Helicobacter pylori or H. pylori is a spiral-shaped bacteria that grows in the mucosal layer of the stomach.1 In a Japanese study, gastric cancer developed in patients with H. pylori within a mean follow-up time of 7.8 years in 2.9% of cases.2 Although it is estimated that approximately half of the world’s population has the bacteria, not all people develop gastric cancer from the disease which indicates that other factors like diet, lifestyle, genetics, and epigenetic factors influence whether cancer occurs or not.3 Although an H. pylori infection does not develop into cancer for most people, Enomoto and colleagues found that for those who do have gastric cancer, almost all (98%) had H. pylori.4
H. pylori Damages Stomach Lining
H. Pylori bacteria damage stomach tissue and cause inflammation that leads to stomach ulcers and gastric cancer. Helicobacter pylori bacteria weaken the stomach lining by secreting an enzyme called urease which makes stomach acids more neutral and creates a hospitable environment for bacteria. When the lining is intact, we are protected from feeling the acids that digest food, but when it is compromised, we feel pain from these strong acids.
Biopsies After Helicobacter Pylori
In my case, I was first diagnosed with H. Pylori in 2014 and took a 14-day triple therapy regimen of antibiotics and a proton-pump inhibitor. After testing again, I was relieved when tests results came back negative for the bacteria. H. pylori is a tenacious bacterium that is difficult to eradicate so regular testing should be done. In 2015, I decided to get an esophagogastroduodenoscopy or EGD to check my stomach and everything came back normal, but two years later, I started to have some burning sensations in my stomach and got another EGD in 2017. This time, pathology results indicated that I had intestinal metaplasia in the antrum (lower section of the stomach).
Precancerous Stages of H. pylori
H. pylori causes chronic inflammation in the gastric mucosa, and over time, inflammation progresses through the premalignant (precancerous) stages of 1) atrophic gastritis, 2) intestinal metaplasia, 3) dysplasia to 4) adenocarcinomas (malignant tumors).5 Intestinal metaplasia is a step towards cancer or alteration of stomach tissue without advancing to cancer. One Dutch study indicated that out of 61,707 patients with intestinal metaplasia, less than 1% of patients (0.25%) developed cancer five years later.5 I retested every two years – through fecal or breath tests – with negative results, but in 2021, I had a highly positive test. I did not want to do another round of antibiotics since repeated administration causes antibiotic resistance in addition to side effects that negatively impact the microbiome.
Microbiome Health
I started working with a naturopath who ordered a GI-Map DNA Stool Analysis for me. This lab test was much more detailed and provided more information about my microbiome than just the H. pylori test through my conventional doctor. This lab work tests for several pathogens (bacterial, parasitic, viral), H. pylori, bacterial flora (good gut bacterial strains), phyla microbiota, fungi/yeast, potential autoimmune triggers, leaky gut (add-on Zonulin test), and small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO). These detailed results provided a more thorough understanding of the conditions in my microbiome. One of the supplements that helped a lot for H. pylori was Pyloricil. After taking it and following my naturopath’s treatment plan, I retested, and results came back negative for H. pylori. I highly recommend working with a naturopath or integrative doctor in addition to conventional doctors as testing will be more thorough, and the approach will be from a whole body, integrated, functional medicine perspective. Disease is not localized to just one part of the body, there are many conditions that allow disease to thrive, and it’s empowering to piece them together. Naturopath or integrative medicine doctors are like private investigators of root causes of disease with much more through testing! That way, you don’t keep treating the symptoms but get to the real cause of the disease.
Stomach Pain
In retrospect before the H. pylori returned in 2021, I received the first of the two COVID-19 vaccinations earlier that year. By the evening of the first vaccination, I had the worst stomach cramps of my life. The pain was intense, unlike anything I had experienced before, so I thought I may have gotten the virus. I didn’t have any problems after the second immunization though. However, later that year, back pain had immobilized me for a few days, so I went to see an orthopedist. She took some x-rays and told me my bones looked strong and referred me to a physical therapist. But then, later in August, the back pain had continued, so I asked my orthopedist to order an MRI. The images indicated that I had slight spinal stenosis in the lumbar area and that was causing nerve impingement that sent sciatica down my leg; however, the most shocking finding though was that I had a large mass in my pelvic area which appeared to be indicative of ovarian cancer! This was confirmed by later imaging tests with my gynecological oncologist. So, I went in for back pain and found out that I had an even bigger problem!
Metabolic Approach to Cancer
I had a complete hysterectomy but opted out of chemotherapy and decided to do a metabolic approach to cancer which worked well for me. I wrote a book about my how H. Pylori and vitamin deficiency set the stage for disease to take hold and how the metabolic approach to cancer saved me. The metabolic approach to cancer drastically limits cancer cells’ energy source and essentially weakens and starves them so they cannot proliferate. A therapeutic ketogenic diet for cancer also played the key role in my healing process. I am now in remission and doing well without having undergone toxic cancer therapy.
Precancerous Conditions and Risks
I suspect that several factors colluded in creating a hospitable environment for cancer to develop and grow. Although I did not have stomach cancer, H. pylori had reduced my ability to properly absorb nutrients from the food I was eating. My digestion was not working well in my body, and I was severely deficient in some vitamins like B12 and D which further compounded issues with energy, calcium absorption, muscle weakness, and neuropathy. In my case, intestinal metaplasia did not develop into stomach cancer and wasn’t the direct cause of my ovarian cancer, but H. pylori had severely affected the health of my microbiome which over time had a grave impact on digestion, energy production, metabolism, and immunity – important functions that allow disease to thrive when insufficient long-term. There are many potential negative cascading effects when digestion is impacted, so I highly recommend working with a naturopath or integrative medicine doctor to determine the root cause of stomach problems and treat them.
References
1 Helicobacter pylori and cancer. National Cancer Institute. https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/h-pylori-fact-sheet.Accessed December 10, 2023.
2Uemura N, Okamoto S, Yamamoto S, Matsumura N, Yamaguchi S, Yamakido M, Taniyama K, Sasaki N, Schlemper RJ. Helicobacter pylori infection and the development of gastric cancer. NEJM. 2001 Sep 13;345(11):784-9.
3Conteduca V, Sansonno D, Lauletta G, Russi S, Ingravallo G, Dammacco F. H. pylori infection and gastric cancer: State of the art. International Journal of Oncology. 2013 Jan 1;42(1):5-18.
4Enomoto H, Watanabe H, Nishikura K, Umezawa H, Asakura H. Topographic distribution of Helicobacter pylori in the resected stomach. European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology. 1998 Jun 1;10(6):473-8.
5de Vries AC, van Grieken NC, Looman CW, Casparie MK, de Vries E, Meijer GA, Kuipers EJ. Gastric cancer risk in patients with premalignant gastric lesions: a nationwide cohort study in the Netherlands. Gastroenterology. 2008 Apr 1;134(4):945-52.