The best ulcer treatment may not be what the doctor ordered
Remember the old days when we thought ulcers were caused by stress?
If you had one, you’d probably be put on a diet of puddings, milk, other “soothing” foods, and anti-anxiety drugs.
But we now know that a lot of ulcers are caused by a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) — so that stress idea has gone the way of the rotary phone!
That means you can ditch the Cream of Wheat as your mainstay food, because lots of veggies and other healthy, high-fiber dishes are back on the menu for ulcer patients!
Still, most patients aren’t hearing the whole story from their doctors — instead, they’re getting a shopping cart full of drugs that can take them from the frying pan into the fire.
Ulcers used to be considered the ailment of stressed-out, busy executive types, those “Mad Men” who had three-martini lunches!
Although we’ve put many pieces of the puzzle together about the condition and what causes it, you’d never know that from the treatments many doctors are dishing out.
Ulcers are basically sores that can develop in your stomach lining or small intestine (a duodenal ulcer). And there are two basic culprits when that happens: One is the bacterium H. pylori and the other is a certain group of drugs (more on that in a minute).
Researchers from the University of Arizona recently found that when doctors suspect H. pylori as the culprit, they have wildly different approaches to treating ulcers — despite the fact that the American College of Gastroenterology has issued very specific guidelines regarding testing for and treating the bacterial infection.
Those guidelines say that if your doctor suspects the bacterium, he should test you for it and, if it’s positive, treat you with antibiotics. Then, he should recheck you for the bug after treatment is finished.
Some follow these H. pylori guidelines to the letter, but others… not so much.
Now, if your doctor suspects that you have an ulcer, whether he tests you for H. pylori or not, you’re guaranteed to be toting home several bags of drugs.
You may get multiple antibiotics, on top of a proton pump inhibitor like Nexium and other meds like histamine blockers to reduce stomach acid even further.
Your doc may even send you off with an OTC med to alleviate the pain you’re experiencing from the ulcer — even though we now know that using NSAID drugs, including common OTC ones such as ibuprofen and aspirin, is the other main way to develop an ulcer!
Plus that, just slightly over half the doctors surveyed followed through with that follow-up test.
While antibiotics appear to work in the short term, 20 percent of patients — or more — will suffer a return infection. Plus that, just as with other bacteria, H. pylori is quickly becoming resistant to a lot of our front-line antibiotics.
So, if you’ve been treated for an ulcer in the past, but symptoms such as frequent indigestion, stomach pain, and burning (that is often relieved by antacids or eating) just won’t go away, there may still be traces of that H. pylori in your system.
And that means it may be time to start using some alternative treatments, like:
- A high-quality probiotic: Research done five years ago found that in 13 out of 40 patients with confirmed H. pylori, an eight-strain probiotic was able to completely eradicate it.
- Green tea: Just when you thought you had heard all of the green tea benefits out there, along comes another — a powerful antibacterial effect that can inhibit the growth of this ulcer-causing bug.
- Garlic: Yes, garlic does so much more than just keep vampires away! This pungent spice is also very anti-inflammatory and a natural antibiotic.
The point is, there are many natural ways to deal with an ulcer. Taking boatloads of drugs isn’t necessarily the best, and it very likely won’t even give you the relief you need.
And remember: Your chances of developing an ulcer if you’re infected with H. pylori are greater if your immune system is worn down, so that’s a good reason to eat more immune-boosting foods such as colorful fruits and veggies. Don’t skimp on shut-eye, and make sure to get your daily dose of vitamin D, either in supplement form or directly from the sun!
“Physicians’ adherence to H. pylori guidelines low” University of Arizona, June 14, 2017, ScienceDaily, sciencedaily.com
