Helicobacter Forums

I had my first UBT in April 2015 and tested positive for H Pylori, now waiting for test results from second UBT done in mid June. I've had GI issues since at least 2006, diagnosed with Coeliac Disease in '07 have been strict Gluten Free since then. After that I put my intermittent GI issues down to low tolerance of fibre and gums 412 & 415.

The crunch came when I passed out from excruciating stomach pain in March 2015, then I started going through hell feeling like the inside of my stomach was being sandblasted, drilled, chewed by piranhas, other symptoms were bloating, burning, bilious, loss of appetite, thankfully minimal diarrhoea, no vomiting, minimal belching and plenty of awful pain that made life miserable day and night disrupting my sleep and sometimes during the day I could barely walk due to the abdominal pains.

I previously passed out from excruciating pain in 2009, now I am fairly sure that is from a stomach ulcer. I am due to see the Gastroenterologist on 14.7.15.

I have a low tolerance of antibiotics and told my Doctor that I wanted to treat the H Pylori naturally, she said, "You know your body!" So I did a lot of research and have alleviated the symptoms considerably. I am not a Doctor or Dietician, I have seen both and they are ok with my healthy treatment regimen.

In consultation with my Doctor (she didn't know about this stuff so she learnt from me) I bought a product called 'Intestamine' from the Chemist while I waited for a shipment of pure Mastic gum tears to arrive from Greece. Later I got onto Turmeric powder and Slippery Elm Bark powder. Mastic gum, turmeric and slippery elm are 3 of the ingredients in Intestamine. A few weeks ago I also started using a small quantity of Bi-carb soda in water as an antacid…. only needed to do that for about a week and now rarely have it.

I quit sugar, - no cane sugar, no maple syrup, no rice malt syrup, no golden syrup, no stevia, no honey and Manuka honey made me feel a lot worse after I had started feeling better from the natrual regimen. I cut down on all fats and fatty foods (not that I ever consumed much fat or sugar but even a little caused H Pylori flare-ups) and eventually cut out fats including olive oil and now rarely even use coconut oil. They are good oils, but just not helping at the moment.
A lot of fruit, veg and grains contain sugar so I went off of rice and flour too. I thought I'd be safe with brussel sprouts but no, they contain Raffinose and cause gas pains.

Then they got me in earlier with the Dietician so I could ask questions about FODMAPs. So I learnt which fruit and veg had the least amount of Fructose etc. The Dietician also got me onto Lactose free milk & cheese but the fat from the cheese is not going down well.

I have been eating very plain food and the repetition is boring but it’s so worth it! I feel so much better… almost back to feeling normal, sleeping way better too without the woeful pains waking me up at 3am. The bonus is that I’ve lost 5Kg in under 3 months. I am going to maintain this healthy regimen even if I have to go onto antibiotics as it will give me a better chance of achieving a full recovery from H Pylori. I may soon purchase some Mastic toothpaste as H Pylori can also live between the teeth.

You may feel that the products I’ve mentioned are too expensive but it’s costing me less than $2.00 per day, I’m saving money because I’m eating smaller meals and not buying those expensive sugar-loaded packaged food. I’m not saying it’s a cure but I am doing all that I can to prevent the stomach ulcer(s) developing into stomach cancer… that is so worth the money I’ve spent.

Sorry, I won’t be responding to many questions as I believe that you can empower yourself by doing your own research and discuss what I’ve done and your own findings with your Doctor/Dietician/Gastroenterologist. If they won’t listen, then find a Doctor etc who will listen and has a holistic approach to complimentary therapies.

Disclaimer: I’m not saying don’t take antibiotics, I am saying that using natural products can assist your recovery and minimise the symptoms of H Pylori. Likewise, I’m not giving you information about how much or how often to take the natural products. What works for me may not work the same for you and I don’t know the reactions you may have if you are taking other prescribed medications. Good luck in finding some relief soon!

thank you for sharing your story. just a few points.

H. pylori in the teeth is still a myth. very little or nobody is able to culture H. pylori from the oral cavity. you can detect H. pylori DNA in the mouth, but that doesnt mean they are alive.

antibiotic is still the best way to kill of H. pylori effectively. And, since H. pylori is one major factor of gastric ulcer and cancer, it is definitely worth getting rid of.

