ALthough there are many dietary changes one can make to control acid reflux, you should be wary of anyone who claims they can cure your acid reflux for good.

Most are out to make a buck or two from telling you to eat apples. (There are other 'so called' miracle cures. I have seen claims made for all sorts of fruit, cider vinegar and even lettuce.)

But like the old quack doctors of the days of the wild west, you can find plenty of charlatans peddling their miracle cures.

However, the bottom line is "Heartburn can cause cancer!" and there may be people who fatally ignore their symptoms whilst playing with diet until it's too late to get life saving treatment.

If you suffer from persistent heartburn, do try dietary and life style changes: lose weight; wear loose clothing; eat smaller portions; cut out fatty foods, stop smoking, avoid alcohol, fizzy drinks, chocolate, citrus fruits; don't eat for three hours before going to bed; don't do any exercises that will constrict your stomach after food; raise your bedhead 6 to 8 inches: do eat more fruit but above all do see your doctor.

The pain of heartburn may have gone away but the acid erosion may still be continuing. Acid attacking the esophagus can cause cellular changes, called metaplasia, where the epithelium changes from its normal "squamous" state to resemble the epithileum of the intestines. The pain will no longer be felt. But the intestinal metaplasia is known as Barrett's Esophagus. This can progress through changes (called dysplasia) to esophageal adenocarcinoma - or cancer of the esophagus.

Don't ignore the symptoms. Persistent heartburn isn't normal. It may be nothing but talk to a doctor about it.