Photo: Mayo Clinic
What is a peptic ulcer?
Peptic ulcers are sores that develop on the inside lining of the stomach, lower esophagus, or small intestine. (source: Mayo Clinic & Healthline)
Cause: Toxicity & Deficiencies
The protective lining of the stomach is damaged by toxins (toxicity) as they pass through the G.I. tract, leaving the tissue in the damaged area raw, exposed, and unprotected (a deficiency in the protective lining). Normal digestive stomach acids and enzymes that are designed to breakdown food, instead cause an erosion in the unprotected lining. The stomach acids damage the cells of that area causing cellular death. Fluids move to the area to flush out the dead cells. This inflamed area is an ulcer.
In many people, their body uses the h.pylori bacteria that is a natural part of the gut flora, to help breakdown the debris (dead cells and cellular debris and any residual toxins that are left in the area). The bacteria are not the CAUSE of the ulcer. The toxins damaged the lining, the stomach acid killed once healthy cells in the vulnerable area, and the bacteria moved in to clean house so it could be flushed out by the fluids.
Medications like proton pump inhibitors such as Prilosec, Nexium, Prevacid, Vimovo, and Aciphex can help people feel better because they work by blocking the acid production in the stomach, so the exposed sensitive and unprotected areas do not get harmed by this stomach acid and the ulcer can heal. However, although these medications can work short-term, they are not sustainable and long-term. One, they do not address the underlying core issue of what is poisoning the G.I. tract causing a breakdown of the G.I. lining. Secondly, the medications have their own problems. Because the stomach acid is reduced, the food that you consume is not being properly broken down so they can be assimilated into your cells to support your heath. Your body is not getting the nutrients it needs. Now you are causing a nutrient “deficiency” in your body.
What causes the initial damage to the stomach lining?
Some common toxins/poisons that we are exposed to include:
Medications
* NSAID’s (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds) such as aspirin & ibuprophen
* Steroids
* Other medications
Excessive alcohol consumption (more than 2 drinks a day)
Air toxins - smoke or gasses that are breathed in through the air pass through the esophagus damaging the lining.
* Cigarette Smoke
* Vaping chemicals
* Smoke from anything burning in the air
* Exhaust
* VOC off-gassing (Volatile Organic Chemicals-the chemical odors you smell)
* Formaldehyde from furniture, household products, building materials, permanent press fabrics, insulation, paper product coatings, etc (source American Cancer society)
* Plastics from carpets, glues, adhesives, toys, etc
* Paints, stains, household cleaners, beach, etc)
Food Toxins
* Cooked Meat – produces Heterocyclic Amines, a known mutagen in the human body. The higher the temperature and the longer it is cooked, the more HCA’s produced.
* Smoked Foods – produce toxins including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), dioxins, formaldehyde, nitrogen and sulphur oxides (relevant for formation of nitrosamines etc.).
* Cooked Carbohydrates – such as grains and potatoes produce cancer causing Acrylamides. Higher the temp and longer cooked, the more acrylamides produced.
* Cooked Fats – produce lipid peroxides that are highly damaging to healthy cells in the body. Higher the temp and longer cooked, the more lipid peroxides are produced.
* Cooked and processing of sugars (sugar cane, sugar beets, honey, maple syrup, any sugars) damage the natural sugar causing structural changes that can damage the GI tract as they pass through the body.
* Cooked and processed red fruits and vegetables can be damaging to people who do not have the enzyme mutations to process them.
Physical Toxins
* Radiation
* Electromagnetic Frequency (high levels of EMF’s like cell phones)
* Ultrasound
* Etc
Mental/Emotional Toxins
* Stress
* Negativity
* Overly emotional
* Fearful living
* Etc
Solutions:
Medications: Medications can reduce the production of the acid which reduces the possibility of the acid causing more irritation. This provides an opportunity to let the ulcer heal. If you choose this therapy, incorporating the right raw unheated foods can support the body in many ways.
How raw foods can support if you take medications:
1. Primal Diet Raw Foods – The raw foods suggested coat and protect the GI tract. They also assist in the healing of it. In addition, they can help heal even without the higher acid production to break them down because they are already broken down to a certain extent. They also already have some natural bacteria to help the breakdown. These foods include: raw eggs, raw unpasteurized dairy (milk, cream and butter), raw unheated honey, fresh raw vegetable juices (and some blended fruit), and truly cold pressed seed oils and fresh raw coconut cream.
2. All raw unheated foods have a negative ionic charge binding with the positive charge of toxins as they pass through the GI tract.
