Ulcers
While we were living in Japan, David (my husband) started getting very uncomfortable pains in his lower stomach. He mentioned this the next time he visited one of his students, Dr Koike, whom he taught English. Quite matter-of-factly the doctor said, 'You either have gastroenteritis, an ulcer, or cancer. Let's go next door to my operating theatre and I'll tell you in 10 minutes.'
Five minutes later David was having an endoscope (a camera on the end of a long tube) inserted via his mouth into his stomach. After five more minutes of prodding and poking, the good news came, David didn't have cancer, but an ulcer instead. After the good news had sunk in, David asked why he had an ulcer - after all, life in Japan wasn't that stressful!
Dr Koike explained that stomach ulcers are caused by bacteria called H. Pylori and that although stress can make them worse, the greatest antagonist is a poor diet. At that time David's work hours were noon until 9pm so he tended to get a lot of fast food (even the Japanese have learned how to make junk!) However, after the experience with the endoscope he started buying healthy 'bentos' - a piece of fish with a variety of freshly-cooked vegetables. Within a few days of making these changes David's stomach pains subsided.
In my research, I found out that the very best remedy for a stomach ulcer is blended cabbage juice. (Glutamine, an amino-acid in cabbage, effectively heals ulcers.) So my advice to you, if you have a stomach ulcer is to eat a junk-free diet, with plenty of fresh vegetables - especially cabbage!
Here's a fabulous recipe for Cabbage with Butternut Squash and Sage which may help relieve symptoms of your ulcer...
500g cabbage (shredded)
250g skinned butternut squash (diced)
8-12 fresh sage leaves (chopped)
ground pepper
sunflower oil for stir-fry
Boil the squash for approximately 10 minutes until el-dente (soft.) Stir-fry the cabbage until a little softer but still crunchy, add the squash, sage and seasoning. Serve as a side dish to rice noodles or fish. Serves 4.
While we were living in Japan, David (my husband) started getting very uncomfortable pains in his lower stomach. He mentioned this the next time he visited one of his students, Dr Koike, whom he taught English. Quite matter-of-factly the doctor said, “You either have gastroenteritis, an ulcer, or cancer. Let's go next door to my operating theatre and I'll tell you in 10 minutes.”Read also:
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