When a patient complains of subtle bloating and heartburn, typically doctors diagnose them with high stomach acid and prescribe acid-blockers. However, reducing stomach acid frequently compounds the problem because in many cases the issue isn’t high, but low stomach acid caused by a pervasive H. pylori infection. H. pylori is a common bacterium that burrows into the lining of the stomach, suppressing stomach cells called parietal cells from releasing hydrochloric acid, the enzyme we use to digest proteins. Common symptoms of an H. pylori infection can be subtle or major and might include: Heartburn Burping Bad breath after eating protein Intolerance to digesting rich proteins such as eggs or meats, bloating or feeling like you just ate a brick Left untreated, H. pylori can lead to serious consequences pylori has been shown to be very destructive to the vascular endothelium, special cells lining the blood vessels. It gets into the blood vessels, destroys them, …