Stomach ulcers or gastric ulcers are painful sores in the stomach lining. It is a type of peptic ulcer that can affect your stomach and small intestines. Your stomach has a mucus layer that protects the lining from digestive juices. A person gets stomach ulcers when the mucus layer gets reduced. Due to this, digestive acids affect the tissues that line your stomach and cause ulcers. Treating stomach ulcers is easy. But if the person doesn’t get proper treatment, the condition may get severe.
Types of peptic ulcers
Gastric ulcer: This ulcer appears when the mucus lining reduces.
Duodenal ulcer: Duodenal ulcer occurs on the top end of the small intestine.
What are the causes of stomach ulcers?
Ulcers form when digestive juices damage the stomach walls. When the mucus layer becomes very thin, the stomach lining can start feeling the stomach juices. The mucus layer gets reduced due to several causes.
Bacteria
Helicobacter pylori is a bacteria that about half of us already carry. This bacteria can enter the body with infected food or water. Most people don’t get ulcers due to this bacteria. But in some people, this bacteria increases the acid level that breaks down the protective mucus layer. Due to this, the digestive tracts get irritated.
Certain pain relievers
If a person is taking pain relievers like aspirin often for a long time, he can get a peptic ulcer. NSAIDs like naproxen and ibuprofen can also cause stomach ulcers. These medicines block the body from making chemicals that protect the inner wall.
Smoking and drinking
Drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes can also cause ulcers. Some people think that eating spicy food or stress causes ulcers. They don’t cause ulcers but make the ulcers painful and difficult to treat.
Common symptoms of stomach ulcers
If a person is facing ulcer problems, he will face discomfort and burning pain between the breastbone and belly button. The pain mainly appears when the stomach is empty. The person gets relief after eating or taking antacids. Ulcer pain can last for a few hours. Sometimes the pain comes and goes for weeks.
Other symptoms of stomach ulcers are:
- Burping
- Bloated feeling
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss
- Dark or bloody poop
- Vomiting
Simple ulcer issues don’t cause these symptoms. If you are facing any of these symptoms, you should visit a doctor.
How to diagnose stomach ulcers?
The diagnosis of ulcers depends on the severity. Your doctor may ask for your medical histories like OTC medicines you take and symptoms. Sometimes you also have to do blood, breath, or stool tests to rule out H-pylori infection. The doctor may asks you for some other tests:
- Endoscopy
- Barium swallow
- Endoscopic biopsy
Treatment options for stomach ulcers
Treatment options for stomach ulcers also depend on the causes and severity. Usually, the stomach ulcers get treated with a medical prescription. But if the ulcers get severe; the person might need surgery.
Nonsurgical treatment
If a person is facing ulcers due to an H-pylori infection then they need certain antibiotics and drugs known as proton pump inhibitors. The PPIs block the cells to produce acid in the stomach. Other than these, the doctor may also recommend:
- H2 receptor blockers
- Follow-up endoscopy
- Stopping taking NSAIDs
- Bismuth supplement
- Probiotics
Most of the symptoms of stomach ulcers get treated with these medicines. Ensure that you complete the treatment course even if the symptoms disappear. Otherwise, the symptoms will reappear in some time. Common side-effects of these medicines are:
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Headaches
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
These side-effects are temporary. However, if you are getting severe side effects like allergies etc then talk to your doctor to change the medicines.
Natural medications
If you don’t want to get any harmful side effects, go for natural medications. Your naturopathic doctor will ask you a few questions regarding your health, diet, emotions, etc. He will prescribe you medicines that reduce ulcer symptoms without any harmful side effects. Consult a naturopathic doctor in NJ and get the best treatment for your ulcer problems. Natural treatment also prevents the recurrence of ulcer issues.
Surgical treatments for ulcers
A person rarely requires surgical treatment for ulcers. You require surgical treatment only when:
- Not healing with medicines
- Recurring often
- Extremely painful
- Food is keep flowing out of your stomach to the small intestine
Common surgical treatments for ulcers are:
- Take tissues from another part of the intestine and patch it where the ulcer is growing
- Cutting nerve supply to the stomach for reducing stomach acid production
- Tying off the bleeding artery
- Removing the whole ulcer
Home remedies for ulcers
Mild ulcers can be treated with home remedies. Sime change in your diet can help to reduce pain and other symptoms. These home remedies reduce the acid level in the stomach and provide relief.
Flavonoids
Flavonoids are the compounds in lots of veggies and fruits. Taking drinks or food items containing flavonoids can help in treating ulcers.
- Legumes
- Kale
- Berries
- Applies
- Red grapes
- Green tea
These food items can help the body to fight H-pylori bacteria.
Probiotics
These are living bacteria and yeast that provide essential microorganisms to the digestive tract. You can find probiotics in many food items like:
- Yogurt
- Buttermilk
- Kimchi
- Kefir
- Miso
Other than these food items, you can also go for supplements of probiotics.
Honey
For every problem, honey is the solution. Most common health conditions can be treated with honey. It contains about 200 essential elements like polyphenols. Honey is a powerful antibacterial item that reduces the H-Pylori growth rate. If your blood sugar level is normal, use honey to treat your ulcers.
Garlic
Another powerful home remedy to treat ulcers is garlic. It acts as a blood thinner so you should talk to your doctor before taking it. If a person is already taking blood thinner medicines like warfarin then he should not eat garlic. Many people don’t like garlic; they can take it in supplement form.
Cranberry
Cranberry helps in decreasing UTIs by preventing bacteria from settling in the bladder walls. It is also very helpful in fighting against H-Pylori. Drink cranberry juice or eat cranberries. You can also take cranberry supplements.
Other home remedies to treat stomach ulcers are mastic, whole grains, deglycyrrhizinated licorice, etc.