How would you feel if you are relieved of one illness but land yourself into another? It is like the saying goes, "From the frying pan into the fire". It is dreadful and scary indeed.

Many of you would have experienced some form of stomach problems in the past; be it some gnawing or burning pain in the stomach area between the breastbone and the navel. Commonly, the pain usually occur when the stomach is empty between meals or in the early morning hours and at other times of the day.

Many at times, this is due to H Pylori, a bacteria found in the lining of the gastric system. It may exist in some people in the protective mucous layer of the stomach without causing any symptoms but when it inflicts its might, H Pylori can be devastating. These bacteria weakens the protective mucous coating of the stomach and duodenum, which allows acid to get through to the sensitive lining beneath. Both the acid and the bacteria irritate the lining and cause a sore, or ulcer and its infection, however, is very real and it does cause the body to react. Infection-fighting white blood cells move into the area and the body even develops H Pylori antibodies in the blood.

H Pylori infection being one of the most common infection worldwide usually occur when an individual swallows the bacteria in food, fluid, or perhaps from contaminated utensils. Occurring more often in older people as compared to younger ones, it is more common where sanitation is poor or in cramped living quarters. Remaining localized to the gastric area, the infection can occur without the person knowing it persists unless specific treatment is given; usually with a combination of antibiotics (amoxicillin and clarithromycin) and stomach acid-protector. The consequences of such infection may result in some people developing stomach ulcers which is accompanied with the usual pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen, bloating, feeling full after eating a small amount of food, lack of appetite, nausea, vomiting, and dark or tar-colored stools. Known to cause stomach infections resulting in conditions such as peptic ulcer disease, dyspepsia and gastritis, the bacterial infection may even lead to gastric cancers. Nobel prize Australian laureate, Dr Barry Marshall had proven this in 2005.

Diagnosed with a test of the blood, breath, or stool, H Pylori treatment helps to heal the ulcer, lowers the risk that the ulcer will return, lowers the risk of bleeding from the ulcer and of course the yearn of eradicating discomfort for healthy living.

H Pylori has been much linked to the development of stomach cancer and lymphoma, both relatively rare disorders. The relationship between H Pylori and the more common diseases of GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and dyspepsia (upper abdominal pain not associated with ulcers) has been given much attention where it is now known that eradication of H Pylori does not lead to improvement in dyspepsia symptoms. On the contrary, an interesting relationship was found between H Pylori and GERD. Ulcer patients with H Pylori infection often complain that their GERD symptoms worsen after successful treatment of their H Pylori infection. They had migrated from the frying pan to the fire now. As H Pylori interferes with the stomach's ability to produce the normal amount of acids, acid-suppressing medications are extremely effective in patients affected with H Pylori. Upon the reduction or the eradication of the H Pylori bacteria, the acid-suppressive medications are not as effective; thus, the cure of the H Pylori infection led to GERD worsening and an acidic stomach irritating the esophagus.

This would warrant doctors to prescribe additional or higher doses of their GERD medications to handle GERD symptoms which are a prelude to esophagus cancer. Many experts have by now also questioned the need to treat all cases of H Pylori infection and are divided to forgo one and invite another health challenge. But for now, the recommendation is still to treat all people infected with H Pylori because of the benefit of preventing ulcers and gastric cancer. Though it might be good to think that getting rid of the H Pylori bug that causes digestive troubles, and stomach ulcers and cancer would be a good thing of the past, eradicating H Pylori through antibiotics has cast upon a "catch-22" situation in your stomachs. It is like having one or the other. The H Pylori bacteria destroys the parietal cells of the stomach to prevent the stomach from making acid. No acid means no heartburn and fewer cases of GERD and its complications, but as more people have taken medicines to kill H Pylori, they have eliminated the one bacterium that protected them from acid reflux. Together, these factors have caused the rates of GERD to steadily rise; it now afflicts some 20 percent of the adult American population. 95 percent of those contract esophagus cancer have a low survival rate and it is not surprising that a 10-15% five-year survival rate is common because the disease is so advanced.

Thus as the saying goes, "Everything that comes around, goes around" and there is always a compensating factor. The complexity of the human race is such that as researchers begin their trail quest, they find that the journey is a long haul towards discovery of God's marvelous gift of all to mankind; the human body! So the choice is yours for the taking for healthy lifestyles and healthy living. God has a purpose in all HIS DEEDS.

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