Digestive Problems and Gastric Reflux

Do you sometimes wake up at night with an acidic stomach? Have bloating, nausea, vomiting, burning in the upper abdomen about an hour after you eat? You could have Helicobacter pylori. Do you get temporary relief from antacids, milk, or medications that reduce stomach acidity? You need to get it checked out properly because Helicobacter pylori can lead to a lot of unpleasant illness.

It is caught much easier when eating utensils are shared or food is eaten off the same plate. It is a very common infection of the stomach and is directly related to the development of stomach and duodenal ulcers or even some cancers involving the stomach.

It is caused by a spiral shaped bacteria that lives in the stomach and duodenum which is very adaptable. Our stomachs are flooded with gastric juices daily which are made up of digestive enzymes and concentrated hydrochloric acid to tear apart food or microorganisms. Bacteria, viruses, and yesterday’s food are all consumed in these chemicals. It used to be thought that the stomach contained no bacteria but Helicobacter pylori changed that belief.

The stomach is protected from these acidic juices by a thick layer of mucus that covers the lining. Helicobacter pylori live in this lining and then fights the stomach acid with an enzyme it possesses called Urease. Urease converts urea which the stomach has a lot of bicarbonate and ammonia creating chemicals that neutralise the acid around the H. pylori to protect it from the acid.

The body’s natural defenses cannot reach the bacteria in the stomach so the immune system responds by sending white T cells to try and fight it but they can’t because they have trouble getting through the stomach lining. These cells grow and mount up and spill superoxide radicals into the stomach lining. Extra nutrients are sent to reinforce the white cells but the H. pylori feeds on this causing gastritis and maybe even peptic ulcers. It may not be H. pylori itself which causes the ulcer, but the inflammation which is the reaction to the H. pylori.

Researchers believe it to be either transmitted orally by ingesting waste tainted food or water from the stomach to the mouth through gastric-esophageal reflux (in which a small amount of the stomach’s contents is involuntarily forced up the esophagus) or belching. These are common symptoms of gastritis. The bacteria are then transmitted through oral contact.

When looking at peptic ulcers they can have two causes. The most common is H. pylori infection. Stomach ulcers are more complicated than duodenal ulcers, however, and often are not affected when the H. pylori is killed. Duodenal peptic ulcers occur in the first part of the intestine, one or two inches past the end of the stomach in clients with H. pylori. If they are treated with certain antacids or drugs they often come back when the drugs are stopped so this is not a cure.

Stomach cancers can also be associated with H. pylori. A study on gastric cancer and H. pylori revealed the bacteria increases the risk of gastric cancers 6 times and accounts for about half of all gastric cancers. What happens is chronic gastritis leads to atrophic gastritis which then turns malignant and eventually H. pylori may not even be detected in a biopsy but just show up as a past infection. Studies show that 90% of some lymphomas are associated with H. pylori.

Clients with chronic dyspepsia who do not have ulcer diseases may not have H. pylori and should look for other problems. There are several conditions, which might be caused or worsened by these bacteria though. Acne Rosacea, a red rash on the face sometimes responds to H. pylori treatment because clients with this have all different sorts of immune problems caused by antibodies crossing the gut which can lead to unusual skin rashes. Treatment of H. pylori may help with bad breath, sinus and periodontal disease as well as digestive problems.

It has been found it responds to Chinese herbal medicines and proper diet and nutrition. It’s a matter of taking the correct natural supplements, digestive enzymes and adjusting your lifestyle to get well.