Stomach pain can indicate an infection with the stomach germ Helicobacter pylori. The bacterium can lead to stomach problems such as gastritis, stomach ulcers or duodenal ulcers. We present alternatives to conventional medical Helicobacter therapy as well as holistic measures for the natural treatment of stomach complaints and stomach pain.

Stomach pain – The causes

Stomach pain can have very different causes. They usually occur in the short term and are accompanied by an upset stomach, e.g. if you ate too quickly, drank something too cold or simply ate something intolerable for you.

However, if stomach pain becomes very severe or chronic, you should have the cause found out so that you can use the appropriate measures in a targeted manner.

In the following, we will only discuss the causes of stomach pain and not the causes of abdominal pain. Stomach pain occurs in the upper abdomen. Causes may include the following:

• Gastrointestinal flu
• Food poisoning
• Food allergy or intolerances
• Gall stones
• Reflux and heartburn
• Epigastric hernia (fracture of the anterior abdominal wall)
• Stomach ulcer
• Stomach cancer
• Inflammation of the stomach mucosa ( gastritis )
• Heart problems up to heart attacks
• Pulmonary embolism/pneumonia

Since each of these possible causes is treated very differently (see the links provided), we will only discuss stomach pain and stomach discomfort that arise due to gastritis or an infection with the stomach germ Helicobacter pylori below.

Stomach pain because of Helicobacter pylori?

For a long time, stomach problems (with or without stomach pain) were considered to be a consequence of stress and grief, among other things. Then, however, the bacterium Helicobacter pylori was discovered in the stomach lining of some people.

The fact that “someone” could obviously survive in the hydrochloric acid of the stomach shook the world of medicine at the time. For decades, it had been thought that this could not be possible. However, the Helicobacter bacterium taught the scientists better.

Helicobacter pylori lives in the gastric mucosa and is nevertheless not attacked by stomach acid or digestive enzymes.

This is because the bacterium has found a way to create an alkaline environment around itself. It produces an enzyme (urease), which in turn can convert urea (which is produced in the stomach during protein digestion) into ammonia – and ammonia is alkaline. When the alkaline ammonia meets the acidic stomach acid, the two neutralize each other, so that the acid can never reach the bacterium.

The presence of Helicobacter pylori in the stomach can cause pain, but it doesn’t have to be, as many people harbor the bacterium without ever knowing about it.

Antibiotics against Helicobacter pylori

After its discovery in the 1980s, Helicobacter pylori was found in many people suffering from stomach problems. At the same time, these people seemed to be better off when they succeeded in destroying the bacterium.

And so it is now true that gastritis, stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers and, possibly, in the long term, stomach cancer develop in the vast majority of cases due to a bacterial infection with Helicobacter pylori. The logical consequence of conventional medicine is now that antibiotics are administered in case of the combination of “stomach problem and Helicobacter”.

Helicobacter pylori in half of all people

However, here the question arises, what weakens the stomach so much that it can suddenly become susceptible to a bacterium? For a bacterium that, by the way, can also be detected in many people who have neither a stomach ulcer nor any other stomach complaints.

Yes, in reality, half of humanity is supposed to be the host of Helicobacter pylori – and half of humanity definitely does NOT suffer from stomach problems. Helicobacter pylori cannot therefore be the SOLE cause of stomach problems.

Stomach pain due to stress

Due to its influence on the gastric mucosa, stress can in any case be regarded as a factor that could lower the stomach’s defenses to such an extent and change its milieu in such a way that the bacterium can settle in the first place or multiply or change to such an extent that it takes on a pathogenic character. Studies in mice already show this harmful effect of stress on the stomach (6).

Therefore, if you suffer from stomach pain, stress can also be the cause. Therefore, review your stress management and optimize it if necessary.

Stomach pain due to poor diet

Of course, nutrition has a similarly large influence. The stomach is one of the first organs to come into contact with our food. If this food now consists of highly processed foods for years and decades, which contain plenty of synthetic food additives, but hardly any antioxidant-effective vital substances, then it can be considered a brilliant achievement of our organism if a stomach mucosa does NOT become diseased.

Such food leads to the formation of compounds and toxins in the digestive tract, which our organism – in many aspects still shaped by the Stone Age – does not know and which consequently irritate and damage it (and first and foremost the mucous membranes of the digestive system) – and thus also makes it susceptible to the Helicobacter bacterium and stomach pain.

As early as a 2014 study, it was stated that eating fast food and avoiding fresh vegetables increases the risk of a Helicobacter infection and also leads to a more severe course if an infection has occurred (7).

