Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Fecal Transplants and Oral Probiotics: Do They Work?


Medical doctors are now offering fecal transplants for patients who suffer with Clostridium Difficile (C-diff), which is a very difficult intestinal condition to resolve. This procedure was first used in the 1980s with a level of success, however, one should look at all sides of this procedure and do so with caution. The procedure involves taking a sample of stool from a “healthy” donor individual, processing it and placing it into the colon of an affected recipient. Medical doctors don’t understanding why this procedure works yet they are doing it anyway.

When we look at the method of processing the donor stool for a fecal transplant, we find that the donor stool sample is liquefied and filtered. Unfortunately, any virus present in the donor sample still remains! It's important to note that a virus is much smaller than bacteria. So, viruses can readily pass right through the filtration process and can still be present in the donor sample that gets used. While the positive bacteria certainly may be needed to jump-start or restore one's own digestive system, an unpredictable viral load could compromise the patient in potentially negative ways.

Now, let’s think about the DNA of the donor stool. Most often the suggested stool sample is from a close relative; if one is available. So, where do you get a sample, and is the donor's DNA in the stool? DNA (genetic material) is also smaller than bacteria and is in our hair follicles, our saliva, our blood, and, yes, it’s in our stools too.

Personally, I’m still uncertain if I would want someone else's DNA implanted into my colon and the negative impact this could create from the body's rejection of foreign genes. I truly question sharing this, especially if one is critically ill.
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Another concern I have is for unknown toxic materials that the donor sample could contain. One of the jobs of the large intestine is to bind to and eliminate toxins via the stool. So, an important question to ask is, how does one go about removing these potential toxins from the donor sample?

Since fecal transplantation is a medical procedure that requires doctor visits, a diagnosis, and expensive costs. Alternatively, using “rectal probiotics” is a quick and simple procedure (called “Reflorastation”), which is effective and as safe as choosing a vitamin supplement. As an informed consumer, you have an alternative that is safe where you can help yourself inexpensively.

Since 1991, I have pioneered the use of probiotics and administering them rectally (Reflorastation) with great success, even with difficult conditions such as C-diff. This process is very much like the fecal transplants but without all the risks or concerns I mentioned above. Probiotics are a pure source of healthy colon bacteria that, when infused directly into the colon (rectally) have the opportunity to establish and cultivate directly where it is needed.

Oral Probiotics

I often hear people mention that they take oral probiotics (either in pill form or in a foundation such as yogurt). And many believe that this is sufficient to treat difficult conditions that have put their digestive system radically out of balance. Unfortunately, very little if any probiotic survive the transit through the gastric juices to be able to establish themselves as positive flora in the large intestines where they are truly needed. It should be understood that probiotics at their strongest and most effective state are extremely fragile and even need to be refrigerated to ensure their potency.

Thus, this oral method of probiotic delivery has virtually little positive impact on the flora of the large intestines. So, why not put the bacteria directly where it is needed, in the colon. After all, would you put eye-drops in your mouth and expect it to help your eyes? No, you put them directly in your eyes to moisten or treat an eye problem. How about nasal spray? Do you spray that in your mouth? No, you spray it in the nose, which is where they are designed to treat nasal congestion or problems. So, taking probiotics orally is a 22 to 25 foot long journey to the large intestine, where their survival rate is 2-5%. Alternatively, using them rectally, is a quick and easy 6 inch journey that avoids the deterioration of time and destructive gastric acids. Right place, right application.

The process by which probiotics, lactobacilli and bifidus bacteria, are grown is in highly regulated and well established laboratories. Those that are produced are the major types found in the intestines of humans and other mammals. Yes, we do share some of these strains of bacteria with our domestic pets and even horses. The ratios and proportions are different in each species, however, the bacteria are the same varieties.

My research has been in isolating probiotic bacteria with the highest vitality, efficiency and effectiveness for human use. This has been exciting and very rewarding work, with little or no risk to the recipient.

Why You Should Consider Reflorastation

Many circumstances can have a negative impact on the digestive system, putting individuals into digestive distress. Taking antibiotics (which destroy all bacteria—even the beneficial flora of the large intestines), having food poisoning, or intestinal flu are some ways that our digestion can become compromised. When traveling in foreign countries, we are often exposed to conditions that can disrupt our body's defenses and digestive system. Unfamiliar bacteria can create fermentation in the intestines, causing increased bloating and flatulence. These conditions could all be indications of putrefaction in the intestines where the flora has lost it's strength and effectiveness. By supplementing the intestinal flora with a variety of strong and effective Lactobacillus and Bifidus, you replace or reinforce the less effective flora.

The primary importance of the reflorastation is to restore the colon's bacteria to its healthy and normal state. Many individuals report an substantial improvement in bowel function, including resolving chronic constipation. It has given relief to irritable bowel problems, reducing pain and bloating.

The functions of the large intestine are many. When the dynamics are at an optimum, then the body's production of certain nutrients is enhanced, the absorption of ingested nutrients, vitamins and minerals is increased, and the binding of toxins for elimination is greatly improved.

In the first three days after reflorastation, there may be some very mild responses such as a change in the color of the stool. Yellow is a liver response, army green is a bile response, mucus may be present, or any increase in flatulence for a few hours. These are a natural regulation responses of the intestines. Generally, within three days, there is ease in going to the bathroom, as well as a reduction in gas and the elimination of bloating.

If you or someone you love is experiencing digestive distress and either taking oral probiotics without relief or, perhaps, they are considering something more radical like fecal transplantation, please, consider reflorastation first, which is a truly positive and proactive alternative with great effectiveness that can resolve many difficult digestive conditions.