Helicobacter Pylori and low Stomach Acid

Reprinted with permission from: www.acu-cell.com

While "stress" was a popular basis for stomach ulcers years ago, Helicobacter Pylori has become the ever popular cause for peptic and duodenal ulcers since its discovery in the early 80's.

Some doctors place the bacterium's involvement as high as 90%, however ulcer-inducing drugs, alcohol, and other lifestyle stimulants are still a much bigger factor in the development of these ulcers than given credit lately.

H. Pylori is easily inhibited by raising stomach acid, or lowering its pH, provided this is done before much damage is done by the bug, which is the reason why people with normal acid levels are generally asymptomatic and don't get ulcers unless they are on certain drugs or consume large amounts of alcohol -- although moderate alcohol consumption in itself also inhibits H. Pylori. Coffee consumption on the other hand has been found to aggravate the symptoms of H. Pylori infections.

Unfortunately, people with reduced acid levels oftentimes suffer from what they assume is high stomach acid (heartburn, bloating, nausea, frequent burping), and as a result frequently take antacids. By doing so, they encourage greater H. Pylori activity and thus increase the risk for ulcers or gastric cancers, with the bug also being implicated for heart disease, gum disease, asthma, rosacea, and chronic headaches or migraines as well. If patients had indeed high acid levels (as some physicians still have them believe), then why do symptoms quickly improve when acid levels are raised?

The confusion usually stems from the fact that esophageal reflux (GERD) causes heartburn from acid getting up into the esophagus, which doesn't have the acid-protective mucus coating of the stomach, and where - if acid were not reduced - it could eventually cause ulcerations or esophageal cancer.

In such an event, acid will indeed have to be controlled by acid-lowering medications, and other lifestyle changes will have to be implemented as well, such as not overeating at any meal, not bending down or lying down following meals, and to sleep with the upper body more elevated until the reflux situation is resolved. Bromelain supplementation with meals is often helpful in such situations because of its anti-inflammatory and pro-digestive properties.

Ironically, since H. Pylori lowers stomach acid, it actually reduces the risk of developing cancer of the esophagus that may have otherwise resulted from long-term esophageal reflux or Barrett's esophagus (Barrett's syndrome), but it increases the risk of stomach cancer.

If a stomach ulcer has developed as a result of H. Pylori infection, then acid-lowering treatments are also temporarily necessary to allow the ulcer to heal, but to prevent its recurrence, acid levels will have to be maintained on the normal or even high side from there on.

After the discovery of H. Pylori, and once medical science accepted it as being a significant factor with ulcers, predictions were made that ulcers and related stomach complaints would become a thing of the past. However, there are as many patients as ever complaining of stomach problems, including those who had been "cured" of H. Pylori.

The reason is very simply low stomach acid - which had not been corrected, even though that was the cause in the first place. Antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter Pylori cases have now become a commonplace occurrence as well, and there are also plenty of patients who simply don't tolerate any of a number of antibiotics used in the treatment of H. Pylori.

Following are some "Natural Remedies" that have been used with mixed results for H. Pylori:

There are also rumors that pure Alcohol taken on an empty stomach early in the morning will kill H. Pylori. Only one of my patients had enough courage to try that approach. Although the symptoms did indeed disappear for a while, they soon returned as severe as before.

Whether regular consumption of sulfur-containing sources such as Garlic and Onions is of any benefit for H. Pylori symptoms is unclear, as some individuals seem to benefit, while others don't.

A similar question mark applies to the regular intake of Licorice and Cinnamon, larger amounts of Vitamin C, as well as Coconut oil, or spicy foods such as Hot (Chili) Peppers which all have shown to inhibit Helicobacter Pylori in clinical trials to some degree.

Probiotic-types of remedies (friendly bacteria) consisting of Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidus are an important addition to any therapy for H. Pylori infection to help inhibit the bug, and to counteract any headaches, early-morning nausea, or general dyspepsia associated with low stomach acid alone, or following antibiotic therapy, with the acidophilus being best taken at bedtime. Some patients only tolerate the lactobacillus acidophilus, without the bifidus.

An optional adjunct remedy in the treatment of H. Pylori is Bismuth, which is also part of over the counter products such as Pepto-Bismol. Cellular bismuth and lithium levels routinely test below normal with low acid levels, respectively to upper stomach involvement (bismuth), and lower stomach / duodenal involvement (lithium).

The only problem might be that the high content of magnesium present in some products (that contain bismuth) generally worsens already low acid levels.

"Mastic" is another remedy that has made the news. It is derived from a tree resin (Pistacia lentiscus) that has been used as a food ingredient in the Mediterranean region for thousands of years, and which is now dried and sold in capsules. Using 1-2g a day, there are reports of H. Pylori symptoms clearing in 90% of patients, and stool samples being H. Pylori-free in 80% of patients after only two weeks.

In vitro studies have shown Mastic Gum to be effective against at least seven strains of Helicobacter Pylori, and an increasing number of human trials show similar results, backed by urea breath tests coming back negative.

A number of scientific studies around the world are currently being conducted, including trials to find out whether killing H. Pylori in the oral cavity by chewing mastic gum - not just in the stomach alone - would more permanently eradicate the bug.

Unfortunately, as is the case with many therapies and remedies, mastic (mastica) is not tolerated too well by a small percentage of patients who report stomach upsets similar or even worse compared to the discomfort experienced from the H. Pylori bacteria itself when using mastic. Most patients however experience no problems during the two week mastic treatment.

Sulforaphane is a promising compound that inhibits extracellular, intracellular, and antibiotic-resistant strains of Helicobacter Pylori.

This effect was identified by scientists at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore while investigating sulforaphane - one of a class of chemicals called isothiocyanates - for its protective effect against cancer.

Sulforaphane is found in broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, and kale, with broccoli sprouts containing any-where from 30 to 50 times the concentration of the chemical as contained in the mature plants. Daily recommended amounts of sulforaphane from broccoli sprout extracts are in the 0.2-0.4mg range.

Most patients who don't produce enough stomach acid will continue to experience problems, even if antibiotic therapy - or any other "natural" approach - has successfully killed the bug, but not everyone necessarily always suffers from "heartburn"- like symptoms, or bloating.

Low acid can be a factor with allergies, headaches, chronic fatigue, non-specific aches and pains, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis and other calcium metabolism-impaired problems -- all the way to various cancers. Many of these complaints are rectifiable by normalizing stomach acid, and from personal clinical observation, I'm convinced that even several non-gastric types of cancers could be prevented, since they never seem to develop in the presence of normal acid levels.

To help the symptoms, or until any of several possible causes for low stomach acid are resolved, a digestive aid containing Glutamic acid+Betaine+Pepsin (some brands contain Bromelain as well) should be taken with every larger meal. The only contraindications are chronic gastritis, the presence of an ulcer, or when stomach acid levels are not low.

(see also Acu-Cell Nutrition "Calcium & Magnesium" for a description of a number of causes for low stomach acid).