Mastic Gum, DGL, and Manuka Honey for H. Pylori

[JonesyGal]

I have been experiencing stomach discomfort since the middle of January. I had a colonoscopy/endoscopy last Wednesday and my biopsy results came back today...positive H Pylori. My doctor prescribed a triple antibiotic regimen to take for the next 14 days. I would really prefer a more natural approach versus 2000 mg of antibiotics for the next 2 weeks. On my way to the pharmacy to pick up these dreaded antibiotics, I decided to swing by a local health store. The rep told me about Manuka Honey(12+ medical grade), Mastic gum(500 mg) and DGL (457 mg). If I'm going the natural route what are your dosing recommendations for this stuff? Do I take all 3 or a combination, or just one? Please help, if you have tried any of these items for H Pylori and Hiatal Hernia, please respond with your method and let me know if it was successful. Btw: no ulcers, just gastritis. Thanks

[Paxiled]

Everyone has h. pylori in their systems, so that's not unusual -- if your system is healthy it passes through and doesn't find a nice place to live.  If you don't have bleeding ulcers, then I think it couldn't hurt to try the natural approach, but if gastritis is your only problem, that doesn't actually describe a condition -- that just means you have inflammation in your digestive system.  That can be treated a number of ways, including change of diet, use of aloe vera juice and DGL, and other good remedies, such as slippery elm, cayenne (which most Americans will find too hot, unfortunately) and other things.  As to the three remedies you mention, there is some research supporting the use of those three and a lot suggesting they don't work, so it's an experiment on your part.  Manukka honey definitely contains an antibiotic that can kill h. pylori in a test tube, but it's another thing to prove definitively it does this in the body.  All honeys contain antibiotic properties particularly for topical use, but Manukka is unique in having an effect on h. pylori.  I have never been tested for h. pylori -- I had my bleeding ulcer over thirty years ago and nothing since, and that was before h. pylori was tied to ulcers.  My cure for it was my doctor telling me to start doing TM, a form of meditation, and it pretty much solved that problem along with getting rid of my migraines.  Last year, I developed stomach problems that, like you, were diagnosed as gastritis, which, again, is not a diagnosis but a description.  I started taking both mastic gum and DGL and used aloe vera juice and slippery elm, because combining remedies is best in natural medicine.  As it turned out, it seemed to be connected with a prostate problem, as it disappeared after prostate surgery, so there you go -- not gastritis at all.  But I still take the DGL.  Different companies recommend different dosages of DGL -- some will say chew two tablets before meals (Enzymatic Therapy) and some will say chew one (Planetary Herbals).  I found one worked better for me than two, but I got the most benefit when I chewed a third before going to bed.  So I would say, try all of them, and as for dosages, for the DGL and the Mastic Gum it will be on the label of the supplement you decide to buy, but for the Manukka Honey you'll have to research this, as there is no proven dosage for using honey -- you can't really measure it as well as, say, DGL, which has a certain amount of a form of licorice.  A good but newer herbal will probably give you guidance here (old herbals won't have this, as the research, done in New Zealand, is only a few decades old and the information in herbals can be hundreds of years old.  The problem will be, you won't know if you killed off the h. pylori without further medical testing after your trial of these remedies, and you won't know if the h. pylori is in fact responsible for any of your problems under any circumstances as it's always there.  But again, since your life isn't at risk as it would be with bleeding ulcers, I think you can do a trial.  Your gastroenterologist should be able to give an opinion on how serious and immediate he or she thinks the problem is.  Good luck.

[JonesyGal]

Thanks so much for this information. I am scheduled for a breath test in 3 weeks to recheck the H. Pylori,  so I'll try this natural remedy until then. If it isn't completely cured or shows no sign of improving, I have the antibiotics that were originally prescribed. Thanks again.