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"Fecal transplant": Curing C Diff by ingesting stool?

Even it it works, I can't see many patients opting for this treatment:

Clostridium difficile is a particular problem among patients who have been prescribed strong antibiotics as they also wipe out the so-called 'friendly' disease-fighting bacteria in the intestine. Faecal 'transplants', as they are known, are believed to restore the bacteria to levels at which they help the recovery process.

Doctors involved in the trials admit there are "obvious aesthetic problems" in the treatment, which involves patients ingesting a liquidised sample of faeces from a partner or close relative.

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Comments (3)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 12:58pm.

"involves patients ingesting a liquidised sample of faeces" . . . do you mean ingested, as by mouth . . . nonsense! The faeces is administered by an enema. As for the "aesthetic problems" . . . I'm hard pressed to think of a medical procedure that is aesthetically pleasing. Can you?

Submitted by Vreni Gurd on Thu, 11/15/2007 - 7:19pm.

That is, after all, the reason for the stool enema - to repopulate the colon with "good bacteria". Getting a quality probiotic is important though, as the bacteria has to survive the acid environment of the gut in order to implant properly in the colon. Probiotics seem a rather obvious thing to try for Irritable Bowel, Crohn's disease, and other digestive and colon problems. The research is piling up supporting the use of probiotics, and it certainly has no "ick" factor.

Vreni Gurd

Health and Vitality Coach
BPHE, CHEK 3, HLC 2
www.wellnesstips.ca

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 11/24/2007 - 6:03am.

There was an article in the paper about someone getting this in a Glasgow hospital, and it said it was administered via a tube through the nose. Patient doing well and very happy!

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