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Taking your acid reflux heartburn medicine on a regular basis in accordance with the prescription is important. Recently I had lunch with my church pastor and he was suffering from relatively severe heartburn symptoms. He also indicated that he was no longer taking his prescribed acid reflux heartburn medicine. When I asked him why he said that he was taking the medicine but he started to feel better so he quit taking it. He is very typical of many acid reflux suffers who frequently stop taking them medicine or only take it when the heartburn symptoms appear. This on again and off again method of treating your acid reflux disease can lead to a more serious condition.
Untreated or incorrectly treated acid reflux heartburn can lead to a more serious condition such as gastoesophageal reflux disease or GERD. In fact my pastor was already starting to have some of the symptoms GERD as a result of not correctly taking his medications. He also related that another pastor of a nearby church was diagnosed with cancer of the esophagus and his prognosis was very guarded. Apparently he was also not taking his medications according his doctors orders over the past several years. Many people just do not like to take any kind of medication and as soon as the symptoms of their medical condition improve they quit taking their medicine. In addition they never bother to inform their physician of their decision until the condition become so serious that they need more intensive treatment options.
The lack of communication with your physician in conjunction with not taking your acid reflux heartburn medication correctly can lead to serious or even deadly consequences. Recent reports indicate that the number of people diagnosed with esophageal cancer is on the rise in America. In addition it also reported that the number of people who are diagnosed with gastro-esophageal reflux disease has also increase over the last ten years. The sad truth is that much of the suffering related to serious acid reflux disease is preventable with proper use of medications along with a change in life style. Changing your life style can be tough and will require lots of discipline and patience but taking your acid reflux medication is really not that hard. You can continue to suffer from the symptoms of heartburn and risk contracting a more serious condition or you can take your acid reflux medications, the choice is yours.