Inflammation of the stomach lining (gastritis)

Gastritis causes nausea, vomiting, a feeling of pressure in the stomach and stomach pain. In this disease, the gastric mucosa is damaged due to an external stimulus. This damage is called “erosions”. Gastritis usually (but not always) leads to increased stomach acid production – among other things, because the stomach is activated by the presence of the Helicobacter bacterium to increase stomach acid production.

At the same time, the self-protective functions of the gastric mucosa can decrease, so that it can no longer protect itself from stomach acid – as it does in a healthy state. This means that the secondary cells of the gastric mucosa no longer produce enough mucus.

All these factors together now ensure that the gastric mucosa can be etched by the body’s own stomach acid as well as digested by the protein-digesting enzymes. The result: the stomach lining becomes inflamed and you get stomach pain.

A distinction is made between an acute and a chronic form of gastritis

The difference is actually only the duration. If gastritis appears suddenly and heals again in a manageable time window, then it is the acute form. If the symptoms develop insidiously or if the initially acute gastritis persists permanently, then this is referred to as the chronic form.

Stomach pain due to acute gastritis

Acute gastritis occurs all of a sudden due to a harmful substance that irritates or damages the stomach lining too much. The harmful substance can be one of the following: alcohol, medication (drugs for cancer or the well-known acetylsalicylic acid (ASA, aspirin)) and chemicals (e.g. if cleaning agents or the spray against aphids or the like are accidentally swallowed). Injuries and shock situations after accidents can also cause acute gastritis.

Acute gastritis can lead not only to stomach pain, but also to loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, pain in the upper abdomen and – if you are not careful – to chronic gastritis.

Therapy for acute gastritis

The usual treatment for acute gastritis consists primarily of avoiding the triggering stimulus, fasting for 1 to 2 days and then slowly getting used to easily digestible solid food. Of course, after surviving gastritis, fried, breaded, deep-fried, high-fat and otherwise hard-to-digest foods as well as alcohol should first be avoided.

Since Helicobacter has recently been on blamed for stomach pains, even stomach complaints of any kind, it is also often found in acute gastritis. However, this is not surprising, since the bacterium – as already mentioned – is present in HALF of ALL people and it is then automatically found in those who are currently experiencing acute gastritis. However, whether it can (always) be the actual cause of acute gastritis remains questionable.

Stomach pain due to chronic gastritis

Chronic gastritis can develop from acute gastritis or occur insidiously, i.e. without a previous acute stage. It can be clearly noticeable (i.e. also with stomach pain and the other symptoms of the acute form) or it can be completely asymptomatic.

The three forms of chronic gastritis

Depending on the cause, a distinction is made between three forms of chronic gastritis:

• Type A gastritis is called an autoimmune process, which means that the organism forms antibodies against the parietal cells of the gastric mucosa and destroys them.
• Type B gastritis is said to account for 80 percent of all gastritis diseases. It is the form that is attributed to Helicobacter pylori and is the main subject of this article.
• Type C gastritis develops due to regular stimuli that the stomach does not like and that irritate it. These include medication (e.g. non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (the aforementioned ASA or other anti-inflammatory painkillers prescribed for rheumatic pain, for example), but also some antibiotics), alcohol, mold toxins, a preference for foods and drinks that are too cold or too hot, but also inadequate chewing.

Complications of chronic gastritis

Gastritis can cause dreaded complications, namely severe mucosal damage, which can manifest itself in a stomach ulcer, stomach bleeding or a gastric rupture. The latter in particular is accompanied by severe stomach pain in the middle upper abdomen.

If there is internal bleeding from the gastric mucosa, this condition can manifest itself in vomiting blood, in the so-called tarry stool (stool with an admixture of blood) and in anemia (due to the blood loss due to the internal bleeding).

Stomach pain due to a stomach ulcer

A stomach ulcer can also lead to unpleasant stomach pain. The term peptic ulcer is occasionally used for both an ulcer in the stomach and an ulcer in the duodenum.

A stomach ulcer is a wound in the lining of the stomach or intestines. In milder cases, only the top layer of the mucosa is affected. However, the entire mucous membrane or the entire stomach wall can also be damaged.

Stomach pain from a duodenal ulcer

Duodenal ulcers are more common than stomach ulcers. Ulcers can also occur multiple times and affect both the stomach and duodenum at the same time. Since the duodenum is the first section of the intestine after the intestine, it is not so easy to distinguish whether stomach pain comes from the stomach or the duodenum.

If the ulcers reach deep into the mucous membrane, larger blood vessels can be damaged, which can lead to internal bleeding.

Causes of gastric and duodenal ulcers

As with gastritis, the cause of gastric or duodenal ulcer is a disturbed relationship between gastric protective factors (mucus production) and stomach-destroying factors (pepsin and/or excessive acid production). As a result, parts of the gastric or duodenal mucosa that are inadequately protected are practically digested by the protein-digesting enzyme pepsin and additionally attacked by stomach acid.

