Earlier this month, a dozen researchers from several universities in the Netherlands published a study in Frontiers in Immunology titled Aged Gut Microbiota Contributes to Systemical Inflammaging After Transfer to Germ-Free Mice.  What's especially interesting is that it deals with a subject I touched on in YESTERDAY'S POST on fascia and athletic injuries; "Inflammaging".  What is inflammaging? It's the combination of two words, 'inflammation' and 'aging'.  Although the word has been part of the scientific vernacular for nearly two decades, take a listen to what the experts are saying about inflammaging (BTW, there are over 300 studies with "inflammaging" in the title).

• In May of 2013 a group of researchers from the UK published Understanding How We Age: Insights Into Inflammaging in the journal, Longevity and Healthspan. The researchers concluded that "Inflammaging is characterized by the upregulation of the inflammatory response that occurs with advancing age and is believed to be a consequence of a remodelling of the innate and acquired immune system, resulting in chronic inflammatory cytokine production.  Complex interrelated genetic, environmental and age-related factors determine an individual’s vulnerability or resilience to inflammaging. These factors include...... increased adiposity."  In other words, the chemicals we call "inflammation" are driven by many factors,  including EPIGENETICS and OBESITY, and it's all part of the inflammaging process.
  

 

• A year later, The Journals of Gerontology: Series A published Chronic Inflammation (Inflammaging) and Its Potential Contribution to Age-Associated Diseases that stated, "Human aging is characterized by a chronic, low-grade inflammation, and this phenomenon has been termed as “inflammaging.” Inflammaging is a highly significant risk factor for both morbidity and mortality in the elderly people, as most if not all age-related diseases share an inflammatory pathogenesis."  Aging is a natural part of living, and inflammation levels always increase as we age, and while you cannot stop either, you can slow both down by diminishing your inflammatory load.  By the way, all DEGENERATIVE and AUTOIMMUNE diseases are based on inflammation.
  

 

• Then in 2016, a collaboration between teams from China and Australia published An Update on Inflamm-Aging: Mechanisms, Prevention, and Treatment in the Journal of Immunology Research.  This study lists diseases I discuss in the previous two links ("Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis, heart disease, type II diabetes, and cancer"), going on to say, "Inflamm-aging was first named in 2000, and it is a new addition to the types of aging studies.  Inflamm-aging plays an increasingly important role in the rate of aging and age-related diseases.  In the process of aging, some researchers pointed out that the phenomenon where adaptive immunity declines is called immunosenescence, while the phenomenon where innate immunity is activated, coupled with the rise of proinflammation, is called inflamm-aging. There is consensus that the primary feature of inflamm-aging is an increase in the body's proinflammatory status with advancing age."  To better understand inflammaging's foundational concepts, take a look at THIS POST or THIS POST.
  

 

• Here is what Life Extension Advocacy Foundation (Inflammaging and Age-related Disease) said about inflammaging (make sure to note DYSBIOSIS, THE LEAKIES, and OCCULT INFECTIONS are there for everyone to see).  "The immune system relies on acute inflammation during the immune response to fight invading pathogens and to facilitate wound healing. This triggers cell turnover and tissue repair and is, in general, a desirable reason for inflammation. However, in direct contrast to this, inflammaging produces a chronic, low-grade, persistent background of inflammation that leads to poor tissue repair and degeneration. This chronic inflammation also contributes to the development of age-related diseases and is instrumental in driving the aging process in general.  The oral and gut mucosa barriers that protect against bacterial invasion begin to both decline in effectiveness and break down as we age. Immunosenescence may also be accelerated and aggravated by persistent infections, such as CMV, HIV, and Epstein–Barr virus, linking it to microbial burden."  CMV & HBV are not only bad news for many people but are super common as well.
  

I already know what you're thinking; what the heck does this have to do with FECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTS -- one of the single hottest areas of research for the past five years?  In previous studies, we saw where feces from obese mice was transplanted into thin mice, making them fat.  The scientists turned right around and transplanted feces from thin mice back into the fat mice, making them thin.  Back and forth, the outward expression of your health intimately related to the inward expression of your MICROBIOME.  This is why I have shown you time and time again that overall health is all about GUT HEALTH.  Now, take a look at what this brand new study has to say.

"Advanced age is associated with chronic low-grade inflammation, which is usually referred to as inflammaging. Elderly are also known to have an altered gut microbiota composition. However, whether inflammaging is a cause or consequence of an altered gut microbiota composition is not clear. In this study, gut microbiota from young or old conventional mice was transferred to young germ-free (GF) mice. Four weeks after gut microbiota transfer immune cell populations were analyzed. Here, we show by transferring aged microbiota to young GF mice that certain bacterial species within the aged microbiota promote inflammaging. This effect was associated with lower levels of Akkermansia and higher levels of TM7 bacteria and Proteobacteria in the aged microbiota after transfer [dysbiosis]. The aged microbiota promoted inflammation in the small intestine in the GF mice and enhanced leakage of inflammatory bacterial components into the circulation was observed. Moreover, the aged microbiota promoted increased T cell activation in the systemic compartment. In conclusion, these data indicate that the gut microbiota from old mice contributes to inflammaging after transfer to young GF mice."

Living the rest of your life with less inflammation is a noble goal, not so much because it will help you live longer (although it probably will), but because decreasing the amount of systemic inflammation coursing through your system will undoubtedly help you live better.  And let's be honest with ourselves for a moment; who really wants to live longer, if the quality of life is terrible?  Unfortunately, this is the perfect scenario for generating obscene pharmaceutical profits, and exactly what's going on in most Westernized countries, including America (HERE).

Think about it this way; How many people would purposefully choose to live the rest of their life with the aftermath of a stroke --- or a nasty autoimmune disease --- or cancer, if they could actually have avoided it / them in the first place?  For those of you who believe that your specific disease is random or "GENETIC," while certainly possible, is far less likely than you've been led to believe (go back and click on the "epigenetics" link above).  While I would never promote anything as a 'sure thing,' I've created a starting point --- a place to start gathering ideas for creating your own exit strategy (HERE) --- a way to start slowing down the medical merry-go-round so that you can get off.  If you find this sort of thing intriguing, be sure to spread the wealth by liking, sharing, or following on FACEBOOK.

