I don’t know much about medical statistics. I can, however, confidently say that stomach ulcers are one of the most common ailments in the society I live in. I may not be able to say the same for other societies. I know you’re asking, why?
Over the past three years or so, I’ve found myself talking about stomach ulcers quite often, largely because of my own fair share of the ailment. Each time I join such discussions, either the person(s) I’m talking to also suffer or have suffered from ulcers, or they know someone who has. This largely explains why I believe ulcers are, arguably, one of the most common ailments around here.
Whenever ulcers come up in conversation, one thing is always guaranteed to follow — potential cures. If I had used all the herbs and drugs recommended to me over time, there’s a high probability I’d have ended up with kidney or liver problems. In other words, countless herbs and substances have been suggested as the ultimate cure for ulcers. Only a handful have any scientific backing, and even those are far from conclusive.
This simply means that a large percentage of the so-called ulcer cures being circulated are anecdotal in effectiveness. Perhaps they worked for some people, but none of them worked in my own case. I eventually stopped experimenting when I realized I might be doing my liver and/or kidneys serious harm by trying every suggested remedy.
By https://www.myupchar.com/en - https://www.myupchar.com/en/disease/peptic-ulcer, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=82884147
So, for the past three years, I’ve been living through varying levels of pain, with intermittent relief from either conventional drugs or non-conventional remedies. The most recent episode saw me rushed to the hospital, where I was promptly given an omeprazole injection along with antibiotics. The doctor also had a frank conversation with me about what I needed to stay away from.
It eventually dawned on me that there was no way I could be totally cured of this ailment unless I stayed away from what triggers my crises. I’ve tried my best to avoid some triggers, though I couldn’t avoid all — fried plantain, for instance. Ironically, it was fried plantain that landed me in the hospital that last time.
I then made a firm resolution to stay away from anything and everything that triggers pain in my belly. After all, the key to living long lies in discipline across all aspects of life. Interestingly, I feel much better now and, for the first time in three years, I can say it seems like my ulcer is finally healing for good.
It’s been a while since I felt any severe pain. The mild discomfort I still notice keeps improving day by day. Out of numerous conventional drugs and hundreds of homemade remedies and herbs, staying away from triggers appears to be the best option. To me, this is the only truly reliable key to tackling stomach ulcers. If you can keep your wounds completely away from further injury, your body should naturally heal itself through cell division.
But if you keep hitting a wounded toe against rocks, it’s obvious it won’t heal. In the same way, the key to managing stomach ulcers is avoiding triggers as much as possible. It can succeed where hundreds of drugs fail. This isn’t to dismiss the value of proper medication — I encourage ulcer patients to use relevant drugs, but only alongside strict trigger avoidance. Without avoiding triggers, using drugs for stomach ulcers is largely an effort in futility.
What do you think?