Easing tummy troubles
IT all started as mild gastritis when she was in college, years ago. Sheryn would often experience pain in her upper abdomen and discomfort from trapped gas. Tying it to irregular meals and stress, she found relieve with antacids.
Now at 36, Sheryn finds her gastric pains and abdominal discomfort problems have escalated. She has even developed reflux symptoms, like food regurgitation. Antacids do not seem to help anymore. During a recent check-up, Sheryn was diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) and has been put on acid-blocking pills.
Proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) or acid blockers are the leading drug therapy for upper gastrointestinal disorders. It works by reducing gastric acid production to enable the digestive tract lining a chance to heal. Although it certainly helps to relieve symptoms, it disrupts the normal digestive and protective functions of the stomach.
When acid in the stomach is blocked, food will not be digested normally as the process requires a specific pH to occur. In addition, viruses and bacteria can invade easily, where they would normally be stopped. Food also stays in the stomach for longer periods as the pH is not right for the food to enter into the intestines. As a result, the patient experiences gas and tummy discomfort as food in the stomach is incompletely digested and begins to ferment. This causes the gastritis patient to feel tired and sapped of energy as nutrients from food is not absorbed, hence failing to be converted into energy. Gastritis is defined as the inflammation of the stomach lining, which causes it to be weakened or damaged. When gastritis goes unchecked, stomach ulcers (painful open wounds) can develop over time. Stomach ulcers are difficult to heal as it lies in a pool of acid. Left unresolved, it can lead to bleeding complications.
Current guidelines recommend that PPIs be used for only four to six weeks, after which it should be stopped. In reality, long term and often lifetime use is becoming the norm. This has caused adverse effects and long-term harm to health due to the profound acid suppression action of the drugs. population. In line with conventional treatment methods, attention has turned to evidence-based natural therapeutics in the battle against gastrointestinal disorders. One in particular is a pine conifer green needle extract known as Bioeffective A.
N.N. Petrov Institute of Oncology in St Petersburg’s chief of cancer chemoprevention Prof Vladimir Bespalov led a study, which looked at treatments to improve pre-cancerous conditions of the stomach (atrophic gastritis). In this research, Bioeffective A was administered to patients with atrophic gastritis and compared to a control group. About 50% of patients from each group were also found to be infected with H.pylori.
Patients in the group treated with Bioeffective A at a dose of 320mg taken three times a day, experienced: a regression of GERD symptoms such as gastritis, acid reflux, gas and bowel disorders (90%); improved stomach functionality in 60% of patients; a reduction in pre-cancerous lesions in 46% of patients; and H.pylori eradication in 60% of patients.