"Beneficial effects of FMT have been described in case series or small prospective trials on a wide spectrum of conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal disorders, hepatitis, hepatic encephalopathy, and neuropsychiatric conditions, and in limiting antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections. Each of these proposed indications for FMT is associated with an underlying dysbiosis of the gastrointestinal microbiota and generally a clinical response is linked with a restoration of the gut microbiota."   From the September issue of Current Infectious Disease Reports (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Beyond Clostridium Difficile)

"Though new to the Western medical world, FMT has been described 1,700 years ago by an ancient Chinese researcher of the fourth century named Ge Hong, who first used what he called ‘yellow soup’ to treat his patients with severe diarrhea."  From Dr. Liji Thomas' (MD) article on News-Medical dot net, History of Fecal Transplant

"Gut microbiota is known to play a main role in regulating both health and disease in humans. Strategies for the therapeutic modulation of gut microbiota are therefore expected to give a relevant contribution in the management of disorders associated with its impairment. Among these options, one of the most renowned is fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Moreover, it was shown to be a promising therapy for the management of several noncommunicable disorders, including inflammatory bowel diseases and metabolic disorders."  From next month's issue of the Italian journal, Minerva Gastroenterologica Dietologica (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Past, Present and Future Perspectives)

"The microbiota-gut-brain axis (MGBA) regulates the reciprocal interaction between chronic inflammatory bowel and psychiatric disorders. This interaction involves...  antibiotic-induced dysbiosis. Perturbation of microbiota was accompanied by a general inflammatory state and alteration of some endocannabinoidome member in the gut [the endocannibinoidome is the system of neurotransmitters that bind to cannabinoid receptors found in both the central nervous system (including the brain) and peripheral nervous system, and known to regulate cognitive processes, fertility, pregnancy, pre and postnatal development, appetite, pain-sensation, mood, and memory, as well as mediating the pharmacological effects of cannabis]. Behavioral changes, including morphological rearrangements of non-neuronal cells in brain areas controlling emotional behavior were detected."  From September's issue of Brain, Behavior and Immunity (Antibiotic-Induced Microbiota Perturbation Causes Gut Endocannabinoidome Changes, Hippocampal Neuroglial Reorganization and Depression in Mice)

"The use of prebiotics as an aid for the development of a healthy gut microbiome is equally as important in maintaining gut homeostasis. Breastmilk, a natural prebiotic source, provides optimal active ingredients for the growth of beneficial microbial species. However, early life disorders such as necrotising enterocolitis, childhood obesity, and even autism have been associated with an altered/disturbed gut microbiome. Subsequently, microbial therapies have been introduced, in addition to suitable prebiotic ingredients, which when administered, may aid in the prevention of a microbial disturbance in the gastrointestinal tract."  From an Irish study published in last month's issue of Frontiers in Nutrition (Microbial Therapeutics Designed for Infant Health)

If SDJ and Frank Sinatra were alive today, I doubt they would be singing Me and My Microbiome (the title of today's post), instead of ME AND MY SHADOW, but would probably find myself trying to talk them into it!  It amazes me how many people contact me via FACEBOOK, blog comments (many of them over at DESTROY CHRONIC PAIN), or by EMAIL, wanting to know what they can do for problem X; yet they've never bothered to look at THIS INCREDIBLE POST.  And for those who have looked at said post, it seems that most have not bothered to at least take a moment and scroll through the titles of my numerous articles on FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplants).  Today I am giving you the straight scoop on poop. If you have CHRONIC PAIN (100 million Americans), CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DISEASES (probably 90% of you reading this), or any AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES (best guess, half of you or more), then it is imperative that you understand why FMT could not only change your life, it could literally save your life.

Although there are any number of studies showing the benefits of PROBIOTICS for the same problems we will be discussing today, there are many others showing them to be not only ineffective, but actually causing side effects (HERE).  For chronically ill individuals, PROBIOTICS CAN'T COMPETE WITH FMT.  Why not? Feces contains the bacteria that make up most of your MICROBIOME --- anywhere from a few hundred, to in some cases, a few thousand strains.  The very best probiotics have maybe 20 strains (most have no more than a handful).  What this means is that just like vitamins (HERE), probiotics are actually capable of causing DYSBIOSIS (abberations in the numbers of bacterial strains or ratios of strains to each other).  And if you have dysbiosis, you can almost assure yourself that you are going to have "THE LEAKIES" as well --- leaky brain, leaky cord, leaky lung, leaky gut, etc, etc, etc.  In other words, this is a big reason that FMT is literally light years ahead of probiotics or thinking you can cure hardcore diseases simply by consuming fermented foods (HERE).

Today I am giving you yet another post on why it may behoove at least some of you to start looking into FMT.  FMT has been the medical standard of care for people who come down with C. DIFF infections (these are almost always picked up in a hospital setting by those who have had lots of ANTIBIOTICS --- the number one cause of all the various forms of dysbiosis, as well as the treatment-of-choice for said infections).   But let's forget about C. Diff for a moment.   Peer-review is so loaded with studies on FMT for things other than chronic C. Diff, I am going to go out on a limb and say that for at least half a decade, it's the single most amazing treatment option out there.  Unfortunately, most of you have either never heard of it, or you've brushed it aside because it sounds "gross" (kind of like THIS, but not so funny).   Using the most current research available, allow me to show you why when it comes to FMT, you need to get up to speed.

For those of you who have not been on my site before, just days ago the journal Cell Host and Microbe (The Human Microbiome and Obesity: Moving beyond Associations), stated that "Mounting evidence indicates that the gut microbiome responds to diet, antibiotics, and other external stimuli with speed and high precision and in ways that impact a variety of metabolic conditions."  The authors concluded with an info-gram showing that altered microbiomes are intimately related to (I am loosely quoting here and adding my own links) antibiotics, GENETICS / EPIGENETICS, EXERCISE, DIET, energy intake [what and how much you eat], ADIPOSE TISSUE, exposure to human touch (or a lack thereof), in-utero environment, social status, HPA-AXIS, AGE, STRESS, BRAIN, IMMUNE SYSTEM, HYGIENE, not to mention both MALE and FEMALE HORMONES.  Oh, inflammation was on the list as well.  Of all these, the buck stops with inflammation.  Figure out how to solve inflammation and at the very least, you have the potential to get better without living life stoned on THE BIG FIVE or something worse.

I've already mentioned the relationship between one's microbiome and one's level of inflammation --- a big deal because inflammation not only always leads to fibrosis, fibrosis in its many forms just happens to be the leading cause of death in the US (HERE).  What can you do about this inflammation?  My grandfather, who was one of the smartest businessmen I ever knew, not only ran a large Kansas farm, but exposed me to some "interesting" home remedies, many of which, looking back on, were geared directly at resolving inflammation (not sure where the sixty year old ceramic jar of home-rendered skunk lard came from, but I can vouch for it's efficacy in drawing out boils).  When he used to talk about the way his family treated a puncture-wounded foot when he was a kid (think stepping on a nail here), the "cure" was to go walk around in the cattle pen barefooted in order to prevent infection.  In light of the crazy-sounding nature of said treatment, microbiome is the only thing that makes sense.  Let's look at one of the more "interesting" ways that people are purposefully transferring / receiving microbes.

DISCLAIMER:  The information presented on this site (including this post), while directly cherry-picked from the most current peer-review available, is just that --- cherry-picked information.  It is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure diseases of any kind (God forbid anyone treats or cures their own diseases).  If you feel you may have a disease that needs diagnosing or treating, please discuss this post with your physician, despite the high probability they will look at you like a space alien who just flew in from Uranus.  WARNING:  Please do not try FMT at home, even though the safety profile for the procedure is on the high side of excellent (HERE).  Repeat; I am not advocating you try this at home, I am giving you some very cool information to pursue if you are really sick.

