Helicobacter pylori, or, H. pylori infections are rife. H. pylori is a spiral-shaped bacterium that is found in the gastric mucous layer or epithelial lining of the stomach. It is a chronic gastric pathogen of human beings which weakens the protective coating of the stomach and duodenum, allowing acid to irritate the sensitive stomach lining. H. pylori is the only bacterial organism in the stomach that cannot be killed by hydrochloric acid. It can also grow in the small intestine, sticking to epithelial cells; it affects the gastric and duodenal mucous layer; and, it decreases the production of epidermal growth factor. The H.pylori bacterium has been estimated to be present in 30-40% of the U.S. population, 75% of the world’s population, and is considered the world’s most common chronic infection. There are several noninvasive laboratory tests available to test for H. pylori infection. Up to 90% of all stomach ulcers are caused by an infection of the H. pylori bacterium. The antibiotics prescribed for H. pylori infections are the direct cause of another major problem, one that conventional medicine chooses not to even recognize
