It’s hard to believe that Helicobacter pylori wasn’t always a household name. In fact, it was only as recently as 1989 that scientists recognized this bacterium as the real smoking gun behind serious conditions like stomach ulcers, chronic heartburn and gastritis-not stress or spicy foods, as once thought.1-3
The statistics are shocking: As many as half of all Americans over the age of 50 will be infected with this gut-eroding pathogen. And it’s a potentially lethal epidemic, too-H. pylori is known to significantly raise your risk of heart disease, atherosclerosis and even several forms of cancer (most notably stomach cancer) in the long run.4-6
To make matters worse, H. pylori is anything but an easy target: its unique shape and constitution protects it from being destroyed by your stomach acid and immune cells, and conventional "cures" call for an aggressive combination of several drugs- including H2 blockers, proton pump inhibitors and antibiotics. And unfortunately for the growing number of patients suffering with antibiotic-resistant strains, the risk of re-infection looms large.7
All things considered, eradicating H. pylori for good might sound like a complicated-and expensive-endeavor. So you might be surprised to learn that powerful, safe and simple protection from this ulcer- and heartburn-causing bacterium is possible…thanks to an ancient stomach-soothing secret called mastic.
Modern clinical research shows that this natural gum is highly effective for heartburn and gastric and duodenal ulcers-and that oral doses as small as one gram per day deliver relief in 80 percent of patients within just two weeks.8-9 The result-total repair of ulcerated mucosal tissues and vital protection from ongoing damage.10
Published research also shows that this natural compound is a powerful antibacterial agent: in vitro testing against seven different types of H. pylori revealed that mastic effectively kills 99.9 percent of the damaging bacteria-including three drug-resistant strains-even at very low concentrations of this plant-derived gum.11
Luckily, mastic gum is available now as a daily supplement through Vitamin Research Products. Look for it paired with deglycyrrhizinated licorice (DGL) as part of a cutting-edge combination called CeaseFire - for strong natural heartburn and ulcer protection in a chewable, cinnamon-flavored wafer.
References:
1.Fukuda Y, Tomita T, Hori K, Tamura K, Shimoyama T, Nishigami T. The history of Helicobacter pylori. Rinsho Byori 2001 Feb;49(2):109-15.
2.Xia HH, Yu Wong BC, Talley NJ, Lam SK. Helicobacter pylori infection – current treatment practice. Expert Opin Pharmacother 2001 Feb;2(2):253-66.
3.Peterson WL, Ciociola AA, Sykes DL, et al. Ranitidine bismuth citrate plus clarithromycin is effective for healing duodenal ulcers, eradicating H. pylori and reducing ulcer recurrence. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 1996;10:251-61.
4.Pakodi F, Abdel-Salam OM, Debreceni A, Mozsik G. Helicobacter pylori. One bacterium and a broad spectrum of human disease! An overview. J Physical Paris 2000 Mar-Apr;94(2):139-52.
5.Uemura N., Okamoto S., Yamamoto S., Matsumura N., Yamaguchi S., Yamakido M., Taniyama K., Sasaki N., Schlemper R. J. Helicobacter pylori Infection and the Development of Gastric Cancer. N Engl J Med 2001; 345:784-789, Sep 13, 2001.
6.Fox JG and Wang TC. Helicobacter pylori – Not a good bug after all. N Engl J Med 2001; 345:829-32.
7.M.R. Fattahi, M. Saberi-Firoozi, A.R. Saadat, S. Massarrat. Helicobacter pylori re-infection and recurrence rates of duodenal ulcer following treatment with three different anti-H. pylori regimens: A two-year follow-up study. Irn J Med Sci 1999; 24(3&4):82-86.
8.Huwez FU, Al-Habbal MJ. Mastic in treatment of benign gastric ulcers. Gastroenterol Jpn 1986;21:273-274.
9.Al-Habbal MJ, Al-Habbal Z, Huwez FU. A double-blind controlled clinical trial of mastic and placebo in the treatment of duodenal ulcer. J Clin Exp Pharm Physiol 1984;11:541-4.
10.Al-Said MS, Ageel AM, Parmar NS, Tariq M. Evaluation of mastic, a crude drug obtained from Pistacia lentiscus for gastric and duodenal anti-ulcer activity. J Ethnopharmacol 1986;15:271-278.
11.Huwez FU, Thirlwell D. Mastic Gum Kills Helicobacter pylori. N Engl J Med 1998; 339:1946, Dec 24, 1998.
Tags: Atherosclerosis, Cancer, Concentration, Food, Gain, Gas, Healing, Heart, Heartburn, Immune, Liver, smoking, Soothing, Stress, Ulcers