What or who leads to this disturbed relationship between stomach-protecting and stomach-destroying factors?

Prolonged stressful situations, heavy smoking and high-dose cortisone therapies are also considered to promote the formation of stomach ulcers. However, since Helicobacter pylori is found in 80 percent of those affected and in almost 100 percent of those who suffer from duodenal ulcers, the bacterium is also considered the main suspect here.

Conventional medical therapy for stomach pain caused by Helicobacter pylori

Treatment for stomach pain and other stomach ailments such as chronic gastritis and stomach ulcer as well as duodenal ulcer generally depends on what the attending physician calls the cause, which will usually be the Helicobacter bacterium (if found during gastroscopy).

However, the bacterium can also be detected with a blood test, a stool test or, even more simply, a breath test.

It is said that both gastritis and stomach or duodenal ulcers would disappear immediately as soon as Helicobacter pylori was destroyed – but ONLY IF the gastritis or ulcer had actually been caused by Helicobacter, which no one knows in advance.

Eradication of Helicobacter pylori

So the next step in conventional medicine is to eradicate Helicobacter. “Eradication” literally means “to tear out by the root” and means the “complete destruction” of the bacterium. Helicobacter pylori is tried to eradicate by conventional medicine with the so-called triple therapy (also called eradication therapy).

Triple means triple because three drugs are given: two different antibiotics and an acid blocker (proton pump inhibitor; PPI). Proton pump inhibitors are drugs that do not – like antacids – directly neutralize the acid in the stomach. Instead, PPIs are digested, absorbed in the intestine and reach the gastric mucosal cells that produce stomach acid via the bloodstream. There they inhibit stomach acid production by blocking the corresponding metabolism of the cell.

The triple therapy is said to be an extremely uncomplicated method that is quickly effective for most patients.

When Triple Therapy Fails

Nevertheless, there are now quite a few patients for whom triple therapy fails, even if it is carried out two or even three times or if it is extended to an even stronger quadruple therapy. These patients not only continue to suffer from stomach pain and other stomach complaints, but also often from additional side effects of the therapy. These side effects can be so severe that the therapy must be discontinued.

It is abdominal pain, heartburn, a feeling of pressure in the stomach and everything else that the patient already knows from his gastritis or stomach ulcer – only a little more pronounced and now (due to the intestinal flora destroyed by the antibiotics) often combined with diarrhea.

Taking Probiotics for Triple Therapy

The intake of probiotics during triple therapy is said to significantly increase the tolerability of triple therapy. However, doctors often forget to prescribe a probiotic. If you’re lucky, the pharmacist will remind you of the probiotic when you pick up the triple medication.

Helicobacter already antibiotic-resistant in some cases

The triple therapy – so it is said – fails when the Helicobacter is already resistant to the prescribed antibiotics. This reference alone to the tendency of the bacterium to develop resistance should make people prick up their ears and – not only the patients, but especially the therapists – look for alternatives.

In the case of Helicobacter, which is not yet antibiotic-resistant, taking 500 mg of vitamin C in addition to the one-week triple therapy is said to help eliminate the bacteria. In a 2007 study, vitamin intake led to patients being able to reduce the dose of antibiotics and still achieve the desired efficacy against Helicobacter ( 9 ).

Relapses are possible

Furthermore, it can happen that the therapy is successful at first, but the patient soon becomes infected with Helicobacter again. This may be the case because in many people (especially if periodontitis is present (an inflammation of the periodontium)), Helicobacter colonies live not only in the stomach, but also in the dental plaque. Antibiotics, however, do not work on plaque.

After antibiotic therapy, a sip of your own saliva can be enough and new Helicobacter bacteria from the plaque have landed in the stomach and everything starts again.

Stomach pain: what to do if nothing helps?

But what do people with stomach pain and other stomach complaints do now, whose Helicobacter bacteria are resistant to the prescribed antibiotics?

What do people with stomach problems who cannot tolerate triple therapy do? What do people with stomach problems do whose Helicobacter colonies were eradicated, but who became infected again?

What do people with stomach problems do who are tired of taking acid blockers (PPIs) and their side effects? Here you can read all about the side effects of acid blockers

What do people with stomach pain do who want to regulate both excess stomach acid and stomach acid deficiency naturally?

What do people with stomach problems do whose goal is not “only” eradication, but who would like to heal the whole body in a holistic way?

The 20 best tips for stomach pain and stomach discomfort

From a holistic point of view, the task of stomach pain and other stomach complaints is (as with other complaints) to bring the body back into its healthy balance, to reawaken its self-regulation abilities and to eliminate the real causes of the diseased gastric mucosa (wrong lifestyle and diet). This is the only way to really eliminate stomach problems.

