Let's talk about fecal transplantation

[Duer 157099]

Why? Just because. A change of scenery, if you will. And because I just learned about this from reading Mary Roach's newest book, Gulp: Adventures on the Alimentary Canal (highly recommend).

So apprently there's this real thing called a fecal transplant. Seriously. And apparently it's a really beneficial treatment for people who need it. The idea is that some GI problems are a result of a bad combination of lower intestinal bacteria (too many C. difficile, to be precise) and it is a way to introduce a more desirable population to the neighborhood. Gentrification of the lower GI? They take the, uh, "donation" from a super-healthy person and deposit it in the appropriate place.

Why not just swallow it? Gut juices will destroy many of them.

Why not culture these bad boys (oops, I mean good guys) in the lab? They're anaerobic (live in absence of oxygen) and difficult (not impossible, of course) to grow in large quantities in culture. Easier to just harvest them from the... discarded goods of those who are done with them.

Isn't that weird and wonderful?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fecal_bacteriotherapy

[Recursion]

1. My sister has MS; she was talking about this

Apparently a lot of people with different autoimmune issues swear by it.

[Duer 157099]

2. Hard to see the harm

That's what I like about it. Although time will tell.

If I had a problem where this was a possible treatment, I'd be all over it.

[cynatnite]

3. It's not an uncommon treatment. n/t

[Betsy Ross]

4. The procedure was illustrated on the PBS show Guts last night.

They showed a HOLE lot more. (That's a joke because it is about the alimentary (SP?) canal.)

[Duer 157099]

5. Really? I'll have to look that up

and catch a rerun. Thanks

[siligut]

6. So you really liked the book?

I saw Mary Roach when she was on with Colbert, had been considering reading her book, so thanks. Ranchers have been doing fecal transplants for longer than I know on their herds. Intestinal flora is a vital component of overall health. One can keep ones own in condition with cultured foods like yogurt and fermented foods like sauerkraut and kimchi.

[Duer 157099]

8. Yes. I saw her on either TDS or Colbert.

I've read some of her previous work, so I was familiar with her work.

I was ambivalent about getting this one because it only seemed marginally interesting. But I was beyond fascinated by this one, just riveting. But then, I'm a little bit like her, fascinated by really odd stuff.

[siligut]

9. She is a fun, intelligent person

Her personality reminds me of friends who were interested in electronics and chemistry in high school. Our alimentary canal is vital to our survival and affects all of our other systems, very important odd stuff.

[Duer 157099]

10. OK I was lying

I'm A LOT like her, not just a little

[Orrex]

7. One concern is that it's being credited for benefits that haven't yet been demonstrated

And the corollary concern is that people might seek it out in place of other treatments, because "what's the harm?"

It seems clear that some people have benefited from it, but I'd prefer to wait until we have more clinical studies before we credit it with too much curative power.

[TeeYiYi]

11. Interesting...

...I hadn't heard of Mary Roach, so I googled her. Found a TED talk from a few years back on youtube. Very entertaining.

TYY