• MICROBIOTA, IMMUNE SYSTEM DEVELOPMENT IN INFANTS, AND THE EFFECTS OF VACCINES ON SAID MICROBIOTA:  Listen folks; when you look at the number of children (let alone adults) who suffer with chronic illnesses, you should start to notice a pattern.  Unfortunately, we are screwing up our children's internal ecosystems from the very moment they are born (HERE is one of the chief ways), which in turn can screw up almost anything you can imagine.  This month's issue of MMBR published a study called The First Microbial Colonizers of the Human Gut: Composition, Activities, and Health Implications of the Infant Gut Microbiota, in which they discussed the importance of early-infant colonization by good bacteria since babies are born without a microbiome (their first exposure is via mom's VAGINAL FLORA).  "Microbes colonize the neonatal gut immediately following birth. The establishment and interactive development of this early gut microbiota are believed to be (at least partially) driven and modulated by specific compounds present in human milk. Various studies have linked certain features of the microbiota/microbiome, such as reduced diversity or aberrant composition, to intestinal illnesses in infants or disease states that are manifested at later stages of life, including asthma, inflammatory bowel disease, and metabolic disorders. Thus, a growing number of studies have reported on how the early human gut microbiota composition/development may affect risk factors related to adult health conditions."  When baby's Gut is not colonized properly, bad things result not just in their present, but in their future.  Two months ago a study by ten Georgia State University researchers was published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity (The Microbiota Influences Cell Death and Microglial Colonization in the Perinatal Mouse Brain) which revealed that the mammalian fetus develops in a largely sterile environment, and direct exposure to a complex microbiota does not occur until birth.  Our results suggest that direct exposure to the microbiota at birth influences key neurodevelopmental events and does so within hours. These findings may help to explain some of the behavioral and neurochemical alterations previously seen in adult mice.  This early-onset dysbiosis-induced MICROGLIAL ACTIVATION actually killed cells in specific parts of the brain.   The icing on the cake is that just last month, a group of Italian researchers, writing in Frontiers in Medicine, stated that, "Bacteria located in both colostrum and mature milk can stimulate the anti-inflammatory response by stimulating the production of specific cytokines, reducing the risk of developing a broad range of inflammatory diseases and preventing the expression of immune-mediated pathologies, such as asthma and atopic dermatitis."   So, you're not BREASTFEEDING for at least the first year of you child's life?  Better rethink that decision.

 

• FMT AND YOUR METABLOME:  Related to the microbiome, the METABOLOME is the sum total of the chemicals your body manufactures to keep you in HOMEOSTASIS -- many of which are made by bacteria.  A study from this month's issue of Mass Spectrometry Reviews (....Targeting the Crosstalk Between Gut Microbiota and Brain in Neurodegenerative Disorders) concluded that, "The emerging development in mass spectrometry technologies has shown promise in the discovery and quantitation of neuroactive small molecule metabolites associated with gut microbiota and brain. Significant progress has been made recently in the characterization of intermediate role of small molecule metabolites linked to neural development and neurodegenerative disorder, showing its potential in understanding the crosstalk between gut microbiota and the host brain.  These metabolic pathways allowed the microbiota to impact the regular function of the brain, which can in turn affect the composition of microbiota via the neurotransmitter substances. The dysfunctional interaction of this crosstalk connects neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and Huntington's disease."  For those of us who believe that MEDICATIONS are one of the chief ways people screw up their internal ecology, this study is a must-read, and particularly in light of the fact that I have previously written about FMT research on both ALZHEIMER'S and PARKINSON'S.

 

• FMT AND SKIN CONDITIONS:  Although there are hundreds upon hundreds of studies linking everything from PSORIASIS, ACNE, ECZEMA, and many others (all are inflammatory, and many are autoimmune) to abnormal microbiome (dysbiosis), I could not find any 'current' studies on using FMT for these.  What I did find, however, were scads of testimonials on various sites from around the world (mostly message boards where commenters were not selling anything) telling how they "cured" (their word, not mine) skin problem X with FMT.  Just for you Mike L out on the East Coast; a study from this month's issue of Experimental Dermatology (The Akkermansia-Muciniphila is a Gut Microbiota Signature in Psoriasis) discussed this strain of bacteria as associated with the TH-17 CELLULAR APOPTOSIS SYSTEM and psoriasis.

 

• FMT AND pH (ACID BLOCKERS / PPI'S):  Speaking of drugs that among their numerous side effects are sure to foul your microbiome, PPI's (Proton Pump Inhibitors) are one of the worst offenders.  Take a gander at the study in this month's issue of Cancer Letters (Gastric Microbiota: An Emerging Player in Helicobacter Pylori-Induced Gastric Malignancies).  I've already shown you why it's not only normal physiology, but critically important to have MEGA-STRONG STOMACH ACID (including the fact it keeps nasty critters like H. Pylori away (see link), but this new study goes even further.  "The complex diversity of nonpathogenic microbes that colonize the human body, known as microbiota, exert considerable effects on physiological homeostasis, and immune regulation. Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is a bacterium that frequently colonizes human stomach and is a major pathogenic agent for peptic ulcer diseases, gastric cancer, and mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue (MALT) lymphoma. Due to its acidic pH and peristaltic movements, the stomach has been considered a hostile environment for most microorganisms, however various commensal microorganisms are capable of colonizing the stomach. Recent pieces of evidence indicate that commensal gastric microbes or their metabolites influence the capability of H. pylori to colonize the stomach and directly modulate its pathogenicity and carcinogenic potential."  And guess what decreases stomach acidity, while increasing whole-body acidity ---- all while being a known cause of cancer itself?  That's right folks, sugar and junk carbs (HERE).

 

• MORE MICROBIOME AND HPA-AXIS:  One of the hallmarks of the majority of our population who lives in a state of CONSTANT SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE is an inability to sleep, coupled with a constant fatigue or exhaustion.  Going back to Y-2K (The Sympathetic Nerve -- An Integrative Interface Between Two Supersystems: The Brain and the Immune System in the journal Pharmacology Review) we see simply from looking at the study's title that there is an intimate relationship here.  Bear in mind, however that the authors were not interested so much in manipulating the microbiome as they were in creating drugs.  "Pharmacological manipulation of the sympathetic-immune interface is reviewed with focus on new therapeutic strategies in the treatment of experimental models of autoimmune diseases, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome." A study from the January 2017 issue of Nature Reviews (The Mucosal Immune System: Master Regulator of Bidirectional Gut–Brain Communications) bears out this relationship by revealing, "The messengers of this complex dialogue include neural, metabolic, endocrine and immune mediators responsive to diverse environmental cues, including nutrients and components of the intestinal microbiota (microbiota–gut–brain axis). We are now starting to understand how perturbation of these systems affects transition between health and disease."  BTW, this study talks extensively about TREGS....... 

