Stomach Ulcers

Steve has an ulcer and has had one for the better part of a year. I am keeping a running record of his treatment and condition - our own little trial study. Our plan of action is a herbal regimen for 30 days. If results do not show improvement will revert to western modern medical chemical drug compound treatments. 30 Day Herbal Trial Subject: UberGeek Age: 34 years old Gender: Male Race: white male of Finnish, Chek and Polish descent Height: 6'1" Weight: 140 - 150 Occupation: Chief Software Architect/Gov't Contractor Stress Level: High Onset of Symtoms: approx 1 yr ago Treatments to date: None Country of Residence: USA Alcohol Consumption: infrequent, beer or wine with supper Drugs Abuse: None Cigarette Smoking: 1 pack a day Immunological Status: Normal Diet: At times poor. Improved in the past 5 months Other: Massive Coffee Drinker, Worry Wart Symptoms: Weight Loss, Appetite Loss, Nausea, Tightness in Chest, Right side lower chest pain, General Stomach Discomfort, Heartburn/acid refluxthere; no show of blood either in stool nor stomach contents, no vomiting or other extreme symptoms. Course of Action: - Eliminate: Coffee, Normal Tea, Carbonated Beverages, Sugar, Alcohol, Aspirin, foods that cause discomfort. - Monitor Stress: counteract with balanced meals, small and frequent; stress formula vitamin; encourage exercise such as walking daily; keep home as stress free as possible. - High Fiber Diet: limit animal protein consumption to 5%; fresh fruits and vegetables, including juices; Apple, Celery, Cranberry, Onions to aid in preventing growth of H. pylori. - Sulfer Rich Diet: Raw foods that provide high antioxidants that protect the lining of the stomach and restrict the growth of H. pylori: Garlic, Onions, Cabbage, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Broccoli Sprouts, Cauliflower, Prunes, Wheatgrass. - Water: Only between meals not with meals. Minimum 8 glasses a day. - Manuka Honey: Honey containing antibacterials found only in New Zealand that kills the H. pylori bacteria that causes 90% of US peptic ulcers. - Herbal Regimen: DGL Licorice Root: (Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root) 250 - 500 mg 3x/day - 15 min before meals and one to two hours after the last meal of the day. - Its most consistent and important uses are as a demulcent (soothing, coating agent) in the digestive and urinary tracts. According to test tube studies, glycyrrhizin has anti-inflammatory actions and may inhibit the breakdown of the cortisol produced by the body. Licorice may also have antiviral properties, although this has not been proven in human pharmacological studies. Licorice flavonoids, as well as the closely related chalcones, help heal digestive tract cells. They are also potent antioxidants and work to protect liver cells. In test tubes, the flavonoids have been shown to kill Helicobacter pylori, the bacteria that causes most ulcers and stomach inflammation. - Licorice products that include glycyrrhizin may increase blood pressure and cause water retention. Some people are more sensitive to this effect than others. Long-term intake (more than two to three weeks) of products containing more than 1 gram of glycyrrhizin (the amount in approximately 10 grams of root) daily is the usual amount required to cause these effects. Consumption of 7 grams licorice (containing 500 mg glycyrrhizin) per day for seven days has been shown to decrease serum testosterone levels in healthy men by blocking the enzymes needed to synthesize testosterone. - De-glycyrrhizinated licorice extracts do NOT cause these side effects since they contain no glycyrrhizin. Cranberry Extract Concentrate: 1000 mg 2x/day - Concentrate contains natural acids (including quinic acid and benzoic acids plus bacteriostatic substances) that appear to kill the bacteria normally responsible for infections in the urinary tract. Helps restore normal acid balance for optimum urinary system functioning. Promotes healing of the digestive tract. - Concentrated Cranberry is a 19:1 ratio meaning 1 capsule is the same as drinking 19 glasses of cranberry juice. Glutamin: in the form of Raw Cabbage - drinking 1 quart fresh cabbage