GERD symptoms.
6. Eat dessert an hour or two after the meal (but not too close to bedtime!).
7. Start the day with a Turkey Trot. These Thanksgiving morning charity walks and runs will burn a few calories and help a worthy cause. (For a listing of Turkey Trot events throughout the country, visit www.ecan.org.)
“Overeating or lying down after a meal make it more likely that acid and stomach contents will reflux into the esophagus, causing heartburn,” Greenwald added. “Following these simple suggestions can help make this a heartburn-free holiday!”
But Greenwald and his colleagues with ECAN want you to know that if you suffer with heartburn or other symptoms of GERD on a regular basis, making heartburn symptoms go away isn’t the end of their awareness message. Reflux disease can lead to a pre-cancerous condition known as Barrett’s Esophagus which, if left untreated, can become esophageal cancer.
That’s why ECAN is distributing posters and public service announcements across the nation warning, “Don’t be a Turkey, Thanksgiving is GERD Awareness Week – Heartburn can cause Cancer.”
The video PSA, posted at http://www.youtube.com/watch?
To find out more about the link between heartburn and cancer and order free GERD Awareness Week posters, visit www.ecan.org.
About ECAN
ECAN’s mission is to save lives by increasing awareness about the link between heartburn and cancer, promoting early detection and supporting medical innovation to prevent, detect and treat Esophageal Cancer. The national non-profit is led by a board of directors of top physicians, business leaders and families that have been touched by esophageal cancer.
Through ECAN’s efforts, April has been formally designated as Esophageal Cancer Awareness Month across the United States. ECAN also published an innovative Guide for Patients with input from leading doctors across the nation, and it successfully advocated with the National Cancer Institute to include esophageal cancer in its groundbreaking genome mapping project known as The Cancer Genome Atlas. For more information, visit www.ecan.org.
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