Issue 11 April 2011
Quantum
diabetes. They report that all of the children they studied who had developed juvenile diabetes had “erractic combinations” of digestive flora and less variety of intestinal bacteria relative to non-diabetic children. Furthermore, as their disease worsened, so did the unhealthy state of their digestive systems. Studies of mice show that introducing healthy bacteria into the digestive system helped slow the onset of diabetes. However, there is at present no firm evidence that do-it-yourself treatments, such as introducing probiotics by adding yogurt to kids’ diets, helped prevent or relieve the symptoms of juvenile diabetes. Still, researchers are encouraged that this new line of research will yield new treatments.
The Science of Stools
How do you alter gut, intestinal and colon flora? One way is through a fecal transplant. The fancy names for the procedure are bacteriotherapy and human probiotic infusion. The procedure is not as gross as it sounds. The stool is cleansed of pathogens and undigested material while leaving the natural flora untouched. It is then made into a kind of slush by adding brine or some other liquid. That slush is then injected into the colon or introduced through an enema. Or, sometimes the stool, after being cleansed, is formed into a pellet that is then inserted into the colon. The reasoning is that if the biosphere of your belly is out of balance, introducing a new colony of microbes can help restore balance. The new bacteria recolonize the gut, overtaking the harmful bacteria. In some cases, the individual’s
own fecal matter can be used; in others the ideal is to introduce microbes from the stools of a donor, usually a family member. The procedure actually has a long history in veterinary science to keep farm animals healthy. Now it is making its way into human health sciences, and the results have been astonishing in many cases and show bright promise in others. For example, some patients with colitis and inflammatory bowel syndrome have been completely cured after a fecal transplant. In others, the symptoms of autoimmune disorders are abated or completely disappear. The procedure is becoming a common treatment for severe cases of infection by the toxic strain of Clostridium difficile, which is a significant problem in hospitals, where the bacterium is easily transferred. More than half a million people are infected by c. difficile every year in the US alone. Fecal transplants are not yet widely used, but a growing number of doctors are adopting the procedure despite its having no official sanction as a medical treatment by regulatory bodies. As one doctor said, “It is currently a treatment of last resort,” but its attractiveness is that it is “relatively simple, relatively inexpensive, and it’s very rapid in its actions”
http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/57795/
Not a Miracle Cure
Please do not even consider a do-it-yourself fecal transplant! While some results are promising, there are dangers. Our guts, intestines and colon harbor many harmful bacteria and other pathogens, such as viruses, fungi and protozoa.
HEALTH
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