 

• YOUR MICROBIOTA CONTROLS AND TRAINS TREGS (T-REGULATORY CELLS):  TREGS are T-Regulatory cells, previously known as T-suppressor cells (they prevent the immune system from running away with itself, which almost always leads to AUTOIMMUNITY).  This month's issue of the Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism (Gut Microbiota in Health and Disease) concluded that "Intestinal regulatory T (Treg) cells are critical to maintaining immune tolerance to dietary antigens and gut microbiota."  After discussing a number of things now known about the relationship between Tregs and one's microbiome, the author goes on to describe several examples, saying that, "This cutting-edge method may lead to the evolution of an altered disease concept."  Isn't it interesting that I just wrote an article dealing with this very topic --- microbiota as a common denominator in virtually all disease processes (HERE)

 

• FMT AND INSULIN RESISTANCE, CARDIOMETABOLIC SYNDROME / PRE-DIABETES:  CARDIOMETABOLIC SYNDROME (aka Metabolic Syndrome, Syndrome X, or Pre-Diabetes) affects well over half our nation's adult citizens (HERE), not to mention an exploding number of children and teens.  For instance, just two short weeks ago Molecular Metabolism published a study called Host-microbiota Interaction Induces Bi-Phasic Inflammation and Glucose Intolerance in Mice (in other words, the inflammation occurred both early and later).  Last month's copy of Cell Metabolism (Improvement of Insulin Sensitivity after Lean Donor Feces in Metabolic Syndrome Is Driven by Baseline Intestinal Microbiota Composition) said that, "The intestinal microbiota has been implicated in insulin resistance.... Lean donor FMT in obese metabolic syndrome patients improves insulin sensitivity.  Insulin sensitivity at six weeks after FMT was significantly improved, accompanied by altered microbiota composition. We also observed changes in plasma metabolites [some of the "metabolomic" changes discussed earlier].  The beneficial effects of lean donor FMT on glucose metabolism are associated with changes in intestinal microbiota and plasma metabolites."  This is why the body composition of your donor is such a big deal --- something I will discuss at length later on.  There was also a study on dysbiosis being associated with coronary artery disease (hardening of the arteries otherwise known as arteriosclerosis).  This month's issue of Beneficial Microbes (The Gut Microbiome Composition is Linked to Carotid Atherosclerosis) revealed that the amount of a bacteria named M. Racemosus, "had the same impact in the model as waist-to-hip ratio, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, fasting triglycerides or fasting glucose, suggesting that its relative abundance in the gut may be a relevant biomarker for cardiovascular risk."  Did you catch that?  A certain bacteria is as good a marker of heart disease as all the stuff you are tested for in the clinic.

 

• FMT HELPS RESTORE SEROTONIN PRODUCTION:  Fun Fact --- MELATONIN (your sleep hormone) is made from serotonin, and a full 90% of your serotonin is manufactured in your Gut (HERE).  A study from September's Scientific Reports (Dysbiosis Contributes to Chronic Constipation Development via Regulation of Serotonin Transporter in the Intestine) dealt with the fact that the neurotransmitter serotonin is much more than a chemical that affects only the brain.  "Chronic constipation is a globally prevalent functional gastrointestinal disorder with the prevalence 2–20% and is accompanied with intestinal dysbiosis. Mice which received fecal microbiota from patients with constipation presented a reducing in intestinal peristalsis and abnormal defecation parameters including the frequency of pellet expulsion, fecal weight and fecal water content."  All this means is that what I showed you in my link on CONSTIPATION is true --- the number one factor is dysbiosis.

 

• FMT AND OBESITY:  The combination of DIABETES and obesity is not only so common that it is frequently called "Diabesity" in the scientific literature, there are hundreds of studies linking gut bacteria to your weight (it's at least part of why ANTIBIOTICS MAKE YOU FAT).  In fact, I have covered this many times previously in my NUMEROUS FMT POSTS.  A study on the relationship between inflammation, obesity, and cognitive decline (Inflammation and Gut-Brain Axis Link Obesity to Cognitive dysfunction) was published in this month's issue of Current Opinions in Pharmacology.  "Obesity prevalence is increasing steadily throughout the world's population in most countries and in parallel the prevalence of metabolic disorders including cardiovascular diseases and type 2 diabetes is also rising, but less is reported about excessive adiposity relationship with poorer cognitive performance, cognitive decline and dementia. Inflammation may eventually spread from peripheral tissue to the brain, and recent reports suggest that neuro-inflammation is an important causal mechanism in cognitive decline. This inflammatory status could be triggered by changes in the gut microbiota composition."  Let me give you another; when you think of neuro-inflammation, you had better be thinking of ALUMINUM --- something that is found in almost every vaccine and antiperspirant.

 

• FMT AND NEUROPSYCHIATRIC PROBLEMS:  Earlier this month, the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity (Microbes and Mental Health: A Review) stated that, "There is a growing emphasis on the relationship between the microorganisms inhabiting the gut and human health. The emergence of a microbiota-gut-brain axis to describe the complex networks and relationship between the gastrointestinal microbiota and host reflects the major influence this environment may have in brain health and disorders of the central nervous system (CNS). Bidirectional communication between the microbiota and the CNS occurs through autonomic, neuroendocrine, enteric, and immune system pathways. Perturbations of the gut microbial community have already been implicated in multiple host diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and inflammation, while recent evidence suggests a potential role of the microbiota-gut-brain axis in neuropsychiatric disorders, such as depression and anxiety."  Another study, this one from Curent Neuropharmacology concluded the same thing --- "The microbiota-gut-brain axis might provide novel targets for prevention and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders" --- before discussing FMT.  Believe me when I tell you that both DEPRESSION and ANXIETY are big deals in Western civilization.  Earlier this month and earlier this summer, the journals Neurotherapeutics (Anxiety, Depression, and the Microbiome: A Role for Gut Peptides) and BioPsychiatry (Harnessing Gut Microbes for Mental Health: Getting From Here to There) dealt with gut peptides, concluding that "The conceptual development of the microbiome-gut-brain axis has facilitated understanding of the complex and bidirectional networks between gastrointestinal microbiota and their host, highlighting potential mechanisms through which this environment influences central nervous system physiology. Communication pathways between gut microbiota and the central nervous system could include autonomic, neuroendocrine, enteric, and immune systems, with pathology resulting in disruption to neurotransmitter balance, increases in chronic inflammation, or exacerbated hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity."  I've already shown you that experts are doing FMT for these sorts of problems --- much more in other countries than in PHARMA-RUN America.

 

• MICROBIOME AND MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS:  The relationship between microbiome and MS is nothing new (HERE and HERE).  However, some brand new research has helped shed even more light on this issue.  About three weeks ago, ten Italian researchers publishing in Frontiers in Neurology (Immunological and Clinical Effect of Diet Modulation of the Gut Microbiome in Multiple Sclerosis Patients) concluded that "Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterized by demyelination and mediated by an auto-reactive immune process directed against central neural tissues.  Pathogenesis of autoimmune disorders, including multiple sclerosis (MS), has been linked to an alteration of the resident microbial commensal community and of the interplay between the microbiota and the immune system. Dietary components acting on microbiota composition, could, in principle, result in immune modulation and, thus, could be used to obtain beneficial outcomes for patients.  Evaluation of clinical parameters showed that in the high-vegetable/low-protein diet group the relapse rate during the 12 months follow-up period and the Expanded Disability Status Scale score at the end of the study period were significantly reduced. Diet modulates dysbiosis and improves clinical parameters in MS patients by increasing anti-inflammatory circuits. Because Lachnospiraceae favor Treg differentiation."  Paleo, Paleo, Paleo folks --- Don't be afraid of either the protein or FAT as long as it's the right kind of fat.  Another study, this one from this month's Neurotherapeutics (Intestinal Permeability in Relapsing-Remitting Multiple Sclerosis) dealt with MS and LEAKY GUT saying, "Recently the influence of intestinal permeability on brain function has greatly been appreciated. Previous works showed an increased IP that preceded experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis development and worsened during disease with disruption of tight junctions. We found that an alteration of intestinal permeability is a relatively frequent event in relapsing-remitting MS.  The results led us to hypothesize that gut may contribute to the development of MS."  This is not a surprise as virtually every single individual with chronic illnesses is going to have problems with barrier dysfunction --- and not just in the gut, but in a wide array of tissues and organs as well (the "leakies" I discussed earlier).

