Helicobacter pylori, or H. pylori, is a bacteria that causes infection in the gastrointestinal system and peptic ulcers. These are the only known bacteria that can survive and even thrive in the acidic stomach environment.
H. pylori is very common, but most people are asymptomatic and never realize they have been infected. This makes it very difficult to diagnose but necessary to eradicate.
H Pylori mostly spreads from pet to person or person to person, especially among family members or close friends. You can also get it by eating or drinking something that’s not clean or in places with poor sanitation. Most of us have some amount of H Pylori in or on us, but it becomes a problem when there is an overgrowth. Overgrowths are generally triggered by some stressor and often go years without being noticed.
The symptoms below vary in severity and can be indicative of an H. pylori infection. If you have multiple symptoms and suspect you have the bacterium, the best approach would be to get an H pylori test.
Traditional methods for fixing h pylori bacterial infections involve a combination of antibiotics and acid-reducing medications like Omeprazole, Nexium and Prevacid. While antibiotics target the bacteria to heal the affected digestive tissues, as with so many other diseases, the products may cause as many problems as they solve.
Active Edge believes that the best way to combat and even prevent H. Pylori is to eliminate the problem items from your diet, add some healthy gut supplements and follow some simple steps. We help our patients to find natural ways to deal with H. Pylori and other conditions through education, diet advice, and supplements, as needed.
Breath Test: Involves drinking a solution and later breathing into a special bag to detect H. pylori by measuring certain compounds.
Antigen Stool Test: Examines a stool sample to identify H. pylori antigens or genetic material.
Blood Test: Analyzes a blood sample for the presence of antibodies produced in response to an H. pylori infection.
Endoscopy: A thin tube with a camera is inserted into the digestive tract to directly visualize the stomach lining and obtain biopsies for H. pylori testing.
Personalized Approach: Functional medicine tailors treatments to individual patients, considering unique factors like genetics, lifestyle, and environment.
Root Cause Identification: Focuses on identifying and addressing the underlying causes of H. pylori infections, leading to more targeted and sustainable solutions.
Emphasis on Prevention NOT reaction: Functional medicine emphasizes preventive measures, aiming to address health issues before they become more severe or chronic.
Patient Empowerment: Encourages patients to actively participate in their healthcare by understanding the factors influencing their condition and making informed lifestyle choices.
Integration of Multiple Therapies: Utilizes a combination of lifestyle changes, nutritional interventions, and, if necessary, conventional medical treatments to address H. pylori infections and promote overall well-being.
As Doctors of Chiropractic, our education is based on the foundation that our bodies are intelligent and interconnected. Our curriculum includes more nutrition education than medical doctors and some of the most in-depth training in anatomy, microbiology, diagnosis, and vertebral subluxations. We recognize the importance of all systems functioning well together, focus on prevention, and continue to refine our knowledge to heal problems from the inside out.
With studies under some of the Functional Medicine greats including Bob Rakowski, Jeffery Bland, Mark Hyman, and Jeff Bryst, our doctors have spent countless hours enhancing their coaching techniques, studying bioavailable diagnostic tests (blood, hair, skin, nails ), and gaining in depth knowledge of supplements, tinctures, essential oils.
Applying this comprehensive approach in private practice since 2012, our doctors are dedicated to finding the root of dysfunction of your H. pylori and giving you the tools to activate your body’s potential. We regularly see positive improvements in pain reduction, range of motion, energy, and more as patients receive and implement the tools they need for healing naturally and holistically.
While H pylori is primarily passed from person to person, it’s less contagious than the flu or a common cold.
If you do not treat H pylori, you can have it in your stomach for your entire lifetime.
H pylori can irritate your stomach and small intestine, causing indigestion, inflammation and ulcers in both. H pylori is linked to stomach cancer with a supposed 6-times higher rate of developing cancer if present.
Considering H pylori thrives in unclean environments, children don’t wash their hands as much as adults so they are more likely to get the bacteria without even knowing it.
H pylori can affect your digestion, metabolism, and hormones. There is a direct link between your gut and brain health so H pylori can cause mental conditions like poor cognition or other disorders that could be described as brain fog (interlink with brain fog page?)
At this point, you are feeling better than you ever thought you could as you are feeling energized and thriving. You have learned a lot about your body, you are moving more efficiently, you understand your body’s cues, and you have a good idea of what to do with these cues. This means you get to try new things, achieve new goals, and conquer new challenges! As you do, we will be here as your resource, as needed, to help you nourish, boost, and refresh your health.
Pain is generally the last symptom to show up and the first to go away. This means that by the time you realize there is a problem, there has been a problem for a long time. Especially for chronic or recurring issues, understanding how you got to where you are is so important for getting to where you want to go. In this stage of your journey, you will resolve underlying dysfunction, remove cheats, and retrain habits. As we aid you in activating your body’s natural healing potential, we will help you regain movement, energy, and body function both inside and outside. Throughout this process, you will start to feel greater ease and inspiration as you restore communication and efficiency in your body. Together, we will constantly assess, observe, and reassess your body’s responses to boost your results.
You are your own person, with your own collection of life events which brought you to where you are today. You deserve to be heard, seen, and treated as the individual you are. Your journey begins with your Discovery Evaluation. This first visit includes your exam which works to uncover the root of your issue(s), new patient diagnostics, and, of course, your first treatment. This is how we will help you begin connecting the dots and feeling better. After your first treatment, we will ask you to observe your body’s responses– good, bad, or indifferent. There is no wrong answer as this is just starting point information and direction for moving forward. In your second visit, we will review this feedback and your diagnostics to further identify potential underlying causes and compensations. We will combine everything we have learned about you, consider your goals, and together create a plan to resolve your concerns from the roots up.
