WILL AN APPLE A Dr Rosemary

MEDICAL ADVICE COLUMNIST OF THE YEAR

QABOUT 15 years ago my husband suffered from terrible acid reflux and I read somewhere that if you eat an apple after your meal in the evening the problem would be solved.

Since trying it he has never had the problem again. He still has an apple every evening after his meal. What do you think of this remedy?

AACID reflux occurs when the acidic secretions from the stomach regurgitate back up the oesophagus towards the throat.

The most common reason for this is a weakness of the sphincter muscle at the top of the stomach which may be linked to a hiatus hernia where a small part of the stomach protrudes into the chest cavity.

Other causes of reflux can include eating big meals, lying down after eating or being overweight. Extra weight carried inside the abdomen pushes upwards on the stomach contents.

Although apples are sometimes said to be a cure for reflux, there is no research to back this up.

In fact strongly acidic apples, such as cookers or varieties with green skin, may actually make a problem with excess stomach acid worse.

So I suspect that it was just coincidence that your husband’s reflux got better after eating an apple.

However, although apples will keep neither the doctor nor reflux away, they are a good source of fibre and antioxidants so there is no reason for your husband to give up his daily habit.

VIRTUALLY from the day he was born my eight-month-old grandson has had a pus-like discharge from the corner of his right eye. Our GP said it was connected to the pneumonia virus and that drops and antibiotics would clear it.

Unfortunately the discharge always returns. Careful washing with warm water and plenty of cotton wool helps remove the gunge but it still returns when he sleeps or cries.

Any further advice would be gratefully received.

ATHE most common cause of a persistent sticky eye in a newborn baby is a blocked tear duct.

From birth we all produce a small amount of tears all the time to lubricate the front of the eye. These normally drain down a tiny channel from the inner corner of the eye to the nose.

In about one in 20 newborn babies this channel is not fully formed. Tear production usually takes a week or so to start after birth so to begin with there doesn’t seem to be any problem.

Then the affected eye – either one or both – starts watering and then becomes a bit crusty, especially after sleep.

This isn’t because of an infection but rather because the bacteria that live on skin thrive in the tear fluid.

The duct normally develops fully by the first birthday, often earlier, but until then the pus-like secretions are likely to persist. Antibiotics may help initially but as soon as they are stopped the discharge reappears.

The important thing here is that it’s not harmful – the eye itself isn’t sore or inflamed and his vision isn’t affected.

If it persists beyond 12 months then an operation may be required to open up the tear duct but this is rarely necessary.

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