Peptic Ulcers - Pain Relief the Natural Way
There is a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori that in most cases causes an ulcer.
In the old days it was thought that stress alone caused peptic ulcers, but as we know now, that is not the case.
If this bacterium is the culprit in your case you will have been given a course of antibiotics for the next 10 to 14 days.
It takes about two months before you will have completely recovered.
There are some steps you can take in the meantime to lessen the discomfort and stop a re-occurrence.
It is not advised to use any herbal medicines until you have finished your course of antibiotics.
There are a number of quick pain relievers that you can take from your pharmacy such as Maalox, Asilone, Gaviscon and Pepto-Bismol which will help to neutralize stomach acid, helping to relieve the pain in about 10 to 15 minutes.
These can be taken after each meal or whenever you feel your ulcer starting to play up.
Eating can also help to temporarily reduce your discomfort because the acid in your stomach is neutralized as the food is digested.
If you have a duodenal ulcer make sure that you eat a high fibre diet otherwise it cold make the pain worse.
Fibre helps to slow down the digestive process and duodenal pain is alleviated when food travels more slowly through the stomach.
This allows more time for the stomach acids to be neutralized.
There are some studies to suggest that ginger may help to reduce the release of fluids in the gastro intestinal tract and can also help to reduce inflammation.
Don't take more than one teaspoon each day as taking too much ginger can have the opposite effect by causing irritation.
Aloe vera juice is a popular remedy for ulcers as the juice seems to help reduce the gastrointestinal inflammation and also reduce the stomach acid from being secreted into the stomach.
Drinking about a third of a cup, three times a day is the recommended amount.
Camomile tea is a favourite for soothing the stomach because it can calm inflammation.
Pour a cup of very hot water over two teaspoons of dried camomile, steep for five minutes and then strain.
Drink about three cups of tea a day.
Another tea to drink is peppermint tea as it is also an anti-inflammatory that can help relieve pain and help you to heal.
To make the tea, pour one cup of boiling water over two teaspoons of dried leaves, steep for five minutes, and then strain out the leaves.
If you have a condition called hiatus hernia then you should not have peppermint tea as the herb relaxes gastro-oesophageal muscles and will make the symptoms worse.
Before you take any herbs or supplements, it is best to speak them over with your doctor first.
This is especially important if you have other conditions as the natural remedies in this article are only specific to ulcers and not taking into account any other medical conditions you may have.
In the old days it was thought that stress alone caused peptic ulcers, but as we know now, that is not the case.
If this bacterium is the culprit in your case you will have been given a course of antibiotics for the next 10 to 14 days.
It takes about two months before you will have completely recovered.
There are some steps you can take in the meantime to lessen the discomfort and stop a re-occurrence.
It is not advised to use any herbal medicines until you have finished your course of antibiotics.
There are a number of quick pain relievers that you can take from your pharmacy such as Maalox, Asilone, Gaviscon and Pepto-Bismol which will help to neutralize stomach acid, helping to relieve the pain in about 10 to 15 minutes.
These can be taken after each meal or whenever you feel your ulcer starting to play up.
Eating can also help to temporarily reduce your discomfort because the acid in your stomach is neutralized as the food is digested.
If you have a duodenal ulcer make sure that you eat a high fibre diet otherwise it cold make the pain worse.
Fibre helps to slow down the digestive process and duodenal pain is alleviated when food travels more slowly through the stomach.
This allows more time for the stomach acids to be neutralized.
There are some studies to suggest that ginger may help to reduce the release of fluids in the gastro intestinal tract and can also help to reduce inflammation.
Don't take more than one teaspoon each day as taking too much ginger can have the opposite effect by causing irritation.
Aloe vera juice is a popular remedy for ulcers as the juice seems to help reduce the gastrointestinal inflammation and also reduce the stomach acid from being secreted into the stomach.
Drinking about a third of a cup, three times a day is the recommended amount.
Camomile tea is a favourite for soothing the stomach because it can calm inflammation.
Pour a cup of very hot water over two teaspoons of dried camomile, steep for five minutes and then strain.
Drink about three cups of tea a day.
Another tea to drink is peppermint tea as it is also an anti-inflammatory that can help relieve pain and help you to heal.
To make the tea, pour one cup of boiling water over two teaspoons of dried leaves, steep for five minutes, and then strain out the leaves.
If you have a condition called hiatus hernia then you should not have peppermint tea as the herb relaxes gastro-oesophageal muscles and will make the symptoms worse.
Before you take any herbs or supplements, it is best to speak them over with your doctor first.
This is especially important if you have other conditions as the natural remedies in this article are only specific to ulcers and not taking into account any other medical conditions you may have.
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