Almost everyone has had a mouth ulcer at some point. It's not considered a serious illness, but its persistent and hard-to-heal nature can be very bothersome. Not only can you not enjoy delicious food, but sometimes even drinking water requires enduring pain. Many office workers experience recurrent mouth ulcers over a period of time, which is closely related to mental stress, excessive pressure, and overtiredness.
Mouth ulcers, also known as "canker sores," are shallow ulcers that occur on the oral mucosa. They can range in size from a grain of rice to a soybean, and are round or oval-shaped. The ulcer itself is concave, with a raised border. Pain can be triggered by irritating foods. Recurrent mouth ulcers can indeed cause trouble in our lives, but this is actually your body sending you a warning signal: your immune system is having problems.
So, what exactly are the causes?
The main reasons include the following aspects:
First, prolonged mental stress can lead to mouth ulcers. This is because stress can cause dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which has become the most common symptom among modern urban office workers. And this dysfunction can trigger the onset of mouth ulcers.
Second, a deficiency in vitamins can also cause mouth ulcers. Typically, a lack of vitamins A and B-group vitamins in the body can lead to mouth ulcers. Therefore, it's important to have a balanced diet and to supplement with fruits and vegetables rich in vitamins A and B-group vitamins when you have a mouth ulcer.
Viruses can also cause mouth ulcers. After the virus that causes ulcers enters the body, it潜伏 (lies dormant) on the lymphocytes in the blood and reproduces in the cell nucleus. Once the body's immunity decreases, the virus can become active, leading to mouth ulcers.
Additionally, if you accidentally bite the inside of your mouth and you are also a long-term smoker, mouth ulcers can take the opportunity to develop. This is because nicotine contains various harmful substances that adhere to the damaged oral mucosa, disrupting its self-repair and causing ulcers.
Don't let mouth ulcers affect your enjoyment of food
It's difficult to completely avoid getting mouth ulcers, but you can reduce the frequency by avoiding triggering factors. For example, you can do the following in your daily life:
You should normally pay attention to keeping your mouth clean, often rinsing with light salt water, and avoid damaging the oral mucosa. You must quit smoking and drinking. In terms of daily life, maintain a regular routine, try to avoid staying up late, and ensure adequate sleep. Stick to physical exercise, eat a light diet with more vegetables and fruits, and eat less of spicy, rich, and irritating foods. Women should pay special attention to rest before and after their menstrual period, maintain a pleasant mood, avoid overwork, drink plenty of water, etc., to reduce the chances of getting canker sores. Pay attention to a regular lifestyle and balanced nutrition, develop a regular bowel habit to prevent constipation. Furthermore, keeping a cheerful mood, a calm mindset, and avoiding anxiety and "internal heat" can greatly reduce the incidence of mouth ulcers. Once you have a mouth ulcer, you must not take it lightly, lest the condition worsen. In terms of diet, you need to pay attention to these aspects: try to eat less irritating condiments like chili, vinegar, and ginger, and also eat less fried food and other foods that are too rough or hard, as these can further irritate the ulcer surface. Don't eat food that is too hot. Boiling water or hot soup will not kill bacteria; on the contrary, it will irritate the ulcer. You can eat more foods rich in vitamin C, such as lotus seeds, lotus root, and oranges, which have very good effects in treating mouth ulcers. After each meal, you can rinse your mouth with warm water containing a little salt to prevent food debris from aggravating a secondary infection.
Home remedies to get rid of mouth ulcers
Tear off the skin of a garlic clove and take the transparent film that wraps the garlic clove, applying it to the mouth ulcer.
After cleaning your mouth, use a sterile cotton swab to apply honey to the ulcer surface and avoid eating for a while. After about 15 minutes, you can drink water to swallow the honey, then continue to apply. This can be repeated several times a day to speed up healing.
Apply Yunnan Baiyao (a traditional Chinese medicine) externally to the mouth ulcer wound twice a day. It usually heals within 2-3 days.
Take two fresh radishes and a section of fresh lotus root, wash them, mash them, and squeeze out the juice after removing the dregs. Gargle with the juice three times a day for four consecutive days to see results.
Grind vitamin C into a powder. For a small ulcer, just apply a small amount to the affected area. If the ulcer surface is large, first gently scrape away the exudate from the ulcer surface before applying the powder. Use the medicine 2-3 times a day.
Puncture a vitamin E capsule, squeeze out the liquid, and apply it to the mouth ulcer. Leave it on for 1 minute. Use it 4 times a day, after meals and before bedtime. It usually heals in 3 days.
Grind vitamin B2 into a fine powder, mix it with an appropriate amount of sesame oil to make a thin paste, and apply it to the ulcer surface 4-6 times a day. Generally, after 2-3 days of continuous use, the mouth ulcer can be cured.
Dietary Therapy
Sheng Di Mei Qing Yin: Add 15g of raw rehmannia root, 10g of dendrobium, 2g of licorice, and 30g of green plum to an appropriate amount of water. Boil for 20 minutes, then remove the dregs and take the liquid. Take 1 dose daily, divided into 2-3 servings. It can be used for several consecutive days.
Lian Xin Zhi Gan Cao Cha: Use 3g of lotus seed core, 9g of gardenia, and 6g of licorice. Add boiling water to steep. Take 1 dose daily, drinking it frequently as a tea substitute. It can be used for 3 consecutive doses.
Shuang Er Shan Zha Tang: Add 10g each of white fungus, black fungus, and hawthorn to an appropriate amount of water. Simmer for 20 minutes, then drink the soup and eat the fungus. 1-2 times daily for several consecutive days.
Health Tips
For mouth ulcers, you can eat more foods containing zinc to promote wound healing, such as oysters, animal liver, lean meat, eggs, peanuts, walnuts, etc. Eating more foods rich in vitamin B1, vitamin B2, and vitamin C is also beneficial for mouth ulcers, such as fresh vegetables and tomatoes, eggplant, carrots, white radish, cabbage, spinach, etc.