Should I as an IBS sufferer be tested for h. pylori, and if tested positive, be treated for h. pylori infection? I ask because I just started taking Nexium--a new proton pump inhibitor--and so far it has markedly reduced my ibs symptoms of overly frequent bowel movements (though I do not have diarrhea) and postprandial urgency. One possibility is that Nexium helps by inihibiting the gastric reflex. Might another be that Nexium inhibits h. pylori?A search of pubmed under the keywords "h. pylori and ibs" turned up several epidemiological studies showing that h. pylori was no more common among ibs sufferers than the general asymptomatic population. But with regard to ulcers we already know that most people who test positive for h. pylori are asymptomatic. The key point is that most ulcer patients test postive to h. pylori and respond positively to h. pylori treatment.Even if only a smaller sub-class of ibs sufferers test positive for h. pylori, couldn't it be possible that h. pylori is causing ibs symptoms for that subclass? Given that Nexium is reducing my IBS symptoms, does it make sense to test me for h. pylori and then, if I test positive, follow up with multi-drug treatment?------------------Bernie