If you have stomach ulcers or chronic indigestion and have seen your doctor or a gastroenterologist for this problem, you may have heard of H. pylori. In the past, it was thought of as a major cause of the above symptoms, but now it has been elevated to a major cause of stomach cancer.
How is pylori is able to do this by: 1) secreting a protein that interferes with stomach cell processes, causing chronic inflammation; 2) secreting a toxin that damages cellular DNA; 3) neutralizing stomach acid; and finally 4) has whiplike projections called flagella, which allow it to swim and penetrate the gastric lining.
An interesting fact (at least to a nerd like me) is that common medications taken for indigestion such as Prilosec and Nexium (PPIs), increase the spread of the bacteria through the stomach, causing a more chronic and worsening gastritis. These medications can cause the different tests for H. pylori to be reported as false negatives unless stopped at least 2 weeks before the test. However, the PPIs are an important part of the treatment for a H. pylori infection. This is the only situation I know of where the treatment is the same as the cause of an illness!
- pylori is extremely common, with approximately 17% of US adults infected. It is usually acquired during childhood and persists lifelong if not treated. It is diagnosed during a stomach endoscopy, by a breath test, by culture, or by a stool antigen test. It may also not cause any symptoms, but persists lifelong and eventually causes stomach cancer. Because of this, guidelines were revised in 2025 to recommend treatment for all H. pylori infections unless the two-week intensive antibiotic therapy outweighed the benefits.
Dr. Charlie Barnett is a contributor to KnoxTNToday, where he writes the weekly column DocTalk, sharing his expertise in health and wellness.
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In other words, the drugs prescribed to treat the problem facilitated the problem. The good old FDA, always looking out for US. Right! I would think a good parasite cleanse would help, since all infections are really parasites (they invade your cells, multiply, and feed on your nutrition or You) Protect your gut, with pre/probiotics, it is where a good immune system begins.