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Gary's StoryI took the standard Triple Therapy treatment for Helicobacter in 1998, after taking Zantac for many years - not for acid reflux but after I had developed a duodenal ulcer. The helicobacter certainly seems to have been eradicated, and I have not taken any kind of acid-suppressing or neutralising substance since then. One of the things I now do is experiment on myself with different probiotic bacteria and products. In effect I megadose on a particular probiotic for a few weeks to see what, if any, the effects are. (The mega-dosing is achieved by making very large quantities of yogurt from the probiotic I am looking into). One thing I have consistently noticed is that some probiotics, particularly products with just a single strain of bacteria, lead to me getting acid reflux problems. I presume this happens when some of the normal bacterial strains in the gut have been forced out by the presence of very large quantities of the new probiotic bacteria. The acid reflux continues indefinitely even after the probiotic mega-dosing is stopped. From my own observations, I think Dr. Marshall was definitely right as far as bacteria being the key to acid reflux, but I don't think that the H. Pylori bacterium is quite the whole story for everyone who has this problem. When I get this acid reflux effect, I have found by experimentation that I can get rid of it quite easily by, perhaps ironically, taking three other strains of probiotic bacteria. It is possible that these three probiotic bacteria may help some people who have developed acid reflux via a more normal route. I don't want to appear to be some kind of product-pusher, but anyone who wants to try a product with these three probiotic bacteria can identify it by the strains listed below. The product is sold under different names in different countries, but in the UK at least it is widely available and pretty cheap. If these probiotic bacteria were going to work for anyone with acid reflux, I would expect them to have an effect within the first month at the standard product dose, not a megadose. If it was found to be helpful, the probiotic should then be taken for a further two months before discontinuing. Unfortunately the product with these three probiotic bacteria also contains numerous vitamins and minerals - these are definitely not relevant to any effect it may have. The listed bacterial strains are: Lactobacillus gasseri PA 16/8 Bifidobacterium bifidum MF 20/5 Bifidobacterium longum SP 07/3 Hopefully this just might help some sufferers!
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