Helicobacter pylori

H. pylori bacteria have a corkscrew shape. This enables them to bury into the lining of the stomach where they cause inflammation and damage to the tissues. Infection stimulates an immune response, which leads to degradation of the stomach lining tissue. This irritation to the lining of the stomach and intestine may lead to gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer in some people.
H. pylori has many ‘cousins’. In fact, several Helicobacter species have been isolated in humans, including H. bilis, H. hepaticus and H. hartmanni. It is not clear whether these species play a pathogenic role in humans or not.
Similar bacteria have been found in animals, including cats, dogs, poultry, mice, pigs and even shellfish and dolphins. These findings have led some researchers to suggest that H. pylori can be acquired from close contact with certain animals.
H. pylori bacteria have been infecting humans for a very long time. Studies on 1,700 year-old Mummies in Chile’s Atacama Desert have revealed that our ancient relatives not only suffered from the same modern-day diarrhoeal parasites, such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia, but were also infected by H.pylori

Depending on which book or study one reads, it is estimated that H. pylori infects
between 50-70% of the world’s population.

When H pylori infections are present, people’s symptoms seem to depend on several factors:

• The severity of the infection – how many H pylori organisms are present?
• The strain of H. pylori causing the infection.
• The length of time the infection has been present.
• Host factors (smoking, stress levels, food sensitivity, nutritional status)

Some carriers of H. pylori are completely asymptomatic, meaning that they have no symptoms at all. Others may have mild, long-term symptoms such as stomach pain, bloating, skin rashes and general low energy. H. pylori infections can also cause chronic symptoms. These are usually less severe and tend towards mild digestive discomfort. Infected individuals may also feel tired, have headaches and generally ‘not feel themselves.
Others still may be rushed to the emergency room with severe chest pains, nausea, vomiting, migraine headaches and diarrhoea. Further still, in some people, H. pylori infection does not cause any of the common digestive symptoms but does cause symptoms such as depression, anxiety, headaches and PMS.

The most common symptoms of H. pylori infection occur in the digestive system and include:

• Heartburn (burning sensation in throat and stomach areas)
• Acid Reflux
• Chest pain
• Belching
• Excessive gas
• Abdominal bloating and cramps
• Constipation
• Diarrhoea
• Gastritis (inflammation of the stomach)
• diarrhoea
• vomiting
• nausea
• bad breath

Other Common symptoms include:

• severe chest pains, heartburn, extreme fatigue
• Mood problems: depression, anxiety, irritability, PMS
• Low energy, or chronic fatigue
• Difficulty handling stress
• Lethargy
• Cognitive and memory problems, sometimes referred to as ‘brain fog’
• Headaches
• Sleep problems
• Rapid weight loss
• Weight gain (especially round the middle and hips)
• Skin conditions such as rashes, hives, rosacea, dandruff and Athlete’s Foot
• Bad breath
• Pain between shoulder blades
• Sinus problems

One of the key points is that H. pylori can affect other parts of the body. Let’s take vitamin and mineral deficiency as an example. It is widely recognised that H pylori can lead to iron-deficiency anaemia and B12 deficiency.

H pylori can lead to reduced levels of stomach acid. If acid levels are low, parasites and bacteria are able to pass into the intestines and create colonies in
the lower areas of your digestive tract. These organisms can cause a plethora of
symptoms, many of them the same or similar as H pylori.

There are four main tests for H. pylori.

Blood Antibody Test
A blood sample is taken and analysed for antibodies to H pylori. This test is looking for your body’s reaction to the infection, not the H. pylori organism per se
• Can be helpful in identifying acute infections.
• May lead to false positive or false negative results because antibodies can be present even when infection is gone.
• Should not be used to retest after treatment.
• Involves blood draw and may be stressful to patient.
• Requires visit to clinic.

Breath Test
Patients blow into a bag and the air is analysed for gases that are produced when H. pylori is living in the gut.
• Relatively easy to perform
• Non-invasive
• High accuracy is reported in the medical literature.
• May miss low-level infections, such as those in children.
• May miss infection following antibiotic treatment if test is performed too soon.
• Experientially, positive results may be reported when H pylori not present, but fungal overgrowth is.

Endoscopy / Biopsy
A tube is inserted into the mouth and passed down the throat into the stomach. A camera is used to identify inflammation, ulcers and hernias. A biopsy may be taken of the stomach
tissue and analysed for H. pylori.
• Can identify ulcers& gastritis.
• Can identify hernias, which may cause reflux and burning symptoms.
• Invasive, stressful& uncomfortable.
• Requires visit to clinic.
• Can actually lead to H. pylori infection (research has shown that H pylori can survive on the equipment)

Stool Antigen Test
• High accuracy.
• Can identify many other infectious agents (parasites,
• Some tests may miss the organisms if multiple samples are not taken.

