Peptic ulcer often referred to as stomach ulcer, is usually a misunderstood disease. Most people are unaware of the reasons why the ulcer is caused and are also unaware of the early symptoms of the disorder. Here is a look at some of the strange facts about peptic ulcers that you may not know.

Stress does not cause ulcers: The myth that stress causes ulcers is just that- a myth. Ulcers are not caused by stress and tension. However, if you are already affected by an ulcer, stress can alleviate the symptoms and make matter worse. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can result in ulcers. So, if you have already been diagnosed with peptide ulcer, try not to stress too much.
Ulcer pain is not caused due to food: Contrary to popular belief, ulcer pain is not alleviated when you eat something. In fact, the pain increases if your stomach remains empty for a long period of time. So, if you are an ulcer patient, make a point of eating at regular intervals. In fact, the American College of Gastroenterology claims that people with ulcers do not need to follow a bland diet in order to recover from the condition.
Heartburn medication is effective against ulcer: Stomach acid is the common link between heartburn and ulcer, as both of these disorders are caused as a result of excess acid formation in the stomach. This is why physicians often prescribe antacids to ulcer patients.
Untreated ulcers can be problematic: Ulcers are easy to cure and can be completely treated with proper medication and adherence to restrictions. However, you should seek treatment for ulcers as soon as it is diagnosed. If left untreated, this ulcer may go on to cause severe issues for the patient. For instance, untreated ulcers may lead to internal bleeding and scar tissue. The same also impede the digestive process. So, do not leave ulcers untreated and think that they will be repaired automatically over time.
Endoscopy is the best way to diagnose ulcers: Even though X-rays may often reveal ulcers, a normal X-ray cannot detect certain smaller ulcers. Endoscopy is the best way to detect the disorder. In this process, a small tube, containing a light and a camera, is inserted inside the patient s oesophagus. The camera reveals any abnormal growth or infection inside the stomach. If you suspect an ulcer, book an appointment with the doctor as soon as possible.

Strange Things About Peptic Ulcer!

Peptic ulcer indicates the growth of painful ulcers or sores in the lining of your stomach, digestive tract or small intestine. Ulcers, though curable, can result in serious health problems if are not treated at an early stage. Peptic ulcers occur as a result of the reaction of pepsin and stomach acid. There are many causes responsible for the growth of peptic ulcers; they are mentioned below:

    Smoking regularly
    Consuming Alcohol
    Taking medicines like aspirin, painkillers frequently
    Production of excess acid
    Radiation Therapy

The most common symptoms of peptic ulcer are as follows:

    A burning sensation in the stomach
    Vomiting or nausea
    Pain in the abdomen region
    A burning sensation in your heart
    Loss of appetite and weight
    Passage of blood through stool

Homeopathy offers effective remedies for peptic ulcer. Some of them are mentioned below:

    Crotalus horridus: This is an effective homeopathic medicine for treating peptic ulcer. If you show symptoms of frequent vomiting and passage of blood with vomit, then your doctor may recommend you this medicine.
    Graphites: If you experience a burning sensation in your stomach, your doctor may advice you this medicine.
    Uranium Nitricum: It is usually recommended for ulcers in the small intestine region and gastric ulcer.
    Kalkeriya ars: This medicine may be recommended to you by doctors if you show symptoms like pain in your stomach.
    Argentum nit: Your doctor may recommend you this medicine if you show symptoms of vomiting or indigestion.

Along with the aforesaid remedies, a change in lifestyle is also required to cure peptic ulcer completely.

Homeopathic Remedies for Peptic Ulcers

Amlapitta is the Ayurvedic term for a medical condition when your stomach produces more acids than you need for digesting food. It is a very common disorder today, which is triggered by our unhealthy lifestyle choices. Amlapitta or acid peptic disorder needs medical attention because if it continues for too long, you could end up with painful peptic ulcers.

What are the causes behind Amlapitta?

According to Ayurveda, your diet and lifestyle mainly lead to Acid Peptic Disorder-

Diet -

Consuming spicy, fried food

Excessive consumption of pickles and oily food

Excessive intake of sour and salty foods

Eating fermented, stale food

Intake of hot beverages, like tea/coffee and soup

Skipping meals

Irregular meal times

Lifestyle -

Lack of sleep at night

A fast-paced lifestyle with no time to rest

Overexposure to fire and sun

Excessive anxiety and stress

Signs and Symptoms - 

The obvious signs and symptoms of the acid peptic disease include  

Bitter or sour blenching

A burning sensation in the chest 

Nausea and vomiting

Throat burn

Abdominal pain

Foul-smelling bowel movement

Fatigue and tiredness

Giddiness

How is the condition cured?

