Health: Goblins Go Owwww

Kids who eat all their candy could go home with more than a stomachache

First comes Halloween, then, as any parent of a trick-or-treating child can tell you, comes indigestion. But sometimes what passes for a stomachache can be something far more serious: gastro-esophageal reflux disease, or GERD. Well known to adults as heartburn, this disorder of the stomach and esophagus can also strike children, especially if they eat large quantities of chocolate, peppermint or spearmint candies. These treats tend to open up the valve between the esophagus and the stomach and allow food mixed with acid to pass back into the food pipe, causing the uncomfortable burning sensation in the chest that gives heartburn...

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