Posted by Larry Hoover on December 20, 2008, at 13:21:59
In reply to Re: GERD tangent » Larry Hoover, posted by Quintal on December 12, 2008, at 19:28:43
Sorry for the tardy reply. My computer power supply failed. Kind of hard to get parts for my 'puter when my 'puter is broken. It's amazing how much I depend on it, without realizing it.
> I've never been tested for helicobacter pylori, but my dad tested positive a few years back and had a few courses of treatment. I'm not sure how it's spread, I suppose it's possible I have it.
Just a thought. The treatment is antibiotics, rather than acid modulation. Infective spread within intimate family relations probably better accounts for familial gastritis trends than what was once thought to be genetic vulnerability.
> >Absolutely the case. Pepsin is inactive if you suppress stomach acid. That's one reason I started using bromelain. It's not only a good digestive aid, easily breaking down protein, but it's also a potent anti-inflammatory.
>
> Are supplements better than fruit?Yes. There is very little bromelain in pineapple, relative to the stems. The commercial product comes from crushing the plant after the fruit is harvested.
> I eat fresh pineapple about twice a week. I actually thought it might attack the raw stomach lining.
I never found it to be an irritant. But just to be sure, I checked the literature and found that bromelain was fairly to markedly effective in treating ulcers about 50% of the time. One lone report simply made a generic statement to avoid bromelain if an ulcer was present, due to a theoretical risk of increased bleeding.
> Would marshmallow help? I have some old capsules around the house. I was thinking about using up the bottle, but the label warns against taking it within an hour of taking other medicines. Do you know if this is necessary?
I had to look it up. Maybe it's a British traditional treatment for dyspepsia? I expect that the mucilage content could absorb and block uptake of medication. It's a reasonable concern, and the precaution is probably warranted.
> It makes dosing difficult as I take most of my meds around meal times, and it says marshmallow should be taken with food.
>
> QI'd perhaps give it a quick trial, and see if it's of any benefit. If you don't notice improvement, it's probably not worth the effort to schedule everything around it.
Regards,
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:866984
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20081214/msgs/869864.html