Want more iVillage? Sign up for our
Newsletters
Peptic Ulcer Disease - Home Treatment
SYMPTOMS & TREATMENTS
If you are being treated for a peptic ulcer, your doctor will likely prescribe medicines and encourage you to try some home treatment methods. To stop symptoms and help an ulcer heal, you can:
- Stop smoking.
- Try nonprescription medicines that reduce acid production. Make sure you tell your doctor about any medicines you are taking.
- Make changes to your diet, such as eating smaller, more frequent meals. These changes may improve your symptoms, but they will not help your ulcer heal.
- Drink alcohol only in moderation, or avoid drinking alcohol. Limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day for men and 1 drink a day for women. Drinking too much alcohol may make an ulcer heal more slowly and may make your symptoms worse.
Many people who have mild symptoms that could be caused by a peptic ulcer first try home treatment for a short time without seeing a doctor. But if you have ulcer symptoms that do not improve after 10 to 14 days of home treatment, or if you have other symptoms such as weight loss, nausea after eating, or consistent pain, it is be sure to see your doctor to make certain you have an ulcer and not some other more serious illness. This is even more important if you are middle-aged or older, because the risk for cancer or other illnesses that cause symptoms similar to peptic ulcer disease increases with age.
Medicines are usually a very effective treatment for ulcers. The bland diets that in the past were part of ulcer treatment are no longer required. This means people with peptic ulcers do not have to drink lots of milk or avoid spicy foods.
| By: | Healthwise Staff | Last Revised: February 24, 2010 |
| Medical Review: | Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology | |
© 1995-2011 Healthwise, Incorporated. Healthwise, Healthwise for every health decision, and the Healthwise logo are trademarks of Healthwise, Incorporated. This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. How this information was developed to help you make better health decisions.
Welcome to Care Circle, an exclusive tool to help you take care of yourself and your loved ones. Here's how it works:
- Create profiles for yourself and your loved ones.
- Select the topics and conditions that interest each of you.
- Get customized news updates, original content, tools, and expert advice for each Care Circle member delivered directly to your personalized homepage.
The information you input is strictly private; you choose who has access to your Care Circle.
How do I add myself or someone else to my care circle?
Click on "Add someone." Fill out the short profile. Choose an avatar. Select the topics and conditions that interest this person from the pulldown menu. You can select as many as you want, but you must choose at least one. Click on "Add Someone" again. You should start getting updates immediately.
How do I save content to my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab of the person for whom you're saving content. Put your cursor over the piece of content that you want to save; a disk icon will appear in the righthand corner. Click on the disk and the piece of content will be moved to a save folder.
How do I add additional topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Add More to Follow," select additional topics and conditions.
How do I delete topics and conditions for someone in my Care Circle?
Click on "Manage My Care Circle." Select the tab for the person whose preferences you'd like to update. Under "Follows," scroll over the topic or condition you want to delete. An "X" should appear on the righthand side. Click on the "X" and the topic or condition will be deleted from the list.
To manage your Care Circle, Please
Sign In.
from
- Facebook is now fueling organ donations
- Military women and suicide: Home safe but not sound
- Still in gear: Injuries don’t stop veterans on 100-day bike trek
- Ask Jenna: I've hit a weight loss plateau. What do I do?
- He poses in a tutu to laugh in face of wife's cancer
- After chemo hair loss, 'henna crowns' help heal
The iVillage Network