 

• FMT AND EPILEPSY:  Once you realize that MANY CASES OF SEIZURE DISORDERS, INCLUDING EPILEPSY are autoimmune, you'll start to realize why FMT (along with the Ketogenic diet from last link in the previous bullet) might just be the cat's meow. A study that was published just after our big flood (HERE) in the World Journal of Gastroenterology (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Cured Epilepsy in a Case with Crohn’s Disease) talked about a young lady with a 17-year history of Crohn's Disease (stick around --- we'll address Crohn's in a bit).  Note that this is a case study.  "A 22-year-old girl, with a 17-year history of epilepsy, was referred to the Second Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University in May 2015 because of unsuccessful CD treatment. The initial presentation was at the age of 6 years, with generalized seizures of loss of consciousness and unexplained chronic diarrhea. The patient had more than 120 seizures every year between the ages of 6 to 13.  FMT showed positive response of more than 20 months seizure-free without using antiepileptic drugs."  Say this sentence very slowly: They put healthy people's poop inside of her and "cured" her epilepsy!   If you've ever known anyone with seizures, stop and let the magnitude of this wash over you for a moment.  I don't care who you are, this is cool!

 

• MICROBIOTA AND HEAD INJURIES:  What about people who have neurological issues, but they are the result of HEAD INJURIES instead of a "disease process"?  Interestingly enough, head injuries are highly related to the development of autoimmune diseases (HERE).  A study from the January 2018 issue of Nutrition (Head Injury Profoundly Affects Gut Microbiota Homeostasis), concluded that "Head injury induces a hypercatabolic state [your body is breaking itself down faster than it is building itself back up], dysimmunity [autoimmunity], and septic complications that increase morbidity and mortality."  For the record, bear in mind that many of these infections (sepsis) are autoimmune --- HERE is an example.  BTW, it only took four days for the rats used in this study to "profoundly" have their microbiome affected by their head injury.

 

• FMT AND THE IMMUNO-COMPROMISED:  The brutal truth is that while some people have a disease process that leads them to be severely immuno-compromised, the most common reason for people whose immune systems are extremely suppressed is the drugs they are given.  This is because IMMUNE SYSTEM SUPPRESSION IS THE SINGLE MOST COMMON MEDICAL THERAPY in the United States!  The April issue of Frontiers in Immunology (Immune Responses to Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Treatment and Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Mice) concluded that "Compelling evidence demonstrates the pivotal role of the commensal intestinal microbiota in host physiology and the detrimental effects of its perturbations following antibiotic treatment.  broad-spectrum antibiotic treatment resulted in profound local (small and large intestinal), peripheral (mesenteric lymph nodes), and systemic (splenic) changes in the immune cell repertoire that could, at least in part, be restored upon FMT."  This study is amazing and free to read in its entirety.

 

• FMT AND THE HYGIENE HYPOTHESIS:  One of my favorite topics on GUT HEALTH is the HYGIENE HYPOTHESIS --- the idea that in order to properly train a developing immune system (see earlier stuff on Tregs), it must be exposed to some germs --- not just COLDS OR FLU, but real childhood diseases like people used to get before vaccination's went HOG WILD (sounds crazy but stick with me).  Last month's issue of Cell (Wild Mouse Gut Microbiota Promotes Host Fitness and Improves Disease Resistance) published a study by 14 NIH scientists that basically said that wild mice are different than lab-raised mice because of the amount of germs and diseases (not to mention SOIL AND OTHER ANIMALS) they spend their lives around.  What's truly amazing is that this "advantage" can be transferred via FMT.  "Among 21 distinct mouse populations worldwide, we identified a closely related wild relative to standard laboratory mouse strains. Its bacterial gut microbiome differed significantly from its laboratory mouse counterpart and was transferred to and maintained in laboratory mice over several generations. Laboratory mice reconstituted with natural microbiota exhibited reduced inflammation and increased survival following influenza virus infection and improved resistance against mutagen / inflammation-induced colorectal tumor genesis."  Why is this so critical to know?  We have a veritable explosion of ALLERGIES in this country, with no end in sight.  The European authors of the September issue of Nature Immunology (The Immunology of the Allergy Epidemic and the Hygiene Hypothesis) agreed, coming to some interesting conclusions of their own (and none too popular with most US researchers either --- at least THOSE WHO VALUE THEIR CAREERS).  "The immunology of the hygiene hypothesis of allergy is complex and involves the loss of cellular and humoral immunoregulatory pathways as a result of the adoption of a Western lifestyle and the disappearance of chronic infectious diseases. The influence of diet and reduced microbiome diversity now forms the foundation of scientific thinking on how the allergy epidemic occurred. We propose that barrier epithelial cells are heavily influenced by [i.e. they are leaky leaky leaky leaky leaky leaky] environmental factors and by microbiome-derived danger signals and metabolites, and thus act as important rheostats for immunoregulation, particularly during early postnatal development. Preventive strategies based on this new knowledge could exploit the diversity of the microbial world and the way humans react to it, and possibly restore old symbiotic relationships that have been lost in recent times, without causing disease or requiring a return to an unhygienic life style." So, thanks to vaccines, we have traded acute childhood diseases that everyone used to get (and AS HYGIENE IMPROVED, HAD LOW MORTALITY), and traded them for a veritable patchwork of chronic degenerative inflammatory and autoimmune diseases --- diseases that don't kill you outright, but they destroy you nonetheless, body and soul (HERE).

 

• FMT AND ASTHMA:  Allergies and ASTHMA go together like beanies and weenies as verified by a study from the August issue of Allergologia et Immunopathologia (Future Prospect of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation as a Potential Therapy in Asthma), which concluded that, "There is convincing evidence from both human and animal studies suggesting that the gut microbiota plays an important role in regulating immune responses associated with the development of asthma. Certain intestinal microbial strains have been demonstrated to suppress or impair immune responsiveness in asthma experimental models, suggesting that specific species among gut commensal microbiota may play either a morbific [makes you sick] or phylactic [keep you from getting sick] role in the progression of asthma. The faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is a rather straightforward therapy that manipulates the human gastrointestinal (GI) microbiota, by which a healthy donor microbiota is transferred into an existing but disturbed microbial ecosystem. In this review, we provide several insights into the development of FMT therapy for asthma."  The fact that between 8 and 10% of our entire population has asthma should not be lost on my readers.

 

• FMT AND AUTISM:  As you  already know if you follow my site, I have a ton of info on AUTISM --- particularly as it relates to Gut Health (HERE).  New studies continue to back this up, with several studies that I have already dealt with in other capacities this year leading the way (click the links).

