A simple treatment that may cure Stomach ulcers for life has been devised by medical researchers at Melboume’s Monash University.
The seven day treatment of a “cocktail” of yoghurt and common antibiotics is the latest and most novel weapon in a 10year quest for an ulcer cure by the Monash scientists.
The team, led by Associate Professor John Lambert, was the first. {0 disclose that duodenal and gastric ulcers were associated with a bacterial infection. Previously, it had always been assumed that the ulcers were caused by excess gastric acid in the stomach. The treatment was the intake of acids up pressing drugs which brought temporary relief but saw a recurrence of the ailment within a year.
An alternative, effective therapy with a few wide side effects, now exists that kills a vital bacteria Helicobacter pylori, believed to be the cause of ulcers. Dr.Lambert’s treatment, which comprises bismuth and two anti-biotic and administered over seven days, has killed the bacteria in80 percent of patients who have not suffered a recurrence over an extended period. Working with scientists from the national organization, CSIRO’s Dairy Research Laboratory, the team has tested 50 lactobacilli, bacteria with natural antibiotic action living in the human gut. Six which kill Helicobacter have been identified and yoghurts containing them are being prepared for human trials.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 2, 1994