3. Raw unheated fats (including fats in eggs, seed oils, raw dairy and raw coconut cream) lubricate the G.I. tract protecting it from exposure to toxins.
4. Raw unheated protein helps the area heal faster (This can include raw eggs which are the perfect protein, as well as raw fish like sushi and ceviche’). This has all of the essential amino acids to provide the building blocks for rebuilding new healthy cells.
5. Raw Unheated honey is well-known for its healing properties both internally and externally.
6. The raw foods help clear the synthetic medications.
Alternative:
You can also heal your ulcers without medications on the same foods. Some people believe having the medications speed up the process and others do not want the potential side effects of the medications. It is your choice.
Medication Options for your doctor:
Antibiotics destroy the h.pylori bacteria which can stop this bacteria from doing its clean-up process of breaking down the dead cells and toxins in the area. If you choose to take this medication, you are preventing the “clean-up” process from happening so you MUST intake some foods that can do the clean-up for you. ie: raw unheated fats in the form of either raw diary, raw eggs, raw truly cold-pressed seed oils, fresh coconut cream or truly unheated coconut oil.
Proton Pump inhibitors can stop the body from making acid which reduces the erosion of the vulnerable exposed stomach lining that was caused by the toxins that passed through the area. If you choose this, a raw diet is critical. It provides nutrition that is in a form that can easily be broken down and the nutrients assimilated (sent to the cells of the body). DO NOT EAT WHOLE VEGETABLES ESPECIALLY WHOLE RAW VEGETABLES DURING THIS HEALING TIME. ALSO DO NOT EAT COOKED MEATS. IF MEAT IS EATEN IT MUST BE EITHER RAW AS IN SUSHI OR CEVICHE’ OR COOKED IN WATER SUCH AS IN CHICKEN SOUP OR STEW MEAT. NOTHING DRY COOKED SUCH AS GRILLED, BROILED OR SMOKED. THIS WILL IRRITATE THE ULCERS AND NOT ALLOW THEM TO HEAL.
No matter if you choose medications or choose to heal without medications, all items above must be done. If you take medications, the suggestions above will help eliminate the medication chemicals from the body as well, so it reduces your chances of them causing additional problems which lead to side effects. The other option is to do it without medications. Everyone is different on how they want to handle it.
Recommendations:
First 2 weeks: Allows ulcer to heal.
· Eliminate all processed foods, cooked meats, whole vegetables, and cut back on as much environmental toxin exposure as you can. If you crave meat, only eat wet cooked meat such as in soups or stews.
· Drink as many raw smoothies and raw milkshakes as you like.
· Any raw fat: Throughout the day eat little bits of raw fat… raw eggs, raw unheated seed oils, raw unpasteurized dairy, and raw coconut cream or truly raw unheated coconut oil. You can make desserts like: Lemon custard, avocado custard, ice cream, or any raw fats on list.
· Truly cold-pressed nut and seed oils are also excellent. Hemp oil from Andreasseedoils.com is excellent for healing the GI tract. Other seed oils on that website are also excellent for GI tract healing.
· You can also have cold-pressed (non-heated or pasteurized) vegetable juices. Raw cabbage juice is an excellent healer of ulcers. Put some fresh raw coconut cream or unpasteurized cow cream or milk into juice to have a little fat in it. I make my juice into a smoothie by blending raw green vegetable juice, with some raw milk, a raw egg, and some organ or glandulars from Ancestralsupplements.com (these help rebuild the specific area of the body not functioning well).
· No cooked food of any kind if you can do it for 2 weeks. If you must have something solid, you can have homemade soups (no canned or boxed soups with chemical preservatives).
· You can and should eat as much fat as you want throughout the day. Smoothies, milkshakes, avocado custard, fresh coconut cream (not canned), lemon custard, etc.
· If you are really craving some kind of grain during this time you can have grains closest to their true nature ie: rice, or quinoa for example but loaded with raw unpasteurized butter. Baked potato (eat inside not skin) or mashed potatoes (made with raw milk and raw butter ONLY).
· Try to eliminate salt. If you need some salt, use pink Himalayan salt or a pure sea salt. Little amount.
After 2 weeks:
If after the two weeks, you are still feeling pain, continue the diet. If you are feeling better after the 2 weeks, slowly add cooked foods back into your diet. Raw meats best but if eating cooked, soups and stews best. Continue keeping raw fats in your diet. Drink a milkshake or smoothie made with raw eggs at least once a day. Take raw fats such as raw butter or raw unheated oils between meals and before bed. Hemp seed oil from Andreas Seed Oils is excellent before bed, very relaxing and healing.