Are you one of 125 million Americans infected with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)? Hail Merry Chief Nutrition Officer, Claudia Pillow, PhD., discusses ulcers and why doctors and researchers recommend coconut oil and other foods to help alleviate this condition. Read more about it and check out the Raw Heal Thy Ulcer Broccoli Tomato Salad recipe below.
Are you one of 125 million Americans infected with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)?
These “bad” bacteria are the major cause of peptic ulcers affecting 30 million Americans at some point in their lives. H. pylori stimulates cells in the stomach to produce excessive amounts of gastric or hydrochloric acid. This acid reflects back and up into the stomach causing heartburn or, technically, Gastro-Esophogeal Reflux /Disease, commonly referred to as GERD. This reflux is painful and can cause ulcers.
A peptic ulcer is a sore on the lining of the stomach or duodenum, the beginning of the small intestine. Peptic ulcers are common: more than 6 million adult Americans have active ulcers and a half million new cases develop yearly. Contrary to popular belief, peptic ulcers are not caused by stress or eating spicy food, but both can make ulcer symptoms worse. H. pylori are responsible for 90% of all peptic ulcers. Other factors that trigger ulcers include nonsteriodial anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as aspirin and ibuprofen, and milk allergies.
Researchers are not certain how H. pylori are transmitted, although they think they may be spread through contaminated food, water and saliva of infected people. Triple therapy antibiotics that are typically used to treat H pylori are declining in effectiveness because the bacteria are becoming resistant to the antibiotics. In addition, the medications used in triple therapy may also lead to yeast and fungal overgrowth, particularly with the Candida organism, because the good bacteria in your gut also get killed along with the bad bacteria.
Many people are turning to alternative therapies that have been shown to be effective in healing ulcers by killing the H. pylori. One such anti-microbial agent is coconut oil because it contains lauric acid, a medium chain fatty acid which kills the bacteria by breaking down the H. pylori cell membrane. On a recent episode, Dr. Oz recommended a tablespoon of coconut oil a day because lauric acid is powerful natural antibiotic. The Lauric Acid invades the H. pylori lipid cell wall and destroys it.
Researchers in a recent Japanese study concluded that broccoli is also an effective natural remedy to treat ulcers. Broccoli contains the anti-microbial, sulforphane, which was found to reduce the colonies of H. pylori bacteria in test subjects.
The potential use of plants in their natural form for treating and preventing ulcers is underutilized in this country. Unlike synthetic drugs, most plant therapies, like the use of coconut oil, do not have undesirable side effects. Coconut oil is nature’s own anti-microbial weapon and as a food has stood the test of time. Maybe one day your doctor will hand you a prescription for a broccoli salad made with coconut oil.
“HEAL THY ULCER” Broccoli Tomato Salad
- 2 cups shredded organic broccoli
- 1 cup diced organic tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon organic raw coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano
- 2 tablespoons Hail Merry Sunflower Seeds
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Combine all the ingredients, toss and season to taste.
Trade up to higher health and EAT MORE PLANTS.
H.pylori, the major cause of peptic ulcers of the stomach and duodenum are transmitted by water. H.pylori is endemic in the intestine of migratory water fowl. Drinking water has been found contaminated all over the world and is a very common infectious agent, affecting 50% of the world population. H.pylori is also the major cause of cancer of the stomach. This comment is only a small part of the H.pylori story. I would advise one to be wary of self treatment of this infection which can last for life if not properly treated.
[...] inflammation, and make our hair & skin more radiant. Dr. Oz has devoted an entire show to the health benefits of coconut oil and in past Hail Merry blogs we have discussed how coconut oil can help you lose weight and heal [...]
Enjoyed your article on Coconut oil as an antibiotic to treat or prevent gastric ulcers. All that you state is supported by research, much of which I have reviewed in the past two years. Antibiotics are the method of choice, but losing effectiveness, as you state. Naturally studies would have to take place to prove the effectiveness of Coconut oil. The H.pylori story is a powerful one and my research indicates that HP arises from endemic sourses in migratoty water fowl and their droppings pollute our drinking water. HP can be eradicated by Chlorine but to properly treat for HP, water boards need direction from the EPA which claims they are not able to afford manpower or money for this effort. Japan and China with high rates of Stomach ulcers and Cancer have already embarked on preventive measures of the kind that EPA is reaponsible for in our country. HP presence can be detected in humans by blood tests or breath tests. At least 20% of Children and adults in the US are infected. We can do better.
Dr. Rosen,
Thank you so much for your response. I was amazed at the number of Americans infected with H. pylori. As the budget crisis looms in DC, it seems doubtful the EPA will be able to solve this health problem. Our environment is becoming more and more toxic from all sorts of environmental toxins- both natural and man-made. The one course of action we can all practice is eating foods that improve our gut health and strengthen our immune system. I believe in the healing powers of raw oils like coconut and those found in nuts and seeds, and the consumption of live foods containing living enzymes and healthy bacteria- such as raw fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds; miso, kefir, wine, and kimchee.
Food as medicine is powerful but under utilized in this country. Claudia
Dr. Rosen,
I did know that there was a hign incidence of HP in Japan. Hiromi Shinya, MD in his book The Enzyme Factor suggest that high rates of stomach cancer might be due to the lack of Vit A in the diet because the Japanese eat little to no dairy. Your findings about the tainted water supply is shocking! Thanks for sharing your wisdom with our HM community. Please feel free to share anytime.
Susan OBrien
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saw your post related to ulcer, i would advise to Food-borne ulcers can cause diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting. To prevent them, keep cold food cold and hot food hot. Use different utensils and cutting boards when preparing fruits and vegetables and raw meat, poultry, or seafood. Make sure to use dairy products that have been pasteurized. .this was helpful for me so i am sharing
as you are talking about ulcer, my one and only advise is to Give up smoking.Besides the fact that smokers have an increased risk of developing peptic ulcers, smoking also interferes with the process of ulcer’s lesions healing and increases the chances of infections..this helped me , hope it helps you too
The jury is still out about pasteurized versus raw milk. Raw milk has beneficial bacteria that is killed when milk is pasteurized.