You might think too much stress or spicy food is giving you an ulcer, but you'd be wrong.

Peptic ulcers are open sores that develop on the inside lining of your stomach, upper small intestine or esophagus. The most common symptom of a peptic ulcer is pain. Medical Assistant Linda Garced says, "When patients come into the office, and they complain about Peptic ulcers, they complain about a lot of abdominal pain. When they come in, naturally as a nurse I will you know, just make them as comfortable as possible."

Gastroenterologist Asif Choudhury says that it used to be thought that stress and spicy foods were the cause of most ulcers, but we now know they're caused by bacterial infections and medications. But, whatever the cause, you shouldn't ignore the signs because it could be quite serious. "Peptic ulcer disease is mostly people who have abdominal pain, and which is the most common symptoms people have. But people may have also other problems as like bleeding."

Dr. Choudhury also says that left untreated, peptic ulcers can cause internal bleeding and can eat a hole through the wall of your stomach or small intestine, putting you at risk of serious infection. Peptic ulcers can usually be treated within a few weeks with prescription medications. "Abdominal pain when it stays more than two weeks, then it needs to pay attention and talk to the doctor."

An ulcer isn't something that you should treat on your own. Over-the-counter antacids and acid blockers may relieve the gnawing pain, but the relief is short-lived.

Stress and spicy foods don't cause ulcers, but they can make them worse. Other things that may irritate ulcers are regular pain reliever use and tobacco and alcohol.