Peptic Ulcers
What are Peptic Ulcers?
The stomach produces what is known in the West as gastric acid, a substance that is required to properly break down and digest food. The inside of the stomach is lined with a special kind of tissue that helps it to resist erosion as a result of the presence of this acid, and healthy individuals enjoy the benefits of this protection. However, there are times when the lining of the stomach or the parts of the small intestine (closest to the stomach) become eroded, and this erosion is known as a peptic ulcer.
Historically, Western medicine cited stress, the consumption of spicy foods, and other behavioral factors as being the root cause of peptic ulcers. More recently, it has stated that the most common cause of the condition is the presence of Heliobacter pylori bacteria (also known as H. pylori), though it is also conceded that not everyone with this particular type of bacteria experiences peptic ulcers. Other known causes of peptic ulcers include drinking excessive amounts of alcohol and excessive use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicines (such as aspirin and ibuprofen).
Peptic ulcers are reported as being a complaint of one out of every ten people in America, and those that suffer from this condition report feeling abdominal pain, experiencing burning sensations in the stomach and esophagus (like with acid reflux disease), nausea, pain in the chest, internal bleeding, fatigue, and even hunger soon after eating.
In the West, peptic ulcers are typically treated with an aggressive regimen of medications, including various antibiotics to kill the H. pylori bacteria as well as other medicines that reduce the level of acidity in the stomach. Peptic ulcers that erode away not just the inner lining but a hole through the entire stomach or small intestine are known as perforations, and surgery is recommended by Western practitioners both for these occurrences and those that lead to bleeding.
How Does Ayurveda View Peptic Ulcers?
Interestingly, the Western model of medicine has moved away from stress, spicy foods, and other behavioral factors as the cause of peptic ulcers and instead cites H. pylori as the cause of most occurrences. However, the Ayurvedic view has traditionally recognized the aforementioned behaviors as the main reason why peptic ulcers take place. In this sense, Ayurveda teaches us that acidity and heat are creating the negative bacteria, and though this could be good, the stress and problematic dietary choices are changing the nature of the beneficial bacteria to be more acidic and therefore cause them to cut into the lining of the stomach and intestines. This explanation in turn offers a reason why some people can be infected with H. pylori and not get ulcers, and others can.
Those who have a significant Vata imbalance will experience stress in the form of excessive amounts of anxiety. These people will feel pain in the abdomen and are likely to also experience Vata-related symptoms such as constipation and insomnia.
Those who have a significant Pitta imbalance will experience stress in the form of excessive amounts of anger and irritability. Instead of pain, these people will feel burning sensations in the abdomen much like one might feel with hyperacidity. They are likely to also experience Pitta-related symptoms such as excessive thirst and profuse sweating.
Those with significant Kapha imbalances are unlikely to get peptic ulcers as the nature of Kapha is lubricating and thick, which lines the stomach.
How Does Ayurveda Treat Peptic Ulcers?
The basic intention of an Ayurvedic practitioner who is treating a patient’s peptic ulcer is to ease digestion through a bland diet and to have the patient adhere to a dosha-balancing lifestyle. If the patient is experiencing Vata-like symptoms, they must partake in a Vata-balancing diet and make use of Vata-balancing herbs and other therapies. If the patient is experiencing Pitta-like symptoms, they must partake in a Pitta-balancing diet and make use of Pitta-balancing herbs and other therapies.
As many ulcers are caused by stress and emotions coming from the mind into the body, many of the unhealthy thoughts and sensory reactions need to be eliminated. One needs to move some of his or her attention toward more balanced work and relationships to get relief from this issue. Ulcers only appear when the body no longer can digest the excess food and thoughts it is being fed. It is also recommended that the sufferer of a peptic ulcer follow a lifestyle similar to that of a person suffering from hyperacidity.
Lifestyle Changes for Peptic Ulcers
When we neglect to establish the root cause of one illness, it can turn into another, stronger illness in the future. The first step in resolving a specific ailment or disease in the body is to assess the nature of our lifestyle and make general modifications. Living our day-to-day life with a deliberate intention to improve our health will help us to both resolve the disease we are suffering from and prevent further incidence of it and other diseases in the future. The following lifestyle changes are to be practiced for all peptic ulcer sufferers as well as in response to Vata or Pitta imbalances specifically:
General
- Follow a bland diet with foods that are easy to digest such as cooked vegetables, white basmati rice, and ghee.
