H. Pylori: An Extremely Common Gut Infection
Problems with digestion and the gut are among the most common ailments people face. As it turns out, the health of your stomach and intestines is far more important than just for digestion. This is because they are a major center of multiple systems.
Microorganisms that take up residence in your gut are one such cause of stomach illness. This includes H. pylori.
H. pylori infects the stomachs of roughly 60% of the world’s adult population. How do so few people know about this if it infects so many people?
For most people an H. pylori infection has no symptoms which allows this to stay so obscure. For some though, it can lead to ulcers and abdominal pain.
Health and the Gut
This may come as some surprise to you, but your gut not only processes nutrients, but is also the primary command center for your immune functions.
Your gut also holds a good number of neurotransmitters that communicate directly with your body and brain. This means that problems with your gut can cause a wide range of illnesses with an array of symptoms.
These illnesses can be caused by various types of deficiencies. This includes allergies, and gut flora population imbalances or invasions like H. pylori.
Many of the complexities involving the relationship between your mind, body, and gut are still misunderstood by the scientific community. However, new research suggests that gut health can even have a profound impact on mental disorders.
Pharma Treatments for H. pylori
When you go to see a doctor to find out whether or not you suffer from H. pylori, they will likely use a blood or breath test to make the diagnosis.
Once they’ve determined that you do in fact have H. pylori, then it’s very likely that they will prescribe two or more antibiotics in an attempt to
eliminate the bacteria.
Other medications that you’re prescribed will likely be for the purpose of reducing stomach acids so that you have less opportunity for discomfort and damage.
Hopefully the infection will be under control within the allotted
amount of time. If not, then it’s possible that you will have to continue to take antibiotics.
Probiotic Treatments for H. pylori
In the last decade, researchers have had a good amount of success using probiotics rather than pharmaceuticals approach to treat infections of H. pylori.
During one trial, doctors discovered that probiotic supplement that were able to eliminate H. pylori completely in 25% of the patients.
Probiotics are likely to become the preferred method of treatment for H. pylori. This is because your body eventually develops antibiotic resistance, which is a primary reason that pharmaceutical treatments of this type can be ineffective.
Further Reading On H. pylori
Here is some additional reading on H. pylori and gut health:
