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Check out this article. It basically explains that being colonized with certain Proteobacteria, such as E.coli, can predispose us to or perhaps cause gluten sensitivity, and I believe it!!
in the mice colonized with limited opportunistic bacteria (clean SPF), the development of gluten-induced pathology was prevented compared to germ-free mice or conventional SPF mice with a more diverse microbiota. Interestingly, this protection was suppressed when clean SPF mice were supplemented with an enteroadherent E. coli isolated from a patient with celiac disease.
This might help confirm one of my MC theories. I get remission on most antibiotics, and after colonoscopy clean-out. I have long suspected I carry a form of e-coli that my body is not friendly with...probably one I picked up through various bouts of traveler's diarrhea (or perhaps eating conventionally-raised beef?). My Genova CDSA stool tests suggest I have plenty of microbial diversity, so my intestinal dysbiosis is not related to insufficient organisms, it's too many of certain "normal" ones! I wonder if I should do a trial of Rifaximin? Or some other antibiotic that targets e.coli and other Proteobacteria? Or does oregano/thyme oil target them enough?? This also may explain why taking antifungals made me worse, because they allowed these bacteria to overgrow in their place.
I should also note that I have an inherited complement deficiency (mild one), which is the part of the immune system that attacks bacteria such as e.coli. It would explain my life-long battle with urinary tract infections caused by e.coli. My body can't keep e.coli numbers in check!
Gut microorganisms cause gluten-induced pathology in mouse model of celiac disease Early exposure to antibiotics, resulting in microbial imbalance, exacerbates response to gluten, according to research published in the American Journal of Pathology
And I will mention that e.coli and other gram negative bacteria are covered/protected by Lipopolysaccharide, a substance our immune system reacts to.
Lipopolysaccharides (LPS), also known as lipoglycans and endotoxin, are large molecules consisting of a lipid and a polysaccharide composed of O-antigen, outer core and inner core joined by a covalent bond; they are found in the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria, and elicit strong immune responses in animals.
BUT...
Portions of the LPS from several bacterial strains have been shown to be chemically similar to human host cell surface molecules; the ability of some bacteria to present molecules on their surface which are chemically identical or similar to the surface molecules of some types of host cells is termed molecular mimicry. For example, in Neisseria meningitidis, the terminal tetrasaccharide portion of the oligosaccharide (lacto-N-neotetraose) is the same tetrasaccharide as that found in paragloboside, a precursor for ABH glycolipid antigens found on human erythrocytes. In another example, the terminal trisaccharide portion (lactotriaose) of the oligosaccharide from pathogenic Neisseria spp. LOS is also found in lactoneoseries glycosphingolipids from human cells. Most meningococci from groups B and C, as well as gonococci, have been shown to have this trisaccharide as part of their LOS structure. The presence of these human cell surface ‘mimics’ may, in addition to acting as a ‘camouflage’ from the immune system, play a role in the abolishment of immune tolerance when infecting hosts with certain human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genotypes, such as HLA-B35.
Therefore, some Proteobacteria hiding in our bodies have adapted their outer covering to match our own cells, and when our body attacks the bacteria, they attack our own body, resulting in autoimmunity!!
And this is the never-ending battle happening in my GI tract! This is why many of us never experience remission in MC.
I guarantee if I took an antibiotic tomorrow, I'd have normans within 24 hours.
Question is, is it worth trying and proving my theory? The last antibiotic I took was 10 years ago!
Mmmmmm my pondering is, we know that taking antibiotics has provided symptom relief for many MCers at times, albeit the benefit is not always long term.
Wouldn't you have to take the antibiotics for extended period?. Is it worth it?. Potentially creating other issues to put a bandaid on one issue?
We know that taking medications depletes magnesium, interrupts the methylation cycle, can put pressure on kidney and or liver.... When our systems are already fairly fragile and reactive, is it worth it?
Gabes Ryan
"Anything that contradicts experience and logic should be abandoned"
Dalai Lama
I confirmed Pepto Bismol kills e.coli, and also soaks up some of the toxins produced by it. BTW, I note Cholestyramine also soaks up the toxins produced by e.coli, so perhaps we don't have bile acid issues after all?
This discussion is interesting. Apparently Pepto kills borrelia (Lyme) too!!
A recent post discussing Hashimoto's, leaky gut, and e.coli and proteus bacteria overgrowth!!
I don't tolerate several of the probiotics she describes, but I do tolerate s Boulardi, Megaspore, Prescript Assist, and Culturelle, as well as fermented foods. I've read that rotating them would be a good idea, taking one or two different ones each day. That's my plan, as well as taking my essential oils (oregano and thyme oil combo softgels) in the afternoon or evening with food (they caused great tummy pain in the AM). I'm also continuing my one drop of lemongrass essential oil in water in the AM.