- Follow a milk fast for one day a week. Have one cup of heated whole cow’s milk three times throughout the day with no other food consumed.
- Take a tablespoon of aloe vera gel 2 to 3 times a day.
- Boil basmati rice for twenty minutes in twice as much water as is usually needed and take a half-cup of the rice water three to four times a day. This is a great source of healing for the stomach.
- If hungry, eat half a cup of the over cooked rice with a teaspoon of ghee two times a day.
- Boil a teaspoon of coriander seeds for fifteen minutes and drink a half cup of the water two times a day.
- Avoid eating spicy, hot, sour, and greasy foods.
- Avoid using too many hot spices and other foods that aggravate ulcers such as garlic, hot peppers, onions, pickles, bananas, vinegar, and salt.
- Avoid smoking and drinking alcohol or coffee.
Vata
- Massage the head with heated sesame or almond oil.
- Apply ghee to foods and mix it with a pinch of ginger, licorice, black salt, and/or triphala.
- Create more stillness through the practicing of calming yoga postures.
- Enlist the help of an Ayurvedic practitioner to administer oil enemas and other treatments so as to stimulate the functionality of the colon.
- Avoid caffeine and other stimulants.
- Avoid dry foods such as chips, cold cereals, cookies, crackers, granola, and nutrition bars.
- Avoid suppressing the natural urge to move bowels, sneeze, cough, and other functions of the body.
- Avoid rapid movements and sit quietly for some time throughout the day.
- Avoid long conversations or having quick, rapid thoughts.
- Avoid being in the wind.
- Avoid sleeping late.
- Avoid air-conditioned places.
- Spend time in nature, especially when in a warm climate.
- Avoid the use of too much technology, which dries the body up.
Pitta
- Take walks by the water, work in a garden, and conduct other peaceful activities that place you in nature.
- Avoid overexertion in physical activities such as exercise and manual labor.
- Avoid emotional, heated, and passionate conversations.
- Avoid hot foods and favor colder foods and drinks (but not frozen or served with ice).
- Avoid frequent and excessive amounts of eating.
- Avoid eating fewer than three or four hours before going to bed.
- Avoid too many selfish and self-indulgent thoughts.
- Avoid rapid movements and aggressive exercise.
- Avoid the hot sun and letting it shine directly on the head and body.
- Do not sleep too much to the point you still feel tired.
- Avoid talking too much, and especially avoid heated arguments or discussions.
- Avoid overworking and exhausting yourself.
- Avoid worry, stressful situations, or people that lead to feeling depression or anxiety.
- Avoid overcrowding, loud people, and loud places. This will lead to agitation.
Better Foods For Peptic Ulcers
Ayurveda teaches us that disease and sickness are derived from poor digestion and inappropriate food choices. We then have the opportunity to make deliberate and more conscious decisions as to what foods we do and do not put in our body which increases the chance of resolving the body’s imbalance.
Food needs to be in season, in moderate combinations of one or two food groups, not too hot or cold, in a modest enough quantity to allow for room in the stomach later, consumed without too much liquid which hinders digestive power, and should be fresh and not left over for more than a few hours. The following foods can help to balance whichever dosha is triggering the peptic ulcers:
Ghee
Milk
Berries
Figs(Fresh)
Apricots
Peaches
Plums
Carrots
Beets
Zucchini
Sweet potatoes
Asparagus
Whole wheat (unbleached)
Rice (white basmati)
Mung beans
Milk
Ghee
Salad
Legumes (not lentils)
Apples
Pears
Mangoes
Pomegranates
Asparagus
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cauliflower
Barley
Oats (cooked)
Rice (white basmati)
Coconut oil
Olive oil
Foods To AVOID In Response To Peptic Ulcers
While some foods can help to balance an aggravated dosha, other foods can cause further imbalance. Dry and cold foods as well as pungent, bitter and astringent tastes will dry out the body and aggravate the Vata dosha. Sour, salty and pungent tastes as well as spicy foods will add more heat to the body and aggravate the Pitta dosha.Sweet, sour and salty tasting foods will add heaviness to the body and aggravate the Kapha dosha.
