Digestive Wellness: Strengthen the Immune System and Prevent Disease Through Healthy Digestion, Fourth Edition (40 page)

As you can see from these recommendations, dosages can be complicated. When treating dysbiosis, I would advise you to work with someone experienced in this area. I’ve seen too many of my own clients who have been put on medication after medication. While sometimes medication is necessary, first try to heal the environment with diet and lifestyle change. Dietary change can have the most profound effect of all yet alone is typically not enough to permanently correct the dysbiosis. Use a combination of lifestyle change, diet, pre- and probiotics, and either herbal or pharmaceutical substances to get the best effect.

In
Chapter 7
, we discussed dysbiosis in general terms. In this chapter we are breaking it down into some of the common, specific types. Here you will learn about H. pylori, chronic fungal infections, small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, and parasites.

In 1982, Australian physician Barry Marshall discovered the presence of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) between the stomach lining and the mucous membrane. Until their discovery, ulcers were believed to be caused by stress and lifestyle alone. In 2005 Marshall and J. Robin Warren won the Nobel Prize for their work. Because of their work, it’s known that 90 percent of people with duodenal and stomach ulcers actually have an H. pylori infection that is easily treatable. H. pylori is also associated with gastric reflux (GERD), gastritis, stomach cancer, and stomach lymphoma.

H. pylori induces an immune response that brings inflammation and leaky gut. Because of this, it can wreak havoc throughout the body. It has been found to play a role in atherosclerosis, heart disease, idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura, iron-deficiency anemia, inflammation in the iris of the eye (idiopathic anterior uveitis), Parkinson’s disease, autoimmune thyroid diseases, GI lymphomas, ear infections, glaucoma, Sjögren’s syndrome, food allergy, migraine headaches, lichen planus, purigo, Henoch-Schonlein purpurea, psoriasis, and rosacea.

It’s present in about 50 percent of the world’s population, yet only a small percentage get sick from it. This poses a curious question. Why do some people have helicobacter infection yet no GI upset? In fact, some scientists hypothesize that H. pylori actually protects us from allergies, eczema, and asthma. A recent study explored the protective effect of H. pylori in people from developing inflammatory bowel disease. They have found inverse relationships between the presence of H. pylori and the absence of these allergic conditions. It’s probably due to a difference in genetics. If you have “lucky” genes in this case, you remain unaffected or even protected by the H. pylori.

Because many people have H. pylori and have no symptoms, conventionally it is treated only when someone has H. pylori and an ulcer, stomach cancer or precancerous lesions, mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue, or iron-deficiency anemia that doesn’t respond to treatment. Many physicians also treat people with gastritis.

Conventional treatment is with triple therapy. This consists of two antibiotics (amoxicillin or metronidazole plus clarithromycin) and a proton-pump inhibitor for 14 days. Other doctors might use quadruple therapy: a proton-pump inhibitor, bismuth subsalicylate, tetracycline, and metronidazole (Flagyl) for 10 to 14 days. These treatments can have side effects: upset stomach, diarrhea, headache, a metallic taste in the mouth, a darkened tongue or stools, flushing when drinking alcohol, and sensitivity to the sun. Once treated, ulcers typically don’t recur. After four weeks people are retested to see if the ulcer has healed and if the H. pylori has been eradicated. Despite treatment, 10 to 20 percent have a relapse of their ulcer within six months without aggravation from NSAID medications. Although this treatment has minor side effects, the overall outcome shows improved quality of living and less psychological stress after therapy.

There are many natural remedies for H. pylori that are being used by integrative clinicians. Many of these have excellent research. First of all, eating probiotic-rich foods can help heal and irradicate H. pylori infections. Broccoli sprouts or Brussels sprouts cooked (about 3 ounces daily), cabbage juice, sauerkraut juice, cranberry juice (about 2 cups daily), green tea as you’d like, yogurt, apples, moderate amounts of red wine or red grape juice, onions, and capers all have antibacterial effects on H. pylori. If you want to use a natural treatment, here are some suggestions:

Deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL): 760 mg three times daily

Mastic gum: 1 gram daily

Zinc carnosine: 75 mg three or four times daily

Sanogastril: One to three tablets daily

Unripe plaintain powder: 5 to 10 grams daily

Aloe vera juice: Use as directed three times daily after meals

Fermented soy (Sano-Gastril): Two tablets three times daily chewed or sucked between meals

Oil of oregano: 200 mg three times daily

Other natural substances that have been found to be useful include cat’s claw, Dangshen, Dragon’s blood (Dracaena cochinchinesis), ginger, Optiberry (combination of berries), parsley, evening primrose oil, probiotics, propolis, quercetin, reishi mushrooms, seabuckthorn, swallowroot (Decalepis hamiltonii), turmeric, curcumin, water hyssop (Baucopa monniera), and traditional Chinese medicine formulas.

A prevalent and obvious form of dysbiosis is candidiasis, a fungal infection. Candida is a type of fungi that belongs to the yeast family, so it is commonly called a yeast infection. Although this section refers to candidiasis, the material applies to people with other types of fungal infections, such as Rhodotorula, Cryptocococcus, and Rhodotorula species. These infections can appear in as oral thrush, eye fungi, vaginitis, skin rashes, or athlete’s foot and can also contribute to systemic symptoms such as brain fog.

Candida is found in nearly everyone, and in small amounts it is compatible with good health. Candida is usually controlled by friendly flora, our immune defense system, and intestinal pH. After we’ve taken antibiotics, eaten too many sweets, drunk too much alcohol, or taken birth control pills or steroids, candida can overgrow, causing a variety of symptoms. In my experience, candida is an opportunistic infection. When we are susceptible and weakened, it can thrive. As our digestive system heals, it has difficulty thriving.