Abstract
This study gathered data on the curative benefits of traditional
Tibetan medicines for treatment of symptomatic patients with Hp positive
infection. Our research questions were two-fold: 1) can Tibetan medicine
eradicate Hp infection and 2) what is its effectiveness in relieving symptoms
putatively related to Hp infection? The research was conducted on two
populations (n = 86) in rural Lhasa prefecture, Tibetan Autonomous
Region, P. R. China. The two study populations showed infection rates of
82 % and 93 % respectively among those reporting
known gastric symptoms prior to medication. Hp positive patients were
identified by C13 UBT test before and after treatment. Traditional Tibetan
diagnostic methods were used to identify symptomatic patients. These methods
include pulse reading, tongue reading, urinalysis and questioning. Eight
significant clinical Hp symptoms were chosen for evaluation: abdominal pain,
abdominal distension, borborygmus, diarrhea, acid regurgitation, vomit,
dyspepsia and constipation. Hp-positive patients with significant symptoms were
treated with traditional Tibetan medicines. Treatment lengths in various
medication groups did not exceed eight weeks in total. A 5-month follow-up
survey was also performed for 21 of the patients in the first population. We
found that of the Tibetan medicines used, none was able to eradicate Hp
bacteria infection. However, significant improvement of most debilitating
symptoms was shown. Reported improvement for the eight categories of symptoms
ranged from 83.3 % to 100 % in the first population
and from 76.3 % to 94.1 % in the second population
(p < 0.001). Furthermore, eradication rates within the improvement
category ranged from 50 % to 100 % for all symptoms
except one in the second population (p < 0.001). In the 5-month follow up
group, there was no statistically significant Hp symptom recurrence. Other
research suggests no spontaneous symptom relief for symptomatic patients with
Hp infection. Moreover, patients reported uninterrupted and moderate to severe
symptoms in these populations for a period of from five to twenty years prior
to the study. Our findings suggest that Tibetan medicines are incapable of
bacteria eradication. However, they suggest some promise in symptom relief and
control.
Summary