General
Garlic
Onions
Bananas
Pickles
Vinegar
Salt
Apples
Pears
Watermelon
Cauliflower
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Celery
Eggplant
Corn
Oats (dry)
Barley
Raw and cold foods
Most legumes including green lentils and garbanzo beans
Grapefruit
Cherries
Pineapple
Tomatoes
Carrots
Spinach
Rice (brown)
Corn
Nuts
Lentils
Corn oil
Almond oil
Spicy foods
Sour foods (like yogurt and sour cream)
Cold foods like ice cream and smoothies
Meat
Beverages For Peptic Ulcers
Generally, Ayurveda discourages the consumption of too many cold beverages, as doing so hinders the strength of the body’s digestive fire. Instead, favors room temperature or hot beverages to encourage the strength of the digestive fire.
- Hot water, especially during meals and first thing in the morning.
- Warm milk, with ghee melted into it after it has been heated.
- Herbal teas of licorice, shatavari, and aloe gel.
- Mix a pinch of baking soda with warm water and the juice of half a lemon to neutralize acid.
- Avoid cold beverages with ice.
- Avoid fizzy drinks including sodas.
- Avoid alcohol, coffee, and black tea.
Herbs For Peptic Ulcers
Herbs are used in the Ayurvedic system much like Western medicine utilizes drugs and vitamins and can be taken like tea 2 to 3 times a day. Herbs aid in the digestion of food, the breakdown and elimination of toxins, and help to strengthen the cellular structure of our system for greater vitality. Herbs become more potent once mixed with other herbs of similar properties. Mix together 2 to 4 different herbs from the below list by adding a quarter to a half teaspoon full of each, for a total of 1 teaspoon. Drink these in half cup of hot water.
- Licorice
- Shatavari
- Aloe gel
- Turmeric
- Bitter chamomile
- Sandalwood
- Slippery Elm
- Yellow Dock
- Chirayata
- Shankh bhasma
Yoga Postures For Peptic Ulcers
When applied therapeutically to specific ailments, yoga postures provide an opportunity to strengthen the body, rid it of toxic matter, and restore balance. The postures included in this section can be practiced as part of a more general sequence or can be focused on in short sessions. When first exploring yoga postures, it is best to only practice them for twenty minutes or so per day and buildup from there once the body becomes more flexible.
Camel
Bridge
Plough
Shoulder stand
Knee to chest
Corpse
Easy seat
Tree
Legs up the wall
Knee to chest
Child’s pose
Corpse
Seated Forward Bend
Vata
Pitta
Aromatherapy For Peptic Ulcers
Aromatherapy utilizes the fragrances of essential oils when applied to the skin. Essential oils can burn the skin and therefore must be diluted with a base oil such as sesame, coconut, sunflower, canola, or mustard oil. Mix 1 fluid ounce of base oil with about 12 drops of essential oil before applying to skin. You can also just mix 5 drops of base oil to one drop of essential oil if using on one spot.
Vata-based peptic ulcers can be treated with basil, camphor, cedar, eucalyptus, frankincense, ginger, lavender, lily, lotus, musk, myrrh, patchouli, sandalwood, or cinnamon oil.
- Use a sesame oil base.
- Apply oil on the forehead or on the back of the neck.
Pitta-based peptic ulcers can be treated with sandalwood, tea tree, rose, honeysuckle, gardenia, lily, iris, mint, lavender, lotus, nutmeg, cardamom, cloves, or fennel oil.
- Use a coconut or sunflower oil base.
- Apply oil on the skin near the center of the chest.
Mantra Therapy For Peptic Ulcers
Ayurvedic tradition suggests that repeating certain words or sounds can help a person suffering from an ailment to restore subtle balance to nerve tissue and enhance one’s mental clarity. Different sounds are prescribed to either repeat mentally or chant outwardly. These sounds are also used and repeated in the mind for the purpose of spiritual growth.
For Vata-related peptic ulcers, repeat the syllable “Ram” (pronounced rahm)for several minutes a few times a day and build more practice over time.
As a Vata-related disorder, it is helpful to inwardly repeat this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
For Pitta-related peptic ulcers, repeat the syllable “Aum” (pronounced ohm) for several minutes a few times a day and build more practice over time.
As a Pitta-related disorder, it is helpful to sometimes outwardly chant and other times internally repeat this syllable for the duration of time it is practiced.
Breathing Practices For Peptic Ulcers
Controlling the breath is a central practice toward developing peace and stillness in the mind and body. When the breath is under our control, we are no longer at the mercy of the senses that are stimulated by everything and lead to greater fluctuations of the mind. When applied to the context of resolving specific ailments, the breath is used as a tool for developing lung capacity, heating and cooling the body and resolving mental afflictions like anxiety and stress.
General
Vata
Pitta