HEALTHY FOODS TO CURE ULCERS FOR GOOD

Overview

Peptic ulcer disease

This disease presents as painful ulcers or sores that develop when acid in the digestive tract erodes the inner lining of the esophagus (esophageal ulcers), of the stomach (gastric ulcers), and/or of the upper section of the small intestine (duodenal ulcers).

Our digestive tract is coated with a protective layer of mucous that normally protects against acid from foods and beverages that we eat as well as from the acid that our stomach naturally produces. We need some acid in our digestive tract for normal digestion and the breakdown of foods. However, if the amount of acid is increased or the amount of mucous is decreased, an ulcer may develop.

Several different factors can affect gut health and the balance of gastric acid, thus increasing your chances of developing or causing ulcers. A major factor is a specific bacterium known as Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) which can penetrate the protective mucous lining of the stomach, where it produces substances that weaken the lining and make the stomach more susceptible to peptic ulcers. Scientists are not completely sure how H. pylori spread but have theorized that it is transmitted from person to person by close contact and/or through infected food and water. H. pylori can be a major cause of chronic gastritis and peptic ulcers and can increase your risk for stomach cancer.

Over-the-counter and prescription painkillers, especially in older adults and those who overuse them, can also be factors. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in particular, including aspirin, naproxen, and ibuprofen, can irritate and inflame the inner lining of the stomach and small intestine. Some prescription medications and even some potassium supplements can lead to ulcers. Other factors include:

• Excess acid production within the GI system.

• Excessive intake of alcohol.

• Smoking and chewing tobacco

• family history of peptic ulcers and/or personal history of previous ulcers

• Being more than 50 years old.

• Serious illnesses such as stomach cancer and liver or kidney disease

• Radiation treatment to the GI area.

Symptoms of Ulcers

Symptoms of peptic ulcers, and the severity of those symptoms, can vary widely from one person to the next. The following are the most common signs and symptoms:

• Burning pain in the middle or upper stomach, usually between meals and at night.

• Change in appetite.

• Nausea and/or vomiting.

• Heartburn.

• Bloating.

Severe symptoms can include dark or black stools due to bleeding; unexplained weight loss; vomiting blood, and severe pain in the middle and upper abdomen.

Understanding the Cause

About 70 percent of stomach ulcers are from H. pylori, and the rest are from the use of NSAIDs or aspirin for arthritis or musculoskeletal pain. Stomach ulcers usually cause pain in the upper middle of the abdomen or just below the rib cage on the left side. Eating, especially certain foods, may aggravate stomach ulcers at first, but the burning sensation subsides as the food begins to buffer the stomach acid. Stomach ulcers occur more often in people over forty, usually because of the higher use of aspirin and other painkillers.

Ulcers Caused by H. pylori

H. pylori is the leading cause of ulcers. These bacteria colonize the deep layers of the mucosal lining of the stomach. While acid kills most bacteria, H. pylori can exist in an acid environment because it produces an enzyme called urease that synthesizes ammonia. Ammonia neutralizes the acid and allows H. pylori to thrive. Once established, H. pylori will set up shop in your stomach for life. It lives in the mucous layer, producing chemicals and proteins that damage the lining. Most infected people develop gastritis but otherwise manage to live in harmony with the bug. Only a minority get ulcers or cancer, but it's not clear why some do and some don't. There may be other risk factors, such as genetic predisposition or a particularly virulent strain of the bug. Cigarette smoking is also believed to play a role in H. pylori infection because of its negative effect on the mucosal lining of the stomach. People who smoke tend to have frequent or recurrent ulcers that are more resistant to treatment. Spreading among family members is not uncommon. If you have the H. pylori infection, then your family, especially your spouse and young children, are likely to get it. Once infected, there's a 15 percent chance of developing an ulcer. This infection puts you at higher risk for stomach cancer. In childhood, infection is transmitted by the fecal-oral route, but after age five, the risk is reduced because older children generally have better hygiene. In some parts of Africa, H. pylori are in the water supply. The poor are at higher risk because of crowded living conditions and poor hygiene in childhood. There may be a genetic reason for vulnerability to this bacteria.

