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How I cured my gastritis

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ines6375
ines6375

When I got diagnosed with mild gastritis (but no H. Pylori) and esophagitis, I looked all over the internet to find what to do. I did not find many accounts of people who have cured themselves successfully and how they did it. So I thought I would write my story once I am cured. Here it is. If you have cured yourself from gastritis too, please share your experience below as well.

Many people ask how long it takes to be cured. At first I started on dexilant for a month but I did not see any improvement. After a month I kept taking dexilant and I started the low acid diet in parallel. I got much better in 2-3 days. After two months on dexilant and one month on the diet, I felt completely good. Then I stopped the dexilant cold turkey and got a lot of pain and acidity back in my stomach. Now I regret I did not take the dexilant a little longer as my stomach was obviously not healed and not strong enough to go through the rebound effect of stopping dexilant. I regret also that I did not stop dexilant slowly taking it every other day for a week, then every three days for a week, .... I felt anxious about taking a medication that has so many side effects taken long term and I wanted to stop immediately, which was not reasonable.

Anyway there I was back at the beginning with stomach pain and acidity day and night. I felt pain related to the esophagitis as well which really scared me. I hesitated to take dexilant again but I decided to try to cure myself the natural way. Below I describe what I did. I got cured in approximately two months, getting slowly better week by week. After two months of natural cures I had no stomach pain anymore and no excess acid, I was able to sleep again, felt like a new healthy (and lighter -- I lost a few pounds) person. However after those two months, I felt that I needed to follow the diet another month for my stomach to get strong and be able to handle a less strict diet.

THE CURE

Books

Most of what I did is summarized in two books which I found very useful:

The first book is "Dropping acid: the reflux diet cookbook & cure" by Jamie Koufman. This is the book I based my diet on. The only disagreements I have with the author regard dairy products that I stopped taking as they make the stomach produce more acid (very clear for me), and the use of ginger, manukka honey and aloe vera which I find too irritating and/or acidic (and I don't feel that they help). Also she does not talk about salt which is known to be irritating for the stomach lining in excess, I felt an improvement when I lowered my intake in salt. I will explain the diet more in details below.

The other book is "Ulcer free! Nature's safe & effective remedy for ulcers" by G. Halpern. I know you may have gastritis and no ulcers but the two conditions are related and what cures one usually cures the other too. I used some of the natural supplements recommended in this book. In particular slippery elm (this one is actually not mentioned in the book) and DGL licorice for stomach pain (coat the interior of the stomach lining), Zinc-Carnosine (reduce inflammation and protects stomach lining - I felt a great improvement after starting to take it especially with acid production at night), and cabbage juice (finished my recovery with this one, after two days I had no stomach pain anymore at night). I describe the supplements more below.

What did not work for me

Mastic gum hurts my stomach. It is supposedly helpful against H. Pylori which I knew I did not have (I had been tested).

Prelief removes the acid in food and stomach very efficiently but causes constipation.

Tums works well for 45 minutes but then there is a rebound effect with the stomach producing more acid.

Manukka honey hurts my stomach (Too acidic, Ph level 4, but maybe also because of the tea tree essential oil in it). It is supposedly helpful against H. Pylori.

Aloe Vera is too acidic (around Ph level 4), and I don't feel it is doing anything positive.

Ginger is irritating and I don't feel it is doing anything positive.

Probiotics helps with digestion but not really for the stomach.

Zantac works very well at removing the acidity but makes me feel dizzy and incredibly tired.

PPI worked very well at removing the acidity and pain in my stomach while I was taking it while doing the diet, but I had a bad rebound effect when I stopped (one must stop slowly by taking it every other day for a while). Also having too low acid in the stomach because of PPI might cause problems in the long term (problems with Calcium and B12 absorption, bacterial infection more likely).

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  • donclaudio
    donclaudio ines6375

    Posted

    hmm, I've replied to this but apparently "didn't process"...my post was more directed to GERD and know your savy but other's maybe not. I do have a listing somewhere of "probable and possible" causes..I'll find and post. And yes, once a cause is known...a piece of cake to suggest targeted treatment. Claudio
  • donclaudio
    donclaudio ines6375

    Posted

    Hi ines,

    I've found the paper, it's a tad old, I'll cut and paste, will try and edit it "time permitting"....everything you mentioned as a possibility is on target..one note: ...Gastritis isn't modern...Chinese Traditional Medical Practioners have been treating several types of Gastritis, have records going back  a few thousand years. I often reference Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as  reading abstracts from their Nutritional complex in Shanghai.Claudio

    Probable Gastritis causes

    Common:

    excessive alcohol 

    consumption or prolonged use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory 

    drugs such as aspirin or ibuprofen, antibiotics and other drugs

    Miscl drugs

    ulcers (note you can have Gastritis without ulcers)

    food poisening

    major surgery, traumatic injury, burns, or severe 

    trauma 

    other ....frequent or prolonged gall bladder attack

    infections. 

    infection with bacteria, primarily Helicobacter  pylori

    chronic bile reflux

    organ mal function (gall bladder, speeen, thyroid etc.)

