Peptic Ulcer

One of the most common problems of gastro-intestinal system is peptic ulcer. The lesion in the gastric intestinal mucosa is eroded to form ulcer. It can form in any part of digestive tract that is exposed to acid in the gastric juice. But stomach and duodenum are more likely to be affected. The ulcer in the stomach is called gastric ulcer and the ulcer in duodenum is called duodenal ulcer. Both of them together form peptic ulcer.

Duodenal ulcers are about 10 times more frequent in men than gastric ulcers and peptic ulcers are 4 times higher in men than women. Women get ulcers in stomach, while men suffer more from duodenal ulcer. These ulcers reach their peak in middle age. They are more common in old age and cause a lot of trouble. Some peptic ulcers are chronic in the old age and they begin in the middle age.

Peptic Ulcer Symptoms

• Sharp, severe pain and discomfort in the upper central abdomen. The pain is burning or gnawing in nature. Gastric ulcer pain occurs usually an hour after meal and rarely at night. Duodenal ulcer pain occurs between meals when the stomach is empty and can be relieved by food, especially milk.
• Distension of stomach due to excessive flatulence as the disease progresses
• Mental tension
• Insomnia
• Gradual weakening of the body
• Constipation with occasional blood in the stool
• Severe peptic ulcer can lead to haemorrhage, perforation or obstruction of the orifice through which the food passes from the stomach into the intestine
• Massive bleeding and shock or even death
• In the old age, the peptic ulcer may be present in various ways. There may be weight loss, general debility, anaemia or painless vomiting. Pain is usually absent in the old age due to the reduced inflammatory response to tissue injury. Haemorrhage is the most severe complication of peptic ulcer, which if acute can cause death and if chronic can lead to iron deficiency anaemia.

Peptic Ulcer Causes

• Hyperacidity due to increase in hydrochloric acid in the stomach. It is the strong acid secreted by the cells lining the stomach that causes the breakdown of the food. It can be potentially dangerous and at times can corrode the lining of the stomach or duodenum, producing irritation of the stomach wall initially and finally an ulcer.
• Overeating, eating heavy meals or very spicy foods, coffee, alcohol and smoking lead to this condition. Alcohol is a potent acid producer and causes burning in the stomach lining. Coffee, especially black, increases the production of acid.
  
• Certain medications like aspirin, food poisoning, infections like influenza and septicaemia and gout
• Emotional stress or nervous tension leads to ulcer as the stomach is highly sensitive organ and any nervous activity can either slow down or speed up the digestion. People prone to excessive worry, anger, tension, jealousy and hurry tend to suffer from ulcer more than those who are relaxed and easy-going. They are usually highly strung, irritable and ambitious who take on more than they can handle and they lead very active lives.
• Antacids tend to harm you more than good. They give you immediate relief due to their neutralization of acid but the stomach responds by producing more acid because you have not dealt the basic cause of hyperacidity. Natural cure is the best way to treat this problem.
  

Peptic Ulcer Treatment

First line of treatment of ulcer is your diet. Ensure that your diet provides you the optimum nutrition. This will ensure rest to the affected organs which in turn will continue to neutralize the gastric acid, prevent the production of acid and reduce mechanical and chemical irritation. Milk, cream, butter, fruits and fresh, raw and boiled vegetables and natural foods are the best foods for ulcer treatment. Banana, mango, musk melon and dates are the recommended fruits. This diet will gradually reduce the acidity in the stomach. Take a low-salt diet to cure hyperacidity and ulcers.

Banana and plantain are very useful in treatment of ulcer. They are highly antiulcerogenic and have been used since ancient times to treat ulcer.  They stimulate the proliferation of the cells and mucus that form a strong barrier between lining and the corrosive acid. But eat plantains after cooking because they are too hard and tough to eat raw. But green plantains are more potent for healing ulcers than the ripe ones.

Cabbage contains antiulcer drugs and hence very effective in treatment of ulcer. Taking just 850 ml. of cabbage juice a day relieves pain and healed gastric as well as duodenal ulcer better and faster. X-rays and gastroscopy showed the rapid healing of gastric ulcers in only a quarter of an average time. Duodenal ulcers healed in one-third the normal time. You can also boil cabbage in water and take in 2 times a day after cooling.

Blending the blanched almonds in a blender and extracting milk from them will also cure the ulcer. It binds the excess acid in the stomach and supplies high-quality protein. Raw goat’s milk also helps in healing peptic ulcer.
Avoid raw fruits and vegetables for a few weeks since they can irritate the stomach. But you can have potato and squash while avoiding citrus fruits.

Eliminate foods like fried and greasy foods, which are difficult to digest; flesh foods which need high amount of acid in the stomach for their digestion, causing more pain and flatulence in the already sensitive stomach; condiments, preservatives  and stomach which irritate the stomach and tea, coffee, tobacco and alcohol that create an acidic reaction in the stomach. These foods aggravate the gastric problems and avoiding them will speed up the healing capacity and vitality of the body.

Presence of the correct assortment of amino acids and sufficient ascorbic acid will speed up in healing the ulcer. The absorption of iron depends on the acid medium and the presence of ascorbic acid speeds up its absorption. The neutralization of stomach acid interferes with the iron absorption. Taking vitamin A and E together offers protection against the ulcers caused by stress and treats the already existing ones.

Follow the rules below for eating if you are an ulcer patient:

• Do not eat when tired or emotionally upset or not hungry even at mealtime or mouth is dry.
• Chew every morsel thoroughly.
• Eat only natural foods.
• Take food in as dry form as possible.
• Eat small and frequent meals.
• Avoid all foods and drinks which are too hot or too cold.
• Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water daily, but not with or in between meals. Consume them only half an hour before meal or an hour after meal.
• Go for rectal enema 4 times a day with water temperature of 110 – 115 degrees. Apply hot packs on the abdomen for abdominal or stomach pain with the water temperature of 120 degree Fahrenheit. You can also place hot pack between the shoulder blades.
• Daily massage and deep breathing exercises will definitely help you. Eliminate all your worries and remain cheerful. Develop a regularity and balance in your daily activities, work, exercise or rest.