Ulcers Caused by NSAIDs

Many older people take aspirin to prevent a heart attack, or they take NSAIDs such as ibuprofen for arthritis pain. These drugs erode the stomach lining and account for about 25 percent of gastric ulcers. The greatest risk of developing an ulcer occurs during the first three months of NSAID use. After that, the risk decreases but is still present. Ulcers induced by NSAIDs are usually silent, meaning they cause no symptoms until they begin to bleed. Aspirin and NSAIDs block the production of the hormone-like substance prostaglandin by interfering with the enzyme cyclooxygenase, or COX, which is needed to make prostaglandin. Prostaglandin stimulates mucus and bicarbonate production in the stomach. Mucus protects the stomach lining from acid and bicarbonate neutralizes stomach acid. COX inhibitors such as ibuprofen and other new arthritis medications prevent this interference. Complications of ulcers include perforation, obstruction, hemorrhage, and gastric cancer (if you have a gastric ulcer). The risk of cancer is about 2 percent in the first three years. A risk factor related to H. pylori infection is atrophic gastritis, which increases the risk of cancer. H. pylori infection is also associated with gastric lymphoma (known as MALT lymphoma because it starts in the mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue). When ulcers are bleeding, hospitalization is often required.

Can it be prevented, eliminated, or reversed?

Ulcers can be prevented, reversed, and eliminated— without medication.

How? Fueling yourself with real food, which repairs damaged cells, tissues, organelles, and organs rebuilds your microbiome, boosts your immune system and metabolism, and allows your body to naturally fight the deficiency effectively.

How to Cure Ulcer

When you eat mostly high-nutrient foods, the body ages slower and is armed to prevent and reverse many common illnesses. The natural self-healing and self-repairing ability that is hibernating in your body wakes up and takes over, and diseases disappear. A nutrient-rich menu of green vegetables, fruits, beans, mushrooms, onions, seeds, and other natural foods is the key to achieving optimal weight and health. Knowledge leads to power. Learning how the foods you eat affect your health and well-being gives you the power to become healthy, live longer, and feel better every single day.

When you eat sufficient micronutrients and fiber with a high-nutrient diet, it supplies the right amount of nutrients to the needed parts of the body.

Healing Therapy

There are six components to healing Therapy. For best results, all of them need to be practiced together. The components are:

1. Juicing: Juice and drink vegetables and fruits to reverse nutrient deficiency

2. Eating: Eat real whole, unprocessed, unrefined foods to reverse nutrient deficiencies, and provide your body and microbiome with the much-needed plant-based insoluble fiber that you can’t get anywhere else.

3. Detoxifying the liver.

4. Probiotics: Take probiotic drinks to help your body digest your food so that you can acquire even more nutrients from every morsel and replenish the body with nutrients that you can’t get from food alone.

5. Rest: It’s crucial to conserve healing energy through sleep and rest.

6. Exercise: The exercise is limited to activities like yoga and gentle walking until full recovery.

WHAT NOT TO EAT AND WHAT TO EAT

What NOT to Eat

• White bread

• Alcohol

• Coffee.

• High-fructose corn syrup

• Fast food

• Carbonated soft drinks

• Artificial sweeteners

• Red meat

• Frozen dinners

• Sugary cereals

• Calcium carbonate (akawu)

What to Eat

For the rest of your life, commit to eating real food, which means organic vegetables and fruits, whole, unrefined grains, and legumes.

Grains and Legumes: Millet, Wild Rice, rice (Local Unpolished), Oats, Fresh Corn, Whole Wheat, and its Bran, Tofu and Soy Products, Chickpea, beans-all varieties

Vegetables: Cauliflower, Zucchini, Sauerkraut, Squash, Tomatoes, Pumpkin, Kale, Chives, Mushrooms, Fluted Pumpkin Leaf, Onions, Eggplant, Green Beans, Lettuce, Peppers—Green, Red, And Yellow, Carrot, Radish, Jerusalem Artichoke, Leeks, Okra, Green Leaf, Broccoli, Turnip, Asparagus, Spinach/Waterleaf.

