websage replied: "I know the problem. Have had last 20 years up and down with stomach/digestive issues. I went too and fro to the hospitals over 2 extended periods, this that the other test...did show either I had an ulcer forming, or had had ulcers! Otherwise the generalized 'non-diagnosis' that it was IBS. Not too helpful. The typical Western medicine approach of treating the symptom rather than the cause is why you take acid-suppressants and your gut walls heal for a while...but then you go through the cycle agiain...because after all you have not cured or treated the major cause if the problem. True treatment of the underlying problem usually requires a certain change of lifestyle. This is because as someone mentions a major causative trigger can relate to lifestyle based stress...But the other major 'kind of stress' the gut in particular endures, is through the diet...Digesting food is one of the most traumatic and testing (and AGING!) things the body goes through and has to cope with daily. Constantly, or at least regularly, assaulting your delicate digestive system with a wide array of chemicals and additives used in foods today - it is becoming apparent - is a major cause of ongoing digestive problems for more and more people...AND...The 'indigestion' cures market is a multi-million dollar industry in itself for pharmaceutical companies...they are happy enough to encourage us to 'pop a pill' to 'cure' indigestion...because they know we will soon come back for more!!! Beacuse it DOES NOT cure the problem behind the indigestion! (Its a great cash cow for them!) The reality seems to be that there is a combination of factors that are affecting many of us in the way our diets have been 'perverted' by today's big food manufacturers. In general (in the West - US/UK and much of Europe, at least) we eat far too much chemically laden, highly procesed foods that also include synthetics that our bodies were never evolved to handle. On top of this there is an underlying yet widespread low level sensitivity to certain natural ingredients for many people. We just keep eating the foods because we have been brought up to think of them as 'good for you'... or OK at the very least. The BIG culprits here are lactose (in milk and dairy) and gluten (in wheat based products liek bread). But maybe more important - well at least this is what I found having had many similar 'symptoms' to yourself over the years - is the acknowledgment in recent time that maybe 80% - 90% of people on a typical Western diet have severely impaired digetstive/gut environments. This means that the balance of gut bacteria has been upset by various negative influences - e.g coffee and alcohol both kill good bacteria! Or maybe you have had to take anti-biotics sometime which completely devastates the gut bacteria good and bad! - and we end up with a ratio of say 80% bad -20% good acteria instead of the opposite as it should be. This does not get right by itself - and it does mean that conditions for ulceration to occur can persist. The nett result is that without some serious support the 'good bacteria' cannot get back into a dominant position. This is why more doctors are getting to think that one of the ONLY real supplements we might need is a good quality 'probiotic'. Probiotics (if they are of a good quality) should contain the spectrum of Lactobacillus bacteria as these are the ones that can make it through the stomach acid to get to the intestines where they need to thrive. A good probiotic also needs to have the basic foodstuff in its mix for the good bacteria to get the recolonization off to a good start. There is an useful extended article here: I have not only experienced the benefits myself (in fact I have been pretty amazed at the difference after 20 years of digestive chaos) but have several friends and contacts who have had the same positive experience using a particularly good certified organic brand of probiotic - which means there are NO chemicals or synthetics used even in growing the ingredients that support the bacteria! With the symptoms you have described - I would also recommend - that when as you say you have a period that 'you can eat what you want'...you DO NOT do this - but remain conscious of the type, amount and range of things you consume. For example: (1) Do not overload your system by eating to large meals (2) Avoid highly spiced foods (3) Avoid anything but very moderate intake of alcohol (4) DO eat plenty of green vegetables especially things like broccolli and leafy vegetable (5) Consume plenty of salad and raw vegetable when possible (6) Try to avoid processed foods of any kind as far as possible (this include all raedy made meals, all fast food, all frozen meals, all jars of sauces...etc etc...yes...basically stick to fresh foods only..and freshly prepared foods, and as much organic as possible.. hope this helps."