Hi Everyone,
This is my first day here on the forum. I came here because I am looking for ideas on treating stomach ulcers naturally (I don't have H pylori, and never have. The ulcer came from use of ibuprofen). I am currently weaning myself off of famotidine (Pepcid AC) because I am concerned about the problems that can come from long term use of acid reducers. I intend to be tapered off of the famotidine within a month. But, in the interim, I need to find some potent ways to deal with ulcers. Currently, I am taking aloe vera capsules. But, I don't think the dosage is enough to make a big difference (I take about 50 mg a day). I also take a good amount of probiotic complex. Also, I have read that fenugreek is good for ulcers. So, I have ordered fenugreek capsules and will start using those. I know there are other natural remedies that can help with ulcers, cabbage juice being one of the options. But, some of the remedies are not very appetizing. So, I'm trying to find options that won't be, literally, hard to swallow. Also, another factor that is challenging my eating habits at the moment is that I had dental implant surgery a few weeks ago, one on each side of my mouth. I won't have the crowns placed for about another 4 months. So this makes chewing a challenge and chewing raw, fresh vegetables, which I know is beneficial for ulcers, impossible. Any ideas would be welcome.

Aside from all of this, my interest in natural health came from an experience I had 4 years ago. I had a very serious reaction when I stopped taking the birth control pill. I began experiencing tachycardia and panic attacks from hell. I ended up in the hospital for 3 days, two weeks after I stopped the Pill, while the doctors tried to figure out why my heart was beating so fast. Ultimately, about 6 months after I stopped taking the Pill, I was able to find a doctor who could help me with my hormones. But, before I was able to get an accurate diagnosis and treatment for my condition, I was put on ativan (a benzodiazepine) and also citalopram (an SSRI). So, I have quite a bit of experience of being put on powerful drugs, needlessly. My experience with ativan (and citalopram) is, in itself, a long harrowing story that I won't go into, right now. Though, I'm happy to share it with anyone who is interested. But, the overall experience in the last 4 years has taught me that if it's possible to address health concerns without the use of pharmaceutical medications, then that should be done, without question. I am interested in treating all areas of my health as naturally as possible. I have a cholesterol issue that I am trying to deal with, as well, naturally. I use krill oil, plant sterol supplements, Vit. D., and other vitamins and supplements to address the cholesterol issue and to try to keep my hormones in balance.

I am glad to have found this site and look forward to learning a lot.

God Bless,
Nicole

Hi Nicole, welcome to the forum! Glad you're here with us! You can find a lot of information here by browsing our forum. For a start, here's our page about ulcers.
https://www.natmedtalk.com/wiki/Ulcer

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NatMedTalk and Beyond

Hello lambyoung welcome, Im new here myself and I'm really enjoying being part of this forum.
ozzie

Hello and thank you for the welcome. I'm glad to be here and I'm looking forward to learning with you all.

Nicole

If you own a juicer, it seems like it would be easy to make a healthy vegetable drink.

Thanks for that tip. I don't have a juicer. I do have a blender, though, and also a food processor. I could probably just throw some vegetables in the food processor to make them easier to chew. I've heard that cabbage is very good for ulcers. So, I might try finding some healthy recipes for cabbage. Does this forum have a recipe section?

We have a "Nutrition" forum, under that you'll see a sub-forum titled "Recipes".

Glutamine is very good for repairing leaky gut syndrome and ulcers.

This guy has concocted a tasty way of taking it.

https://vitaminswithiron.com/amino-ac...odenal-ulcers/

Thanks liverock, that's a good article! I have some Now L-Glutamine powder that I bought awhile back to help with cravings for sweets. I was just taking some of it and putting it under my tongue, like a sublingual supplement.

Thanks liverock and kind2creatures. I will order some glutamine. Swanson is the company that I buy most of my vitamins from. So, this will be one more item on my order.

Hi Lambyoung, and welcome to the forum

For cabbage to be effective for ulcers it must be juiced and raw.. and taken several times a day....its a very old remedy with lots of evidence of working for some people..... but yuck... I would find another way! ... although I do love cabbage and eat a lot of it.

The heart issues you had after stopping hormones may be related to iodine. Iodine and horomones I think have a connection. My doc says she does not want me to do bio-identical hormones unless I commit to keeping up on my iodine intake.

anyway,, I had similar symptoms to yours a number of years ago, although not so bad to make me go to the hospital, just enough to sit home and fret and worry... I was not on hormones at that time but having some pre-menapausal symptoms. The iodine got rid of the heart palpitations and anxiety... and I cannot really explain why.... guess I should look into that.

We have lots of iodine supplementation information here on the forum if you use the search feature... I use Lugol's iodine.

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Thanks for your thoughts, Arrow. I myself like eating cabbage. But, drinking cabbage juice is probably more than I can handle. I could eat raw cabbage with no problem, but, the juice ... no.

This link between iodine and hormones is totally new to me. I will ask my doctor about it. I wouldn't think that I could be deficient in iodine because I enjoy salt. But, for the most part, I only use sea salt in my home. And, my understanding is that sea salt has no iodine in it.

Were you having thyroid troubles, also? I would think that an iodine deficiency would cause a thyroid problem. Is there a blood test to check the level of iodine?

For myself, I am completely convinced that the reason I went basically haywire for several months after I stopped taking the birth control pill is because of the fact that the Pill makes the ovaries lazy while a person is taking it. So, when I stopped taking it, my body was left without the artificial hormones that the Pill provided and also not able to produce enough of its own hormones. For me, the biggest problem I had was low progesterone. It was one horrible experience, I was not able to work for a month and a half after I stopped the Pill, and was needlessly put on very strong pscyh medications that it took me about 2 years to wean myself off of. I am thankful that my cardiologist (I began seeing him soon after I stopped the Pill, after I was released from the 3-day hospital stay) was a very capable doctor who understood the connection between my tachycardia and my having been on the Pill. Also, a few months after going off of the Pill, I was able to find an excellent nurse practitioner who is very helpful in the area of hormones.

Thankfully, the tachycardia resolved completely within a year. It hasn't been a factor now for about 3 years. Now, the major issues are lingering after effects of residual withdrawal symptoms from the ativan and citalopram I was on. I am quite sure that those medications are responsible for my ulcer flare up. I am much recovered from many of the problems I had in tapering off of the psych meds. But, for people like me who are very sensitive to medication and also very sensitive to the cessation from medications, it can take a while to recover.

I am now concentrating on becoming as healthy as I can possibly be. And, for me, that means to avoid pharmaceuticals if at all possible.

I will definitely talk to my nurse practitioner about iodine when I see her next week. I appreciate this new information.

Nicole

P.S. I just found this video about iodine and it sounds reasonable and interesting. Of course, this comes from a website which sells it's own progesterone cream. So, I always feel a bit cautious when a product is being endorsed.
https://www.goodprogesteronecream.com...gesterone.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2-VL...mbedded#at=167

lambyoung here is a link that I sent to my brother as he also has a stomach ulcer, I don't know if he tried this as he never mentioned it to me last time he rang, but I think he is more into Drs advice than natural cures.
ozzie


https://www.activemanukahoneyusa.com/...-Treatment.htm

Thanks for the link, Ozzie. I appreciate the tip.

Hi Try first DGL from Enzymatic Therapy. It is an extarct of licorice very effective in stimulating the production of mucosa and healing ulcers. Is chewable and economical and should get relief in weeks.
If you have an open ulcer, do not use enzymes, bitters or betaine hydrochloride.
FrankND