The esophagus is the tube that runs from your mouth to your stomach. Esophageal cancer starts in the cells that line the esophagus. Because the lining is quite thin, cancer cells usually quickly spread to surrounding tissues and can then move to other parts of the body (metastasize).
Esophageal cancer can be difficult to pick up in the early stages because the symptoms can be mild and are often ignored.
Common symptoms of esophageal cancer include:
- Hoarse voice
- Coughing
- Indigestion and reflux
- Difficulty swallowing and/or pain while swallowing
The biggest factors that cause esophageal cancer are obesity, smoking, high alcohol intake and chronic heartburn and indigestion. Alcohol and cigarettes have an irritating effect on the lining of the esophagus and they promote damage to DNA (thereby increasing the risk of cancer).
Overweight people are more likely to suffer with reflux and heartburn because extra fat in the abdominal area places greater pressure on the abdominal organs and increases the risk of a hiatus hernia. However, anyone can experience heartburn and reflux regardless of their weight.
Long term reflux can lead to what is known as Barrett’s esophagus. This occurs when acid from the stomach comes up into the esophagus and burns and irritates the delicate esophageal lining. If this is allowed to continue for years, the cells lining the esophagus undergo changes that make them very prone to becoming cancerous. Barrett’s esophagus is usually diagnosed with an endoscopy, where a doctor places a tube down your throat in order to view your esophagus. Anyone with chronic reflux or heartburn should have this test. If you have a chronic cough you may have reflux but not be aware of it. Sometimes a cough is the only symptom of a digestive problem.
Luckily esophageal cancer is very easy to prevent in most cases, by following a healthy diet and lifestyle. The tips below will help to prevent esophageal cancer:
- Don’t smoke, and keep your alcohol consumption low. Obvious.
- Avoid being overweight. Excess weight held in the abdominal area is the most dangerous. The easiest way to lose weight is by avoiding sugar and high carbohydrate foods like pasta, bread, breakfast cereals, sweet drinks and all foods made of flour. See our Syndrome X book for a low carbohydrate eating plan.
- Make sure your digestion is good. Bloating, indigestion, heartburn, reflux, burping and flatulence are all signs that something is wrong. The first step is to eliminate junk food, soft drinks and chewing gum. If the problem persists you may have a food intolerance. Most commonly this is to dairy products, wheat, gluten, soy, corn or citrus fruits. You can try eliminating these foods from your diet as a test, or see a naturopath or nutritionist for guidance.
- Research has shown that selenium deficiency increases the risk of esophageal and stomach cancer. The Netherlands Cohort Study followed 120, 852 men and women aged between 55 and 69 years. The participants were followed for 16.3 years. The people with the highest selenium intake were significantly less likely to develop esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), esophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC) and gastric cardia adenocarcinoma (GCA). It is very difficult to get enough selenium from your diet in most parts of the world. Brazil nuts are a good source of this mineral; apart from that few foods contain significant quantities. We strongly recommend you take a selenium supplement each day as it is a powerful antioxidant and helps to protect you against several types of cancer.
Ref. Steevens J, et al. Selenium status and the risk of esophageal and gastric cancer subtypes: the Netherlands cohort study. Gastroenterology
7 comments:
My diet is reasonable, could be better but certainly could be worse. I was macrobiotic for a few years back in the 80s and have continued some of the principles thus far. I currently have a low grade burn just below the sternum which seems to be indigestion. I have had 2 instances previously where I have had to vomit to relieve the searing heat of indigestion. Have had a barium meal and no obstruction was found. I'm concerned to fix this problem quickly as per the article above. My question is could coming off oestrogen/progesteron and testosterone help my acidic condition?
Hello
Food intolerance and dysbiosis (too much bad bacteria, not enough good bacteria) are more likely to be causing the problem.
If you take those hormones in tablet form, they may be aggravating the problem. The hormones are safer in cream form.
Yes I take the hormones as a cream. Do you have any recommendations for getting the balance between the good and bad bacteria?
Hello
To reduce the quantity of bad bacteria in your digestive tract I recommend Intestinal Parasite Cleanse capsules at a dose of 2 capsules before each meal. You may need to take it for a couple of months.
After that I recommend you take a probiotic (good intestinal bacteria).
Best wishes
Margaret Jasinska ND
Ok, thanks for that, the advice is very helpful.
As a rule, there is no cure for esophageal cancer. There is a surgical procedure that can be performed but if it has already metastasized to other organs it’s probably already too advanced.Because it effects the esophagus, eating can become very difficult so think twice!Nice tips for precaution of esophageal cancer here!
acekard 2i
I agree about magnesium but have a question about rather than taking the minerals we need in tablet form could you also mention foods rich in magnesium and other minerals necessary to a healthy diet and quantities where ever possible. It is difficult to order some products from Europe as they are only available in Australia. But whenever possible I prefer to adjust my diet rather than adhering to tablets.
I hope others share my wishes and that the recommendations you may express are appreciated by many.
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