The helicobacter pylori looks like a jelly fish on it’s up push swim.  This bacteria is called H.Pylori and it infects the gut of just about everyone, eventually. If you got an ulcer there is a 90% chance this nasty dude ate that hole in your stomach.

Remember the days when the docs would tell us stress, and smoking and drinking and spicy foods caused ulcers? Some may still. They figured out in 1982 it was this bug.  The stress, smoking, drinking and spicy foods, just allow it to thrive and do it’s dirty work.

Actually most people are infected with this bacteria, cause it is easily passed around. It is just those who have weak immune systems or auto-immune disease, i.e. Celiac,  that H.Pylori messes with. Some research even suggests it can be good for the gut, IF the immune system can handle it. But that can’t last too long, we all get sick, and we all get stressed and then this little booger can really cause some damage.

H.Pylori does not like the acid in the stomach so it burrows itself into the lining where the pH is less acidic.  It also farts/poops urease, which breaks down urea changing it to carbon dioxide and ammonia, and the ammonia neutralizes the stomach acid. — Then the body gets confused and produces more acid, and then GERD, and eventually ulcer.

Interesting thing about H.Pylori is it is like Celiac, in that it really has no symptoms of it’s own.  The GERD, caused from to much acid, from the body trying to right itself. The damaged stomach lining is more susceptible to an ulcer, then there would be ulcer symptoms. Also the damaged stomach lining could cause an issue with absorption, then the lack of the nutrients absorbed through the gut could cause issue (ADEK, Magnesium, Potassium, B12) Also the lack of nutrients and the scarring from the acid and the ulcers could lead to stomach and lymphoma cancers. So the secondary is the cause of symptoms. Just like celiac. Celiac, the immune system attacks the gluten that is not digested and……

H.Pylori is like Celiac, in that, far more people have it than don’t. And most who have it don’t know they do.  Doctors treat the symptoms of GERD, ulcers, nutrient deficiency and don’t look for the cause. It is the Darwin attitude, spontaneous generation of symptoms.  Truth is our bodies are perfectly made, each function compliments the next, when they do not, when there is a fail, there is a cause, and it needs to be found . I digress…. or do I?

Then another commonality the tests for H.Pylori are not very efficient,nor accurate.

• The breath test, the patient drinks urea drink (ewww)then the CO2 put off in stomach is measured.  If PPI or Antibiotic intake too recent, a false negative could occur.
• Biopsy- supposed to be the best. It is invasive in that needs endoscopy. And the cuts need to be where the ulcerative area is, getting a ‘piece’ of the bacteria to see.
• Blood and Stool- again meds can cause a false negative. Residual meds more likely in blood and stool.
• Celiac- antibody IgA can be genetically low causing test results to be negative. The body immune system could be at a rest and not putting off antibody (maybe no gluten to attack) .

So again, if the man made test fails, so will the diagnosis.

There are differences between H.Pylori and Celiac.

Celiac we are born with, H.Pylori we are infected with.

The infection of H.Pylori is fairly simple to come by. It is ingested. Germs in water, on hands, on food from hands, on mouths….on endoscopes not cleaned properly.

H.Pylori can be killed and symptoms disappear, with triple therapy 2 antibiotics and a proton pump inhibiter.  Take about 20 pills a day for 14 days.  Celiac, is an auto immune disease that does not go away, but the symptoms can be alleviated or diminished if you take all gluten out of your diet.

If you have an ulcer, it is probably H.Pylori. If you have GERD, it could be H.Pylori. If you have Celiac and still having digestive issues, you may need to check for H.Pylori. So many of us blame the hidden wheat and it could be the hiding bug.