If you indicated "false" to the first three items in this little quiz, good for you. If the fourth item makes you wonder, "Well, hmmm," keep reading.

As late as 1970, ulcers were considered a part of personality makeup. Reputable medical journals reported ulcers were most likely to occur in tightly wrapped, hard-driving people who pushed themselves too hard and ate rich, spicy food a lot. Then, we started hearing about bacteria being the cause. Well, in case you needed it, the April 2003 issue of the Nutrition Action Newsletter sets the record straight on the ulcer issue, complete with gut-wrenching graphics.

An acid-inhibiting bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) causes the large majority of stomach ulcers.

The ulcer you might have (or your friend Harold might think he has) is not caused by your recent overload of stressors or Harold’s penchant for chili peppers.

Let’s do a further "gut check." There are a few facts about the bacteria worth knowing. H. pylori has many faces.

Not only can it give people ulcers, but it also raises the risk of stomach cancer. Symptoms of the latter are: 1) difficulty or pain in swallowing, 2) weight loss, 3) pain (primarily in the throat or breastbone/back area) and 4) hoarseness or a chronic cough. Symptoms of the former are: a dull, gnawing ache in your stomach that comes and goes over the period of several weeks but frequently occurs two to three hours after a meal or at night, when your stomach is empty.

The Nutrition Action Newsletter reports a lot of H. pylori is in our guts. About 20 percent of Americans under 40 and half of those over 60 have it. For some, it’s a real problem, for others less so.

How does it get there in the first place? No one seems quite sure, so let’s revisit handwashing.

The chief of the Digestive Disease Program at the National Institute of Diabetes & Kidney Diseases indicates that "neglecting to wash hands after using the bathroom" can indeed be a factor. Once again, that simple act of standing before a sink with sudsy hands and warm running water, begun early in life and continued throughout, protects you.

If any of the gut-involved symptoms above are familiar to you, see your doctor. Triple antibiotic therapy reportedly works for 90 percent of people diagnosed with an ulcer.

In older folks, your health provider may want further testing to rule out other possible problems. (Harold, I’m talking to you. Make the doctor’s appointment and get your symptoms checked out.)

And be sure to eat your chili peppers with clean hands.

Sharon Johnson is an assistant professor in family and community development at OSU Extension and a member of the Senior Advisory Council. Reach her at s.johnson@orst.edu.