Helicobacter pylori vitamins, herbs, supplements, diet and food, natural and alternative treatment for the infecton, by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

During the past two decades the role of Helicobacter pylori infection have been a topic of intensive research. H. pylori infection can cause acute and chronic gastritis, duodenitis, gastric peptic ulcers and duodenal ulcers. H. pylori has been identified as a risk factor for gastric cancer. Nearly more than 90% of patients with duodenal ulcers, more than 70% of those with gastric ulcer and more than 80% patients with gastric cancer have H. pylori infection.

Natural treatment for Helicobacter pylori
Non-antibiotic therapies, including herbs, probiotics, food extracts, and antioxidants have been investigated as potential alternatives for the treatment of H. pylori.

Probiotics supplements can be purchased online.
Broccoli sprouts that contain sulforaphane may improve this condition.
Garlic consumption could be helpful. This spice has antibacterial and antigerm activity. Nutr Cancer. 1997; Helicobacter pylori--in vitro susceptibility to garlic (Allium sativum) extract. Cancer Prevention Research Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.
Consider the use of essential oils.
Another option is the use of mastic.

I will update this page as more information is published on the natural or alternative treatment of H. Pylori infections.

Broccoli sprouts are helpful

Baby broccoli sprouts are able to reduce symptoms from Helicobacter pylori linked to gastritis, ulcers and even stomach cancer. Fresh broccoli sprouts have a much higher concentration of sulforaphane, a natural sulfur compound-than mature broccoli. Sulforaphane is thought to trigger the production of protective enzymes in the stomach. Researchers divided 48 volunteers infected with Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria known to cause gastritis and ulcers and implicated in cancer, into two groups. One group ate about 2.5 ounces of broccoli sprouts daily, while a control group got alfalfa sprouts, which don't contain sulforaphane. After two months, the broccoli-sprouts group showed lower levels of the bacteria. The investigators say, "We identified a food that, if eaten regularly, might potentially have an effect on the cause of a lot of gastric problems and even ultimately help prevent stomach cancer." Cancer Prevention Research.
   Comments: I don't know whether taking a broccoli sprout extract that has sulforaphane would also be helpful in reducing symptoms from this infection.

Helicobacter pylori symptom
The most common symptom of helicobacter pylori infection is indigestion. However, having the Helicobacter pylori bacterium doesn't necessarily mean you will have indigestion, and having indigestion due to too much acid doesn't necessarily mean you have the Helicobacter pylori bacteria. In most people, helicobacter pylori infection causes no symptoms. Those who do have a symptom from Helicobacter pylori may experience indigestion, abdominal pain, nausea, bloating and burping. However, just because you have these symptoms does not mean you have the Helicobacter pylori bacterium infection since these symptoms can be caused by a number of medical conditions.

Helicobacter Pylori Diagnosis
Several methods can be used to diagnose H. pylori: invasive methods such as endoscopy and non-invasive methods such as urea-breath-test, detection of antigens in stool, detection of specific antibodies in patients sera by means of serological tests--ELISA and Immunblott, molecular tests PCR and fluorescence-in situ- hybridisation.

Helicobacter Pylori Treatment
Despite years of experience with Helicobacter pylori treatment, the ideal regimen for treating the infection is still being evaluated. The most effective eradication treatment is the combination of a proton pump inhibitor PPI with antibiotics, but 10-20% of the patients fail to obtain eradication of the infection. Antibiotic resistance is a major factor affecting the outcome of treatment.
     Smoking increases the treatment failure rate for H. pylori eradication.

Treatment update 2007
Sequential treatment for Helicobacter Pylori infection may be a better option
   In patients with Helicobacter pylori infection, a sequential treatment may be more effective than triple therapy using a proton pump inhibitor and antibiotics. Dr. Dino Vaira of the University of Bologna, Italy and colleagues note that European guidelines suggest 7-day triple therapy with a PPI, and clarithromycin along with amoxicillin or metronidazole for eradicating H. pylori. Sequential therapy uses a PPI and amoxicillin, given twice daily for the first 5 days followed by twice daily triple therapy with a PPI, clarithromycin and tinidazole for a further 5 days. They reviewed results from 15 studies involving more than 1800 patients. Overall, sequential therapy produced an eradication rate greater than 90%, significantly better than the less than 80% rate seen with 7 to 10-day triple therapy. Gut 2007;56:1353-1357.

Treatment update 2009
Seven-day triple therapy with esomeprazole, levofloxacin and either amoxicillin or clarithromycin for seven days is very effective and safe for H. pylori eradication. The combination with amoxicillin seems to be better tolerated than the combination with clarithromycin.
 

Helicobacter Pylori and Cancer
Many epidemiological reports indicate that Helicobacter pylori (H pylori) infection plays an important role in gastric cancer formation. H pylori is known to induce chronic inflammation in the gastric mucosa. Its products, including superoxides, participate in the DNA damage followed by initiation, and the inflammation-derived cytokines and growth factors contribute to the promotion of gastric carcinogenesis. By eradicating H pylori, gastric inflammation can be cured; the therapy diminishes the levels not only of inflammatory cell infiltration, but also atrophy/intestinal metaplasia in part.

Helicobacter Pylori and Vascular Disease, heart rhythm problems

Infection by Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria associated with peptic ulcers and gastric cancer, also appears to increase the risk of diseases of the circulation, also referred to as "vascular disease." H. Pylori infection of the stomach may increase the risk of atrial fibrillation.
 

Q. I have visited your website many times for valuable information which no other place has. I have learned thru you that taking CoQ10 may cause insomnia in sensitive individuals ( me). Thank you after months of insomnia and no idea why. Just recently I found another area in your site regarding heart arrhythmias. As I read it I had tears come to my eyes. You see I developed PSVT 2 years ago for unknown reasons. As I read your information on the correlation of H. Pylori and heart arrhythmias I finally found the answer that no doctor has been able to give me. I had H. pylori 2 years ago and it took 3 rounds of mega antibiotics to rid my body of it. This is the exact same time I developed the arrhythmia, unfortunately it was passed off as anxiety til a caring physician finally did testing and determined it was SVT. But no one could tell me why this happened to a perfectly healthy woman of 47 years. My next question is what plan would you follow to help alleviate the arrhythmia ( I am on low dose of atenolol but it controls the heart rate- still have chest pain at times) and of course the anxiety that goes with SVT attacks. If you have any suggestions or informative sites that I could research with my physician for answers I would be eternally grateful. I am struggling to deal with problem both physically and emotionally. Thank you for all you do.
   A. See heart palpitations for information on natural supplements that may be helpful.

Helicobacter Pylori transmission from mother to child
 Mother-to-child transmission appears to be the most common route of Helicobacter pylori infection in Japan. In The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, Dr. Mutsuko Konno and colleagues at Sapporo Kosei General Hospital in Sapporo note that previous studies have suggested that children are at high risk for H. pylori acquisition and that their mothers are the likely sources. The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, November 2008.

Helicobacter Pylori natural treatment questions
Q. Do you think eating a lot of sugar or fructose can make helicobacter pylori infection worse?
     A. It's a good question. I don't know. It has been reported that berries could be helpful.

Q. Are there supplements that suppress H pylori symptoms?
     A. I have not seen any good human trials yet, but in the laboratory several herbs have show anti- helicobacter pylori activity. These supplements are green tea extract, bacopa, cranberry, probiotics, and bilberry.