How to beat resistant h.pylori

H. Pylori is getting harder to treat. Many people need to do more than one protocol to eradicate it. Antibiotics have been having a lower success rate too due to resistance. But there are ways to increase chances of success.

H. pylori resistance is growing for several reasons. One of them is the overuse of antibiotics and strains that become resistant as a results.

Another reason is because H. pylori can go into a dormant coccoid form, to resist attack and eradication. When going into coccoid form h. pylori changes shape from its normal spiral rod into a ball shape and hides in the stomach lining mucosa. It can stay dormant for up to a year, and resurface during times of stress when immunity is lowered. When in a coccoid form, h. pylori is almost completely antibiotic resistant. But there are things we can do to combat this resistance.

H. pylori can be driven into coccoid by antibiotics, antimicrobials and acid suppressing meds like PPI (proton pump inhibitors).

In coccoid form, h. pylori can still be harmful and inflammatory and produce virulence factors (if it’s a virulent strain of h.pylori).

There is no way to know when or if h. pylori has gone into dormant coccoid form but we can add things to our protocol to support successful eradication.

Linolenic acid and NAC have been shown in studies to break up to mucosa protection of the coccoid form. Linolenic acid can be found in flax oil in higher concentrations, or olive oil in lower concentrations. Or supplements.

Linolenic Acid and NAC

Here is an excerpt from a Pub Med study that found a formulation of Liposomal Linolenic Acid extremely effective of eradicating both the regular and coccoid form of h. pylori by disrupting the protective membrane. Here is an excerpt from the study.

“Using a laboratory strain of H. pylori, we found that LipoLLA (a liposomal nanoformulation of linolenic acid) was effective in killing both spiral and coccoid forms of the bacteria via disrupting bacterial membranes. Using a metronidazole-resistant strain of H. pylori and seven clinically isolated strains, we further demonstrated that LipoLLA eradicated all strains of the bacteria regardless of their antibiotic resistance status. Our findings suggest that LipoLLA is a promising antibacterial nanotherapeutic to treat antibiotic-resistant H. pylori infection.“

Adding flax oil or a flax oil supplement or linolenic acid supplement to an herbal or antibiotic protocol can make h. pylori more vulnerable in its protective coccoid form.

Olive oil, is a beneficial food I recommended adding in my H. Pylori Rescue guide because of its ability to kill h. pylori. This could be in part due to its linolenic acid content, including also natural antimicrobial properties. Flax oil can work even better, but olive oil can be used in addition to or to replace flax oil.

Don’t exceed more than a tablespoon of oil daily. Starting with a teaspoon and going up from there is always a good idea to prevent die off or other reactions to the oil.

Dealing with antibiotic resistance

Most of my clients opt for a natural h. pylori protocol over antibiotics. But if there’s an aggressively virulent strain (the GI Map tests for virulence factors) or the natural route doesn’t work, some turn to antibiotics.

I’m not a doctor and don’t give medical advice, particularly about antibiotics. This is just educational information about picking the right antibiotic protocol if you choose that route. Talk to your doctor about what you’ve learned here and how to make the protocol more successful and less harmful.

As I mention in my h. pylori guide, there are a few things that can make antibiotics more effective.

Using a biofilm buster

Adding Saccharomyces boulardii (a yeast based probiotic)

Adding bismuth

Taking a GI Map stool test to determine which antibiotics you are resistant to. Including an antibiotics you’re already resistant in your pharmaceutical protocol can negatively impact success rates.

Also taking linolenic acid in supplement or food form and NAC can be supportive if h. pylori goes into coccoid form.

Antibiotic success rates

From my research, the most successful combination of antibiotic therapy for h. pylori contains bismuth. There’s a pharmaceutical called Pylera that’s a mix of bismuth, metronidazole and tetracycline. It is taken for 10 days with a PPI to suppress acid during treatment. Adding Amoxicillin can up success rates further.

Since I’m not a doctor, I don’t know dosing, but that’s something a doctor will know.

Also, espramozole is the PPI that seems to be most effective among all the different brands.

Lastly, stay away from flouroquinolones (a class of antibiotics) for h. pylori, they contribute to resistance and have a lot of side effects, besides being less effective. This class of antibiotics are sold in the U.S. under the names: ciprofloxacin, gemifloxacin, levofloxacin, moxifloxacin, norfloxacin, and ofloxacin.

Choosing herbs vs. antibiotics

While I am sharing this information, I still believe herbs can be very effective against h. pylori if done correctly, and won’t damage the biome like antibiotics can.

With antibiotics there is always a risk.

In my natural protocol, I use bismuth(in a product called peptiguard) along with NAC and sac b to support complete eradication. These herbs must be taken in the right quantities to be successful. You can find out more in my guide here.

Special circumstances

For pregnant or breastfeeding women, it may not be safe to take herbs against h. pylori but using flax oil, broccoli sprouts, green tea and sugar-free cranberry juice/ extract can be a food based approach against h. pylori, along with probiotics like lactobacillus reuteri and saccharomyces boulardii.

Which approach is most effective?

Are antibiotics or the natural route more effective?

Both can be effective if done correctly. Herbs won’t damage your biome like antibiotics can. Taking Sac. B is very important if you take antibiotics, to help mitigate the damage.

In my experience, h. pylori can be a root cause of IBS, digestive issues, a dysbiotic (imbalanced) biome, yeast overgrowth, SIBO, mood issues and autoimmune disease. It can ruin people’s lives and make it hard for them to sleep well, digest their food or relax.

And it is incredibly hard to test for, with a lot of tests producing false negatives. The GI Map stool test is the best test for the most accurate results. Accuracy can be improved by taking NAC for a few weeks before the test to break biofilm to see what’s underneath.

While h. Pylori is getting harder to eradicate, arming ourselves with the right tools and supportive foods like NAC, bismuth, sac b, broccoli sprouts, flax oil, olive oil, cranberry juice and green tea, can stack the odds in our favor.

Black cumin seeds are another powerful biofilm buster and antimicrobial for h. pylori. I’m planning on writing a blog post, with recipe, about this magical food.

Lastly, for a successful h. pylori protocol it’s important to support the immune system by regulating the nervous system. This means finding ways to process and recover from the stressors. A regulated nervous system can easily move back and forth from fight or flight to rest and digest. An unregulated system can get stuck in low grade fight or flight without us even realising.

One hint that you are stuck in fight or flight is being jumpy (easily scared or surprised by unexpected noises or thing happening around us). Being stuck in fight or flight without even knowing is pretty common these days. Especially if you have gut issues.

Stabilizing blood sugar, supporting adrenals with adaptogens and self care with movement (walking is best), sleep and social support are important parts of the healing puzzle and will help your body adapt to stress.

One a last note: while helpful, it’s not about knowing more that helps you win your fight over h. pylori, it’s about consistently following through with what you do know. Basic self care and lifestyle habits matter and that is something that a health coach can help with.