Currently viewing the tag: "small intestine"

Ask Dr. Lo: Peptic Ulcers AKA Stomach or Duodenal Ulcers

By On · Add Comment · In Columns

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center

 A peptic ulcer is a sore on the lining of your stomach or duodenum (the first part of the small intestine immediately beyond the stomach). Peptic ulcers are also called stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers, or peptic ulcer disease.

Researchers estimate about 1-6 percent of people in the United States have peptic ulcers.

What Causes Ulcers?

People are more likely to develop peptic ulcers if they are infected with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), which may spread from person to person through contact with an infected person’s vomit, stool, or saliva.

People who are taking nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin, ibuprofen, and naproxen, are also more likely to develop ulcers.

NSAIDs relieve pain, but they also make the stomach lining more prone to damage and ulcers. You have a higher chance of developing a peptic ulcer due to the NSAIDs you take, and the chance goes higher if you take them over a prolonged amount of time, take high doses of them, if you take them along with other medicines that increase the risk for ulcers, and if you are already infected with H. pylori.

Those are the two most common causes of peptic ulcers. Other reasons can be if you are an older adult or someone who smokes. 

Other possible reasons are infections caused by certain viruses; fungi or bacteria other than H. pylori; medicines that increase the risk of developing ulcers, including corticosteroids; medicines used to treat low bone mass; and some antidepressants, especially when you take these medicines with NSAIDs, and if you have surgical or medical procedures that affect the stomach or duodenum.

What Are the Complications of Peptic Ulcers?

Peptic ulcers can lead to complications such as bleeding in your stomach or duodenum, a perforation, or hole, in the wall of your stomach or duodenum, which can lead to peritonitis (an infection of the lining of the abdominal cavity); the ulcer may also penetrate through the stomach or duodenum and into another nearby organ.

Symptoms

Peptic ulcers may cause symptoms of indigestion, pain or discomfort in the upper part of your abdomen (anywhere between your belly button and breastbone), feeling full too soon while eating a meal, feeling uncomfortably full after eating a meal, nausea, vomiting, bloating, and belching.

Abdominal pain is the most common symptom of a peptic ulcer. The pain may be dull or burning and may come and go over time. For some people, the pain may occur when the stomach is empty or at night, and it may go away for a short time after they eat. For other people, eating may make the pain worse. In addition, many people who have peptic ulcers do not develop any symptoms until an ulcer leads to complications.

Some known complications could be black or tarry stool, or red/maroon blood mixed with your stool; red blood in your vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds; sudden, sharp, or severe abdominal pain that doesn’t go away; feeling dizzy or fainting; a rapid pulse; or other symptoms of shock.

Natural strategies for support

While stomach and duodenal ulcers can be quite a challenge to live with, the good news is that, overtime, sometimes you can help them heal naturally. The following are some nutrients and compounds to use to support the healing process. While these are not FDA approved to prevent, mitigate, treat, or cure ulcers, some people have seen results by applying these strategies.

Liquid Nutrition & Fasting

Fasting and liquid nutrition can be critical in the healing process.

Eating solid foods cause wear and tear and may hinder ulcers from healing. Liquid nutrition in the form of smoothies, broth, juices, and so forth, can provide key nutrients to support healing without the irritation.

Using liquid nutrition in the form of smoothies, protein shakes, bone broth, and juices will gently stimulate the digestive process. 

Intermittent Fasting can be a great starting point for reducing stress on the gut. Intermittent fasting is going for longer periods of time without eating, which naturally confines eating to a smaller window of time. It allows your gut to heal while reducing inflammation.

Reduce Stress

When the body is under stress, digestion is not prioritized. This results in under-production of stomach acid and enzymes. Digestive juices provide a protective role in sterilizing the food we eat, which maintains the optional balance in the microbiome.

Eating while chronically stressed slows down bowel motility, causing food to remain in the small intestines and the colon longer than necessary. This promotes bacterial growth and inflammation. The overgrowth of bacteria then produces toxins that enter the bloodstream, which causes more inflammation throughout the body.

Treat H Pylori

H pylori is an opportunistic bacterium that will infect and spread rapidly in people with a compromised immune system. Although this bacterium is natural and beneficial in small amounts, it can be very dangerous when allowed to propagate without control.

The secretion of mucus protects the stomach lining from irritation by food and microorganisms. H. pylori reduces the stomach’s ability to produce mucus and irritates the stomach lining. Inflammation is created and irritation becomes so severe that pain receptors fire off. This is how stomach ulcers are formed.

Ginger

Ginger is frequently used to improve the digestive process. Nine different substances have been found within ginger that stimulates serotonin receptors in the gut, which provides enhanced benefits to the gastrointestinal system.  

The stimulation of these serotonin receptors enhances bowel motility and helps to reduce gut-related inflammation. Additionally, ginger has powerful anti-nausea benefits, which is very helpful for individuals with stomach ulcers, as nausea is a very common complaint.

Ginger has also been found to have a gastro-protective effect because it balances digestive juices, improves digestive function, and suppresses H. pylori.

Turmeric

Turmeric appears to have immense therapeutic ability, especially in preventing damage from H. pylori infections. It may also increase mucus secretion, protecting the stomach lining against irritants. As a supplement, curcumin is considered turmeric’s active compound, and it has been shown to help protect the stomach lining and aid in the healing of ulcers.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C plays a key role in healing and protection of the gastric mucosa from injury. The lower the levels of vitamin C in the blood, the more likely you are to be infected with H. pylori.

Vitamin C deficiency has been repeatedly linked with peptic ulcer disease and gastric cancer. Vitamin C plays a key role in protecting and healing the stomach and intestinal mucosa.

If you are struggling with health issues, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650 for a free consultation. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health.