 

• FMT AND BLOOD & BONE DISORDERS:  When you read this, just remember that bones make blood, and that OSTEOPOROSIS is caused by inflammation.  Now, take a listen to the results of this study from a dozen Polish researchers (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Patients With Blood Disorders Inhibits Gut Colonization With Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria) that was published in August's Clinical Infectious Diseases.  "Patients with blood disorders colonized with antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB) are prone to systemic infections that are difficult to treat. Reintroduction of commensal bacteria can lead to eradication of enterococci.  Twenty-five FMTs were performed in 20 participants (including 40% who had neutropenia) who were colonized by a median of 2  strains of ARB. The primary endpoint [eradication] was reached in 60% of the FMTs and more frequently in cases in which there was no periprocedural use of antibiotics. Among participants 75% experienced complete ARB decolonization. There were no severe adverse events.  FMT in patients with blood disorders is safe and promotes eradication of ARB from the gastrointestinal tract." Just one month earlier, the journal Calcified Tissue International (Gut Microbiota, Immune System, and Bone) concluded that, "It is well documented that the gut microbiome (GM) can interact with immune cells, dendritic cells [nerves], and hepatocytes [liver], producing molecules such as short-chain fatty acids, indole derivatives, polyamines, and secondary bile acid. The receptors for some of these molecules are expressed on immune cells, and modulate the differentiation of T-effector and T-regulatory cells [Tregs]: this is the reason why dysbiosis is correlated with several autoimmune, metabolic, and neurodegenerative diseases. Due to the close interplay between immune and bone cells, GM has a central role in maintaining bone health and influences bone turnover and density. GM can improve bone health also increasing calcium absorption and modulating the production of gut serotonin, a molecule that interacts with bone cells and has been suggested to act as a bone mass regulator."

 

• GUT MICROBIOTA AND MUSCLE WASTING:  Exercise is good, but not all exercise is created equally.  If you go back and look at earlier links, you'll see why I am such a monster proponent of adding at least a few minutes of strength training to whatever else you happen to enjoy doing (you will lose 10% of your muscle mass per decade after the age of 30 unless you are resistance training).  Last month's issue of Calcified Tissue International (Gut Microbiota Contribute to Age-Related Changes in Skeletal Muscle Size, Composition, and Function: Biological Basis for a Gut-Muscle Axis) concluded, after revealing just how important lean body mass really is for a variety of purposes, that "Aging is associated with a decrease in muscle mass and function (sarcopenia) that is associated with a loss of independence and reduced quality of life. Gut microbiota, the bacteria, archaea, viruses, and eukaryotic microbes residing in the gastrointestinal tract are emerging as a potential contributor to age-associated muscle decline. Specifically, advancing age is characterized by a dysbiosis of gut microbiota that is associated with increased intestinal permeability, facilitating the passage of endotoxin and other microbial products into the circulation."  So in some ways, FMT could almost be called a proverbial fountain of youth.

 

• FMT AND ARTHRITIS: According to the NIH (Arthritis and Rheumatic Diseases) rheumatic diseases include everything from OSTEOARTHRITIS, POLYMYALGIA RHEUMATICA, TENDINOSIS/TENDINITIS, GOUT, BURSITIS, KNEE PROBLEMS, AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES (click for a list), RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS, JRA, and a whole host of others.  Now listen to this; the September issue of Clinical Rheumatology (The Role of Gut Microbiota in the Pathogenesis of Rheumatic Diseases) revealed that "Rheumatic diseases refer to many diseases with a loss of immune self-tolerance [autoimmunity], leading to a chronic inflammation, degeneration, or metabolic derangement in multiple organs or tissues.  Over the past decades, emerging studies suggested that alteration of intestinal microbiota, known as gut dysbiosis, contributed to the occurrence or development of a range of rheumatic diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis, systemic sclerosis, and Sjogren's syndrome." The article went on to discuss the potential of microbiota-targeted therapies to prevent or cure rheumatic diseases, one being FMT

 

• LIVER DISEASE, INCLUDING HEPATIC ENCEPHALOPATHY:  When the liver cannot DETOX / BIOTRANSFORM, toxins build up in the blood and affect the brain, causing something called hepatic encephalopathy (HE), with symptoms being forgetfulness, sweet-smelling breath (ketoacidosis, not to be confused with ketosis that people on the ketogenic diet work hard to achieve) as well as shaky upper extremities, disorientation, cognitive dysfunction, and slurred speech.  There are studies showing FMT to be beneficial for a wide array of liver problems, but HE is where these people will all end up if not dealt with properly.  The June issue of Hepatology (Fecal Microbiota Transplant from a Rational Stool Donor Improves Hepatic Encephalopathy) revealed that HE is a common reason for hospital readmissions (hospitals get severely docked financially for readmissions that occur within a certain time-frame) and then concluded that, "FMT with antibiotic pretreatment was well tolerated. Cognition improved. Model for End-Stage Liver Disease score transiently worsened post-antibiotics, but reverted to baseline post-FMT. Postantibiotics, beneficial taxa, and microbial diversity reduction occurred with Proteobacteria expansion. However, FMT increased diversity and beneficial taxa."   A similar study, this one in last month's issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Prevents Hepatic Encephalopathy....) stated something quite similar.  "FMT enables protective effects in HE rats, and it improves the cognitive function and reduces the liver function indexes. FMT may cure HE by altering the intestinal permeability and improving the toll-like receptor (TLR) response of the liver."  TLR's are markers that help identify receptors on pathogens, and are handy for marking baddies for the immune system's search and destroy missions.

 

• FMT AND ALOPECIA (HAIR LOSS):  Before you get any wild ideas, understand that alopecia is not the same as male pattern baldness.  Also, the most common reason by far that people get FMT, at least here in America, is for C.Diff infections.  Writing for the September issue of the ACG Case Reports Journal (Hair Growth in Two Alopecia Patients after Fecal Microbiota Transplant) a group of five gastroenterologists saw alopecia cured (hair regrowth) in people being treated for C.Diff.  "Alopecia areata (AA) is an autoimmune, inflammatory condition of the hair follicle. It is classified as patchy, totalis, and universalis, depending on the degree of hair loss.  AA is one of the most common autoimmune disorders, affecting about 4.5 million people in the United States. Onset typically occurs in younger patients, with 66% presenting before age 30 and only 20% presenting after age 40. It is thought to be a T-cell-mediated autoimmune disease that attacks the hair follicle.  Notable improvement in AA was observed after FMT was performed for recurrent C. Diff infection."  It is no longer uncommon to find instances of people having FMT for C. Diff and getting cured of something else (kind of like THIS).