Natural remedy is so far good for reducing side effects. but because everyone responded differently to the natural remedy, so the combination that works for you may not work for others.

Helico expert, thank you very much for your reply. I'll add my comments between yours.

Helico_expert wrote:thank you for sharing your story. just a few points.

H. pylori in the teeth is still a myth. very little or nobody is able to culture H. pylori from the oral cavity. you can detect H. pylori DNA in the mouth, but that doesnt mean they are alive.

Ok, thanks, I really appreciate that explanation!

antibiotic is still the best way to kill of H. pylori effectively. And, since H. pylori is one major factor of gastric ulcer and cancer, it is definitely worth getting rid of.

I received my second UBT result last week - it was negative! I have never been treated with antibiotics for H Pylori. I was told that drinking coffee before the test can affect the results, is that true? I believe that the H Pylori has been subdued but I don't believe it's dead yet. I am delighted that the horrendous suffering I was experiencing has diminished, so it's worth it for me.

Natural remedy is so far good for reducing side effects. but because everyone responded differently to the natural remedy, so the combination that works for you may not work for others.

I did say that! pasted here for you, but you are welcome to re-read at your leisure. What works for me may not work the same for you

I saw the G.I. specialist today and as expected, he was sceptical, but after some discussion he stopped smirking and listened intermittently and eventually came to understand my reasoning. The normal waiting list is huge and if I hadn't been placed on the urgent list I'd be waiting 12 months. 3 months of suffering is bad enough and considering a diagnosis of Osteoporosis in the L4 vertabrae prolonged suffering and lack of calcium absorption due to Coeliac disease and H Pylori would likely put me in a wheel chair with a crushed vertabrae if I'd not been given an appointment to see the specialist for 12 months. That's a risk I couldn't take!

The G.I. specialist told me that he's worked with Prof. Marshall, so I was delighted to hear that news. I've given consent for a biopsy which he's requested within 30 days, he also said he'd have the lab identify the strain before prescribing antibiotics. That's the outcome I was hoping for.

In my first post to the forum I forgot to include that I've been taking Pro-biotics since some time in April '15. I'm still not on antibiotics.

I've started to re-introduce foods back into my "menu" that I went off for a few months because I was getting H Pylori flare-ups with certain foods.... so I'm "testing my tummy" and my tummy is doing pretty well considering the horrendous pains I was going through back in March and April '15... pains and symptoms have subsided. My appetite had gone from zero up to 7 - 9... I could just about eat a horse now, but I love horse too much for that!

Sure, I can't quantify my results like the scientists can, but I think the second UBT "negative" result is probably accurate. I'm still getting milder H Pylori symptoms... but that feels like it's fireworks and nerve twinges in my bowels not in my stomach. I've eased off the natural therapy regimen but will continue with it until I feel 100% symptom free.

I'm expecting that when the biopsy has been completed the result for H Pylori will also be negative. The G.I. specialist mentioned stool test, but that form has yet to be written by him or my G.P.

In the meantime, as I said, I will continue my natural therapy regimen. Mastic gum, Slippery Elm, Turmeric and Bi-carb soda are remedies that have been used for eons. Yes, Mastic gum is expensive, no I'm not rich, (happy to help the Greeks too by buying Mastic gum directly from them), I was just desperate enough to buy Mastic, because I was in such horrendous pain that I felt I'd rather be dead than suffer any more. I know I've suffered with hyper-acidity and dyspepsia for years, 8 years of Coeliac disease too, so that probably set up the environment for H Pylori to thrive. I guess I just thought outside the square, made the Ph level in my tummy more alkaline with the Bi-carb soda and along with the aforementioned natural stuff, H Pylori is now in it's death throes.

My investigative reading of a research report by Dlawer A.A. Ala'Aldeen, Ph.D., M.R.C.Path. University Hospital, Nottingham NG7 2UH, United Kingdom, and other documents certainly helped me on my road to recovery. I feel waaaaaaaaayyyyy better! I hope you successfully achieve some relief soon too - be that natural or with antibiotics.

i am glad that your methods work on you. Breath test and endoscopy are both sensitive enough. So if they are both negative, then i doubt the stool test will give you any extra information.

do keep us posted with your endoscopy result.


by the way, how positive was your UBT in April? would it be possible to be a false positive from the probiotics you have been taking?