    LESS COMMON

    smoking/tabaco

    Escessive use of hot spices (challenged)

    stress ( I think likely...this is challenged..)

    rapid weight loss (depends on cause)

    certain autoimmune disorders.

    surgery resulting in the banding or reconstruction of the digestive 

    tract

    Crazy diets including non trialed supplements includes no gov control

    of "supplement compounding".

  • caroline96762
    caroline96762 ines6375

    Posted

    Thank you for your post. I have dealt with chronic gastritis since 2012 and I have had no luck. The pain and the constant vomiting is horrible, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and was taking high dosage of steriods for a long time. I can't wait to start your diet as it really does take a toll on me.
    • ines6375
      ines6375 caroline96762

      Posted

      Hi Caroline,

      I hope it helps.

      Is your gastritis related to your immune disease or is it due only to the steroids?

  • donclaudio
    donclaudio ines6375

    Posted

    I see that my "link" to the US National Institutes of Health's Pub Med Library on line  is in limbo...moderators must be out to lunch...I've linked studies/abstracts/journals etc  before but? 

    I haven't gone into deapth with this, just found it...you might google the following:

     

    "Curcumin and anthocyanin inhibit pepsin-mediated cell damage and carcinogenic changes in airway epithelial cells, pub med"

    And do you have a copy of the  Conference held in conjunction with the 9th International Symposium on Human Pepsin (ISHP) Kingston-upon-Hull, UK, 21–23 April 2010?? I have the PDF should you not be able to access via the Internet.

    claudio

  • jebus99173
    jebus99173 ines6375

    Posted

    Hi, I have a quick question, I just wanted to know in what order did you take the pepZin GI, the DGL, and the Slippery Elm. Did you take Pepzin and the DGL together or did you take the Pepzin one day and the other the following day? I just got the Pepzin GI, the DGL, and the Slippery Elm today and I just want to know in what order to take them. Thanks 
    • ines6375
      ines6375 jebus99173

      Posted

      Hi Jebus,

      I took every day: 1 DGL licorice 30 minutes before breakfast, 1 pepzin Gi with breakfast, 1 DGL licorice 30 minutes before lunch, 1 DGL licorice 30 minutes before a snack in the afternoon, 1 DGL licorice 30 minutes before dinner, 1 pepzin GI with dinner. I took slippery elm between meals with one or two big glasses of water. Sometimes I took slippery elm or 1 DGL licorice during the night if the pain woke me up.

      After three months of this I was still sensitive, have some acid reflux at night and reacting badly to any slip in my diet, so I started taking dexilant 60 mg first things in the morning, and it worked so well that I stopped everything else very quickly.

    • jebus99173
      jebus99173 ines6375

      Posted

      Thank you so much I am going to try that. Im glad to here you are doing much better. 
    • stomachgirl
      stomachgirl jebus99173

      Posted

      Okay, I take the DGL at night if I wake up with heartburn.  It says do not take more than 3 a day.  I have to no ill effect, but sometimes if I have acid bad in the day, I take it.  I learned to take 6 very small meals a day.  I eat very slowly, and chew thoroughly.  I take 3 tagament a day.  Morning noon and night, sometimes 20-40mg of pepsid as well.  I don't take Pepsin--I had a severe reaction to it.  I take slippery elm between meals, if I have a gap and it works out, because you need to take it between meals.  Also I take sucralfate(sp?) in the same manner as the slippery elm.  I was taking tums too, but the gastro said to stop--it could make me worse.  I just got diagnosed yeserday with h.pilori(SP?)  So now I'm on 6 antibiotics a day to boot--they also told me I have to take prevacid as well, but I know I'm sensative to it, so I have to call on Monday to the dr to get that changed, because I get numbness in the limbs, heart palpitations, trouble breathing, anxiety, and insomnia with it.  Also I take probiotics--1 in the morning and 1 at night, but now I'm taking it at different times so it's not rendered useless by the antibiotics.  They say after 2 weeks, I should be better.  I hope so--I've had this about 3 or 4 years now.  I wonder if this will solve all my problems.  I hope so.  This is my 2nd endoscopy, the 1st showed I was negative for h.pilori.  Previous to this recent extreme attack, 3 weeks ago, I was also taking olive leaf, oregano oil pills, aloe juice, alkaline life ph drops in my water, neem oil pills, a barrage of digestive enzymes, marshmallow root, and all of that seemed to keep my symptoms at bay--I would take some 1 day, others on other days.  In no particular order.  I also took livercare by himalaya so as to take care not to incur damage there--hopefully.  I would also take weeks off here and there to give my body a rest as well.  It was during one of these rests that my attack started 3 weeks ago.  Hurray, that I now at least understand the nature of this incipid attack.  Hopefully this course of antibiotics will cure all my issues and will get me back to normal completely.  I'll let you know.  Meanwhile, I should have been taking mastic gum pills, because that is known to cure h. pilori as well.  I had started a long time ago, before the first endoscopy, but when they told me it was not h.pilori, I stopped taking it  and gave it to a friend who did have it.  Now I'm going to go buy some at Sprouts.  
    • donclaudio
      donclaudio stomachgirl

      Posted

      Hi stomachgirl,

      I believe Ines didn't have hp. 6 antibiotics? this would be a first for hp...the most recent one that was either near or over 90% effective  was a dual thearpy..tripple therapy, quad mostly. What are the 6 please?

