Most of us have known people with ulcers all of our lives. Did you know that it was only in the 1980’s that doctors began to understand what really causes ulcers, and therefore what to do about them? In fact, many of the older remedies they have discovered only provide temporary relief, and actually make the underlying problem worse.
Ulcers used to be thought of as a reaction to stress. They felt stress made the body produce more than the normal acid, and therefore with the increased acid you got more acid damage to the stomach. Sounds a little like circular reasoning to me. With the too much acid theory came prescriptions and over the counter drugs to reduce the acid in your stomach. This does seem to soothe the pain somewhat, but in the long run it just makes things worse. Your body knows when there is not enough acid to activate the enzymes needed to digest a meal. Like any good factory that is missing an important part it begins ramping up production of that part. Your body starts making more stomach acid! So you start taking more and stronger acid blockers! Can anyone say viscous cycle?
Since the 80’s doctors have come to realize that acid alone isn’t the problem. Some of us have a lot of stomach acid and never get an ulcer. Some on the anti-acid regimen never get rid of their ulcers. Something was missing in this cause and effect equation. Before the 80’s doctors played around with diets, telling patients that a soft, bland diet was best. They also said to drink lots of milk. Now they know that neither of these work, and at worst can be counterproductive.
Have I teased you long enough? Stomach ulcers are usually caused by bacteria. The one that gets the spotlight here is Helicobacter pylori. I think it gets its name from the long swishing tail that propels it through the stomach acid. The stomach acid doesn’t bother it, it likes acid. In fact, it produces more acid on its own. So this little guy swims around until it comes in contact with the sides of the stomach. Then it starts burrowing into that lining. It gets rid of the protective mucus that is there and gets right into the meat of the lining. This opens the area up to be bothered by the regular stomach acid, that wouldn’t bother that lining otherwise. But these little guys don’t stop there! They keep on going! They go until they hit the blood vessels, and suddenly you don’t just have an ulcer, you have a bleeding ulcer! Even then they won’t stop on their own. There are many cases when left alone these little bacteria will dig their way right through the stomach wall. Then you have undigested food falling into your abdominal cavity. Then you are in really big trouble!
So, what can you do for yourself? You could go to the doctor and get anti-biotics and acid blockers, with their myriad of side effects. Some of the side effects (beyond poor digestion, which brings a whole new world of woe) include nausea, vomiting, headaches, confusion, breast swelling, and sexual dysfunction. And this isn’t even including the side effects of anti-biotics. How many women have been told that their breast swelling is part of menopause, when it is really their ulcer medicine? How many men have suffered the emotional anguish of sexual dysfunction because of their ulcer medicine? Let’s look at some alternative, that don’t have the side effects.
Instead of anti-biotics you could use Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver. This will effectively kill the bacteria in the stomach. The great part is that the bacteria can’t become immune to it like it can with chemical anti-biotics. How many times have you had to try multiple types of anti-biotics before one will work? That won’t happen with Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver; there is no becoming resistant to this. People who have taken anti-biotics for a long time have a tendency to develop Candida, or yeast infections. These have also been linked to ulcers. Whether you take anti-biotics or Enriching Gifts Lightning Colloidal Silver always follow it up with Enriching Gifts Pro-Biotic with FOS. This unique blend of pro-biotics, along with the unique food they need to thrive, set up a barrier to the bad bacteria that would like to reinvade your body. By taking Enriching Gifts Pro-Biotic with FOS you can prevent your ulcer from coming back, and prevent secondary infections from occurring.
Instead of using the acid blockers you can try Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes and Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max. The Enriching Gifts Plant Enzymes will utilize the acid that is in the stomach in the proper way, to digest the food. This keeps the body from seeing a lack of digestion and thinking it is because there isn’t enough stomach acid to do the job. In this way you are getting enough acid for good digestion and avoiding the ‘acid stomach’ from too much acid being produced. Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max will work to heal the wound caused by the bacteria. You all know how wonderful aloe is for exterior wounds; well it works just as well on interior wounds. One capsule contains the active ingredients of approximately a gallon of aloe juice. It will soothe and heal the raw spots in the stomach. It will also seek out other inflammation in the body to soothe and heal those areas as well.
Many authors recommend things such as chamomile and licorice teas. These are great if you want to sit around drinking tea all day. It might be good to keep some in the house. Be careful with the licorice though. It can aggravate heart disease, liver disease, and diabetes, and can interact with high blood pressure medication. If you have any of these you might get away with DGL (deglycyrrhizinated) licorice. It has some of the harmful effects taken out of it. In any case limit the use of licorice unless you are under medical supervision.
Doctors used to recommend a bland diet to people with ulcers. Now they are realizing that the capsaicin in peppers is actually good for the wounds. The reason is that it dilates the blood vessels in the area and speeds wound healing. If it causes too much pain remember that Enriching Gifts Aloe Ace-Max also promotes wound healing.
Another dietary recommendation that has changed is the amount of fiber to eat. Studies have shown that fiber is good for people with ulcers. The added bulk helps bind the stomach acids to the foods as it moves through the digestive system. This keeps those acids out of the open wounds while they heal. Although the fiber in beans seems to work best any diet high in fruits and vegetables will be good for your digestion.
With all these suggestions don’t forget to get plenty of good clean water. Without enough hydration none of your bodily functions will work well, including your digestion and your immune system.
Sources:
Nature’s Medicines by Gale Maleskey and the Editors of Prevention Health Books, copyright 1999 by Rodale Inc.
The Herbal Drugstore by Linda B. White MD and Steven Foster, copyright 2000 by Rodale Press
Blended Medicine Combining Mainstream and Alternative Therapies by Michael Castleman copyrighted 2000 by Michael Castleman.
Understanding Normal and Clinical Nutrition, Fifth Edition by Eleanor Noss Whitney, Corinne Balog Cataldo and Sharon Rady Rolfes. Copyrighted 1998 by Wadsworth Publishing Company
