It's a myth that spicy foods and stress cause peptic ulcers.

A peptic ulcer is a type of sore that develops in the digestive system.

The word "ulcer" means open sore, and "peptic" means that acid is the cause of the sore.

However, this terminology is from a prior era when all ulcers in the esophagus, stomach, and duodenum were thought to be caused by acid damage.

Nowadays, we know that most ulcers are not caused by excessive acid, so the term "peptic ulcer" is somewhat misleading.

Signs and Symptoms of Peptic Ulcer

While many people with peptic ulcers don't experience any symptoms, upper abdominal pain is the most common symptom.

This abdominal pain may:

Extend from your navel up to your breastbone

Feel worse when your stomach is empty

Feel better temporarily when you eat certain foods or take an antacid

Get worse at night

Come and go for days or weeks

Other symptoms of a peptic ulcer may include:

Nausea

Vomiting of red or dark blood

Feeling bloated or full

Bloody, black, or tarry stools

Unexplained weight loss

Changes in your appetite

Causes of Peptic Ulcers

For a long time, it was believed that spicy foods or stress could lead to peptic ulcers – but doctors now know that this isn't the case.

In fact, the most common causes of ulcers are:

If you're at risk for peptic ulcers, talk to your doctor about taking Tylenol (acetaminophen) for pain, since it's not an NSAID and does not contain aspirin.

Types of Peptic Ulcers

The most common kinds of peptic ulcers are:

Gastric ulcers: A common type of ulcer, these occur on the inside of the stomach.

Duodenal ulcers: These are located at the beginning of the small intestine (called the small bowel or duodenum).

Esophageal ulcers: These occur inside the esophagus (the tube that carries food from your throat to your stomach).

You can have more than one kind of peptic ulcer at the same time.



Complications of Peptic Ulcer

Ulcers can cause bleeding that occurs slowly over time or quickly, possibly resulting in life-threatening hemorrhaging due to shock.

Sometimes you may not notice a bleeding ulcer until you become anemic, a condition in which your body lacks red blood cells due to inadequate iron.

This occurs when ulcers result in chronic, low-grade blood loss.

If you have anemia, you may feel tired, experience shortness of breath, and have pale skin.

If bleeding occurs quickly, you may notice:

Dark, sticky, or bloody stools

Bloody vomit

Lightheadedness

If you experience any of these symptoms, seek medical attention immediately.

Treatment and Medication Options for Peptic Ulcer

Your course of treatment will be based on what's causing the ulcer.

Possible treatments include antibiotic drugs to kill Helicobacter pylori bacteria in your digestive tract.

Your doctor may also recommend antacids to neutralize stomach acid and reduce pain.

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are drugs that block acid production and promote healing.

PPI drugs include:

Acid reducers, also called H2 blockers, reduce acid production and relieve ulcer pain.

Additionally, there are cytoprotective agents – drugs that protect the lining of your stomach and small intestine – that can relieve symptoms of an ulcer.

Ulcer Emergencies

There are three types of ulcer emergencies:

You have bleeding in your stomach, esophagus, or duodenum due to the ulcer opening a blood vessel.

You develop a perforated ulcer, which means it has eaten through your stomach or intestinal wall.

You have swelling or scarring related to your ulcer that is preventing your food from being digested properly.

The signs that you are having an ulcer emergency are:

Blood (black or red) in stool

Blood in vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds

Increasing pain

Weakness

Mental confusion

Severe abdominal distension

If you think you or someone you know is having an ulcer emergency, seek immediate medical attention.

Peptic Ulcer Diet and Other Home Remedies

Here are the most important lifestyle changes you can make to recover from an ulcer:

Watch Your Diet: In the past, people with ulcers were told to eat small, bland meals and drink lots of milk to help heal ulcers, but today doctors know otherwise.

But if you know that there are specific foods that make your ulcer feel worse, avoid them until your treatment is over.

Back when spicy food was believed to cause an ulcer, milk was thought to heal it. Now the prevailing wisdom is that milk may improve the symptoms of an ulcer, but cannot heal it.

Interestingly, spicy food could have a preventive effect.

According to one study, researchers in Singapore found that people who ate mostly Chinese food, which does not have a high amount of capsaicin, had three times the frequency of ulcers as those who mostly ate the much spicier Malay or Indian food.

Stop Smoking: If you smoke, you are already at increased risk for getting an ulcer.

The data also show that ulcers take longer to heal in smokers and that the ulcer medication you are taking may be less effective.

Scientists don't know exactly why smoking has these negative effects.

Beware of NSAIDs: NSAIDs, such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and many others, are taken for pain and fever, but can cause an ulcer if used too often.

NSAIDs also can prevent an ulcer from healing as quickly as you would like, so talk to your doctor about what you can take for your other aches and pains while you are waiting for your ulcer to heal.

Also, be sure to read all drug labels; some products such as cough and cold liquids have NSAID ingredients in them and you should avoid them, too.

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) does not cause ulcers, so it may be an effective substitute.

Cut back on alcohol: Stop drinking alcohol if you want to completely reduce your risk of additional ulcers and help your body heal.

Eat a diet rich in fruits and vegetables: A comprehensive review of published studies related to ulcer prevention shows that eating a lot of fiber from fruits and veggies may help reduce your risk of ulcer.

Vitamin A, found in many vegetables, may also be helpful.

Manage your stress: Most ulcers are caused by H. pylori or NSAIDs, but for a small group of people, stress does appear to have a connection to ulcers.

Many doctors recommend some form of stress release for these people, including yoga, exercise, or massage.