You have taken the pills.Probably more times than you can count. The purple capsule. The white one. Whatever name it goes by in your country the acid reducer that your doctor prescribed when the stomach pain became too much to ignore.
It works. For a while. The burning settles.The gnawing pain after meals quiets down. You can eat without wincing. You feel almost like yourself. And then weeks or months later it is back.
The burning. The bloating. The acid rising into your chest at night. The stomach pain that arrives after every meal like an uninvited guest who simply will not leave.
You go back to the doctor. You get another prescription. You are told to avoid spicy food, reduce stress, and come back if it gets worse. And the cycle continues.
If this has been your experience. I want you to know two things.
First you are not alone.Chronic gastritis is one of the mostcommon conditions affecting African womenparticularly in the diasporaand it is significantly undertreated at the root level.
Second the reason it keeps coming backis almost certainly not what you have been told.
The acid reducers are treating your pain.Nobody is treating your root cause (stomach wall.And until the wall is treatedthe pain will always return
Understanding Gastritis What Is Actually Happening
The word gastritis simply meansinflammation of the stomach lining.Your stomach has a protective lininga layer of specialised mucus producing cellsthat acts as a barrier betweenthe strong acid your stomach uses to digest food and the actual tissue of your stomach wall.
Think of it as wallpaper in a room.The wallpaper is there to protect the walls. Aslong as the wallpaper is intactthe walls are safe from everything inside the room.
When the stomach lining becomes damagedthrough bacterial infection, chronic stress,certain medications, alcohol, antibiotics or dietary factorsthis protective barrier weakens and thins.Gaps appear. Areas of exposed tissue emerge.
And your stomach acid which is powerful enoughto dissolve certain metalsbegins to attack the exposed stomach wall directly.This is gastritis. This is the burning.This is the pain after meals.
This is the gnawing feeling that arriveseven when your stomach is emptybecause the acid has nothing else to work onexcept your own stomach wall.
Acid reducing medication proton pump inhibitorslike omeprazole, pantoprazole, or lansoprazolework by significantly reducing the amount of acidyour stomach produces.Less acid means less damage to the exposed areas.Less damage means less pain.
But the exposed areas the damaged liningare still there.The wallpaper has not been repaired.The wall is still vulnerable.
The moment the medication is reduced or stoppedor the moment a trigger occursthe acid attacks again.And the symptoms return.
This is the cycle. And it can be broken.But only if we address what the medication alone cannotrepair and the restoration of the stomach lining itself.
H. Pylori: The Troublemaker Bacteria
Before we go further I need to raisesomething that is surprisingly often missed inthe management of chronic gastritis.There is a bacteria called Helicobacter pylorilet us call it the troublemaker bacteriathat infects the stomach lining of approximatelyhalf of the world's population.
In many people it causes no symptoms.But in others particularly when the gut environmentis compromised it becomes the primary driverof gastritis, peptic ulcers,and in long term untreated cases,increased risk of stomach cancer.
H. pylori is extraordinarily clever.It produces an enzyme that neutralisesstomach acid in its immediate environmentallowing it to survive in your stomachand burrow deep into your stomach lining.
It weakens the protective mucus layer,makes the lining thinner and more vulnerable,and creates the perfect conditionsfor acid to cause ongoing damage.
Many women with chronic gastritishave never been tested for H. pylori.If this is you I am asking youto make one appointment this weekand specifically request an H. pylori test.
It can be done through a simple breath testor a stool antigen test.It is non-invasive. It is widely available.And if positive a specific course of treatmentcan be a genuine turning pointin your gastritis management.
This is importanteven after successful H. pylori eradication,the damaged stomach lining still requiresactive repair support.
This is where ancestral healingplays a profound and evidence-informed role.
Your grandmother's kitchen was a gastroenterology clinic.She just did not know the name for what she was doing.
Scent Leaf: (Masepo in Cameroon, nchanwu in Igboefinrin in Yoruba, ntong in some Cameroonian traditions)was grown in virtually every West and Central Africankitchen garden. Brewed as tea. Added to soups.Given specifically to people with stomach complaints
Research published in multiple peer-reviewed journalshas now confirmed that scent leaf contains compoundsincluding eugenol and rosmarinic acid with significant antimicrobial activityspecifically against H. pyloriIt was the anti-H. pylori herb in her garden.She called it kitchen herb. Science calls it medicine.Same plant. Same result.
