How to detect ulcers: Self-diagnosis and home treatment methods for stomach pain

How to detect ulcers

If you experience abdominal pain on an empty stomach or two hours after eating, and you're worried you might have an ulcer, this is a normal reaction. In fact, your doctor might have the same thought. Why? Because your symptoms match the descriptions of ulcers in traditional medical texts.

My patients and I often worry about ulcers. But in reality, only about a quarter of patients with the symptoms described above actually have ulcers. Most others have problems with indigestion or gastritis. Indigestion isn't a disease, while gastritis is related to an empty stomach.

When a patient tells me that he often has stomach pains when he's hungry, I usually ask him the following questions:

Will taking antacids or eating relieve the pain? Ulcers are particularly painful when exposed to stomach acid. Both food and antacids can eliminate stomach acid and relieve pain, so if a patient agrees with this, they may have an ulcer. However, it's important to remember that antacids and food have the same effect on indigestion and gastritis, so it's not accurate to conclude from this alone.

• Do all foods worsen the condition? Most patients tell me that fruit juice or spicy condiments make them feel worse. However, since some people may have food allergies, it's impossible to draw conclusions based on this alone.

What other symptoms might there be? People with indigestion often experience hiccups, bloating, and nausea. Occasionally, they may also vomit. People with ulcers may also experience these symptoms, but less frequently.

• Does aspirin upset your stomach? Two-thirds of people with ulcers have problems with aspirin, so aspirin is a good clue.

Do you experience stomach pain at night? Stomach acid often peaks around 2 AM. If you are woken up by stomach pain at night, your doctor should pay attention. However, nighttime pain is a symptom of almost all stomach problems, and the frequency of indigestion-related pain is similar to that of ulcers, so this question alone cannot be used as a basis for diagnosing ulcers. Perhaps the above explanation has left you unsure, so below we will introduce some factors that may cause ulcers. These factors have all been scientifically verified. These factors are: being male, over 50 years old, alcohol consumption, and a history of ulcers. Aren't these scientifically proven factors more straightforward and clear?

Frankly speaking, the first three of these four factors are almost universal causes of any other disease. And the fourth factor, isn't it just what we often say? Once you have an ulcer, you'll suffer from it for life. So, should you undergo any tests to determine if you have an ulcer? Of course not. But that's okay, because whether you can determine it or not is completely irrelevant. Why do I say that?

If you come to my clinic with stomach pain on an empty stomach, I'll ask you some of the questions and factors I mentioned earlier. Then, whether it's an ulcer, gastritis, or indigestion, I'll advise you to first avoid any irritants (especially smoking) and try to neutralize the stomach acid to reduce the pain. If these two things don't help, then I'll recommend further medical examinations. Many people find my approach both economical and reasonable. Of course, this is a basic requirement for being a doctor, isn't it?

You can also try the following methods at home: Avoid consuming irritants, especially smoking. If your usual stomach pain isn't aggravated by coffee, drinking two cups of coffee a day is acceptable. You can take an antacid one hour after meals, three hours after meals, and before bedtime. An antacid is a medication that can be used without a doctor's prescription. Take two tablespoons each time. The dosage recommended on the antacid's instructions may be less than two tablespoons, but two tablespoons is definitely safe, as instructions usually tend to use a smaller dosage. The worst outcome of overdosing on antacids is either diarrhea or constipation. If you experience diarrhea or constipation after taking two tablespoons, it's best to switch to a different brand of antacid.