Digestion and Stomach Disorders
Follow the links below to find information on digestion, stomach and other
gastrointestinal disorders, and other topics such as abdominal pain, diarrhoea,
gallstones, gastroenteritis, cancers, indigestion, incontinence, hernias, liver
diseases and ulcers.
Alarming statistics now show that tens of millions of Americans are infected
with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), a strain of bacteria that is implicated in
the vast majority of gastric ulcers and can even lead to deadly stomach cancer.
Not surprisingly, gastric distress is one of the most common complaints that
prompt men and women to visit their doctors. Each day, your stomach may be
subjected to factors that can induce gastric discomfort and disease, ranging
from alcohol and prescription medications to chronic stress and dietary
indiscretions
In many cases, however, a routine visit to the doctor is not enough to provide
effective, long-lasting relief of stomach distress. Over-the-counter and
prescription remedies are often expensive, carry the risk of side effects, and
offer only limited relief for gastric upset. Moreover, these stomach aids are
increasingly less effective at eradicating H. pylori infection.
Fortunately, scientists have identified novel nutritional and herbal agents that
provide synergistic support for stomach health and integrity by relieving
inflammation, promoting tissue repair, and supporting the body’s defenses
against H. pylori. One of these remedies—a complex of zinc and carnosine—was
previously available only in Japan as a prescription drug for ulcers, but is now
readily accessible as a dietary supplement in the United States. Together, these
natural agents can serve as the foundation of a strategy to safely and
effectively relieve chronic gastric distress and restore stomach health and
comfort.
Getting to the Bottom of Gastric Distress
Stomach ulcers affect 20 million Americans, and even greater numbers suffer from
heartburn and other gastrointestinal symptoms. In addition to producing
disabling stomach pain, ulcers may cause bleeding or perforation of the stomach
wall. Ulcers are responsible for 6,000 deaths and more than 1 million
hospitalizations in the US each year. A revolutionary discovery by Barry J.
Marshall and J. Robin Warren so changed our thinking about what causes ulcers
that their research was rewarded the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine.
Contrary to popular belief, ulcers are not caused by stress or spicy foods, but
rather by stomach infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori. This
bacterium is the culprit in nearly 80% of stomach ulcers and in more than 90% of
ulcers in the duodenum, the first portion of the small intestine.
Since the discovery of how H. pylori affects the stomach, conventional treatment
for ulcers and H. pylori infection has focused on antibiotics to eradicate the
bacteria, medication to suppress acid production in the stomach, and an agent to
protect the stomach’s lining.1 H. pylori is frequently difficult to eradicate,
however, even with long-term use of these medications. Further compounding the
problem is that H. pylori often develops resistance to antibiotics, thus
rendering treatment ineffective.4 As a result, alternative or complementary
strategies to support stomach health are sorely needed.
Fortunately, health-conscious consumers in the United States can now access an
effective, natural approach to restoring stomach health. Approved in Japan as a
drug to treat ulcers, a novel zinc-carnosine compound has been found to
strengthen the mucosal barrier, coat the stomach, and inhibit both the growth
and damaging effects of H. pylori. These benefits of zinc-carnosine are enhanced
by cranberry and licorice, two natural agents that also support gastric health
while diminishing the effects of H. pylori.
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