The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107, Frederick, MD. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.

*Source: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK); Draxe.com.

Ask Dr. Lo – What in the World is Gastroparesis

By On · Add Comment · In Columns

by Dr. Thomas K. Lo, Advanced Chiropractic

Gastroparesis, also called delayed gastric emptying, is a disorder that slows or stops the movement of food from your stomach to your small intestine. Normally, after you swallow food, the muscles in the wall of your stomach push the food into the small intestine to continue digestion. When you have gastroparesis, your stomach muscles work poorly or not at all, and your stomach takes too long to empty its contents. Gastroparesis can delay digestion, which can lead to various symptoms and complications.

Who is more likely to get gastroparesis?

You are more likely to get gastroparesis if you have diabetes, have had certain cancer treatments like radiation therapy on your chest or stomach area, or if you have had surgery on your esophagus, stomach, or small intestine, which may injure the vagus nerve. Diabetes can also damage the vagus nerve, and nerves and special cells, called pacemaker cells, in the wall of the stomach. The vagus nerve controls the muscles of the stomach and small intestine. If the vagus nerve is damaged, or stops working, the muscles of the stomach and small intestine do not work normally. The movement of food through the digestive tract is then slowed or stopped. Gastropareses can also show up in people with scleroderma, hypothyroidism, nervous system disorders (such as migraine), Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, as well as in people with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), eating disorders, and amyloidosis.

What populations are the most affected?

Gastroparesis does demonstrate a gender bias, affecting more women than men. Approximately 80 percent of idiopathic cases are women (a disease or condition which arises spontaneously or for which the cause is unknown). The prevalence of delayed gastric emptying in Type 1 diabetics has been reported to be 50 percent and in Type 2 diabetics, reports range from 30 percent to 50 percent. Post-surgical gastroparesis is recognized as inadvertent vagal nerve damage or entrapments following upper abdominal surgery; examples are fundoplication for the treatment of GERD, bariatric surgery, peptic ulcer surgery, anterior approach for spinal surgery (scoliosis), heart and lung transplant, or pancreatic surgery.

What are some of the symptoms, causes, and complications?

The symptoms of gastroparesis may include feeling full soon after starting a meal, feeling full long after eating a meal, nausea, vomiting, as well as excessive bloating and belching, pain in your upper abdomen, heartburn, and poor appetite. 

More severe symptoms include pain or cramping in your abdomen; blood glucose levels that are too high or too low; red blood in your vomit or vomit that looks like coffee grounds; sudden, sharp stomach pains that don’t go away; feeling extremely weak or fainting; and difficulty breathing. If you are dehydrated, have extreme thirst and dry mouth, are urinating less than usual, feel tired, have dark-colored urine, have sunken eyes or cheeks, light-headedness or fainting, malnourished, losing weight without trying, loss of appetite, and abnormal paleness of the skin.

Certain medicines may also contribute to delayed gastric emptying or affect motility, resulting in symptoms that are similar to those of gastroparesis. These medicines may make your symptoms worse: narcotic pain medicines, some anti-depressants (such as amitriptyline, nortriptyline, and venlafaxine), some medicines that block certain nerve signals, and some medicines used to treat overactive bladder.

Some of the complications of gastroparesis may include food that stays in the stomach too long and ferments, which can lead to the growth of bad bacteria. Food in the stomach can also harden into a solid collection, called a bezoar. Bezoars can cause obstructions in the stomach that keep food from passing into the small intestine. People who have both diabetes and gastroparesis may have more difficulty since blood sugar levels rise when food finally leaves the stomach and enters the small intestine, making blood sugar control more of a challenge.

Can gastroparesis be diagnosed?

Some ways to diagnose gastroparesis can be with physical exams, identifying your symptoms, and certain medical tests. It is important to go over the details of your current symptoms and medicines, as well as current and past health problems such as diabetes, scleroderma, nervous system disorders, and hypothyroidism.

Be sure to inform your practitioner about all prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines, and dietary supplements you are taking; whether you have had surgery on your esophagus, stomach, or small intestine; whether you have had radiation therapy on your chest or stomach area; and if you have been diagnosed with any health issues such as diabetes, hypothyroidism, and so forth.

Can gastroparesis be treated?

Treatment of gastroparesis depends on the cause, how severe your symptoms and complications are, and how well you respond to the different treatments. Sometimes, treating the cause may stop gastroparesis. If diabetes is causing your gastroparesis, then controlling your blood glucose levels may help. When the cause is unknown, then the focus is on relieving symptoms and treating complications.

Changing your eating habits can also help control gastroparesis. Getting the right amount of nutrients, calories, and liquids will treat the disorder’s two main complications: malnutrition and dehydration.

Emphasis is also placed on helping the muscles in the wall of your stomach work better,  controlling the nausea and vomiting, and reducing the pain.

How important is controlling blood glucose levels?

If you have gastroparesis and diabetes, you will need to control your blood glucose levels, especially hyperglycemia. Hyperglycemia may further delay the emptying of food from your stomach. It is very important to make sure your blood glucose levels are not too high or too low and do not keep going up or down, so stabilizing them is important. You can prevent or delay nerve damage that can cause gastroparesis by keeping your blood glucose levels within the target range. Meal planning and physical activity are ways to help you keep your blood glucose levels within your target range.

If you struggle with health issues and would like a free screening, call the Advanced Chiropractic & Nutritional Healing Center at 240-651-1650. Dr. Lo uses Nutritional Response Testing® to analyze the body to determine the underlying causes of ill or non-optimum health. We also offer free seminars, held at the office on rotating Tuesdays and Thursdays. The office is located at 7310 Grove Road #107, Frederick, MD. Check out the website at www.doctorlo.com.