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Helicobacter Pylori and low Stomach Acid:
Nutritional Causes, Symptoms, Treatment Remedies & Prevention
While "stress" was a popular basis for stomach ulcers years ago, Helicobacter Pylori has become a primary
cause for peptic and duodenal ulcers since its discovery by two Australian doctors, Robin Warren, M.D., and
Barry Marshall, M.D., in the early 80's. Some doctors place the bacterium's involvement as high as 90%, but
ulcer-inducing drugs, alcohol, and other lifestyle stimulants are still a more common factor in the development
of these ulcers than given credit lately.
Helicobacter Pylori may be inhibited by raising stomach acid or lowering its pH, provided this is done before
the protective mucous lining of the stomach is damaged by the bacteria. This is one reason why people who
manage to maintain normal stomach acid levels are generally asymptomatic and don't get ulcers unless they
are taking specific (stomach-damaging) drugs, they consume excessive amounts of alcohol (although alcohol
itself inhibits H. Pylori), or they supplement too much calcium, magnesium, or other acid-lowering remedies or
medications, which by reducing stomach acid too much, allow the bacteria to proliferate. Coffee consumption
is another factor believed to aggravate the symptoms of H. Pylori infections.
Unfortunately, people with reduced acid levels frequently suffer from what they assume is elevated stomach
acid levels after experiencing the classic symptoms of heartburn, bloating, nausea, frequent burping..., and
they subsequently reach for acid-lowering drugs or remedies.
By doing so they encourage greater H. Pylori activity and eventually increase the risk to develop peptic or
duodenal ulcers, pancreatic / gastric cancer, and Mucosa-Associated Lymphoid Tissue lymphoma (MALT).
H. Pylori infections can also lead to some forms of arthritis (calcification, spurs), iron-deficiency anemia, and
Vitamin B12 deficiency that may develop as a result of lowered stomach acid levels and damage to parietal
cells which produce the intrinsic factor. H. Pylori is further implicated with heart disease / arteriosclerosis,
atrial fibrillation, asthma, rosacea, gum disease, and chronic headaches or migraines.
The confusion usually stems from the fact that Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) causes heart-
burn as a result of acid getting into the esophagus, which does not have the acid-protective mucous coating
of the stomach, and where it could eventually cause ulcerations or esophageal cancer if nor corrected.
In that case, stomach acid will indeed have to be controlled by either:
• using acid-lowering medications (for a short time only),
• avoiding dietary triggers that relax the esophageal sphincter (chocolate, coffee, tea, colas, peppermint,
alcohol, tobacco, some spices...),
• lifestyle changes, 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,
• using supplements such as Melatonin in the 3 - 6 mg range to help reduce relaxation of the lower
esophageal sphincter (in contrast, the recommended dosage of melatonin for insomnia is is 0.3 mg).
Bromelain supplementation with meals (500 - 1000 mg) is also often beneficial for its anti-inflammatory and
pro-digestive properties.
Because of its acid-inhibiting effect, Helicobacter Pylori actually reduces the risk of developing esophageal
adenocarcinoma, which is a form of cancer that may result from chronic esophageal reflux, and also Barrett's
esophagus (Barrett's syndrome). However, as mentioned above, H. Pylori increases the risk for developing
various other cancers,46 including esophageal squamous-cell carcinoma.
Whether or not a Stomach Ulcer has developed as a result of H. Pylori infection, acid-lowering drugs are
routinely prescribed as part of the antibiotic therapy to either allow an ulcer to heal (if present), or to prevent
one from developing while on antibiotics, which can be very irritating to the stomach. Once the course of
drugs is finished and an ulcer has healed, then normal acid levels should be maintained from there on.
After the discovery of Helicobacter 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
as part of the treatment. Antibiotic-resistant Helicobacter Pylori cases have now become a commonplace
occurrence as well, and there are plenty of patients who simply don't tolerate any of a number of antibiotics
used in the treatment of H. Pylori.
Physicians don't generally test for Helicobacter Pylori unless a patient exhibits gastric complaints, and even
then, patients themselves have to frequently convince - or even beg their GPs to run a test after learning
about H. Pylori through a news flash or reading about the long-term risks associated with its infection.
Unfortunately, if a patient suffers from non-gastric symptoms, there is little chance of the average doctor
relating any number of medical conditions to a possible Helicobacter Pylori infection.
Antibiotic treatments in children has long been associated with an increase in asthma, as have been the
more "sterile" living conditions of urban households - versus rural upbringing of children near livestock.
Among common bacteria found to reduce asthma rates in children, those who carried H. Pylori were 40-60%
less likely to suffer from childhood asthma. Unfortunately, adults do not seem to enjoy the same benefits!
For example: One of my patients developed asthma after having had no prior history of this condition.
