Holistic Approach to H Pylori Infection: A Case Study

Ayurveda never stops to astonish me. I always observed that Ayurveda is especially good when it comes to digestive disorders and chronic diseases. Lots of the time I have seen improvement earlier than expected, but lately I saw documents to prove my experience.

A case of H pylori infection was completely negative by treatment of one month (and after one month of no treatment period before going for the test). The counts changed from 2000 to less than 200.

H pylori is a bacterium that affects mainly upper digestive tract. It affects more than 50% of the population. Even though it can remain symptomless sometimes, in vulnerable individuals it results into severe pain, discomfort and nausea. H pylori damages the mucosa of the gut and affects normal flora and results into ulcer formation. If left untreated it can lead to stomach cancer.

Case 1:

Women aged 26 diagnosed with H pylori infection after Urea Breath Test.
She couldn’t continue the conventional antibiotic treatment after 3 days due to intense discomfort and nausea she felt after taking antibiotics. Ayurvedic herbs and lifestyle was followed for 1 month. Within a couple of weeks, the patient felt great relief from abdominal pain. After one month, as patient felt complete relief from symptoms continuously the herbs were discontinued, however lifestyle and diet was changed according to the body type and imbalance. After one month break from herbs, patient revisited the pathology and performed breath and blood test. The counts were reduced from more than 2000 to less than 200 which is absolutely within normal limits.

Case 2:

Man aged 30 was suffering from recurrent H pylori infection for two years. Both times he was diagnosed after testing positive for Urea Breath Test. Conventional antibiotic therapy helped to relieve the symptoms for the first year, however symptoms reappeared after a few months. As his imbalance was deeper and chronic, along with herbs and lifestyle changes, detox was also performed. He is completely free from symptoms now (actually feeling much better with general health and stress as well). We are going through the one month herbs free period before actually doing the breath test again.

Ayurvedic approach of H pylori infection:
As Ayurveda is a holistic system, Ayurveda diagnoses the imbalance considering the individual, life style and environmental factors as well. Infections happens when the internal environment becomes vulnerable and immunity is compromised. So if your gut is healthy and you have a strong immunity there is no way that H pylori infects you.
So first I analysed their history, lifestyle and diet. In both cases unhealthy diet and stress were common factors. They were suffering from recurring digestive issues before diagnosed with H pylori infection. One of them suffered from frequent constipation and fissure where as the other suffered from bloating and discomfort after food.
I recommended individually tailored lifestyle and diet plan considering their body types as well. As this is the imbalance of gut that lead to the infection of H pylori, diet is really important. Some of the important recommendations included
1. Avoiding hot and spicy food, coffee, tea, cigarettes, sauces, etc
2. Wise use of spices like golden milk, cumin, fennel seeds and herbal teas.
3. Proper use of healthy fats and fluids.
4. Maintain the temperature and portion of the food at optimum.
5. Massage/meditation to improve stress levels.
6. Herbs to heal gut and improve immunity.
These are two recent cases, where Urea Breath Tests were performed. I have seen great results with symptoms of H pylori infection in many patients before as well with the treatments and lifestyle of Ayurveda!