Other Names:
Gastric Ulcer, Stomach Ulcer, Duodenal Ulcer

Symptoms:
Chronic burning or gnawing stomach pain, which often begins 45-60 minutes after finishing a meal or at night. Drinking a large glass of water or eating food relieves it. Vomiting or swallowing something quite alkaline also does. The pain sometimes awakens the person at 1 or 2 a.m.

Pain just beneath the breastbone is a frequent symptom of an ulcer. Sometimes it radiates to the back. The pain is often considered to be heartburn or an empty stomach.

Other symptoms may include headaches, a choking sensation, lower back pain, itching, and possible vomiting.

Cause:
Gastric ulcers are peptic ulcers occurring in the stomach. Duodenal ulcers are peptic ulcers occurring in the top part of the small intestine. However causes and treatment are essentially the same.

These ulcers can be caused by wrong food or too much food. They can also be induced by severe nervous and mental stress.

The walls of the stomach pour a powerful acid into the stomach (hydrochloric acid, or HCl). This powerful fluid is needed to digest protein. Although the walls of the stomach are protein, they are not normally disturbed by the fluid. But when there are problems with people or with the food—then trouble can begin.

The stomach acids begin digesting the walls of the stomach, because too much HCl is being produced; protective mucous, in order to protect the walls, is not being produced; or both.

These ulcers can occur in the esophagus, but generally occur in the stomach or small intestine.

Gastric ulcers (peptic ulcers in the stomach) occur 2½ times more often in men than in women, most frequently in the 40-55 age group.

Duodenal ulcers (peptic ulcers in the small intestine) occur in the first 11 inches of the small intestine, and are caused by excess HCl from the stomach. These ulcers are found in men 4 times as often as in women, and most frequently between 25 and 40 years of age. Duodenal ulcers occur 10 times more often than gastric ulcers. As much as 15% of the U.S. population have ulcers, but only about half are diagnosed. Some are not discovered until the person begins vomiting blood. Ulcers especially occur during the spring and fall, and tend to run in families.

Many factors affect stomach-acid secretion. Stress and anxiety increase it. Aspirin, steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, and smoking—all increase HCl production.

When you have stomach pain, drink some lemon juice. If the pain gets worse, you have too much acid in your stomach.

Hypoglycemics tend to produce too much HCl and are in danger of eventually having a peptic ulcer.

If you vomit blood or have "coffee-ground" stools, then the ulcer is bleeding. You are in danger of bleeding to death—go to a hospital immediately.

Treatment:
• For rapid pain relief, drink a large glass of water. It dilutes the stomach acids and flushes them out.

• Avoid all situations resulting in tension, stress, irritability, nervous strain, anger, or fear. Complete rest and relaxation from pressing problems and worries is needed.

• Do not eat fried foods, tea, caffeine products, salt, chocolate, animal fats, strong spices or soft drinks. Do not drink cow's milk. Do not smoke (if you do, do not expect the ulcer to heal properly).

• A diet high in sugar increases HCl production. White bread also causes more HCl to be made.

• In earlier years the recommended treatment included frequent feedings, milk intake, and a bland diet. But this approach is being discarded.

• It is now known that the calcium in milk only stimulates acid production rather than decreasing it, as was taught for years. (Milk does initially neutralize HCl, but the calcium triggers gastrin, which causes the walls to excrete more HCl.)

• In addition, it is now known that sipping milk and cream can lead to myocardial infarcts (heart attacks). The problem seems to be the butter fat in the sippy diet.

• The bland diet approach is also being discarded because those foods neither relieve pain nor speed healing. So, instead, eat whatever good food works best for you.

• Potatoes are very helpful. They are soothing and have an alkaline reaction.

• Vitamin U is the anti-ulcer vitamin. It is specifically for peptic ulcers. Raw cabbage juice and alfalfa have the most. Boiling destroys this anti-ulcer factor, and wilted cabbage contains less vitamin U. Drink fresh, raw cabbage juice immediately after juicing.

• Eat plenty of dark green leafy vegetables. If symptoms are severe, eat soft foods (potatoes, squash, bananas, yams, etc.) Put other vegetables through a blender.

• If you have a bleeding ulcer, add some psyllium seed to the food.

• Well-cooked white rice and millet are good.

• Eat several small meals.

• Do not eat between meals. Doing so slows emptying of the stomach, and thereby increases HCl amounts in the stomach.

• Chew food slowly and properly.

• Also helpful are flax, German chamomile, licorice, catnip, bayberry, goldenseal, hops, valerian, and myrrh.

• Exercise neutralizes stress. Maintain a daily program of out-of-door exercise.

• Make sure the bowels move daily or take cleansing enemas.

• Do not take antacids or painkillers, such as aspirin. That only increases the problem. The calcium carbonate in the antacids doubles the amount of HCl production. The aspirin causes the stomach to bleed!

• Do not use medicinal drugs.

• For peptic ulcer pain, apply an ice bag to the abdomen just above the navel. Or place it on the spine between the shoulder blades.