Enough to give you heartburn

Everyone get an occasional attack; fat people get them more frequently, as do hot chilies addicts and those other kind of addicts. It's a boom for the drug manufacturers, who rake in some $13.5 billion for what are termed proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), the pump being what give you the burn in the first place. PPI drugs are the second biggest sellers of all, giving relief to more than 60 million who suffer the burn. Are you better off with a more expensive, prescription drug? Not necessarily, say some researchers: some of the newer drugs cost five to six times more than the old ones, and there is always the handy roll of Rolaids in a pinch.

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