It has been recognized for some time that conventional treatment using prescription drugs are increasingly unreliable when it comes to either eradicating H pylori or seeing a recurrence of the bacteria. Initially it was suggested that these treatments, which usually consisted of 2 types of antibiotics and a proton pump inhibitor, were effective in killing the bacteria. However it has been increasingly reported that this treatment protocol is failing either from the out-set or that it initially appears to be effective but there has been a rising incidence of recurrent infection.
The reason for this problem has been blamed on the ability of the bacteria to develop a resistance to the antibiotics – a problem which we are now becoming all too familiar with when it comes to most pathogenic bacteria – and so much research work has gone into establishing other alternative treatments which are both safe and effective.
Surprisingly what the latest research has shown is that the protocols which include probiotics, a natural treatment, either with or without bismuth, another natural treatment, and in conjunction with contemporary medications, then they appear to be more effective.
However just how effective over a prolonged period of time these new treatment protocols will be remains to be proven. Antibiotics still play a large part in these regimens and, as experience shows, they have a history of causing imbalances in all gut microflora. The concern is that such protocols which continue to use antibiotics to treat one type of pathogenic bacteria, will alter the status of the healthy bacteria further down in the intestine and simply produce other digestive problems.
Another inconsistency with regard to contemporary treatments is the inclusion of proton pump inhibitors in protocols. As I noted above the bacteria are renown for secreting substances which, ultimately, turn their environment into a more alkaline one to allow for their continued survival – and proton pump inhibitors do the same thing. In fact PPIs as they are more commonly known actually switch off the pumps which produce gastric acid ensuring that there is none at all. It is thought that once the bacteria have damaged the epithelial cells then the acid, which is extremely corrosive, goes on to cause further deterioration which can result in ulcers, and so this ‘switching off’ of the acid would prevent development of such sores. However what it also stops is the digestion and degrading of food and all that it entails.
Natural Treatments
Many theories currently abound about natural treatments for H. Pylori, however what is emerging is the hypotheses that H pylori and Candida are often found to exist concurrently – that means they are found to be in existence at the same time. This does not occur in all patients but it is certainly emerging that a high proportion suffer from both infections. The recent changes to the H pylori treatment protocols to include probiotics which restore beneficial bacteria to the intestinal tract would certainly seem to support this hypotheses and if so it is necessary to treat both the H pylori and Candida at the same time to prevent reinfection of either bacteria.
There is also the possibility of course that treating Candida effectively, may well also eliminate the H pylori, so commonsense prevailing would tell us that embarking on a treatment program for Candida may well go a long way in killing of the H pylori as well.
So, although it only happens occasionally I am certainly in agreement with contemporary medicine when it comes to recommending that people suffering from H pylori embark on a 14 day course of good quality probiotics. These may be in the form of natural yogurts or kefirs, in fact as long as you are ingesting a good level of beneficial bacteria then there is every reason to suppose these will help. They do so of course by raising the numbers of good bacteria which are then meant to overwhelm any pathogens.
Mastic gum, another natural treatment with no side effects, was also shown to not only kill H pylori but also to resolve ulcers back in 1998. This can, according to the research, be achieved with as little as 1mg of mastic gum per day over a period of 2 weeks1.
In conjunction with the H pylori treatments I would then commence with the Candida crusher program. Restrict all sugars, alcohol and dairy products other than fermented foods such as yogurt or kefir for the first two weeks as an elimination diet to support the mastic gum treatment and then start to reintroduce food stuffs back into your diet – slowly. Leave out alcohol and tobacco permanently and you should start to see vast improvements in not only digestive function but your overall symptoms. If you also add into your dietary regimen Canxida Remove then this will replace some of the essential bacterial, provide natural antifungals to kill inflammation and infection and also supports the immune system in a holistic manner.