Curing Stomach Ulcers By Fasting

Stomach ulcers are sores, which are explained to be excruciatingly painful that line the stomach of an individual. The ulcers that are formed in the stomach are called peptic ulcers and those formed in the intestine, especially in the duodenum, is called duodenal ulcers.

Ulcers in the stomach and small intestine are formed because of the reduction of the thick layer of mucus that lies right above the stomach. This layer protects the stomach from the acidic nature of the digestive juices. However, because the layer of mucus is really thin, the acidic digestive juices eat away the tissues that protect the stomach, causing ulcers.

It has been stated and proved how agonising ulcers can be. One of the most famous, yet least followed solution is fasting.

Isn't food supposed to be considered a human's most basic need? It turns out, fasting is actually really good for regaining a balance in the body and is a process of healing. However, fasting does not mean abstaining from food and liquids completely, that is starvation.

Fasting Cures Stomach Ulcers:

Fasting helps in curing stomach ulcers, as it does not expose the stomach's lining to caustic acid, which would worsen the situation, helping the mucus layer heal and start performing its duty like before. When we talk about fasting for curing stomach ulcers, it does not mean one or two days of fasting.

Around two weeks of juice fasting is recommended for a proper treatment of the stomach ulcer problem; however, if the problem persists, it is advisable to go on a complete water fasting diet along with antacids.

Fasting in its original sense means abstaining from food and liquids (except water) as mentioned above, and it helps in reducing ulcers, especially peptic ulcers. However, one should not stop consuming food altogether, it could weaken and worsen a person's health. Therefore, here are a few things one could include in their diet, although not together:

a. Drinking a lot of water, milk and fruit juices, which are not sour while fasting, helps decrease stomach and peptic ulcers significantly.

b. Moreover, vegetable juices, especially carrot, potato, spinach, cucumber and beetroot help in getting rid of the ulcers really fast.

c. Lime and banana are also said to be of help. Bananas help in neutralizing the acidity of gastric juices, reducing the pain caused by ulcers.

Through a fasting diet to treat stomach/peptic ulcers, one may be benefited, as it relieves you from the pain in the stomach one feels after they eat something. It also benefits one's immunity and glucose, and insulin levels also improve through periodic fasting. Also, the energy levels increase due to periodic fasting, as it keeps in check diseases like cancer, obesity, diabetes and so on.

Therefore, not only does fasting help in the treatment of ulcers, it also helps in getting rid of various other toxins and diseases from our body, making us healthier individuals.

However, it is always said that one should not just follow a fasting diet plan because they read it off the internet on some site. It is always advised to first consult a doctor whether you should be allowed to go on a fasting diet or not to ease the pain you feel in your stomach due to ulcers or gastritis.

Can Fasting Cause Stomach Ulcers?

Fasting, on its own, can cause stomach ulcers as proven by a study conducted on people suffering from the problem during the month of 'Ramadan' (those who follow it) and any other time of the year.

According to this study, a lot of patients were operated during the month of Ramadan than during other times of the year. Therefore, fasting did negatively affect these individuals, although it is important to keep in mind that they might have eaten the kind of food one should not have while fasting, as during Ramadan, people are allowed to eat and drink before sunrise and after sunset.

Also, drinking lots of water is extremely important while fasting to cure stomach ulcers, which obviously does not happen during the month of Ramadan.

While fasting, if one consumes caffeine, fatty or fried foods, chocolates, large portions of a meal, spicy food, food with vinegar or alcohol and so on, it only increases the pain of the ulcers.

Therefore, if the doctor hasn't recommended or advised fasting when you are suffering from stomach ulcers, do not try it!