In the old days the accepted wisdom was that stomach ulcers were caused by excess stomach acid induced by stress, but we know the truth: most stomach ulcers (also known as peptic ulcers) are caused by a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori that's passed down to infants through families.
Certainly stress can make an ulcer worse, but the bacterium is the root of th problem. Around 30 percent of us have Helicobacter pylori living in the mucous lining of our stomachs, but most of us don't have the symptoms. Of the 30 percent infected, around 10 percent of those will develop an ulcer in the stomach.
7 Symptoms of a peptic ulcer can be:
-Abdominal pain, classically epigastric with severity relating to mealtimes (duodenal ulcers are classically relieved by food, while gastric ulcers are exacerbated by it);
-Bloating and abdominal fullness
-Waterbrash (bitter regurgitation)
-Nausea, and sometimes vomiting
-Loss of appetite and weight loss
-Hematemesis (vomiting of blood)
-Melena (tarry, foul-smelling feces due to oxidized iron from hemoglobin)
Rarely, an ulcer can lead to a gastric or duodenal perforation. This is extremely painful and requires immediate surgery.
One way to treat ulcers is to get rid of the H. pylori bacteria. Treatment may also be aimed at lowering the amount of acid that your stomach makes, neutralizing the acid and protecting the injured area so it can heal. It's also very important to stop doing things, such as smoking and drinking alcohol, that damage the lining of your digestive tract.
Helicobacter pylori peptic ulcers are treated with drugs that kill the bacteria, reduce stomach acid, and protect the stomach lining. Antibiotics are used to kill the bacteria. Two types of acid-suppressing drugs might be used: H2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors.
Growth Factors in colostrum help the immune system to function properly and heal the gut and protect the gut from disease. Colostrum stimulates the growth of new blood vessels and contributes to tissue development and wound healing. The platelet-derived growth in colostrum will be involved in the healing of vascular wounds. It is released in conjunction with blood clotting during the healing process.
In addition, the trypsin inhibitors and other protease inhibitors prevent the ulcer Helicobacter pylori, from attaching to the walls of the stomach. In this way, they are instrumental in the healing of peptic ulcers.
