In 2005, the Nobel Prize in medicine was awarded to the scientists who discovered the H pylori bacteria. This bacteria has since gone on to be implicated as the major factor behind most of the stomach ulcers in humans.
In fact, as much as 85% of stomach ulcer symptoms are thought to be caused by H pylori. This is interesting as just a few decades ago the idea of a bacteria even living in the stomach was laughable. In fact for much of the researchers’ careers who discovered this bacteria they were ridiculed for the “ridiculous assumption” that a bacteria could live in such an inhospitable environment.
However, this just raises the question of how much we do we really know about the human body and about heath and disease in general? I would like to wager not very much. After all, it turns out that certain foods mentioned in this H pylori diet can suppress the activity of H pylori. Are there other foods out there which have miracle effects on our health? It is possible.
The most shocking thing to me about H pylori though is that there are no Helicobacter Pylori symptoms. Most people do not even realize they have it until they develop a stomach ulcer. So the question then becomes, how many other chronic diseases plague man are caused by bacteria which have yet to be discovered? It is an interesting question indeed.
On that related note, some researchers have discovered that the mouth care is essential to avoiding heart disease and cancer, and that your likelihood of getting both conditions increases as the numbers of cavities and root canals in the mouth increases. This is because strep bacteria actually are able to colonize deep in the tooth once a cavity forms, which cannot be eradicated even after a root canal. The bacteria are sealed deep in the mandible and have access to the blood stream where they go on to create inflammation for a lifetime, leading to the increased risk of contracting a variety of chronic life-threatening conditions.
This extends beyond our fellow man as well. For example, ulcers in horses may be linked to the E. fergusonii bacteria, which has recently been discovered to colonize both animals and humans. Who knows what sort of diseases this unusual bacteria can cause in humans.
You might think that the option to all our ailments might just be antibiotics, but it is not all that easy. The problem is that humans have adapted to having some of these bacteria and not all bacteria are pests. Humans have a very symbiotic relationship with certain bacteria in the large intestine. These bacteria are able to break down fiber (indigestible in humans) and give off vitamin K (a necessary nutrient for humans) in the process. Humans absorb this vitamin K and use it for various body processes.
If these healthy bacteria are wiped out due to chronic antibiotic use, then human’s digestive capacities will suffer greatly. Additionally, long term use of antibiotics is frequently dangerous and harmful for this very reason. As a result, many doctors do not like to prescribe long term antibiotics. Too many good bacteria are destroyed in the process.
Additionally, bacteria tend to evolve very rapidly. If we continuously take antibiotics, bacteria will be exposed to them constantly and they will quickly adapt and find ways to evolve around antibiotics. Once these resistances develop, humans will not be able to fight them off at all. For this reason, we cannot take antibiotics around the clock to try to prevent chronic conditions. Antibiotics can however be used to treat H pylori infection in the case of a stomach ulcer.