H. PYLORI
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H. PYLORI IS NEITHER a disease nor an ailment but rather the cause of an ailment, and this entry is not typical of others in this book in that H. pylori cannot be treated by natural means. I am, however, including information on H. pylori because I think it wilt be useful to the many people who are searching for information and to those who suffer from gastric complaints, including ulcers, and haven't been able to find relief.
H. pylori is an abbreviation for a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori, which has been implicated in the development of both duodenal and peptic ulcers as well as other gastric complaints including esophagitis, hiatus hernia, and acid indigestion. Recently there have been headline articles in various newspapers linking the H. pylori bacterium to stomach cancer.
H. pylori is commonly found in the lining of the stomach and usually doesn't cause symptoms, in the United States about half of all people over the age of fifty have the bacterium in their stomach. In some people --and no one knows why--the bacterium is involved in the development of stomach disorders including ulcers, gastritis and stomach cancer. It seems that 70 to 75 percent of patients with gastric ulcers and 90 to 100 percent of patients with duodenal ulcers harbor the H. pylori bacterium. Ulcers were soon considered to be a kind of organic breakdown that results in an overproduction of acid. Recognizing a bacterium as the cause of ulcers was a dramatic breakthrough. And we know that unless H. pylon' is eliminated, ulcers will continue to recur. The exciting news is that ulcers, previously believed to be incurable, can now be permanently cured if the H. pylori can be eliminated.
A blood test can confirm whether you have H. pylori. Unfortunately, eliminating H. pylori can sometimes be a frustrating procedure. I have not found any effective way with natural means. A doctor must treat you, as you must take two prescription drugs: usually an antibiotic such as amoxicillin, along with the drug metronidazole. Bismuth (e.g., Pepto-Bismol) has also been found helpful. The treatment usually continues for three weeks; sometimes it needs to be repeated.
Treatment for H. pylori can be helped by acidophilus supplements. Lactobacillus acidophilus is the substance used to culture yogurt; you can buy it in capsule form in health food stores. I usually recommend taking one capsule three times daily. Make sure the capsules you buy contain living cultures. They're usually kept refrigerated.
For more information on ulcers, see the "Ulcers" section on this website.
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