Fecal microbiota transplantation, formerly known as fecal bacteriotherapy, and informally as a stool transplant, has been known for more than 50 years.
The earliest instances of the treatment, dating to the late 1950s, were as last-resort attempts to halt the spread of life-threatening ulcerative colitis.
In 2003, gastroenterologist Thomas Borody, founder and medical director of the Centre for Digestive Diseases in Sydney, published a report demonstrating that FMT can have significant positive clinical effects on patients with a range of gastrointestinal conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome and constipation
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Despite countless success stories, FMT remains a non-standard, eleventh-hour procedure for patients with debilitating and otherwise unresponsive gastrointestinal disorders.
Its effectiveness is still something of a medical mystery. There are no published randomised controlled trials, considered among the most reliable and authoritative pieces of medical evidence, to support its usage; all of the evidence for its benefits stems from observational studies.
The US is moving towards rectifying this, however; the procedure should be covered by the US Medicare scheme by about 2013. But in Australia, Borody laments, "there's not even a committee set up to pursue this".
Part of the reason for this, he admits, is that C. difficile colitis, which has reached epidemic levels in the US, has yet to gain a significant foothold in Australia.
Yes, but the main reason why there is a scarcity of published studies, and why it still remains unpopular with GI specialists, is because it does not require the use of any drugs.
Thanks for the link.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
Tex
big pharma just has to turn poop into a commercially viable product...
they have probably have considered it but rejected the idea as they cant patent poop!
i wonder if those of us with multiple sensitivities would require GF/DF/SF poop to achieve the result???
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
Gabes wrote:i wonder if those of us with multiple sensitivities would require GF/DF/SF poop to achieve the result???
Well, yes, we probably would.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
I still think this is our best bet for long lasting (do I dare say--permanent?) remission.
IMHO, the reason it hasn't been pursued more aggressively here is because at the moment there isn't much of a way to cash in. Perhaps if they patent the procedure then they could cash in.
The problem is, it's an old idea, (and a simple one), so they will have trouble trying to find a way to patent it.
Tex
It is suspected that some of the hardest material known to science can be found in the skulls of GI specialists who insist that diet has nothing to do with the treatment of microscopic colitis.
You would think that with all the success that they are having using this procedure with c-diff that it would become more popular. I find it frustrating, personally.
The problem is, it's an old idea, (and a simple one), so they will have trouble trying to find a way to patent it.