Unripe Green Plantain: always boiled, never ripecontains a specific type of fibre called resistant starch.Resistant starch acts as a prebiotic.Itfeeds the beneficial bacteria in your gutbut it also has a direct and documented effecton stomach lining repair.
Studies have shown that resistant starchstimulates the production of short chain fatty acids in the gutcompounds that directly fuelthe repair and regeneration ofthe cells lining your stomach and digestive tract.
She boiled unripe plantain in peper soup for sick people.Every West African grandmother did this.It was not superstition.It was epigenetically transmitted clinical wisdom.
Bone Broth:the slow-cooked, bone-in pots,pepper soup, cow foot soup, oxtail brothwere not just delicious.They were therapeutic.
The long slow cooking of bonesreleases collagen and a compound called glutamineinto the broth. Glutamine is one of the mostresearched compounds for gut lining repair it is literally the primary fuelfor the cells of your intestinal and stomach lining.
She never threw away the bones.She knew without the sciencethat the healing was in what cameout of the bones into the water.
Ginger In Everything
reducedstomach inflammation through its active compoundgingerol which has been shownto significantly reduce gastric inflammation markers,and protected the stomach liningfrom acid damage.She put ginger in every pot.She gave ginger tea to people with stomach complaints.She was right about every single bit of it.
The Problem With Long-Term Acid Suppression
I need to say this clearly as a Clinical Reseacherbecause it is something many patientsare never told by their prescribers.
Proton pump inhibitors the acid reducing tabletsare extraordinarily effective at reducing symptoms.
They are safe for short term use.But long term use which is where many womenwith chronic gastritis end upcomes with documented consequencesthat are rarely discussed in the ten minute GP appointment.
Long term acid suppression significantly impairs
The absorption of vitamin B12 — leading toneurological symptoms, fatigue, and anaemia.
It reduces magnesium absorptioncontributing to muscle cramps,poor sleep, and anxiety.
It impairs calcium absorptionrelevant for bone density, particularly inperimenopausal and menopausal women.
It changes the acid environmentof the stomach which is part of yourfirst line of immune defencecreating conditions that allowcertain bacteria to colonise areasthey would not otherwise reach.
None of this means you shouldstop your medication withoutspeaking to your doctor.It means you should have a conversation areal one about
Whetherthe root cause of your gastritishas been properly investigated.Whether an H. pylori test has been done.Whether there is a plan to addressthe underlying stomach lining damage.What the long-term management plan actually is.
You deserve that conversation.And you are entitled to ask for it.
Practical Steps To Begin Healing The Wall
Step one: Get tested for H. pylori.
Ask your doctor specifically.Do not leave without asking.This is the most important first stepfor anyone with chronic or recurrent gastritis.
Step two: Add unripe green plantain weekly.
Boiled. Never ripe. Never fried.One to two servings per week
begins to introduce the resistant starchyour stomach lining needs to repair itself.
Step three: Brew scent leaf tea nightly.
Fresh or dried scent leaf steeped in hot waterfor ten minutes. Drink slowly.If scent leaf is unavailablefresh basil is your closest accessible alternative.Same botanical family. Similar compounds.
Step Four: Make bone broth regularly.
Any bone in soup, chicken, fish, beef,cooked slowly for at least one hour.Drink the broth. Let the glutamineand collagen do their repair work.
Step Five: Close your kitchen at 7pm.
Your stomach lining repairs itself overnight.But only when it is not simultaneouslyproducing acid to digest food.
The overnight fast 16-18hourswithout eating is one of the mostpowerful tools for stomach lining repair.Your grandmother closed her kitchen early.This was not poverty. This was wisdom.
Step six: Replace Ibuprofen Where Possible.
For mild pain managementdiscuss alternatives with your doctor.Every dose of ibuprofen directly damagesyour stomach lining. This is not optional information.This is pharmacology.
XOXO
Your Grassroot Girl
Sheryl Ndasi