      We treated my wife initially for atrophic gastritis...over time and diet only was able to get her to Gastritis, then when it didn't improve, had a UBT  for hp, postive, tripple therapy....10 weeks later...her condition was the same..no improvements, spoke with the GI...told me to redo the tripple therapy but change the antibitocs (he didn't send me a bill for the phone call)...I changed the meds  but did not use the suggested  flygl, instead used tetracycline (knew it was less effective but I have a strong dislike of flygl)...and in addition to the  ppi, used bismuth...262mg x 2...so the antibiotics were Amoxicillin, tetracycline vs clarithomicin.  12 weeks..UBT...Negative...continued the bismuth at 262mg pre bed time..no other medications for 3 months..then cut the bizmuth to 1/2 (tabs come at 262mg)...and she is yet on the 1/2 tab...she has had what appeared to be complete recovery.meaning..no stomach issues...but she "had to have her own food"...and bingo..back to the beginning with stomach hurt..no reflux day or night..Wife is "non compliant" with diet...when she feels good...she really does it wrong but...its the gut overpowering the intellect...anyway 3 months now...she is symptom free...she has mini flareups..all attributed to "her food"..."oil..not fats",

      and the protocol that works is simple..small meals...what you eat...when you eat..and how much you eat.byw each time she has had a flare up, I've gone back to slippery elm, DGL, and PepzinGI...I would not use Pepzin Gi if she had a functional gall bladder. Usually takes 2 days to get back to being symptom free. Current status without any symptoms...I can locate what I think is some "inflammation"..most likely remaining in her duodenum...may take another while...don't know when...but from the first major bout and losing  weight..124lbs to 96lbs...she is now at 103..and maybe a tad more..114lbs is my target before year end. Wont' make it but will be pleased with any improvements. We are pensioners, and wife without insurance...We used 1 GP, 2 Gi's, 1 ENT, 2 Surgeons, 1 hepatologist, (we have seen each of these but one time...gp several) .blood work every 2 months but now once every 6 months (her TSH was out of range  and with the addtion of Kelp vs medication with Hepatologist threatening me with his gestures) , its back to normal) and if normal next in February...will move to yearly...oh, and sent the Hepa the TSH test results, telling him to go back to med school but consider kindergarden first)...Before the UBT, we suspected HP and tried pretty much everything..manuka honey...mastic gum etc...Please remember to continue the ppi for a period but ween ...replace it with bismuth...1 tab for a period? and then 1/2 tab...This is the 1950 protocol for peptic hp ulcer..only one small town dr was able to cure peptic ulcers..the entire medical world community blamed "stress"..he suspected a bacteria involment.(1949 my dad was treated with anti acids and bland food...milk of magnesia...never cured...suffered badly.

      Look forward to learning the 6 meds..and your speedy recovery...Claudio

    • ines6375
      ines6375 stomachgirl

      Posted

      Hi Stomach girl,

      I hope the antibiotics will help you.

      I think it is good that you stopped the oregano oil, it might be good against h.pylori but it is very corrosive to the stomach lining.

      I remember when I studied essential oils, I put some oregano oil on a plastic cup, and it made a hole in it!

      Aloe vera is too acidic. I contacted different companies and the ph level is always below 4. I tried it 2-3 times and I would get some pain afterwards. Moreover there is no proof it helps.

      It is probably good you did not take the mastic gum. It might be good against h.pylori but it is very irritating to the stomach lining too. I tried twice, once for 4 days, and I got terrible stomach pain from it. Not helpful.

  • fireflower22
    fireflower22 ines6375

    Posted

    Thank you for these comments. I recently ended up in the hospital with Gastritis at least and maybe an ulcer. I have been put on a diet of clear liquids which after three days my pain went completely away with the diarrhea. Then I tried to eat some yogurt and cottage cheese and did pretty well. Then I got adventurous and needless to say I am now back to the first step. I am going to include the cabbage juice and get some slippery elm. When I am healed more I am going to get off Omeprozole very slowly. You advise was valuable and helpful. Thank you. 
    • ines6375
      ines6375 fireflower22

      Posted

      Hi fireflower,

      I actually changed my mind about cabbage juice. It made me feel so bad because of the effect on the thyroid. And now my doctor is telling me for the first time that my thyroid hormons are slightly too high. It it is probably not related but maybe. I do not recommend cabbage juice anymore.

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