 

• FMT AND CANCER: I've got plenty of cool stuff on CANCER on my site, much of it (including OTTO WARBURG'S WORK) having at least in some way to do with the microbiome.  This relationship is also why ANTIBIOTICS ARE A KNOWN CAUSE OF CANCER.  How much does Gut inflammation caused by dysbiosis affect cancer?  That question was answered in the August issue of Seminars in Immunology (Microbiome, Inflammation and Colorectal Cancer), when the authors concluded that, "Chronic inflammation is linked to the development of multiple cancers, including those of the colon. Inflammation in the gut induces carcinogenic mutagenesis and promotes colorectal cancer initiation. Additionally, myeloid and lymphoid cells infiltrate established tumors and propagate so called "tumor-elicited inflammation", which in turn favors cancer development by supporting the survival and proliferation of cancer cells. In addition to the interaction between cancer cells and tumor infiltrating immune cells, the gut also hosts trillions of bacteria and other microbes, whose roles in colorectal inflammation and cancer have only been appreciated in the past decade or so."  Research that was published just a few short weeks ago in Science (Gut Microbiome Influences Efficacy of PD-1-Based Immunotherapy Against Epithelial Tumors) by a team of almost fifty researchers and physicians showed that when dysbiotic rats with cancer that were resistant to certain types of tumor-blocking medications were given FMT from rats that were not resistant, the medication (chemo) started working.  To sum it all up, August's copy of Carcinogenesis (Microbiota in Digestive Cancers: Our New Partner?) concluded that, "There is much evidence about the gut microbiota's contribution to carcinogenesis, involving proinflammatory and immunosuppressive signals. At the same time, it seems increasingly clear that commensal microbes can modulate cancer therapy efficacy and safety, in particular innovating treatments as immune checkpoint inhibitors."  This is just one of the many reasons that it should be criminal for doctors --- especially CANCER DOCTORS --- not to be educating their patients about the importance of Otto Warburg's work, and the importance of DIET IN GENERAL.

 

• PRE & POST-FMT ANTIBIOTICS, AND WHICH METHOD OF FMT IS BEST:  There are many ways that different physicians and facilities do FMT.  There is the colonic route (putting it in through your rear end), the nasogastric route (a tube is run through your nose down into the top of the bowel), and the pill route (feces is freeze dried, capsulized, and taken orally).  Everything I have seen to date points to the colonic route as not only being the best, but probably the safest as well --- more so than the nasogastric route.  August's issue of the Journal of Hospital Infections (Comparative Effectiveness of Fecal Microbiota Transplant by Route of Administration) agreed by stating, "Overall, nasogastric delivery of FMT was less effective than lower endoscopic delivery. When patients were stratified by illness severity, nasogastric delivery achieved similar cure rates in healthier individuals, whereas lower endoscopic delivery was preferred for relatively ill individuals. Nasogastric delivery may be less effective than lower endoscopic delivery."  Some doctors will want to clear out the dysbiosis prior to the FMT.  While one could probably achieve this with COLONIC IRRIGATION, researchers writing in the June issue of Frontiers in Microbiology (Preparing the Gut with Antibiotics Enhances Gut Microbiota Reprogramming Efficiency by Promoting Xenomicrobiota Colonization) concluded just what we see in the title --- "These results suggest that FMT relied on the available niches in the intestinal mucosa and that preparing the gut with antibiotics facilitated xenomicrobiota colonization in the intestinal mucosa."  I am always leery of antibiotics, but clearing out BIOFILMS can at times prove exceedingly difficult without resorting to this class of drugs.  Case in point of being leery of antibiotics, the August issue of Clinical Infectious Diseases (Early Antibiotic Use Post-Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Increases the Risk of Treatment Failure) also made some conclusions as seen in the study's title --- "Antibiotic use within the first 8 weeks post fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) may disrupt microbial engraftment and limit FMT effectiveness."  This, folks, is why I strongly recommend you do whatever needed to KEEP YOUR FAMILY OFF ANTIBIOTICS (fortunately, MY KIDS have never had to take them).
  

 

• ETHICAL ISSUES; WHO MAKES THE BEST DONOR?  Yes, there are some big ethical issues here, the first being whether you should have the FMT done via COLONOSCOPY.  The second being what should the donor look like (this is absolutely critical and I cover it for you HERE).  Be aware that one of the things that the labs that do FMT are starting to do is pool donor feces.
  

"IBD is a group of chronic disorders characterized by relapsing inflammation of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The most common entities are Crohn’s Disease (CD) and Ulcerative Colitis (UC). While CD is characterized by a segmental transmural inflammation and granulomatous lesions of the whole GI tract, inflammation in UC is mostly restricted to the colon and the rectum. Both incidence and prevalence of IBD are currently increasing worldwide.  The mucosal immune system and the microbiota in the intestinal tract have recently been shown to play a key role in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).  Finally, we address the current evidence of how this interaction (i.e., immune system–microbiota) can be modulated by food components, pre/probiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and how these approaches can support intestinal homeostasis."   From this month's issue of Seminars in Immunopathology (Recipe for IBD...)  

"We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis assessing the effectiveness and safety of FMT in IBD (Inflammatory Bowel Disease) through January 2017, with clinical remission established as the primary outcome.  53 studies were included. Overall, 36% of UC, 50.5% of CD, and 21.5% of pouchitis patients [due to colostomy, they have an artificial, surgically created rectum] achieved clinical remission. Sub-analyses suggest remission in UC improved with increased number of FMT infusions and lower gastrointestinal tract administration [as opposed to nasogastric infusions]. Most adverse events were transient gastrointestinal complaints [gas, bloating, discomfort, etc]."  From the October issue of Crohn's & Colitis (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis)

"Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) represent a growing public health concern due to increasing incidence worldwide. The current notion on the pathogenesis of IBD is that genetically susceptible individuals develop intolerance to dysregulated gut microflora (dysbiosis) and chronic inflammation develops as a result of environmental triggers. Among the environmental factors associated with IBD, diet plays an important role in modulating the gut microbiome, influencing epigenetic changes, and, therefore, could be applied as a therapeutic tool to improve the disease course."  From the September issue of Nutrients (Diet, Gut Microbiome and Epigenetics: Emerging Links with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases and Prospects for Management and Prevention).  The authors talked about the FODMAP diet here.

"Ultra-processed foods are ready-to-heat and ready-to-eat products created to replace traditional homemade meals and dishes due to convenience and accessibility. They could impact the prevalence of autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and celiac disease. Ultra-processed foodstuffs can induce gut dysbiosis, promoting a pro-inflammatory response and consequently, a "leaky gut", associated with increased risk of autoimmunity. In addition, food emulsifiers, commonly used in ultra-processed products could modify the gut microbiota and intestinal permeability, which could increase the risk of autoimmunity. In contrast, unprocessed and minimally processed food-based diets have shown the capacity to promote gut microbiota eubiosis, anti-inflammatory response, and epithelial integrity."  From this month's issue of Foods (Old Fashioned vs. Ultra-Processed-Based Current Diets: Possible Implication in the Increased Susceptibility to Type 1 Diabetes and Celiac Disease in Childhood)

• CROHN'S DISEASE AND FMT:  Back in July (PRIME TIME FOR THE CURRENT RIVER) the journal Scientific Reports (Multiple Fresh Fecal Microbiota Transplants Induces and Maintains Clinical Remission in Crohn’s Disease Complicated with Inflammatory Mass) concluded, "Crohn’s disease (CD) is characterized by a transmural inflammatory process, which may lead to the formation of intraabdominal inflammatory masses or abscess.  Twenty-five patients were diagnosed with CD and related inflammatory mass by CT or MRI. All patients received the initial FMT followed by repeated FMTs every 3 months. The primary endpoint was clinical response (improvement and remission) and sustained clinical remission at 12 months. 68.0% and 52.0% of patients achieved clinical response and clinical remission at 3 months post the initial FMT.  This pragmatic study suggested that sequential fresh FMTs might be a promising, safe and effective therapy to induce and maintain clinical remission in CD with intraabdominal inflammatory mass."  BTW, almost 3 of 4 people studied improved their mass with FMT.

