Are You Suffering with an Ulcer?

Ronald Grisanti D.C., D.A.B.C.O., D.A.C.B.N., MS

Nutritional Treatments

Vitamin A
Vitamin A has also proven to be an effective therapy in patients with chronic gastric ulcers. Vitamin A supplementation appears to be able to protect against the development of duodenal ulcers due to an excess of gastric acid. Patients in a clinical trial consumed 150,000 IU of vitamin A daily for four weeks. Endoscopic examination at the end of the 2nd and 4th weeks verified that there was significant reduction in the size of the ulcers and a progressive healing of the ulcers.

Antioxidants
Researchers found that patients with gastric ulcers had very low levels of gastric antioxidants.

Zinc
Numerous studies report that zinc is therapeutically useful in the treatment of ulcers.A compound named zinc acexamate reportedly reduces acid production and increases mucus secretion.

Clinical Note: Prolonged zinc supplementation may result in a copper deficiency. Many physicians recommend 1 to 3 mg of copper daily when patients are taking 25 mg of zinc or more daily.

L-Glutamine
Glutamine has been found to be useful in healing tissues in the gastrointestinal tract in conditions such as peptic ulcers and ulcerative colitis.

In a double-blind human clinical trial, 57 patients received either glutamine (400 mg 4 times daily) or lactose along with the standard medical treatments. At the end of the 4-week trial, x-ray examinations revealed that 22 of 24 patients taking glutamine experienced a complete healing of their ulcers.

Bismuth Bismuth has been found to have an antibacterial effect suppressing H. Pylori. Unfortunately, bismuth has not been found to totally eradicate H. Pylori. However, with the combination of a conventional anti-biotic treatment, bismuth has been found to be quite effective The bismuth compounds of choice are bismuth subsalicylate and bismuth subcitrate. However, caution is warranted because prolonged administration of bismuth compounds can cause some toxic side effects. It is suggested that treatment periods with bismuth-containing compounds should be limited to 6 to 8 weeks, followed by 8-week bismuth-free intervals.

Herbal Treatments

Licorice Licorice has been used for GI distress and may be of particular benefit in ulcers and in inflammation.Studies show that licorice has the ability to protect irritated mucous membranes.In cases where the intestinal lining is inflamed, DGL licorice reportedly stimulates the production of mucus, and is used to reduce symptoms.

Mastic
A clinical trial using mastic was carried out on thirty-eight patients suffering duodenal ulcers. Symptomatic relief was obtained in sixteen (80%) patients on mastic and in nine (50%) patients on placebo, while endoscopically proven healing occurred in fourteen (70%) patients on mastic gum and four (22%) patients on placebo.

Aloe Vera Aloe vera leaf gel has also been reported useful in peptic ulcer disease.

Diet & Lifestyle

Avoid alcohol, coffee and other caffeine-containing products, decaffeinated coffee, milk, sugar, and smoking.

Raw cabbage juice has been remarkably successful in treating ulcers. One quart of the fresh juice is prepared daily and taken in divided doses throughout the day. The juice can be prepared by using a standard juicing machine or putting the cabbage along with some water in a high speed blender. In one study, this therapy produced complete healing of ulcers in approximately ten days.

Clinical/Nutritional Note: An interesting note is that cabbage juice is very rich in L-glutamine.

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Reviewed and submitted on March 14, 2004