Since the primary causes of acid peptic disease are dietary, Ayurveda suggests the selection of the right kinds of food and healthy lifestyle changes to cure the condition.

Follow these guidelines to get rid of amlapitta  

Take small meals twice a day

Eat your food in a loving manner with awareness and attention

Eat at fixed time regularly

You should eat your meal during Pitta period i.e. between 10 AM and 2 PM
Eat light food like Rajgira Laddoo, Dry black resins decoction in morning 

Pomegranate is useful in Amlapitta 

Coconut sweets is also eaten in Smlapitta to get rid of it

Drink plenty of water and juice of raw vegetables

Avoid eating/drinking foods that are too hot or too cold

Avoid consumption of carbonated beverages 

Cut back on fatty meat

Include sufficient amount of rice, wheat, bitter gourd, cucumber, pumpkin and cow s milk in your diet

Ayurveda also believes that yoga and exercise can heal the condition from within and restore the balance of the doshas causing the disease. 

Exercising regularly helps to control acidity. Morning walks are good for health and may prevent the occurrence of acid peptic disease. 

Yoga works well to keep your digestive system healthy. As we know, certain mental disorders like anxiety and depression can worsen acid peptic disease, it is imperative that you live a happy and stress-free life. Yoga helps relieve stress and elevates your mood, and helps to strengthen your overall system.

Some yoga postures that may help include  

Bhujangasana 

Naukasana - 

Suryanamaskara

Vajrasana

 Amlapitta or acid peptic disease can be distressing and extremely uncomfortable to live with. The best way to treat and prevent the condition is to adopt Ayurvedic remedies and precautionary measures. These not only help reduce the symptoms of acidity but also build your immune system.

Know More About Amlapitta / Acid Peptic Disease!

There may be times when we get completely drained and fatigued and may feel like our insides could jump out because of the pain that we have in our stomachs. We may dismiss the issue as unimportant or due to a stressful day at work, and may think the stomach pain could be because of the extra spicy food we love to have every once in a while. However, a lot of people may tend to ignore this symptom and that is when stomach ache may turn out to be actually because of a peptic ulcer.

Peptic ulcer or stomach ulcer is a common occurrence and happens to a lot of people; however, it must be understood that not treating the problem in time may be troublesome in the long run and increase the recovery time. In order to be able to identify the peptic ulcers and to take the right treatment measures, it may be important for you to understand the problem and know how it is caused, and how it may be treated.

What causes peptic ulcers?
A peptic ulcer is diagnosed as inflammatory sores on the lining of the stomach or the food pipe, which transfers food to the stomach or even in the intestine. There are a number of factors that can cause inflammatory sores in the stomach region. The factors are as follows:

    The use of medicines that are meant to be painkillers or anti-inflammatory drugs. The acid levels of the stomach and the food pipe may get disturbed because of these medicines and may give rise to ulcers.
    In a lot of cases, the ulcers may also take place because of the presence of a tumour or a gastrinoma in the stomach that imbalance the levels of acid in the stomach.
    High alcohol consumption may also lead to the formation of sores on the stomach lining.
    Using tobacco or smoking are some other factors that contribute to the acid imbalance in the stomach.
    In the case of some serious illnesses, a lot of people may fall prey to peptic ulcers.
    Those who may have undergone radiation treatment around the stomach may also experience ulcers.

Though it may be known that excessive pain in the abdominal region may be due to stomach ulcers, it is important to understand that it happens due to bacterial infections, and when there is a bacterial infection in the body, you may have to undergo proper treatment. The treatment for this problem includes the use of medications as suggested by a qualified doctor, surgery in some severe cases, and most importantly lifestyle changes.

Peptic Ulcer - 6 Reasons Behind it

Peptic Ulcers are sores that develop in the lining of a stomach, small intestine or lower oesophagus. They usually crop as a result of inflammation caused by bacteria and also due to erosion from stomach acids. Peptic Ulcers affecting the stomach are also known as gastric ulcer, one in the duodenum is called a duodenal ulcer and an ulcer occurring in the oesophagus is called an oesophageal cancer. 

