My experience with H Pylori and alternative treatments
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2016 2:45 am
Hey guys, I wanted to share my experience thus far with this nasty bug.
My stomach problems began last august while I was undergoing a course of doxycycline for lyme disease. It began with an empty/uneasy feeling in my stomach that was with me 90% of the day. I had thought that it was a side effect of the anitbiotics at the time and I kind of lived with it for a couple of months (silly me). Then last December, the stomach problems shifted gears. I had started getting some nasty bloating and heartburn, plus some peripheral neuropathy. I found some relief by using digestive enzymes each meal, but eventually I finally went back to the doctor and tested positive for H Pylori.
So I went through the standard first-line treatment of amox, clarithro, plus pantoprazole. The antibiotics were pretty nasty, but I finished the whole course. For the 2 weeks after the antibiotics and while I was still on the ppi, I felt really terrible. Food was taking way too long to leave my stomach, and I was feeling weak and dizzy. It was quite painful. I finally cut out the ppi and started drinking an apple cider vinegar/water cocktail before each meal, which made me feel 100 times better. I was also taking probiotics, and started drinking kombucha daily around that same time. I had almost felt "healthy" at one point last spring, but I decided to cut back on the kombucha and my stomach problems came back. It was very discouraging.
At this point, most people would say that I should have gone back to the doctor for a retest and more antibiotics, but I was worried about what a follow-up course of antibiotics would be like after having struggled through the initial course. I should mention that I have a genetic disorder which affects my cortisol production, as well as an aortic dissection which was grafted together when I was 21. The first course of antibiotics had played havoc with my blood pressure, and I am sure the next course would have been worse. I started looking into natural alternatives.
I started taking mastic gum about 2 1/2 months ago, as it seemed like the alternative treatment of choice from my research. I started with 500mg twice a day for a week, then upped it to 1g twice a day. The mastic gave me a lot of relief for symptoms that weren't related to my stomach. I had experienced die-off symptoms the first 2 weeks of it, followed by a large increase in my energy levels and motivation. After the first month, I decided to add another treatment, and started taking broccoli sprout supplements, for the sulforophane. This gave me another round of detox, followed by more relief from my symptoms, but after 3 weeks my stomach symptoms were still there, and I felt like it would not be enough. More research led me to Colostrum for its ability to unbind the H Pylori from the fat cells in the stomach lining (source: http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/1 ... 5.full.pdf). The Colostrum gave me an intense detox for the first week of taking it, but afterwards I felt like a new man. That empty/uneasy feeling, which had always been there even through the antibiotic course, is finally leaving me. My energy levels are higher now than I ever remember since my heart surgery, my muscles feel much stronger and less achy, and my digestion has improved greatly. I am still having some symptoms and am not out of the woods yet, but I feel better by the day and I am optimistic. I will continue on with these 3 supplements for another month or so, depending on how I feel, then I will ween myself off and see the doctor for a retest. Though I will probably consider taking a maintenance dose of Colostrum for the rest of my life. The stuff makes me feel amazing.
Long story short, I highly recommend Colostrum as a supplement to any other H Pylori treatment. I can't speak about the safety of it when mixed with pharmaceuticals, so check with your doctor.
My stomach problems began last august while I was undergoing a course of doxycycline for lyme disease. It began with an empty/uneasy feeling in my stomach that was with me 90% of the day. I had thought that it was a side effect of the anitbiotics at the time and I kind of lived with it for a couple of months (silly me). Then last December, the stomach problems shifted gears. I had started getting some nasty bloating and heartburn, plus some peripheral neuropathy. I found some relief by using digestive enzymes each meal, but eventually I finally went back to the doctor and tested positive for H Pylori.
So I went through the standard first-line treatment of amox, clarithro, plus pantoprazole. The antibiotics were pretty nasty, but I finished the whole course. For the 2 weeks after the antibiotics and while I was still on the ppi, I felt really terrible. Food was taking way too long to leave my stomach, and I was feeling weak and dizzy. It was quite painful. I finally cut out the ppi and started drinking an apple cider vinegar/water cocktail before each meal, which made me feel 100 times better. I was also taking probiotics, and started drinking kombucha daily around that same time. I had almost felt "healthy" at one point last spring, but I decided to cut back on the kombucha and my stomach problems came back. It was very discouraging.
At this point, most people would say that I should have gone back to the doctor for a retest and more antibiotics, but I was worried about what a follow-up course of antibiotics would be like after having struggled through the initial course. I should mention that I have a genetic disorder which affects my cortisol production, as well as an aortic dissection which was grafted together when I was 21. The first course of antibiotics had played havoc with my blood pressure, and I am sure the next course would have been worse. I started looking into natural alternatives.
I started taking mastic gum about 2 1/2 months ago, as it seemed like the alternative treatment of choice from my research. I started with 500mg twice a day for a week, then upped it to 1g twice a day. The mastic gave me a lot of relief for symptoms that weren't related to my stomach. I had experienced die-off symptoms the first 2 weeks of it, followed by a large increase in my energy levels and motivation. After the first month, I decided to add another treatment, and started taking broccoli sprout supplements, for the sulforophane. This gave me another round of detox, followed by more relief from my symptoms, but after 3 weeks my stomach symptoms were still there, and I felt like it would not be enough. More research led me to Colostrum for its ability to unbind the H Pylori from the fat cells in the stomach lining (source: http://jid.oxfordjournals.org/content/1 ... 5.full.pdf). The Colostrum gave me an intense detox for the first week of taking it, but afterwards I felt like a new man. That empty/uneasy feeling, which had always been there even through the antibiotic course, is finally leaving me. My energy levels are higher now than I ever remember since my heart surgery, my muscles feel much stronger and less achy, and my digestion has improved greatly. I am still having some symptoms and am not out of the woods yet, but I feel better by the day and I am optimistic. I will continue on with these 3 supplements for another month or so, depending on how I feel, then I will ween myself off and see the doctor for a retest. Though I will probably consider taking a maintenance dose of Colostrum for the rest of my life. The stuff makes me feel amazing.
Long story short, I highly recommend Colostrum as a supplement to any other H Pylori treatment. I can't speak about the safety of it when mixed with pharmaceuticals, so check with your doctor.