H Pylori – The stomach infection you may not even know you have

Helicobacter Pylori - H Pylori

What is H Pylori (short for Helicobacter pylori)

H Pylori is an opportunistic, natural and beneficial bacteria (when in small amounts), that overgrows in the stomach and gut of people with a compromised immune system.

It’s believed to be elevated in 50% of the world’s population. Overgrowths, also known as infections, are often found in people who have been on PPIs (proton pump inhibitor drugs) for reflux or GERD, are immune compromised, chronically stressed and /or eat a higher carb diet.

Signs and symptoms

Signs and symptoms of an H Pylori infection include belching, nausea, abdominal pain, bloating, reflux, bad breath and inflammation of the stomach lining. It can lead to stomach ulcers and gastric cancer.

That said, 85% of H Pylori infections are silent or asymptomatic, meaning you may not even know you have one.

H Pylori is able to survive and flourish in the stomach, including by shutting down its ability to create HCl or stomach acid, thus creating an abnormally alkaline environment in which it can thrive.

Stomach acid (HCl)

Plenty of people are scared of stomach acid. But HCl is something your body produces to break down the food that nourishes your cells; stimulate bile release to emulsify fats so they’re useable and sterilise your small intestine; and kill off harmful bacteria, viruses and parasites before they can cause infections further down your digestive system.

In fact, low stomach acid is directly linked to the malabsorption of iron, vitamin B12 and calcium leading to anaemia, malnutrition and osteoporosis. It can also lead to SIBO (a damaging small intestine infection) and reduce microbiome diversity, meaning poorer overall health outcomes.

Improperly broken down food can also lead to a host of other bacterial and parasitic infections in the digestive system and cause leaky gut i.e. intestinal permeability, where the walls of your gut become damaged and permeable allowing particles into your blood stream that shouldn’t be there. This can lead to systemic inflammation, brain inflammation, depression and anxiety, ulcerative colitis, food sensitivities, allergies, IBS and more.

In short, an H Pylori infection can lead to a cascade of digestive and broader health problems.

Causes

Stress

Ongoing stress – whether psychological, emotional, lifestyle, environmental or food related – lowers your immune response making you susceptible to an infection.

This is because stress releases emergency hormones, switching off your immune system, tiring your adrenals which produce these hormones, and in time, lowering your overall immunity.

If your body is tackling too many environmental toxins – for example mould, air pollution, chemicals on your food like pesticides and herbicides and in your self-care products and water – stress can result through oxidisation.

While oxidisation is a normal process, oxidative stress happens when there's an imbalance between free radical activity (damaging and inflammatory) and antioxidant activity (neutralising and healing), leading to cell damage and burdening your immune system.

Diet

Sugar, refined carbs, high-carb diets and too much caffeine act like stress on your body by invoking stress hormones. This switches off the immune system, and over time generally lower the immune response.

These foods also lower stomach acid, creating an environment in which H Pylori can proliferate.

A high-carb diet full of refined foods is also low in the very minerals your body needs to create stomach acid. You can see the vicious cycle.

Treatment

Antibiotics

H Pylori is gram negative, meaning it has two outer protective layers making it hard to kill. If these cell wall layers are not concurrently dissolved while on antibiotics, it can become resistant. Often, triple or quadruple antibiotics are prescribed along with a PPI to reduce stomach acid, but these can have long-term effects on the gut and microbiome. Some people report never feeling the same.

H Pylori can also create inflammation and toxicity in the body by releasing the endotoxin LPS (lipopolysaccrharide). This is especially pertinent when someone has leaky gut as it allows LPS to enter the blood stream, causing inflammation and disease.

Herbs

Herbal antimicrobials can be very effective in ridding the body of the H Pylori, and I’ve guided clients to do this successfully. It often takes some persistence (3-6 months of therapy) and involves a number of formulas working together. H Pylori does not become resistant to herbs.

Also, it’s often necessary to

  • heal the stomach

  • reduce sugars and refined carbs along with caffeine

  • cut out inflammatory vegetable oils

  • manage stress

  • ensure adequate stomach acid using food and supplements so that another H Pylori overgrowth does not reoccur

Testing

Testing can be done using a stool test, blood test, breath test or endoscopy (an invasive procedure requiring an anaesthetic).

I find stool testing reliable, but while the presence of H Pylori in the stool doesn’t guarantee it’s in the stomach, it is likely.

Resolving an infection

  • Drink apple cider vinegar (ACV) and / or lemon in water

  • Ensure your diet is conducive i.e. eat low-moderate whole carbs, reduce or cut out caffeine, remove inflammatory fats like vegetable oils and margarine, as well as inflammatory foods like dairy and gluten

  • Heal your gut using something like slippery elm and / or chlorella. Also, eat gut-healing bone broth and apple sauce

  • Take herbal antimicrobials, usually a combination of 2-3 different quality, practitioner ones for 3-6 months depending on your symptoms

  • Improve your stomach acid using food and supplements. This is important to prevent a recurrence

  • Deal with other downstream gut infections that have resulted such as Candida, bacterial, viral or parasitic ones

  • Build up your good gut bacteria to improve gut and therefore overall immunity

Gutsy by NutritionComment