"6 Things I Learned About Ulcers"

Disinformation and phony advice for treating ulcers is everywhere. “There’s absolutely no evidence that psychological stress or anxiety causes an ulcer,” said David Greenwald, MD, a director of clinical gastroenterology and endoscopy at The Mount Sinai Hospital. But he and other experts caution that stress may make symptoms worse. “If you have some discomfort from an ulcer, and on top of that you have anxiety and stress maybe over having the ulcer, your symptoms may actually be a little bit more pronounced.” In fact, “there is a growing adoption of behavioral health specialists in gastroenterology practices,” said Laurie Keefer, PhD, senior faculty in gastroenterology and psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “We actually call it psycho-gastroenterology.” She is embedded in the comprehensive gastrointestinal program at Mount Sinai, so after patients see a nutritionist for an ulcer or Crohn’s disease or irritable bowel syndrome, they can stop in for a psychological consultation. “It’s much less stigmatizing” that way, she said. Learn more.