Ulcer is a term used, most often, to describe peptic ulcer disease. When it’s said that someone has ulcer, it means that the person has wound either in the stomach or upper part of small intestine.
So, when one is treating ulcer, the essence is to get the wound in the stomach to heal.
The truth is that it is very difficult to see stomach ulcer heal. The major cause of this is that those who have ulcer always consume or do things that delay their ulcer from healing or even things that worsens it.
For your stomach ulcer to heal, we have enlisted 13 things that you should avoid.
These include:
1. Avoid carbonated drinks and citric acid containing drinks.
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This covers what we call soft drinks and fruit juices. These drinks doesn’t only worsen ulcer pain but prevent it from healing.
Just think about this; the most common ulcer drug called omeprazole prevents acid secretion in the stomach to allow for ulcer healing.
Now, do you think the ulcer will heal if you keep supplying it with acid in form of fruit juice or carbonated drinks?
Most of these drinks contain citric acid and therefore worsens ulcer and even prevents omeprazole from doing its work.
2. Avoid eating too much beans
Beans disturbs some people with ulcer, although not all. The best way to find out if you should avoid beans is by listening to yourself.
If you don’t have disturbances when you eat beans, no problem. But if you do, cut down on the frequency you eat it.
Please note that we didn’t say you should stop eating beans.
Beans is not bad at all, although it can worsen ulcer pain and the ulcer in question in those with dyspepsia.
3. Don’t lick vitamin c unnecessarily
For more on effects of vitamin c abuse on health, read this: “The harmful effect of vitamin C abuse “
Licking, chewing, or taking vitamin c on an empty stomach worsens ulcer pain and probably delays its healing.
Avoid this therefore. Take vitamin c only when it’s prescribed for you and this should be with food or after eating.
4. Avoid pain killers especially its abuse
Ulcer presents with pain but ironically, drugs used in managing pain give ulcer.
To those who have ulcer already, pain killers don’t allow it to heal.
Does it now mean that those who have pain should be allowed to remain with their pain because they have ulcer?
The answer is no.
If you have pain and hence would be needing pain killer, talk to your doctor or pharmacist, he would know the best pain killer to place you on.
Yeah, there are some pain killers that can be used by those who have ulcer. An example is Celecoxib.
5. Avoid irregular eating pattern
It is very necessary that you set your eating time. Eat three times a day at a specified time.
We recommend you have your:
breakfast between 7am to 9am,
lunch between 1pm to 2pm and
dinner between 7pm to 8pm.
For those who are on weight loss program, read this “weight loss plan for ulcer patients”.
It would help you lose weight while allowing your ulcer to heal.
6. Avoid alcohol consumption
In those who have ulcer, alcohol prevents it from healing. It worsens it even. It’s therefore imperative that you stop alcohol intake to allow your ulcer to heal.
7. Avoid not being on your ulcer medications
It is true that most ulcer drugs don’t heal the ulcer, but they create a conducive environment for healing to occur.
As you observe these recommendations here, remember not to stop taking your ulcer drugs as prescribed by your doctor.
8. Avoid too much spicy
Spicy worsens ulcer pain as it directly irritates it. Much spicy wouldn’t help you in any way, so just put the amount that would be okay for the food which wouldn’t give you any disturbance. Yoruba tribe of Nigeria can attest to this.
9. Never take any drug on an empty stomach unless specified by your doctor or pharmacist
Most drugs cause pain to the stomach when taken. If on an empty stomach, the pain is severe. But when on an empty stomach with ulcer, the pain burns.
Eating before taking your drugs helps in preventing or reducing the stomach discomfort they give.
10. Avoid coffee
Coffee has a way of increasing acid level of the stomach. Yeah! It stimulates its secretion and acid is implicated in ulcer development.
For this reason, avoid coffee if you have ulcer already.
11. Avoid Stress
Stress leads to ulcer. That’s all we know. So, try as much as you can to avoid it.
12. Avoid fries and snacks
13. Avoid unripe acidic fruits
These include unripe mangoes, oranges, pineapples, grapes etc.
Allow them and probably every fruits to ripe before taking them, especially if you have ulcer.
Why not do us and your friends with ulcer a favour by sharing this article.
Thanks as you do so.
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