Everyday Tips for Living With Peptic Ulcers

Helpful hints to ease your symptoms and aid healing

It's Not Spicy Foods or Stress

For nearly 100 years, scientists and doctors thought that ulcers were caused by stress, spicy food and alcohol, and the cure was bed rest and a bland diet. Later, stomach acid was blamed, and antacids were added to the list of cures. Some ulcers are caused by medications called NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatories), which include aspirin and ibuprofen, but in 1982, the bacterium H. pylori was discovered to be the main culprit. Study after study has shown that destroying the microbe with antibiotics cures peptic ulcers in most people. If you have an ulcer and your doctor hasn't given you antibiotics, press the issue or get a second opinion.