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Is Acid Reducer Advisable To My Son For His Unhealthy Diet?
Question: This is not about me … it is my son, who is an adult and just moved in with me. This is what I have noticed: He drinks 1 - 2 pots of coffee a day … does not eat breakfast (because it upsets his stomach, he says) … he skips lunch … drinks a lot of beer …. eats sweets … works all day, yet sometimes skips lunch … smokes cigarettes … the other day, I came across a bag of 2 - 3 boxes of: equate, Acid reducer. I take enzymes and acidophilus, as I have been diagnosed with diverticulosis and have not had any issues. I wonder if it would be helpful to him, if I could get him to take them before every meal, also?
I hope you can help.
Brief Answer:
He should consult a doctor first.
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Thank you for the query.
His diet sounds not healthy. However some persons even with the worst diet in the world wont have peptic ulcer or stomach cancer. Its because the risk of this diseases is individual. So its hard to say if acid reducer is advisable in his case. What he should do is to have gastroscopy done. Not because of ulcer but more because of stomach cancer. Such diet makes him prone to such disease.
So please ask him to visit a doctor first and have gastroscopy done. Doctor should decide either he needs antiacids or not.
Acidophilus may be beneficial in his case as a kind of protection against gastrointestinal infection.
Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
He has not been able to get health insurance because he works for a temporary work agency and has to pay for medical insurance for his child and her mother, who he does not live with. The advised treatment is too expensive. Is there anything else we can do?
Brief Answer:
.
Detailed Answer:
In such case he should do everything to keep his body in good shape. If you want him to take care of gastrointestinal tract he should avoid fatty foods, fried foods, coffee, alcohol, fruit juices, chocolate. He should increase fiber rich products and mineral water intake. Some physical activity is also advisable. If he has no symptoms right now, there is a great chance that no other treatment is necessary.
Hope this will help.
Regards.
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Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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