Ulcer Cure: Antibiotics, Ulcer Root Cause: Bacteria – H. Pylori

The cure for most ulcers is 2 antibiotics. The parasite H. pylori is the root cause of over 75% of all ulcers worldwide. According to the government’s Centers For Disease Control and Protection, the cure for ulcers caused by H. pylori is a combination of antibiotics taken simultaneously. Keeping the immune system strong is important for preventing reinfection and a new ulcer.

Gastritis and Peptic Ulcer

Gastritis is inflammation of the stomach lining. Peptic ulcer is an ulcer (injury or damage, often a sore) of the lining of the stomach (called stomach ulcer), duodenum, or esophagus. The duodenum is the first part of the intestines right after the stomach. Both gastritis and peptic ulcer are usually caused by H. pylori.

The Root Cause of Most Ulcers

Until the 1990s most doctors assumed all ulcers are caused by stress and poor diet causing stomach acids to break down the lining of the stomach and duodenum. This does occur but much less often than H. pylori infection.

In the early 80s, pathologist Barry Marshall found that more often than not, a patient with gastritis or peptic ulcer had parasite infection (bacteria) near the areas of inflammation, sore, or ulceration. Marshall and pathologist Robin Warren ignored medical assertions that the pH of the stomach is too low for any organism to live and that every stomach tissue sample ever taken containing a microorganism was a contaminated sample. After studying 100 stomach tissue samples from patients with gastritis or peptic ulcer, they found the parasite H. pylori was present in almost all of the gastritis and peptic ulcer patients. Marshall and Warren proposed that H. pylori is one root cause of gastritis and peptic ulcer. Other scientists verified their findings and in 2005 Marshall and Warren were awarded the Nobel Prize for their discovery.

It is accepted fact that H. pylori causes three quarters of all gastric ulcers and 90% of all duodenal ulcers world wide. About 25 million Americans suffer from peptic ulcer sometime in their lives. “H. pylori” is an abbreviation for helicobacter pylori, pictured above

Removing H. pylori

Removing H. pylori requires two suitable antibiotics until H. pylori is completely removed. Improper use of antibiotics to remove H. pylori can lead to creating antibiotic resistant H. pylori. Some people are prone to getting H. pylori again even if completely removed the first time. “Cure” means completely removed, but cure doesn’t mean completely removed forever. A solution is usually needed to make many cures last. In this case the solution is keeping the immune system strong to prevent reinfection. The mineral bismuth (found in Pepto Bismol) may be useful.

If the immune system is weak and unable to defend the body against H. pylori, there’s no reason why the parasite can’t infect the body again. If reinfected, certainly the body will need to be cured again. There will never be a cure for continuous nutritional needs, including zinc, beta carotene (to convert to vitamin A), selenium, and there are other nutrients necessary for a healthy immune system. But too much of these nutrients will weaken the immune system. When taking vitamin C, take an alkaline form, like magnesium citrate, instead of the highly acidic ascorbic acid form of vitamin C.

H. Pylori And Stomach Cancer

Can H. pylori be removed by strengthening the immune system with nutritional supplements? H. pylori can cause cancer of the stomach, duodenum, and esophagus. Take the antibiotics to get rid of H. pylori as fast as possible. Use nutritional supplements to work with the antibiotic and to keep the immune system strong to prevent reinfection. Don’t take chances with cancer, you probably won’t win.

According to the government, “Vitamin C is reduced by H. pylori infection, which can cause stomach cancer. Fruits and vegetables also afford some protection by reducing the levels of oxygen radicals produced by the infection.”

Prevent H. pylori Infection

There are additional ways to prevent H. pylori infection. Cranberry juice and oregano combined have been shown to inhibit H. pylori. The body is filled with a lot of bacteria. Much of the bacteria is good for the body (“friendly flora”) because they fight off a lot of the bacteria that’s bad for the body. Antibiotics kill good bacteria along with bad bacteria (leaving a lot of antibiotic resistant bacteria, which is usually harmful bacteria). So another strategy would be to take a supplement of beneficial microorganisms (a.k.a. “probiotics”) right after finishing an antibiotic prescription. Dogs, cats, and animals in general can also develop an ulcer from bacterial infection and would also need to take two different antibiotics.

Testing For H. Pylori

In 1996 a breath test was developed to detect H. pylori. The breath test is 95% accurate and involves drinking a solution which creates a certain vapor when H. pylori is present. The breath test is usually more accurate than testing samples of stomach lining.

Testing the lining of the stomach directly (biopsy) for H. pylori requires a sedative and inserting a long tubular device through the mouth and into the stomach. A sample of the stomach lining is removed and checked for H. pylori. Taking samples of the stomach to find H. pylori is a matter of hit or miss chance – not much different than trying to score high by throwing darts with your eyes closed. Obviously biopsies can easily produce false negative results.

Testing for IgG antibodies to H. pylori is less accurate than the H. pylori breath test.

Cures For Other Parasites

Other infectious diseases cured with antibiotics if given in time: malaria, tuberculosis, typhoid. Many people in the world still die from measles even though measles is curable. Geneticists have found that so many people have died from malaria and many others survived malaria, that human genetics has changed some in malarious areas of the world.