Helicobacter Pylori

[Guest guest]

My stomach has been feeling a little unsettled for some time. It isn't

much, just a lack of comfort. In other words I know its there. Not

bilious. I noticed it was happening some time after I had accidentally

stopped my daily dose of feverfew. I take it to protect against colon

cancer, a possible family disease. Feverfew protect the stomach cells

from turning cancerous following inflammation that is probably caused

by Helicobacter. I am probably not taking sufficient to be effective

but I take two capsules a day and hope. It does quieten my stomach.

Next, I looked at my nails and noticed that there were no moons on any

of the fingers, but there are moons on the thumbs. Some people suggest

that the absence of moons is a sign of a B12 deficiency. B12

malabsorbtion can be due to Helicobacter. So with all these loose

connections I decided to check my blood for Helicobater antibodies. I

bought a cheap testing kit and it came up positive, which is no big

thing because 50% of the population is infected.

 

I have booked a colonoscopy. I was due for one anyway.

 

I have told my TCM practitioner.

 

I am holding back pressurising my GP into treating me for Helicobacter

because it involves the heavy use of antibiotics. I would like to try an

alternative approach. The article on Iodine makes me wonder if that is

the way forward. Any one have experience of dealing with Helicobacter?

Helicobacter is difficult to eliminate because it hides in the mucus

layer of the stomach, which sticks to the stomach lining. There is the

view that where patients have 'heartburn'/indigestion and no evidence

of an actual ulcer, the benefits of treating H. pylori infection are

unclear. However the same article issued by the Health Protection Agency

in the UK states " Recent studies have shown an increased risk of stomach

cancer in people with long-term infection with H. pylori. In developed

countries, the proportion of people infected with H. pylori has fallen,

and gastric and duodenal ulcers and stomach cancer have become less common. "

 

So where do I go from here and how do I treat it, if at all? Heavy

antibiotics are not a good idea for all the recent comments in the

posting on Iodine. I wonder if it would work?

 

Robin