Fruits: Cucumber, Citrus Fruits, Pineapple, Celery, Apples, Citrus fruits, Bananas, Peaches, Black Cherries, Pears, Berries, Blackberries, Strawberries. Avocado, Pear, Plum, Kiwi

Carbohydrates: Yam —All Varieties, Beetroot, Cassava, Potatoes—All Varieties, Plantain, Cocoyam, Water Yam, Banana—All Varieties,

Herbs: Dandelion Root and Leaf, Cedar Berries, Yarrow Flowers, Mint, Chamomile, Blueberry/Huckleberry Leaf, Chrysanthemum, Utazi, Lemongrass

Sweeteners: Licorice Tea or Powder, Stevia Powder or Extract, Lucuma Powder, Erythritol

Protein: Clam, Snail, plant-based milk, Yogurt, Lamb, Pork, Chicken, Turkey, Lamb, Lamb Kidney, Chicken Breast, Goose, Quail, Salmon, Quail Eggs, Shrimps.

Spices: Asafetida, Galangal, Potato onion, Allspice, Chervil, Fennel, Nigella, Poppy, Sesame, Tamarind, Horseradish, Wasabi, Mustard Seed, Fenugreek, Bay Leaf, Ginger, Turmeric, Black Pepper (Oziza), Cinnamon, Parsley, Celery, Coriander, Clove, Curry Leaf, Marjoram, Garlic, Rosemary, Sage, Dill, Nutmeg and mace, Saffron, Oregano, and Basil.

Drinks: Pineapple probiotic drink, Cabbage, Carrot Probiotic Juice, Beet, and Carrot Probiotic Juice.

Swap it out

When you change your diet for better health, it can sometimes feel as though you’re giving up everything you love to eat. It can be hard to give up the favorite foods that you are used to eating and enjoying. The good news is that there is no need to feel deprived if you learn to make some smart and simple swaps that can need to feel deprived if you learn to make some smart and simple swaps that can reduce calories, sugar, and unhealthy fat as well as help you avoid any foods that trigger digestive issues for you. These swap ideas will help get you started. As you get used to your new eating approach, you will surely master the art of swapping!

Instead of:	Try:
white flours/grains	Arrowroot, buckwheat, millet, quinoa, rice, potato starch, soy, tapioca (cassava), corn, wheat-free pasta, beans, potatoes
Table sugar	Honey, pure maple syrup, fruit puree
Salad dressing	Extra-virgin olive oil with vinegar, lemon juice, and a little ginger
Mayonnaise	Pureed avocado
Milk	Lactose-free milk, almond or rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk
Ice Cream	Frozen bananas and berries, blended or low-fat frozen yogurt
Milkshake	Smoothie made with soy/almond milk, ground flaxseed, and frozen fruit(s)
Soft drinks/soda	Green tea, sweetened with a little honey and lemon, probiotic beverages
Apple pie	Fresh apple sprinkled with cinnamon and baked
Fast food French fries	Freshly cut potato (white or sweet potato), drizzled with olive oil and oven-baked
Pizza	Homemade whole-wheat pita bread, pizza sauce (watch the sugar content), part-skim mozzarella cheese, and vegetables
Burgers	Turkey burger (ground lean turkey breast) or a portabella mushroom brushed with extra-virgin olive oil and grilled; try a lettuce wrap instead of a bun or use a thin whole-grain sandwich bagel, add lettuce, tomato, onion, and other favorite veggie toppings

A Sample Meal Plan

Here’s what a day of real food could look like

Breakfast: Oatmeal pudding with dark chocolate and lime.

Lunch: Okra Soup with Banku, wheat flour, or a well-fermented garri

Dinner: sweet potato porridge, rice meal with vegetables.

Juices: Sip organic fruit/vegetable (fresh fruit in season,) juice throughout the day

Probiotic Drink: Drink 350ml of homemade probiotic drink after lunch or dinner or both.

Dessert: if you want something more, try fresh organic fruits.

Conclusion

Do not skip your meals, try to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner even in little quantities. Make sure the nuts and seeds are spread out at various meals and you are not eating too much at one time. Be patient and give your body a little time to adjust to a different eating style. Remember, your digestive tract can make adjustments if it’s allowed to do it gradually. In five weeks, you are bound to see significant results if not total healing.

Cheers to great health!