Have you sometimes experienced a burning feeling in your stomach? Like literally feeling like your belly is on fire or like a peppery sensation on an exposed wound? This pain is often worse when you have been skipping meals or feeling hungry?. It very likely is a gastric ulcer. Gastric ulcers are a relatively common medical issue. Around 10% of Malaysian will suffer from gastric ulcers at some point in their lives. Gastric ulcers can be very inconvenient, if not a debilitating illness, with a considerable impact on productivity and quality of life.
Gastric Ulcers Are Sores In The Lining Of The Stomach
The stomach is a digestive factory. It has to produce several acidic secretions to aid the digestion of food. To protect the inner wall of the stomach, the mucosa, as it is called, the stomach has an epithelial lining, in addition to the production of mucus. This way, the stomach can carry out its digestive functions without damage to its walls. However, sometimes, there may be literal cracks in this excellent arrangement. A part of the stomach’s lining may be destroyed, causing an open sore that exposes the inner walls of the stomach. When this happens, the acidic substances secreted by the stomach can irritate the walls of the stomach, causing pain that feels like a burning or peppery sensation.
Several Different Factors Can Cause These Sores
Gastric ulcers can result from epithelial injury caused by several factors. The most common of these is an infection by helicobacter pylori. Other causes may involve the use of certain drugs such as NSAIDs like Ibuprofen. A rare cause is Zollinger Ellison syndrome, where excessive growth of the gastric glands results in an overproduction of hydrochloric acid.
How To Prevent Gastric Ulcers
With gastric ulcers, there are many ways to go about its prevention. Some of these are natural methods. These include:
Dietary Modification And Making Healthy Lifestyle Choices
While spicy food and alcohol do not cause gastric ulcers, they can often worsen them. So you should restrict their intake to low levels. Also, cut out on smoking because this bad habit is a toxic risk to the linings of the stomach and may make the healing of ulcers more difficult. When you live healthily, you have a better chance of preventing and recovering from gastric ulcers.
Use Of Dietary Supplements
Dietary supplements can help the stomach stay healthier. They can also provide extra nutrients and enzymes that help the regeneration of the stomach lining and protection from gastric ulcers. An excellent supplement choice for this purpose is the Shiruto vitamin supplement.
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Cut Down On The Use Of NSAIDs
NSAIDs such as Ibuprofen, aspirin, and some other common painkillers are often used indiscriminately. Their chronic use can be cytotoxic for the cells of the stomach, thereby predisposing one to cancers. Therefore, you should ensure that you do not use them indiscriminately over a long period. If you have to use painkillers over an extended period, you should discuss with your doctor the best and safest options for you.
Conclusion
Gastric ulcer is a prevalent disorder that can cause several problems for affected individuals. Therefore, it is essential to be aware of its symptoms and predisposing factors to be better able to prevent it.