11 things you can do if you have an ulcer

An ulcer is a sore or break in the lining of the digestive tract, usually the stomach or intestine. More than 25 million Americans suffer from ulcers. An ulcer in the gastrointestinal tract is known as a peptic ulcer and is very painful.

A diet for ulcers should become part of your daily routine and it is not difficult to do. In this article, we’ll look at 11 things you can do to relieve pain and treat an ulcer, if you have one.

1. In 9 out of 10 cases an ulcer can be treated with medication. Antibiotics can be used to kill any bacterial infection which will clear up the ulcer. This is worth a trip to your doctor to see what he can do.

2. Stress is part of the cause of ulcer outbreaks. The less stress you have, the more you can lessen the symptoms of an ulcer.

3. In cases where antibiotics do not work, many times stomach acid will be reduced. Antacids can reduce stomach acid and help reduce the pain of an ulcer.

4. If you smoke, you must stop. Smoking will irritate your ulcer and cause more pain.

5. Watch what you eat and drink. Fatty foods, spicy foods, caffeine, and alcohol can damage an ulcer.

6. Keep food in your stomach. This helps to decrease gastric secretion and the hyper levels that it can reach in the stomach. Eat several smaller meals a day. Eat four or five meals spread throughout the day to keep food in your stomach and help your ulcer diet to be more effective.

7. Take vitamins on a full stomach and not an empty one.

8. Drink milk and try to drink skim milk to help coat your stomach.

9. Aspirin and ibuprofen are especially hard on the stomach. Same for some drugs.

10. Sodas and carbonated drinks are good to put down your stomach if you feel an attack coming on. So are crackers that help absorb acid.

11. Brushing your teeth several times a day can help keep your upper gastrointestinal tract free of acid and bacteria.

Sores are painful and it is worth the extra effort on your part to do what you can to lessen the pain you are feeling and the things that are causing it. These 11 tips are not meant to discourage you from visiting his doctor to see how she can help you. But many of these tips are things he can do for an ulcer diet on a daily basis and don’t require any special knowledge or skills.