Fecal Transplant- looks like it's working

LymeAssistant, I'm still amazed that you do it!! And you are quite the gentleman by doing all that for your loved one. That's true love! LOL!

And thank you for your humor while writing that! LOL! I'm pretty sure that I giggled a lot more than I should have!!

And thank you for posting all of that information! I'm sure that it takes a special kind of brave to do that, but it will likely help someone!

Piroette,

Just some thoughts ; you could try checking out the : IBS self help and support group; IBS-D forum. You might learn some things...... FMTs are reversing disease. Acureisoutthere.

However, there are important steps to follow.

FMTs have a remarkable saftey record so far, according to studies. Of course, all of these have used screened and tested donors, which is a good idea. The only negative problem I have read about was a muscosal tear, and this was from the colonoscopy tool itself. All of us actually carry around some bad bacteria in our gut. The important thing is : our good, helpful bacteria usually out compete these bad guys. But, when we take antibiotics we potentially kill some of our good guys, giving the bad guys an opportunity to attach to the intestinal wall,and then we can have problems.

Probiotics don't seem to be effective. I have read that "probiotics do not attach to the intestinal wall". Which explains it. It's something about the manufacturing process. Also, there are thousands if not millions of strains of bacteria in our gut, if we expect that a probiotic with a small handful of strains will supply the missing strains, we are being misled. The ultimate probiotic is our poo.

You are correct on some of your comments about the human microbiome. If you haven't become an expert on it, I sincerely encourage you to. It plays an amazing role in our health. To think that Autism, and MS (and more)have both been reversed, using an FMT. That's pretty important.

There is communication between the gut and the brain via the Vegas nerve, and one other recently discovered means also. The average American has already lost 40 % of the diversity of their microbiome. Antibiotics while they save lives and are very important, they also have a downside. Besides killing the bad bacteria we are after, they also kill off our good, helpful bacteria, and then we get other problems. Hence the need for restoring our health via FMTs, and consuming raw, fresh fruits and vegetables, nuts, and honey.

Hi Traveler,

Thank you for your kind reply.
Please, take the time to become an expert on the Human Microbiome. Please.

It plays a HUGE role in our health. We are only 10% human. We are 90% bacteria. Why is this said ? It is because bacteria cells in and on our body outnumber human cells by 10 to 1. We're mostly bacteria. The thing is, medical research is discovering that these bacteria play a really big role in our health.
Let's take Chron's for instance. There is inflammation of the large intestine/colon. An FMT has been documented to not only heal the inflammation, but to reverse the Chron's. Yes, this is cutting edge medical research, that's what I look for.

Let's look at MS. An FMT has been given to a patient with MS. That patient is now walking, on their own, and with confidence. Now that's pretty important.
Autism, has been reversed. Chronic Fatigue, Depression, Rheumatoid Arthritis, IBS, Chron's, and C. Diff. have all been reversed, by an FMT. That's pretty important. That's why the AGA is meeting in March, 2016 to learn about the human microbiome, and FMTs. The number of clinical trials that started in 2015 concerning FMTs dwarfed those started in 2014. I expect that trend to continue.

Let's talk about C. Diff. for a minute. C. Diff. is a very nasty diarrhea infection, it kills 14,000 people a year in the US alone. In most of the cases of C. Diff. the patient comes down with it after a course of antibiotics for another problem. Sure, they got rid of one problem, but now they have another problem. What happens ? Well, when we take antibiotics we kill bacteria, that's what they do. Trouble is, they also are killing off our good, helpful bacteria, the ones we need to live normal, healthy lives. What do they do for C. Diff. ? Normally, they give another antibiotic (foolish as it seems) and some of the time it works, it gets rid of the C. Diff. However, some of the time it doesn't, and the prognosis is not good. That's where FMTs are being used. These deathly ill patients are given an FMT, and in a day or two they walk out of the hospital, just fine ! I expect that soon an FMT will be the first line treatment for C. Diff. , it is that successful with cure rate for C. Diff. approaching 85 to 95 % with just one infusion. So, yes FTMs are an emerging science, but the potential is amazing. The Human Microbiome project was started 2008. So far, they are learning a great deal. We've been overlooking something that plays a really, really big role in our health.

So, please Traveler, please become an expert on the Human Microbiome. You'll soon understand why this is already one of the hottest areas of medical research, and why the Human Microbiome has already been called one of the most important medical discoveries of this entire century. FMTs work. I know this already, it worked. When one restores the healthy balance of bacteria in our GI tract, it can really affect our overall health.

Already, the average American has lost 40% of the diversity of their microbiome, as compared to remote tribes that have never had antibiotics. Greater diversity of our microbiomes has been associated with better health. You could call it an ecosystem. What do we do? We bombard this ecosystem with antibiotics. It's a little like using Roundup herbicide in your garden to kill a few weeds, sure you kill the weeds, but you also kill off your tomatoes and other good vegetables. So, then you end up "re-planting", which is in a way just like an FMT.

Sorry, if I have been going on too long. I read good medical research, it's very interesting. You can start by listening to some of the good YouTube videos on the human microbiome, but there is much, much more than that.

Thank you Travelor for your very insightful reply.

I'm glad you know about the human microbiome. That's great. Good for you. Many people don't have a clue about it, I'm glad for you that you do.

The YouTube videos I was referring to were from the experts. I am sorry you misunderstood me. If you knew me, you would know that's what I look for too.

Good luck on your journey to better health.

Post Edited By Moderator (Traveler) : 12/26/2015 11:11:45 AM (GMT-7)

I just created a new thread to follow up with this one, as per request from Traveler.

Here is the link to follow up with it.

www.healingwell.com/community/default.aspx?f=30&m=3556665