Marcus Ettinger BSc, DC – H. pylori treatment – H. pylori protocol.
H. pylori resources and links
Heartburn/gastritis/GERD/acid reflux. Are any of these really due to too much stomach acid? Not necessarily. I have to admit, I experienced a bout of gastritis once, when I started my first practice; and yes, it hurt. It felt like someone poured battery acid down my throat, at the same time I was having a heart attack, while licking a nine volt battery. I think you get the picture. (The Digestive System)
Well, to make a long story short, my stress wasn’t going to go away in the next five minutes, so I needed to apply my “medical detectiveness” and back-track the pathophysiology of the condition to figure out the cause. Knowing the cause and the predisposing factors would allow me to apply the precise heartburn treatment, H. pylori treatment, gastritis treatment, GERD treatment or low stomach HCl treatment. The cause and predisposing factors were:
My predisposing factors:
1. Chronic Dehydration – There are different types of mucous cells in the stomach and they are easy sources to supply the body with water when dehydrated. The thinning of the gastric mucosa or destruction of that mucous membrane layer, makes the stomach vulnerable to acids – hydrochloric or those produced from fermentation of ingested sugars and purification of ingested proteins. Decreased stomach HCl also creates the perfect storm for the introduction and colonization of the dreaded H. pylori bacterium.
2. Zinc deficiency - Picked-up on hair-mineral analysis. Zinc deficiency as a single factor would, most likely, not cause anything overtly noticeable. When combined w/H. pylori infection, the compounding effect created a more severe inflammatory reaction within the gastric lining.
3. Wine and Beer - Ethanol on its own can create painful erosion and inflammation of the gastric lining, but when combined with the zinc deficiency, it compounds the degree of inflammation and drastically delays healing.
4. H. pylori or Lack of HCl – After testing it was confirmed the H. pylori was present. Now was my lack of HCl the reason I got the H. pylori or was the H. pylori the cause of the reduced stomach acid?
So, at this point, not only was I up the creek without a paddle, I was missing the canoe too.
So what was the true cause of my gastritis?
#1, #2, #3 and #4 all played their part in my condition. A little more on #4 – Achlorhydria (lack of stomach HCl) or H. pylori bacteria: This is the, what came first, chicken or the egg dilemma. Did my lack of stomach acid allow the H. pylori a safe haven to take up residence OR did the H. pylori infection cause the lack of stomach acid? Both are possible and both allow the other to exist, and create a condition called atrophic gastritis. This is exactly what I had, and, I am sure, a little erosive gastritis as well. H. pylori is very bad news bacteria that secretes a potent exotoxin that can lead to gastric mucosal injury and ulcers, and may even predispose one to stomach cancer.
H. pylori bacteria
My H. pylori treatment protocol:
After some testing: allopathic (traditional medicine), which included BioHealth Diagnostics 401H ( GI Pathogen Screen w/ H. pylori Antigen $270.00) and energetic testing (Applied Kinesiology & Contact Reflex Analysis), I now knew what was going on, what caused it and what to do to get it under control. I had Helicobacter pylori, H. pylori for short.
Pre-treatment – First, I took antacids (over the counter – Zantac OTC) to keep the H. pylori from excreting it’s protective shield and allow the gastric mucosa to heal (H. pylori bacteria secrete a mucous layer in response to stomach hydrochloric acid, so an antacid will make the H. pylori more susceptible to treatment).
Treatment – Second, my personal H. pylori bomb consisted of: 1,200mg’s 2x/day of Monolaurin (600 mg’s lauric acid per cap – also see coconut oil, which is 50% lauric acid by weight) and 2 caps 2x/day of H-PLR (herbal antibacterial) from Apex Energetics. I also juiced 1/4 cabbage every day (cabbage contains S-Methylmethionine also known as Vitamin U, a great healer of ulcers and gastritis). After 4 weeks on my protocol I was feeling like a new man. I rechecked myself, after 8 weeks, and was free of the foreign invaders, breath test confirmed the same. As of September 2009, I am now adding Klaire Labs – InterFase Plus, 2 caps 3x/day on an empty stomach to my H. pylori treatment protocol. InterFase Plus is now an important and mandatory part of the protocol. InterFase Plus aids in the eradication of biofilm, especially H. pylori biofilm colonies. This is a major advancement in my protocol. Understanding BIOFILM is extremely important for a variety of reasons. Please follow any biofilm link to read more about it and also see my biofilm protocol. Additional products taken during this phase: Probiotic Defense Powder (multi-strain pro-biotic and pre-biotic formula) by Now Foods and Psyllium Husk Fiber.
Prevention – Third, was to keep the H. pylori bacteria from coming back and keep the healing process moving forward. I took digestive enzymes w/HCl* – 1 w/ea. meal, plant based enzymes – 1 w/ea. meal, zinc** – 50mg’s 2x/day, L-carnosine** – 500mg’s 2x/day, mastic gum*** 1,000mg’s 2x/day, TheraAloe**** – 1 ounce 2x/day, chlorophyll – 100mg’s 2x/day, a daily broad-spectrum probiotic (Probiotic Defense Powder from Now Foods), psyllium husk fiber (1 heaping Tbsp 2-3x/day) and tons of distilled water, for 6 weeks. I was now better than before my first symptom.
All-in-all, it was a learning experience, and one that has made me a better doctor and a more diligent medical detective.
FYI: Gastritis is not a single condition, but several different conditions that all share inflammation of the stomach lining as a common symptom. Gastritis, most often, is caused by prolonged use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen or aspirin, drinking too much alcohol or infection such as Helicobacter pylori bacteria (H. pylori). It may also occur after a major surgery, severe infections, trauma-injury-burns, or severe infections. Some diseases, such as pernicious (B12 deficient) anemia, autoimmune diseases, and chronic bile reflux, can cause gastritis as well.
