H. pylori Infection – Hidden Cause of Your Fatigue

Transcription:

Hey guys. Dr. Arland Hill here with you, and I’m here with my little friend, Piper. Not long ago, this little lady had an infection, which got me thinking about you and what you might need to know regarding fatigue and infections. I wanted to share with you a possible infection that is not generally talked about very often as it relates to fatigue, but can absolutely be a big causative factor.

The infection I’m talking about is H. pylori, also known as Helicobacter pylori, but H. pylori as it’s more commonly termed, is a bacteria in the stomach. Now, here’s what’s interesting about H. pylori.  We all have it.  So, how is it an infection and how is it actually causing a problem for you and possibly being a cause of your fatigue? Well, H. pylori has the potential to become infectious, meaning that it can become a problematic organism. It can start to overgrow in number and actually begin to cause some problems. One of the more common problems that it causes is disrupting some of the cells and architecture in the stomach.

H. pylori Infection Causes Fatigue Due to Anemia

Now, the reason that’s a concern for you as it relates to fatigue is that, that also disrupts your ability to absorb B12 and iron. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard of anemia. We talk about individuals being anemic, meaning lethargic, not very active, going into that whole fatigue mindset. When we think about anemia, the two more common or two of the more common causes of anemia are going to be a deficiency in B12 and iron. So, if fatigue persists even in light of trying treatment such as iron, such as B12, even folate, if that doesn’t work, then it could be an indication that you might have an overgrowth or an infectious presentation of H. pylori.

Beyond the Stomach – A Big Reason H. pylori Infection Causes Fatigue

Now, I want to also tell you how this can begin to multiply on itself and actually become even more problematic. The story doesn’t just stop at the stomach.  The reason being is that H. pylori sets up dysfunction not just in the stomach, but also down in the large intestine. And by the way, the organisms in the large intestine, when they’re balanced, help you stay energetic; when they’re not, they cause you to be more predisposed to have fatigue. So, you want to know if H. pylori’s present, not just because of how it can be a contributor to fatigue by virtue of creating nutrient deficiencies, such as iron and B12, but you also want to know how it’s a contributor to your fatigue because of the impact that it has on the organisms in your large intestine too.

Listen, guys, it’s no coincidence that a lot of individuals feel the necessity to take probiotics when maybe the question that should be asked is, “Should I be taking probiotics or really should I be looking for an overgrowth or problem with H. pylori as a potential cause?” Now, let me extend a word of caution to you on this because I don’t want you to immediately run to your doctor and says, “Hey, Dr., check me for H. pylori.” No. You have to do this correctly.

How to Avoid Making the Mistake of Overlooking an H. pylori Infection

There’s a lot of different options for H. pylori assessment out there. There’s breath test. There’s what are known as antibody tests where you’re looking for proteins from your immune system to see if you’re reacting to H. Pylori. But there’s also another option that is part of a stool test.  It looks at not just whether or not you have H. Pylori. It also looks at whether you have something called virulence factors. Here’s the takeaway point. When you look for these virulence factors through DNA, through a DNA assessment, that actually tells you whether or not the H. pylori is a problem.

So, go back to where I started when I shared with you that everyone has H. pylori. There’s all kind of different subspecies of H. pylori out there. What really makes a difference is not whether or not you have H. pylori present because the answer to that is, “Yes, you do.” What makes a difference is whether or not that H. pylori is actually causing a problem by excreting virulence factors.  When it’s doing that, it lays the groundwork for nutrient deficiencies that then open the door for you to begin to deal with fatigue.

So, listen, guys, If you like the information I just shared with you, make sure that you like the video and share the video. Tell other people about this. Let them know too because you’re not the only one dealing with fatigue. Thanks for listening. I’m Dr. Arland Hill.