Reflux, Ulcers, H. Pylori

H. Pylori-a stainless steel disease

There is nothing more distressing that having acid reflux after a meal. Even worse, having an ulcer due to "stress". An astute doctor will know that it is bacteria behind the majority of cases of acid reflux and Barry Marshall and Robin Warren won the Nobel Prize for their research showing ulcers are caused by H. Pylor. Something that your doctor may not tell you is what H. Pylori is found, what it feeds off of, and how you can reinfect yourself over and over again.

In my opinion, H. Pylori is a "stainless steel" disease. The reason behind this is due to the nickel found in stainless steel. So, how does one infect themselves? I think the majority of person's with reflux, ulcers or problems with H. Pylori have a nickel allergy. H. Pylori cannot survive without nickel. Here is a typical scenario of how easily someone may become infected with H. Pylori: You go to the movies, you order some nachos with cheese. You sit down and watch the movie. Later that day or the next day perhaps, you have "stomach trouble". You do nothing about it. The trouble continues. You never connect it to the meal you ate. Eventually it becomes a chronic problem. You reflux, you have distress when eating, life begins to become miserable for you when it comes to eating. You try everything to relieve the pain. Eventually you find yourself on anti-acids and anything else that will relieve the pain. You cannot drink alcohol without trouble. You are miserable with this digestive ailment. You dread eating instead of welcoming it. Sounds familiar?

Well, in the scenario described above, the chances that H. Pylori is the culprit behind the problem is quite high. The reason is this: Milk and cheese is probably where you will find most H. pylori bacteria. They eat nickel. How did they get there? They were there when the milk was collected. They multiplied when the cheese was made, especially the yellow "cheese wiz" stuff you typically dip chips in. H. Pylori cannot survive without nickel and the nickel is coming from the stainless steel combined with the dairy in it. Keep eating milk and cheese and you'll keep having problems with your stomach. But it doesn't stop there.

Another major source of nickel is canned foods and mice. Now that sounds farfetched but it is quite common. Mice are culprits for carrying H. Pylori. At one time, I was doing a research experiment and worked with rodents, so I know what they smell like. I recall having a discussion with a colleague of how so many people pick up infections from canned foods. The reason is canned foods are stored in stores and warehouses. If the place is not rodent free, and in many cases they are not, rodents will run on top of the cans, leaving traces of urine and feces that is not visible to the naked eye. A person who purchases such canned goods can easily contaminate themselves when they open the can and heat the food, but not bring it to a boil. Also, if the top of the can is contaminated, the problem becomes worse due to the nickel content of found in some (especially the tops) cans. The other reason is the food that was prepared in the can may have been prepared in stainless steel. If you cook with stainless steel at home and have problems with reflux, ulcers, or great stomach discomfort, suspect the nickel containing stainless steel. If you eat canned foods, regarless if it is eaten at home, or if it is consumed away from home, there is a high chance that it may have been prepared in stainless steel. The nickel can really add up if the food was prepared in stainless steel, then stored in a can in a manner in which the food comes in direct contact with the interior metal. Some canned foods companies have begune lining the interior of the cans with a coating to avoid metal contamination problems. Canned foods does have its benefits if it is used for short periods of times, and if you do not have access to or know how to prepare certain foods. Especially important in the case of reflux, ulcers, h. pylori, which all can cause chronic gastritis is avoiding eating foods that come in contact with metals as much as possile. Don't let food sit on the stove if it has been prepared in stainless steel. Store it in a plastic container, preferably with the recycle code number 2 (HDPE)at the bottom. The coating in the newer cans contains an estrogen-like compounds so its not a recommended way of eating for very long periods of time as it can eventually create its own set of problems.

One time I quit cooking my own vegetables in order to save time to focus on a project I was working on. I started buying canned foods. As a precaution, I always rinse off the tops of my cans before opening them. Within one week my kitchen sink had a very faint but noticeable odor that I was familiar with. "I know that scent...it was the scent of rodents." It is not a very strong scent, and unless you work with them, you may never recognize the smell. That experience confirmed what my colleague told me before, where you have canned foods stored, you will have rodents. They come from the warehouse or store in which you puchased them. The scent obviously was due to the fact that the residue on the can had made contact with water as I rinsed them off. Nothing a little bleach will not kill.

Nickel is the driving force behind H. Pylori, and H. pylori is the driving force behind many cases of reflux and ulcers. Another major source of nickel may be water. It may come from your tap, or it may even come from the water you purchased in the store. It depends on how the water was processed and stored.

So, a natural way to get rid of Reflux, Ulcers and Hy.pylori is this: Do not cook in iron and do not cook in metal that contains nickel. Do not eat cheese and do not drink milk. If you drink bottled water, and notice discomfort after drinking it, switch brands until you find one that works for you. Do not use nickel containing silverware to eat your food. Especially do not consume alcohol during times of great trouble as it always makes the symptoms worse. Lastly, keep the stress level down to a bare minimum and avoid eating foods that you are allegic to as this can caus further damage to the stomach lining.

There are natural products on the market that claim to be just as effective in eliminating H. Pylori out of the gut as antibiotics. You may want to consider utilizing these products if problems persists even after nickel elimination.