Talking about the causes, symptoms, tests and exams related to it and treatment options for peptic ulcers. Let s go ahead and take a look at them one by one:

There are certain symptoms for peptic ulcers and one of the most common ones being, indigestion-like pain in the abdomen. 
The pain tends to occur anywhere in the region between the belly button and breastbone and the duration can be brief or may even last for hours. 
A change in appetite could be noticed, wherein you may not feel like having anything
Feeling of uneasiness which can have an effect as if you are going to vomit.
You tend to lose weight for no apparent reason.Stools with dark red blood.
Causes Of Peptic Ulcers

Peptic ulcers can be caused as a result of different factors, which lead to the breakdown of lining of the stomach, oesophagus and small intestine. The causes are as follows:

Helicobacter pylori: It is a type of bacteria which causes stomach infection and inflammation. Helicobacter pylori produces urease, which is an enzyme that neutralizes stomach acid by making it less acidic. In order to compensate this, the stomach goes on to produce more acid which leads to irritation of the stomach lining. The bacterium makes the stomach s defense system weak and causes inflammation.
Overdose of drugs: If you are in the habit of using aspirin or ibuprofen along with other anti-inflammatory drugs on a regular basis, then you increase the chances of suffering from ulcer.
Smoking: Smoking leads to an increase in the production of stomach acids and that tends to reduce bicarbonate production. People who smoke are at risk of developing duodenal ulcers.
Increased Alcohol Consumption: When you have too much alcohol, then you are at a risk of developing all sorts of problems. Alcohol is basically a toxin which can damage almost every organ of the body. Digestive system can get hampered a lot through alcohol. Alcohol irritates the stomach lining, which leads to an increased risk of developing ulcer.
Treatment Of A Peptic Ulcer

Treatment would depend upon the underlying cause of ulcer. Your doctor would most probably suggest you to do an endoscopy and if the test shows that there is H.pylori infection, a combination of medicines would be prescribed. Medications would ideally continue for two weeks. There will be antibiotics to kill infections and Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI) for reducing stomach acid. If the doctor feels that ulcer has not been caused as a result of H.pylori infection, then you might be asked to take over-the-counter medicines like Prilosec or Prevacid for close to eight weeks, which would not only reduce stomach acid but also heal your ulcer.

Peptic Ulcers - Common Causes Behind Them!

A stomach ulcer or gastric ulcer refers to the defects or breakdown in the mucosal lining in the stomach. The stomach contains acid, which helps in digestion and any break in the tissue lining may result in severe pain or bleeding in some cases. The pain is usually felt in the abdomen.
Stomach ulcers cause great discomfort and should be treated effectively. Here are the primary ways for treating stomach ulcers:
Antibiotics: In the case of H. pylori infection, you should take a course of more than two antibiotics, to be taken twice a day and must be continued for a week. Antibiotics such as amoxicillin, clarithromycin or metronidazole may be used in case of such stomach ulcers. However it is always recommended to consult a specialized doctor before consuming any of these medicines. After several weeks of using the antibiotics, you should get a test done for detection of H. pylori bacteria. If they are still present, you have to take different antibiotics.
Proton Pump Inhibitors: Proton pump inhibitors or PPIs helps in the reduction of the amount of acid produced by the stomach. This prevents damage to the ulcer and lets it heal naturally. PPIs are generally taken for four to eight weeks. The most common PPIs which are used for treating stomach ulcers are omeprazole, pantoprazole and lansoprazole.
H2 Receptor Antagonists: H2 receptor antagonists reduce the production of stomach acid and function the same as PPIs. The most common H2 receptor for treating stomach ulcers is ranitidine.
Antacids/ Alginate: All measures to treat stomach ulcers take several hours to show results. Your doctor may prescribe antacid medications for neutralizing the stomach acid. This will provide relief for the moment, but the relief is quite temporary and for a short span of time. By this time, the strong medicines most likely start working. There is a certain antacid medicine known as alginate. This develops a protective coating on the stomach lining. Antacids are available at all over the counter medicine stores and you should consult your doctor to get the best antacid which would work effectively on your stomach ulcer symptoms. You should take antacids before going to sleep or after taking meals.
Natural Remedies: Stomach ulcer can also be treated at home using natural remedies. Medicines may sometimes cause further digestive complications, so home remedies are much more easy to follow and do not have side effects. The best way is to follow a proper diet, which is comprised of certain food items that help in curing stomach ulcers. You should consume bananas, honey, garlic, green leafy vegetables like cabbage, licorice and capsaicin.
Stomach ulcers cause great pain and also bleeding in several cases. Proper treatment procedures should be taken in case of stomach ulcer. There are many medical remedies, as well as home remedies for treating stomach ulcers.

Ways to Treat Stomach Ulcers

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