Conventional treatment of H pylori involves the prescription of triple therapy.
Triple therapy is based on the use of:
2 different antibiotics to kill the H. pylori. Antibiotics do not work as effectively in the acid environment of the stomach, so a different type of medication is used alongside them to help reduce the acidity in the stomach.
A proton pump inhibitor (e.g. Nexium, Prilosec, Prevacid) to stop the production of acid in your stomach, which in addition to increasing the efficacy of the antibiotics, can help to relieve symptoms such as acid reflux and heartburn.

This has a 50% success rate

Alternative Methods:
Many of your chronic symptoms will clear as you eliminate simple foods that cause inflammation in your stomach and intestine, improve your sleeping patterns and learn to control your blood sugar levels.
If you want to successfully eradicate H. pylori and then, importantly, keep it away, it is vital to understand that there is no magic bullet cure. If you have an H. pylori infection, there will almost certainly be other issues that you need to address in order to elevate your health to your desired level.

Diet:

You can help your infection a lot with diet, here the most important steps:

• Avoiding gluten is possibly the single most important step you can take!
• ELIMINATE PROCESSED COW’S MILK FOODS (raw milk only) switch to goats and sheep milk products
• Avoid Soya ,except fermented
• avoid all unnatural or processed sugar. only real fruit
• Only have 'good fats' like: Lard, Animal fats, Olive oil, Flax oil (unheated, small amounts),cream & milk, Raw cow’s, goats and sheep dairy, Nuts & seeds, Raw nut butters (e.g. almonds, cashews), Olives, Avocados, Egg Yolks (& whole eggs)
• Only cook with Coconut Oil, Butter (after 3 months and assess your reaction), Ghee (after 3 months and assess your reaction), Lard (ideally from organically raised animals)
• Limit vinegar containing foods like pickles, tomatoe sauce etc
• Reduce smoked and salty foods
• Have plenty of : Berries (bilberry, blueberry, elderberry, raspberry, strawberry), Cranberry, Broccoli, Garlic, Olive oil, Tomato, Chilli, Ginger, Turmeric
• Eating cruciferous vegetables, especially broccoli sprouts, will ensure that you get plenty of sulforaphane.
• Try to eat every 2-3 hours. If you leave longer gaps between meals and snacks, your blood sugar will drop too low.
• Have fresh juices every day:
  Celery, Cucumber, Courgette / Zucchini, Fennel, Carrot, Beets, Green apples, Unripe pears, Lettuce (all kinds), Endive, Escarole, Spinach (baby spinach is good), Cabbage, Bok Choy, Asparagus, Kale, Collard Greens
• try to drink an ounce of water per pound of bodyweight

Lifestyle:
Get a good amount of sleep, specially between 10pm and 4am

Excercise to your capacity only, don't overdo it

Eliminate all stress from:
• Worry, sadness, fear, guilt or anxiety
• Inflammation from toxins, food or infections
• Trauma or injury
• Lack of sleep
• Nutritional deficiencies
• Pollution – chemical, including smoking, food additives, pesticides, cosmetics, drugs, exhaust fumes
• Pollution – electromagnetic, including wi-fi, mobile phones, TVs etc

Herbal protocol

You might want to first do the diet as well as the bacteria cleanse and the general parasite cleanse as per Hulda Clark, which works for some people.

Other supportive herbs

Get as many of these as you can get in your country:

• Goldenseal, Barberry and Oregon grape. Get a mixture from a herbalist.
• Deglycyrrhizinated Licorice Root (DGL) DGL is a well established anti-ulceration and mucosal healing agent. Have 2 cups of licorice tea a day
• Manuka Honey comes from New Zealand. It is worth remembering that honey is essentially sugar. Don't use it if you have Candida, otherwise take 2 tsp a day
• High dosage Vit C: 5-10 gr per day
• Probiotics 2 caps with main meals for 60 days
• Oil of Oregano: Take 5 drops in a caps with main meals for 60-days
• Pau'd Arco as tea (mix with licorice) or tablets
• Olive leaf extract 2 tablespoons a day
• Mastic Gum or leaves

Hygiene is vitally important with this infection:

• Avoid physical intimacy like kissing and any form of sexual contact with infected people
• Avoid sharing eating utensils, water bottles, toothbrushes, etc.
• Avoid any contaminated water (most commonly close to sewage outlets) and water that is contaminated by flies/cockroaches.
• Avoid Food that has been treated with water that has been contaminated with faecal matter
• Don't eat poorly cooked foods, especially meat, poultry and eggs
• Avoid kissing pets, getting licked by pets and sleeping with pets in one bed.