Thank you Helico Expert, I sure am glad too!

My Endoscopy is scheduled for 12.8.15 subject to the usual cancellations.

Sorry, I gave the print-out of both test results to the G.I. specialist and it may be a few weeks before I see my G.P. again, if I remember I will ask for the details.

No offence intended, but you sound a bit sceptical! Did you read my first post? My symptoms are awfully real, definitely not a false positive!

Perhaps someone involved in chemistry can do the research and explain why foods and beverages that are high in sugars (including natural sugars), fats and acids causes flareups of H Pylori symptoms and why limiting the aforementioned foods and beverages helps to alleviate the symptoms?

Are the food and beverage sugars, fats and acids causing reactions with the Urea? Or is the H Pylori just thriving on those elements? I'd be interested to know!

However, as far as I'm concerned, whatever the answers to the above questions are, H Pylori was giving me hell. I've tested and re-tested by re-introducing small amounts of foods that I eliminated and those foods and beverages still cause flare-up, they are minor flare-ups because the amounts of food re-introduced are minimal and I'm doing everything I can to avoid being in the 1% of people who develop stomach cancer, which has claimed at least two relatives.

I haven't cured myself, I've just modified my diet and use natural therapies, so am suffering a whole lot less! In a way it's been a blessing in disguise, I lost 5kgs in 3 months and if I need to stay off of foods high in sugars, fats and acids for a whole year, it's no hardship and I definitely won't be anorexic. I wasn't obese, but it's great to be back in some slimmer clothes!

I reiterate that I am doing everything I can to improve my chances of beating H Pylori naturally. But if necessary, I am prepared to take antibiotics after the H Pylori strain has been identified and for that identification to be successful I will re-introduce eliminated elements. I will maintain this current food regimen even if I am prescribed antibiotics to increase my chances of a full recovery.

As I explained to the G.I. specialist, the normal waiting list to have the biopsy is a year long, H Pylori is affecting other ongoing physical health issues so I HAD to modify my diet and diminish the H Pylori symptoms because doing nothing about H Pylori for a year while waiting for a biopsy all has a negative domino effect on my health and when I told him my health issues including that I already have Osteporosis in one vertabrae he stopped being a smirking sceptic and agreed to do the biopsy! Fortunately, I was put on the urgent waiting list so only have to wait 4.5 months for the biopsy, which is still too long!

Incidentally, are the capsules that are used for antibiotics made from Cellulose? Isn't cellulose just another type of sugar and therefore are cellulose capsules more of a hinderance than an help in the fight against H Pylori? Just asking!

Helico_expert wrote:i am glad that your methods work on you. Breath test and endoscopy are both sensitive enough. So if they are both negative, then i doubt the stool test will give you any extra information.

do keep us posted with your endoscopy result.


by the way, how positive was your UBT in April? would it be possible to be a false positive from the probiotics you have been taking?

please forgive me for being skeptical. I am a scientist, so I am just being careful when it comes to data analysis and interpretation. For many years, we heard people claim to have cured from natural therapy, but hard to provide evidence for examination.

Nevertheless, I am sure your symptoms are real. Just not sure if they are truly related to H. pylori or food allergies. have you got a chance to speak to a immunologist or dietitian?

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This is good. I wish best of luck

Helico_expert wrote:please forgive me for being skeptical. I am a scientist, so I am just being careful when it comes to data analysis and interpretation. For many years, we heard people claim to have cured from natural therapy, but hard to provide evidence for examination.

Nevertheless, I am sure your symptoms are real. Just not sure if they are truly related to H. pylori or food allergies. have you got a chance to speak to a immunologist or dietitian?

Ok, I understand where you are coming from about the proof, but even the scientific tests can not always detect things successfully, as you'd know!

I know I still have H Pylori, the natural treatments I am using hasn't eliminated H Pylori, it has subdued it and minimized the harm and for that I am very thankful because I can't live with passing out every day from pain and hitting my head on things twice doesn't help either.

Not sure what an immunologist can do about H Pylori.

Going for another UBT next week, so I have to allow it to flare up again by eating fatty and acidic foods, while taking less of the natural treatments so that H Pylori can be detected by the UBT.