Leaky Gut Syndrome 05-04-2006 a comprehensive overview by Dr Michael Elstein It is now more important than ever to look after the health of your digestive process. New and old bugs are emerging to challenge your gastrointestinal resources and the way health issues are viewed. Helicobacter pylori is one such organism together with the ever present Candida albicans. Both these potential pathogens raise the critical point about whether it's necessary to treat the invader or the individual. Pasteur asked this very question many years ago and in many ways this seminal point separates western medical thinking from the naturopathic perspective. Early on in his career, Pasteur's answer was to attempt to deal with the organism and it was only when he was lying on his death bed that he acknowledged the importance of the environment, thereby undergoing a major shift in his thinking. As he was dying he uttered the words 'le terrain', which means that the state of the land is more important than the microbes invading it. Make sure that your body is in good shape and you will be dealing effectively with any harmful organisms. Let us look at a comprehensive overview on Helicobacter pylori and Candida albicans in turn, to see how this dilemma applies.