Published April 5, 2003 in the North Island Weekender
One of the top three prescribed medications in Canada is Losec also known as Omeprazole. The others are Lipitor for lowering cholesterol and Paxil for the treatment of depression and anxiety. In this article I want to give you some effective naturopathic medicines to treat gastritis, peptic ulcers and reflux which I see in my office every day of the week.
Is it little wonder that the digestive tract is the first organ to suffer under stress when it is the first organ that connects us to the outside world. When we ingest anything it must be handled by the mucous membrane of the intestinal tract, the first line of defense of our immune systems. If this mucous membrane is damaged in anyway then our health goes downhill from there!
Gastritis is an inflammation of the stomach lining, peptic ulcer is an ulceration of the duodenum, the beginning of the small intestine and reflux is the reflux of stomach contents back into the esophagus due to an incompetent esophageal sphincter. Gastric ulcers occur in the stomach. The single biggest cause of peptic ulcers and gastritis is Helicobacter pylori, a bacteria that is very prevalent in our society. Many patients are being investigated for the presence of H.pylori and once found are being treated with three medications for a period of several weeks, retested and found to be cured of the H.pylori but still have symptoms.
This is what had happened to Joe age 55. He had to take Losec every day for the last two years for gastrointestinal reflux or (GERD). Joe had very poor eating habits. He ate dinner between 7 and 9pm, he drank two diet coke per day, he ate out a lot as he was a busy businessman, and he drank two glasses of wine per day. His high yeast diet of bread and alcohol contributed to a yeast overgrowth that is a common cause of GERD. The first thing I did was have Joe discontinue pop of any kind. Carbonated drinks decrease hydrochloric acid in the stomach as well as leache many vitamins and minerals out of the body. As you know Coke is a great rust remover, so imagine what it does to the sensitive lining of your intestinal tract! Most patients feel that they are producing too much acid in these situations however the opposite may be true! Dr. Jonathon Wright, in his clinic measures stomach acid on most of his patients and finds 80% of them have decreased not increased stomach acid and the symptoms are the same! To allow the maximum effect of his stomach acid I suggested to Joe that he not drink with his meals, chew his food well to allow the digestive enzymes in the saliva to get a head start on the digestive process and to eat foods in proper combination, that is separating proteins and carbohydrates by 3-4 hours. I gave him herbs that can coat the stomach, including deglycrrhizinated licorice and slippery elm, digestive enzymes that digest carbohydrates, fiber and fat to aid digestion and a fiber to help move things through his intestinal tract. Foods that were eliminated in his diet were sugars and yeast including alcohol and I added yeast killing herbs such as grapefruit seed extract and garlic to this protocol. Joe rapidly began to feel better and was able to get off Losec entirely. Garlic inhibits the growth of H.pylori and other unhealthy bacteria, viruses and yeasts in the intestinal tract so I encouraged Joe to keep taking this as a preventive. I also gave him vitamin B12, as this vitamin is depleted by Losec, and zinc. Zinc is one of the most common deficiencies I see in the practice and it helps to heal the mucous membranes of the body.
You need to also be aware that having a history of H.pylori infection greatly increases the risk of developing stomach cancer so it behooves you take a good cancer preventive anti-oxidant program including vitamin A. (See Preventing Cancer Feb 2000 article).
Dr. Pincott has been practicing naturopathic medicine since 1985 and is currently practicing in Campbell River. She can be reached at (250) 286-3655 or www.DrPincott.com