An ulcer occurs when the lining of the stomach is damaged due to stress and the stomach does not secrete sufficient mucus to protect itself against the strong acids of digestion. Normally, there are enough protective factors to prevent the ulcer formation. Stress inhibits these protective factors and ulceration occurs. Ulcers of the duodenum, where acidity of the digestive tract is strongest, are four to five times more common than gastric ulcers, which occur in the stomach. The use of alcohol, tobacco or coffee is often causative. Aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (such as those taken for arthritis), and steroids may also contribute to stomach ulcers.
Symptoms of a stomach ulcer may be absent or quite vague. However, most ulcers are associated with abdominal discomfort noted 45-60 minutes after meals or during the night. Typically, the pain is described as aching, burning, cramp-like, gnawing or heartburn.” Eating or using antacids usually brings great relief.
The current medical treatment of peptic ulcer focuses on reducing gastric acidity with antacids and/or histamine receptor blockers to decrease stomach acid secretion. These treatments are relatively expensive, carry some risk of toxicity, disrupt normal digestive processes, and alter the structure and function of the cells that line the digestive tract. The latter factor is responsible for an increase in the recurrence rate for peptic ulcers if the medications are discontinued.
Royal Recommendations for Prevention and Treatment
1. We tend to produce less hydrochloric acid as we grow older, especially after the age of 40. You can determine if you need hydrochloric acid by doing a stomach acid test. Add a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or lemon juice to 8 ounces of water. If sipping this makes your pain go away, you need more stomach acid. Sipping on either apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in water, or taking a betaine HCL tablet, with meals can remedy this situation. If the test makes your symptoms worse, you have too much acid. Do not take enzyme supplements that contain HCL and use 1 tsp. NaHCO3 in 4 ounces of water, 30 minutes after a meal.
2. Avoid alcohol, coffee, Cola drinks, carbonated beverages, chocolate, citrus products, fried or fatty foods, salt, and strong spices. All of these can stimulate acid secretion in the stomach. While cow’s milk may neutralize stomach acid, the high calcium and protein content stimulate the production of more acid. Cabbage juice has been found to be particularly successful in the treatment of stomach ulcers. One liter daily has resulted in an average healing time of 10 days. Drink immediately after juicing.
3. Check your food allergies. (See “Allergy—Foods.”) Elimination diets have treated and prevented the recurrence of an ulcer with great success. If food allergy is the cause, the ulcer will continue to recur until the irritating food has been eliminated from the diet. Start by removing from the diet all dairy products for at least four weeks. When reintroducing it, be careful to note any digestive symptoms that occur.
4. Increase your fiber intake. (See “Constipation.”) Fiber reduces ulcer recurrence rates by one half. This is probably a result of fiber’s ability to promote the secretion of mucin, a protective coating lining the stomach, and delay gastric emptying. This promotes protein digestion in the stomach and reduces the risk of developing an allergy to food proteins. Oat bran, guar gum, pectin, and psyllium husk are good sources of fiber. Start with a small dose, so that the bowel can get used to it. Vegetables should be put through a blender or steamed.
5. Increase your water intake when you increase your fiber intake. Usually six to eight glasses of distilled, spring, or reverse osmosis water is adequate. If ulcer pain is present, drink more water. This dilutes hydrochloric acid and flushes it through the stomach and duodenum.
6. Stop smoking. (See “Smoking Addiction.”) Smoking decreases bicarbonate secretion from the pancreas, which neutralize stomach acid. Smoking also causes bile salts to reflux into the stomach. Bile salts are extremely irritating to the stomach and duodenum.
7. Check your medications. Aspirin is a gastric irritant that damages the lining of the stomach and predisposes individuals to ulcers when taken regularly. Individuals with peptic ulcers should not use many antacids. These can produce a rebound effect on gastric acid secretion and may cause kidney stones. Antacids often contain aluminum that may cause calcium and phosphorus depletion, constipation, and contribute to possible aluminum toxicity.
8. Stress may cause an increase in acid production in the stomach. (See “Stress.”) Relaxation with cognitive biofeedback may prove beneficial in managing your conscious stress levels. Heart rate variability testing, which is a means of evaluating your Autonomic Nervous System functioning, can assess your subconscious state of health. This can be treated with “natural” or non-cognitive biofeedback (i.e., recycling of heart rate variations).
9. Supplements to known to be beneficial in the treatment of ulcers include vitamins A and E, B-complex, and the mineral zinc. All of these are shown to inhibit stress ulcers in animals and have a positive effect in humans. Consider aloe vera (which aids in healing of the intestinal tract). Charcoal tablets may occasionally be taken to absorb digestive irritants.
10. Herbs found to be helpful are catnip, cayenne, chamomile, echinacea, goldenseal, peppermint, slippery elm. Licorice root, taken 20 minutes before meals, is an excellent way to stimulate the normal defense mechanisms that prevent ulcer formation. Glycyrrhizin, a constituent of licorice, was the first compound proven to promote the healing of gastric and duodenal ulcers.
11. Homeopathics to consider include: Anacardium (pain better from eating), Arsenicum Album (for burning pain in the stomach with vomiting), Argentum Nitricum (if sugar craving is present and belching give temporary relief), Carbo Vegetabilis (for indigestion worse with food), Chelidonium (if bile reflux is present), Lycopodium (if there is a bitter taste in the mouth, lack of appetite), Natrum Muriaticum (when indigestion is associated with stress), and Nux Vomica (if worse after eating, from smoking or drinking coffee).
If you are experiencing heartburn along with any of the following symptoms—pain when swallowing, vomiting, bloody or black stool, shortness of breath, dizziness, or chest pain radiating into the neck and/or shoulder—please see a physician. These symptoms may indicate problems more complex than heartburn such as a heart attack. To learn more about healing and health optimizing therapies, go to www.NewHopeMedical.org or call NEW HOPE MEDICAL CENTER at (702) 476-0000 (direct line) or toll free (866) HEAL-NOW!