The MC is pretty calm now, so good time to stir things up! LOL. I'll add Pepto if things go south.
UPDATE: after less than a week of taking potent oregano and thyme oil softgels in the evening, I had a semi-norman this morning!! (I forgot my dose last night, so no toxic D from the pill's aftermath). I've noticed my frequent explosive trips to the bathroom with little volume (5+/day) transformed into less frequent trips (2/day) with more complete elimination, darker color, and more normal odor.... a welcome change.
Woohoo!! My theory is working so far!
Here is the potent pill I'm taking with dinner. I could not tolerate it in the mornings at first. It had me doubled over in pain for an hour! So I take my drop of lemongrass EO in the morning in water, and this pill in the evening.
Sadly, I'm still having trouble tolerating the organo/thyme oil pills. They can cause 30 minutes to one hour of extreme tummy pain even with food. I may be switching to Pepto tabs for the same effect minus the pain.
In reading through this I was just wondering if you had seen my posts on the treatment discussion board about Enteragam. If not you may want to take a look. The manufacturer says that the way it works is "it uniquely binds microbial components, such as toxins...". And from the prescribing insert it says "Serological studies have shown that bovine immunoglobulins, particularly IgG contain cross-reactive antibodies to lipopolysaccharides (endotoxin) from gram-negative bacteria. Immunoglobulins in SBI have been shown to neutralize endotoxins and other microbial antigens.".
Also, have you tried goldenseal as an antimicrobial? The active component is berberine. It seems to me to be more gentle than oregano.
Thanks Gigi!
I actually was prescribed a berberine supplement too from the same company. Candibactin BR, I think. I'll have to switch over!
Enteragam sure looks intertesting for my purposes. I may ask my doctor about it. Any downsides to it?
I have found no downside to Enteragam and I have been using it for about 3 weeks now. Diarrhea, especially watery, has significantly decreased. No side effects I'm hoping that using it for 6 months total might bring even more improvement. The only thing I am concerned about is cost once the new deductible year starts for my insurance. I haven't paid anything for my first 2 boxes of 30 because of vouchers and my insurance coverage. I was told that without the vouchers my cost would be $49. But I later realized I did not ask what the cost would be if my deductible were not met. So cost might be the only downside. But I feel like I would be willing to pay a pretty high price to continue using it. I've always felt that the "straw that broke the camel's back" for me was gut dysbiosis brought on by antibiotics. IV ampicillin given in spring of 2012 for an outpatient surgical procedure...that was my first bout of non stop diarrhea that went on for weeks. Then IV levoquin and cipro when I was hospitalized with flu/pneumonia in January 2013 and followed up with a Zpak. I've really have not been normal since then.
Thanks for the info. I would love to know more about how it works. I mean, does it actually contribute to healing? As opposed to suppression of symptoms? If our MC is truly just an immune reaction to bacterial toxins, then soaking up and eliminating those toxins, or killing the bacteria that make them, should lead to healing, right? If course this means long-term treatment (because we can never fully rid ourselves of inhabitants like e.coli), but I imagine once the dysbiosis is under control you can reduce your dosage to one/day or less.
What's amazing to me is that this seems like a non-toxic, non-immune suppressing treatment made by big Pharma which can help nearly all IBDs!! Yeah! Progress!!
My doctor told me to use two packets a day for two weeks then one per day for a total of 6 months. I believe that it does contribute to healing. As you know this is all very complex and different for every individual, but overall I think that Enteragam is helping with what causes the inflammation and thus helping with malabsorption. I'm thinking that this also helps the leaky gut that probably we all have. All this helps bring about homeostasis so that our bodies can heal. I don't know about cure, but certainly get to the point that one could have normal gut functioning as long as they avoid their major food sensitivities. You might like to go to www.enteragam.com and click on the top tab that says full prescribing info. Under section #12 you can see how they explain it. The one thing that bothers me is that they refer to their product as treating IBS-D. So obviously their studies were not conducted with test subjects who had a diagnosis of MC. But I'm pretty certain that most people who have IBS-D actually have microscopic colitis. The symptoms that are described as being helped by the product certainly sound like the symptoms of MC.
Good luck! I admire your tenacity and your unwillingness to leave no stone unturned in your search for answers. You help us all.
Dr. Christine Frissora (Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY) reported on a retrospective chart review of seven patients with refractory microscopic colitis (MC) that were placed on SBI therapy to manage chronic loose and frequent stools. The addition of SBI to ongoing treatment regimens completely managed loose stools in all seven MC patients, and four of the patients with a history of fecal incontinence no longer experienced such episodes after SBI administration. All patients have been managed effectively for over one year without reports of side effects from SBI.
