Sounds promising from everything i've read and continue to read.
- How do they get the fecal microbes into the person? According to the article, this is how it's done. "To perform the transplant, a stool sample must be provided by a healthy adult, usually a family member or close friend. It is mixed with a saline solution and filtered to remove particles that could block the tube. It is given to the patient as an enema in a process that takes more than an hour."
"Hey sheester, can you s*** in this cup please?" How does one go about obtaining someones poop? Hand them the bag with the sample cup and say "# 2 ..not 1." If they look at you weird and they will, i'm certain. Say "just do it, it's for a good cause"
The ultimate probiotic: Unusual treatment helps kids with ulcerative colitis, study shows | MLive.com:
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – Life can be miserable for a kid who has ulcerative colitis.
Bouts of severe diarrhea, cramping and pain can cause them to miss school or avoid social activities. Medications to treat the condition can cause severe complications. The disease can delay growth. Some kids eventually have to undergo surgery to remove their colon.
That is why an alternative, drug-free treatment is raising hope – even as it raises eyebrows among those unfamiliar with it.
At Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital, a pediatric gastroenterologist is getting good results for patients using fecal transplants. Stool from a healthy donor – often a parent - is given to the patient through an enema in an attempt to restore healthy bacteria in the child’s intestine.
“It’s the ultimate probiotic,” said Dr. Sachin Kunde.
Kunde conducted the first clinical trial in the country to study the use of fecal microbial transplantation on children with ulcerative colitis. Only 10 patients were involved in the trial, but the results were promising.
The symptoms cleared up in three of the children – and they stayed symptom-free for at least a month. Another six saw improvements, which also lasted at least a month. For example, the number of daily bowel movements may have dropped from 10 to five, Kunde said. One child was unable to retain the enema.
The results of the study were published online by the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition and will be featured in the June print edition.
The study has stirred excitement among parents of children and young adults with ulcerative colitis, a form of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the large intestine or rectum.
“We had at least 50 patients in one year calling to be enrolled in the study,” Kunde said. “They want it because they don’t want medication. They think this is a fix.”
But Kunde balanced hope with caution. A larger study is needed to test the treatment’s effectiveness, he said. He has applied for funding for further research and is looking into whether the experimental treatment can be offered outside of a research setting.
Kunde said he first thought of using fecal transplants to treat ulcerative colitis during his fellowship at Emory University in Atlanta. They have previously been used experimentally to treat C. difficile infections.
Within a month of joining DeVos Children’s Hospital in 2011, he proposed the clinical trial to the Spectrum Health institutional review board. He also had to obtain approval from the Food and Drug Administration, because human stool is considered a drug and a biologic.
To perform the transplant, a stool sample must be provided by a healthy adult, usually a family member or close friend. It is mixed with a saline solution and filtered to remove particles that could block the tube. It is given to the patient as an enema in a process that takes more than an hour.
“We believe that the procedure may restore ‘abnormal’ bacteria to ‘normal’ in patients with ulcerative colitis,” Kunde said.
The pilot study involved 10 children and young adults, ages 7 to 20. They received a treatment a day for five days, and then their symptoms were evaluated.
Hospital staff made sure the patients did not see or smell the fecal transplant, which decreased anxiety and uneasiness about it. Kunde said awareness about the treatment is needed so people will readily see it as an acceptable option.
However, many struggling with severe symptoms of ulcerative colitis – adults and children – don’t need convincing, Kunde said. The disruption of life can be a significant psychological burden on patients and their families.
However, many struggling with severe symptoms of ulcerative colitis – adults and children – don’t need convincing, Kunde said. The disruption of life can be a significant psychological burden on patients and their families.
“People want this to be gone,” he said. “I don’t know if it will be gone or not. But it is a new hope for them.
“If we can help at least 30 percent of the patients, that is important.”
http://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/04/fecal_transplant_-_the_ultimat.html