*Microscopy studies of the motility of H. pylori in gastric mucin at acidic and neutral pH in the absence of urea show that the bacteria swim freely at high (alkaline – achlorhydria) pH, and are strongly constrained at low (acidic) pH. Also, H. Pylori, through enzyme reactions promote increased ammonia production, which raises the pH of its environment – allowing it to move more freely.
(**)A combination of zinc and L-carnosine has been shown to prevent gross visible damage to gastric mucosa caused by ethanol ingestion. This combination also acts as a potent antioxidant, specifically benefiting the gastric mucosa.
***There is conflicting data on whether mastic gum kills H. pylori effectively in vivo (live human trials). Killing it in a test tube or mice is one thing, but I am interested in living human beings. There is evidence that it aids in the healing of the gastric mucosa, possessing anti-inflammatory properties. I used it for healing rather than as an agent to kill the H. pylori bacteria. Note: there are studies that have shown that mastic gum kills H. pylori. The problem is that it is in less than 30% of the trial groups. So it works in about 1 out of every 3 that try is as a primary treatment (at dosages of 500mg’s 3x/day).
****TherAloe is a high molecular weight polysaccharides containing aloe vera juice product. Its healing capabilities, as far as I am concerned, are quite profound on the gastric mucosa.
If you need to set-up a consultation to discuss diagnosing or handling H. pylori, please give me a call. I can also mail any of the products used in the protocol, anywhere in the United States. Call Rene at (714)-639-4360 for assistance.
September 13, 2009 Update – I am now taking, Source Naturals – Broccoli Sprouts Extract, which provides 2,000mcg’s sulforaphane daily. This is equivalent to eating more than a pound of fresh broccoli. Dietary Sulforaphane-Rich Broccoli Sprouts Reduce Colonization and Attenuate Gastritis in Helicobacter pylori–Infected Mice and Humans
October 03, 2009 Update - H. pylori most likely will live in biofilm colonies which make them even harder to kill or be identified by our host defenses. Read more about biofilms here and my protocol to remove them. BIOFILMS
November 03, 2009 Update – In my never ending quest for knowledge, I just came across this interesting piece of data. The H. pylori bacteria is thought to have been with us for around 58,000 years and migrated with modern man out of east Africa. Here is the link to this article. - An African origin for the intimate association between humans and Helicobacter pylori
November 18, 2009 Update – Here are two PubMed articles validating the effectiveness of Monolaurin for the prevention and/or eradication of H. pylori.
Int J Antimicrob Agents. 2002 Oct;20(4):258-62
Bactericidal effects of fatty acids and monoglycerides (Monolaurin) on Helicobacter pylori
Bergsson G, Steingrímsson O, Thormar H. Institute of Biology, University of Iceland, Grensasvegur 12, 108, Reykjavik, Iceland. bergsson@here.is
The susceptibility of Salmonella spp., Escherichia coli and Helicobacter pylori to fatty acids and monoglycerides was studied. None of the lipids showed significant antibacterial activity against Salmonella spp. and E. coli but eight of 12 lipids tested showed high activity against H. pylori; monocaprin and monolaurin being the most active. The high activity of monoglycerides against H. pylori suggests that they may be useful as active ingredients in pharmaceutical formulations.
Mol Cell Biochem. 2005 Apr;272(1-2):29-34
Minimum inhibitory concentrations of herbal essential oils and monolaurin for gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria
Preuss HG, Echard B, Enig M, Brook I, Elliott TB. Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC 20057, USA. preusshg@georgetown.edu
New, safe antimicrobial agents are needed to prevent and overcome severe bacterial, viral, and fungal infections. Based on our previous experience and that of others, we postulated that herbal essential oils, such as those of origanum, and monolaurin offer such possibilities. We examined in vitro the cidal (def. killing, as in bactericidal) and/or static effects of oil of origanum, several other essential oils, and monolaurin on Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus anthracis Sterne, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, and Mycobacterium terrae. Origanum proved cidal to all tested organisms with the exception of B. anthracis Sterne in which it was static. Monolaurin was cidal to S. aureus and M. terrae but not to E. coli and K. pneumoniae. Unlike the other two gram-negative organisms, H. pylori were extremely sensitive to monolaurin. Similar to origanum, monolaurin was static to B. anthracis Sterne. Because of their longstanding safety record, origanum and/or monolaurin, alone or combined with antibiotics, might prove useful in the prevention and treatment of severe bacterial infections, especially those that are difficult to treat and/or are antibiotic resistant (also see biofilm, as a source of antibiotic resistance).
Note: Monolaurin has been shown to inactive many forms of bacteria and virus’ that are protected by an outer lipid membrane, known as an envelope (H. pylori cell envelope). The mechanism is due to monolaurin’s ability aid in the disintegration of this lipid membrane.
May 02, 2010 Update - A recent review, just published, of available literature on the use of probiotics in the treatment or prevention of H. pylori infection, validated that, “Both in vitro and in vivo studies provide evidence that probiotics may represent a novel approach to the management of H. pylori infection.”
Helicobacter. 2010 Apr;15(2):79-87.
Role of probiotics in pediatric patients with Helicobacter pylori infection: a comprehensive review of the literature.
Lionetti E, Indrio F, Pavone L, Borrelli G, Cavallo L, Francavilla R. Department of Paediatrics, University of Catania, Catania, Italy. elenalionetti@inwind.it
