ULCERS: A peptic ulcer is a hole or wound, usually less than half an inch wide, in the part of the lining of the digestive tract exposed to gastric juice (usually the stomach or first part of the small intestine). Gastric juice contains pepsin (an enzyme for breaking down protein) along with hydrochloric acid (an extremely powerful acid that activates pepsin). Symptoms include a sharp searing pain, usually in the upper abdomen just below the breastbone, typically when the stomach is empty. The pain typically strikes at 1 or 2 a.m., is immediately relieved by food or drugs, and is gone in the morning. Serious complications can include bleeding that shows up in vomited blood or black bowel movements, peritonitis (inflammation of the membrane lining the abdominal cavity), and obstruction of the stomach outlet as a result of the formation of scar tissue.
CONVENTIONAL TREATMENT: For half a century, peptic ulcers were blamed on diet, lifestyle, and stress. Standard treatment involved a bland diet and antacids. (The bland diet heavy in milk fats that used to be recommended is now thought to have done more harm than good. Milk products actually increase stomach acid secretion. The latest recommendation is a diet heavy in plant foods that are high in fiber and essential fatty acids). Antacids provide temporary relief by neutralizing the excess stomach acid, but they can also exacerbate the condition by promoting the production of more stomach acid through the rebound effect. Tagamet, Zantac and other H2-blockers such as Pepcid and Axid don't cure ulcers but merely mask the symptoms. Within two years of discontinuing the drugs, 86% to 93% of patients have the ulcers return. These drugs also carry considerable side effects.
The bacterium H. Pylori is now know to be the cause of nearly all peptic ulcers and may be treated with antibiotics and acid blockers such as Prilosec or Pepto-Bismol.
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