Natural measures against Helicobacter pylori

The following antibacterial foods (which are effective not only against Helicobacter, but also against pathogenic bacteria in general) can be integrated into the daily diet or daily routine especially against Helicobacter pylori – if its eradication is necessary to alleviate stomach pain and stomach discomfort:

White cabbage for stomach pain

First and foremost is white cabbage, which is considered an old folk remedy for stomach ulcers. One study, for example, dates back to 1949 and showed that white cabbage juice led to faster healing in patients with stomach and duodenal ulcers than the conventional medical therapy of the time.

Seven of the 13 patients suffered from a duodenal ulcer and were cured after 10.4 days thanks to the white cabbage juice, while the usual therapy took an average of 37 days to succeed.

The remaining six patients had a stomach ulcer that was cured with the white cabbage juice after 7.4 days. The standard therapy took 42 days ( 8 ).

You can drink 1 to 3 glasses of white cabbage juice a day. However, start with small amounts of juice so that the organism can get used to juice therapy. White cabbage can also be consumed in the form of small amounts of raw white cabbage salad every day, as the juice does not taste good to everyone.

Broccoli and broccoli sprouts

Other cabbage vegetables such as broccoli should also be served more frequently and regularly. Broccoli can spice up the salad very well in the form of broccoli sprouts. Radish and radish sprouts are similarly beneficial.

They all contain secondary plant substances (mustard oil glycosides, e.g. sulforaphane ), which have a strong antioxidant effect and can directly eradicate Helicobacter ( 1 ).

Sulforaphane can also be taken in capsule form, such as sulforaphane broccoli extract.

Garlic

Garlic also has a very good antibacterial effect, but should be eaten fresh and raw every day for this purpose, which will probably not significantly increase the personal popularity in job and family due to the typical garlic breath and is therefore not suitable for everyone.

Antioxidants

The antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthin are known for their antitumoral, antibacterial, antioxidant and immune system-stimulating properties, so their use should already be included in Helicobacter therapy. Lutein and zeaxanthin are found in very large quantities in fresh green leafy vegetables, herbs and cabbage vegetables, so eating fresh salads or – even better – enjoying green smoothies and grass drinks in the presence of Helicobacter is highly recommended. In addition, these superfoods have a very calming, regulating and cleansing effect on the gastrointestinal tract due to their alkaline potential and high chlorophyll content.

The antioxidant effect of a healthy diet can also be optimized with high-quality, highly effective and highly concentrated antioxidants such as astaxanthin, OPC or curcumin.

Black Cumin Seeds

In a Saudi study in 2010, it was found that black cumin seeds eliminate Helicobacter as well as triple therapy – in the dosage of 2 grams per day. (1 gram and 3 grams, were only slightly effective) ( 4 ).

Cranberry juice

Cranberry juice can also be very well integrated into anti-Helicobacter therapy. A study by the University of Beijing showed that some subjects received a negative Helicobacter test after taking a quarter of a liter of cranberry juice 2 times a day for 90 days ( 5 ).

Ginseng

We have explained in detail the extent to which red ginseng acts against Helicobacter infections here.

Manuka honey and cistus tea

Some naturopathic therapists recommend manuka honey and cistus tea to eradicate Helicobacter.

Probiotics

We have already explained the importance of taking probiotics during anti-Helicobacter therapy (whether with antibiotics or naturopathic remedies) above and in detail here: Probiotics: application and correct intake

Other remedies

some people believe that Mastic Gum can be helpful for Helicobactor. Also antibacterial oils like oregano or tincture like lugols iodine or colloidal silver have been successfully used to keep Helicobactor under control.

Think about intestinal cleansing

Intestinal cleansing involves at least three components: bentonite or zeolite, psyllium husks and a probiotic. All three are excellently suited to renovate not only the intestines, but also the entire digestive system and thus also the stomach and also to regenerate the mucous membranes.

Bentonite and zeolite bind the excess stomach acid and absorb toxins of all kinds in the organism (including the metabolic toxins of Helicobacter pylori) in order to excrete them in the stool.

Psyllium husk powder increases intestinal peristalsis and can therefore – if taken with a lot of liquid – remedy possible constipation, which is known to be the cause of heartburn in the presence of a hiatal hernia.

A high-quality probiotic (e.g. Super-Pro) can also regulate digestive activity together with a prebiotic (e.g. inulin or acacia fibre) and also has a very positive effect on all gastrointestinal complaints.

Treat stomach pain naturally

So if you suffer from stomach pain and want to treat it naturally, there are many ways to do so. However, stay on the ball with the measures mentioned in the long term. So a cure of a few days is not enough. It is best to use your stomach pain and stomach complaints for a fundamental change in your lifestyle and diet!