An Acu-Cell Analysis revealed greatly reduced stomach acid levels and very high calcium and magnesium
levels - also with no prior history. Although supplementing digestive remedies to raise acid levels improved
that patient's asthma, the fact that her bismuth and lithium levels were lower as well, led me to suspect
H. Pylori involvement, with turned out to be positive.
Following antibiotic treatment, her magnesium, calcium, bismuth and lithium levels returned to normal, her
stomach acid levels returned to near normal without the need for any more digestive remedies, and she
became and remained completely asthma-free. Without eradicating H. Pylori, she would have likely had to
remain on asthma medication for much of her life, and/or there would have been the risk to develop
additional, and potentially more serious H. Pylori-related medical conditions, including cancer.
Following are some "Natural Remedies" that have been used with mixed results for H. Pylori:
A 5% solution of "Manuka Honey" from New Zealand worked well in vitro to kill the bug, with several studies
backing up the claims, however I have yet to see a single patient ending up with an actual "cure" after taking
Manuka Honey. There are also claims that pure Alcohol taken on an empty stomach early in the morning will
kill H. Pylori. Only one of my patients tried that approach, and although the symptoms did indeed disappear
for a while, they eventually returned as severe as before.
Regular consumption of sulfur-containing remedies such as Garlic, Onions, or MSM is supposed to be helpful
for H. Pylori symptoms according to some studies. Similar claims are made for regular intake of Licorice and
Cinnamon, larger amounts of Vitamin C, as well as Coconut oil, or spicy foods, particularly the intake of
capsaicin from Hot (Chili) Peppers. All had shown to somewhat inhibit Helicobacter Pylori in various trials,
but again, none of these have really proven to be effective in actual clinical settings on a long-term basis.
Probiotics (friendly bacteria culture) consisting of Lactobacillus Acidophilus and Bifidus - although not a
cure in themselves - 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, while others don't tolerate any probiotics at all.
An optional adjunct remedy in the treatment of H. Pylori is Bismuth, which is also part of OTC products such
as Pepto-Bismol. 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 magnesium present in some products (that contain bismuth) generally worsens already
low acid levels with long-term use.
"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 dried
and sold in capsules. Using 1 - 2 g 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 underway, including trials to find out if 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 well by some patients, who reported stomach upsets similar to, or even worse than the discomfort
experienced from the H. Pylori bacteria itself.
Other patients reported no problems during the two week mastic treatment, however despite the promising
results of some of these studies, there have been other clinical trials conducted with mastic / mastica that
showed no efficacy whatsoever.
Sulforaphane is a compound that is reported to inhibit 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 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 anywhere from 30 - 50 times the concentration of the chemicals contained
in the mature plants. Daily recommended amounts of sulforaphane from broccoli sprout extracts are in the
200 - 400 mcg range.
According to the above study,47 "The dual actions of sulforaphane in inhibiting H. Pylori infections and
blocking gastric tumor formation offer hope that these mechanisms might function synergistically to provide
diet-based protection against gastric cancer in humans." Subsequent research showed that while consuming
a daily dose of broccoli sprouts reduced the levels of Helicobacter Pylori by more than 40%, they returned to
pre-treatment levels 2 months after stopping the broccoli sprouts, suggesting that H. Pylori activity is
reduced, but the bacteria is not eradicated.
Most patients who don't produce enough stomach acid will continue to experience problems, even if antibiotic
treatments - or any "natural remedies" - have successfully killed the bug, but not everyone necessarily always
suffers from "heartburn"- like symptoms, or bloating.
Low Stomach Acid can be a factor with allergies, asthma, 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 am 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 or remedy containing Glutamic acid + Betaine + Pepsin should be taken with every larger meal. Some
patients get relief with larger amounts of Betaine (500 - 1000 mg) without the Glutamic acid, or they have
good results using lemon or lime water, or apple cider vinegar. The only contraindications are gastritis,
the presence of an ulcer, or when stomach acid levels are high, which would prohibit the use of acid-raising
supplements. (see also "Calcium & Magnesium" for additional information on the causes for low stomach acid).
Bromelain, known for its anti-inflammatory and digestive support, may be another treatment remedy to help
a low stomach acid environment - with or without reflux, but particularly when reflux is present, provided
there are no contraindications to bromelain's mild blood-thinning properties.
When antibiotics and natural remedies have not been successful in eradicating H. Pylori, or when there is an
intolerance to any of the treatments that are usually helpful with low-acid symptoms, then regularly drinking
Pineapple Juice with meals, or sipping it slowly throughout the day may be another option that has helped
many patients reduce their symptoms and improve general digestion, provided care is taken that the acid in
pineapple juice does not cause tooth enamel erosion. ¤
If patients had indeed high stomch acid levels (as some physicians still have
them believe), then why do symptoms improve when acid levels are raised?
___________________________________________________________________________________
Copyright © 2000-2012 Acu-Cell Disorders: Helicobacter Pylori & low Stomach Acid
Copyright © 2000-2012 Acu-Cell Disorders: Helicobacter Pylori & low Stomach Acid
Acu-Cell Disorders
H. Pylori & low Stomach Acid
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Updated: 15. Jan. 2012