juice daily (must be drank within minutes of juicing to ensure essential amino acids do not begin to breakdown) and/or 1 - 2 cups fresh cabbage in salads for glutamin and roughage. - Promotes Digestive Healing. VERY high in glutamin. Vitamin C Crystals with Rose hips: 2000 mg 1x/day. - Promotes healing, changes the acidity of the stomach, decreases nitrosamines in the stomach which are linked to H. pylori and stomach cancer. Vitamin E: 200 IU 2x/day - Promotes healing. Goldenseal: 200mg 2x/day - Natural antibiotic properties. Helps to strengthen the effects of the other herbals. Herbal Tea: Taken with meals - Peppermint Tea, Chamonile Tea, Lemon Balm Tea: promotes good digestive health and helps to sooth the stomach discomfort. Wheatgrass: Working up to 4 oz/day - Wheatgrass Juice is one of the best sources of living chlorophyll available. - Chlorophyll is the first product of light and, therefore, contains more light energy than any other element. - Wheatgrass juice is a crude chlorophyll and can be taken orally and as a colon implant without toxic side effects. - Chlorophyll is the basis of all plant life. - Wheatgrass is high in oxygen like all green plants that contain chlorophyll. The brain and all body tissues function at an optimal level in a highly-oxygenated environment. - Chlorophyll is anti-bacterial and can be used inside and outside the body as a healer. - Science has proven that chlorophyll arrests growth and development of unfriendly bacteria. Famotidine [brand name: Pepcid]: for relief of gastric discomforts - 14 days only. - very nice tolerability profile and no clinically significant drug interactions, this medicine is effective in recommended dosages. Should the herbal regimen not be successful, considering Prilosec in prescription form. Daily Dosage Regimen: Morning (5:30 am): 1/2 tsp Vit C crystals in Juice or Water; 1 Goldenseal capsule, 1 Cranberry capsule, 1 DGL Licorice Root Capsule, 1 Vit E capsule, 1 stress formula Vitamin (contains recommended doseage of Zinc/day to promotes healing of stomach tissue), 1 pepsid. Noon: 1 DGL Licorice Root capsule; 1 serving raw cabbage - usually salad form with other vegetables listed herein. Night: 1 DGL Licorice Root capsule; 1 Vit. E capsule, 1 Cranberry capsule, 1 glass herbal tea with Manuka Honey; 2 prunes April 25 - night, took pepsid, dramatic decrease in symptoms. April 26- same as day before - few rough spots in the day April 27 - research on herbal ulcer treatments, pepsid switched to morning BEFORE going to work April 28 - further research on herbal treatments, purchased DGL Licorice Root to go along with other herbal supplements. April 29 - purchased juicer, manuka honey April 30 - change in eating habits, small meals throughout the day - muffins without white flour for mid morning snack with juice with Vit C crystals; lunch, no more salty soups instead small whole grain sandwich with sprouts and spinach and 1 cup cabbage salad, he is keeping track of bowel habits, level of discomfort, and general health. Looking at purchasing wheatgrass seed for juice instead of capsule form. Spring is here, seems more economical to grow alfalfa sprouts, broccoli sprouts and wheatgrass than to buy them in the markets. We'll see what happens - our little garden is already growing at an atronomical rate lol where will we put them?. Breville JE900 Juice Fountain Professional Juice Extractor is the juicer we bought. We did not get it from Amazon.com. I looked around and found it cheaper elsewhere but Amazon gives a better description of the machine with reviews from real customers who use it. Further searching I found the ACTIVE Manuka Honey at 1/2 the price most places wanted for it. Some herbals we purchased at GNC and some online, depends on where I found the best prices. Something I found interesting in my research. H. pylori is often in many people's gastric contents, some develop ulcers, some don't. Research indicates it is often contracted very early in youth and it is later that it causes the gastro-intestinal type ulcers. People who have H. pylori and test positive for it in saliva it is possible to transmit the bacteria to others thru oral means.