• FMT AND ULCERATIVE COLITIS:  An August systematic review  and meta-analysis of 18 studies was published in the journal Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for the Induction of Remission for Active Ulcerative Colitis).  "Despite variation in processes, FMT appears to be effective for induction of remission in UC, with no major short-term safety signals.  Clinical remission was achieved in 39 of 140 patients in the donor FMT groups compared with 13 of 137 in the placebo groups. Clinical response was achieved in 49% donor FMT patients compared to 28% of placebo patients."  The July issue of Free Radical Biology & Medicine (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Could Reverse the Severity of Experimental Necrotizing Enterocolitis Via Oxidative Stress Modulation) showed even better results for a form of IC known as NEC or Necrotizing Enterocolitis.  Right behind Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS), NEC is the next leading cause of morbidity in preemies (it causes the bowel to die due to lack of OXYGEN).  "Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has been used successfully to treat a variety of gastroenterological diseases. FMT eliminated ROS (Reactive Oxygen Species) production and promoted Nitrous Oxide production in experimental NEC mice. FMT decreased the extent of  proinflammatory signalin in the intestinal mucosa tissue, and suppressed intestinal apoptosis [pre-programmed cellular death] and bacterial translocation across the intestinal barrier [Leaky Gut Syndrome], which was accompanied by decreased inflammatory cytokine levels [less inflammation], altered bacterial microbiota, and regulated lymphocyte proportions. FMT is effective in a mouse model of NEC through the modulation of oxidative stress and reduced colon inflammation."  Super cool, but a similar study on children with UC was published in last month's issue of the Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition (Fecal Microbial Transplant In Children With Ulcerative Colitis) revealing that, "Remission or a 20-point improvement of PUCAI scores were seen in 60% of children receiving FMT versus 28% receiving placebo. More importantly, children receiving FMT did not require escalation of therapy in contrast to 71% receiving placebo. No serious adverse events related to FMT. Bloating and fever were adverse events that were considered related to FMT."  Notice the "transient" side effects that most people get with FMT.
  

• IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME:  Irritable Bowel Syndrome is an Autoimmune Disease that is caused by inflammation, but is not "officially" part of the IBD family of diseases.  We do know that there is a huge connection between SIBO (Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth) and IBS (HERE), that tends to respond like gangbusters to cutting FODMAPS out of the diet.  Back in June the World Journal of Gastroenterology asked a question via a study title, Can Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Cure Irritable Bowel Syndrome?  "IBS is the most prevalent functional GI disorder in developed countries. It is estimated that IBS affects 10%-15% of the adult population and strongly impairs quality of life, work productivity, and social function as well as inflicting substantial costs to health care systems.  Accumulating evidence indicates that the gut microbiota plays a significant role, and alterations in gut microbiota among IBS patients have been described frequently. IBS symptoms are characterized by chronic abdominal pain and altered bowel habits, including diarrhea and/or constipation, in the absence of organic or structural causes.  In the final analysis, treatment of 48 patients was evaluated. Treatment revealed an improvement in 58% of cases."  Last month's issue of Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Versus Placebo for Moderate-to-Severe Irritable Bowel Syndrome) concluded almost the same thing, with about 65% of the treatment group getting the results they were looking for.  "FMT induced significant symptom relief in patients with IBS.  No serious adverse events could be attributed to FMT."
  

Again, let me reiterate.  If you are chronically ill or overweight, as are the vast majority of American adults (as well as a huge percentage of our nation's children), at least start researching what it is going to take for you to restore your Gut Health so that you can start the process of truly regaining your life.  Fortunately for you, I have lots of information on this topic completely free on my site (see below).

GUT HEALTH is arguably the single most important aspect of your health, and involves two separate yet distinct aspects --- THE INTESTINAL BARRIER SYSTEM and your MICROBIOME.  Today we are talking about some of each.

Your microbiome is the name given to the number and type of the various species of BACTERIA, MOLD, virus, YEAST, fungus, PARASITES, etc, that live in and on your body.  And while it might sound disgusting, a healthy microbiome not only keeps you healthy, but has been shown by peer-review to be potentially capable of reversing a wide array of chronic conditions, while a Dysbiotic Microbiome (a microbiome made up of too many "bad" bacteria, or more accurately, the improper ratio of bacteria and other organisms to each other) can literally destroy you, being a causal factor in almost every (NON-GENETIC) disease that has thus far been studied.

I've previously shown you studies where scientists have taken obese mice, transferred feces from healthy mice into their bowel and made them thin (Fecal Microbiota Transplants otherwise known as FMT), then turned right around and reversed the process, making them fat.  This process has been done with other diseases as well.  Just listen to some of the cherry-picked results of a study (Transplantation of Fecal Microbiota From Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome Alters Gut function and Behavior in Recipient Mice) by two dozen researchers, gastroenterologists, immunologists, and physicians from around the world, and published in the edition of Science Transnational Medicine that hit the shelves just three days ago........

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), the most common gastrointestinal disorder worldwide, is characterized by abdominal pain and altered gut function and often is accompanied by anxiety. An association between intestinal dysbiosis and IBS has been reported, but the functional relevance remains unknown.  To evaluate a functional role for commensal gut bacteria in IBS, we colonized germ-free mice with the fecal microbiota from healthy control individuals or IBS patients with diarrhea (IBS-D), with or without anxiety, and monitored gut function and behavior in the transplanted mice. Microbiota profiles in recipient mice clustered according to the microbiota profiles of the human donors. Mice receiving the IBS-D fecal microbiota showed a taxonomically similar microbial composition to that of mice receiving the healthy control fecal microbiota. However, IBS-D mice showed different serum metabolomic profiles. Mice receiving the IBS-D fecal microbiota, but not the healthy control fecal microbiota, exhibited faster gastrointestinal transit, intestinal barrier dysfunction, innate immune activation, and anxiety-like behavior. These results indicate the potential of the gut microbiota to contribute to both intestinal and behavioral manifestations of IBS-D and suggest the potential value of microbiota-directed therapies in IBS patients.

Allow me to help you break this down and digest it because what just happened in this abstract is nothing short of amazing proof that the "healers" of generations gone by were correct all along --- "All health begins in the Gut: Heal the Gut, Heal the Body".  The first thing I want you to understand is that IBS is an autoimmune disease.  AUTOIMMUNITY simply means that your body has, for various reasons, decided to start attacking itself in some capacity.  Also be aware that this is frequently precluded by sensitivities to GRAINS, most particularly Gluten-containing grains (HERE).

Although we tend to think of Dysbiosis in terms of having too many bad bacteria and not enough good, this is only partly true.  Just remember this simple little ditty --- "Ratios Rule".  It's not so much about the absolute numbers of the various strains of organisms as much as it is about having them present in the correct ratios.  Anything (I mean anything) that fouls up these ratios, has the potential to adversely affect your health (ANTIBIOTICS of course are the worst, but ALL DRUGS act as antibiotics, as can even VITAMINS in certain circumstances).  DYSBIOSIS is the name given to the state of having fouled up ratios of bacteria in your digestive tract or on your body (which means folks --- it's very possible to be "TOO CLEAN" --- both inside and out).  Just realize that Dysbiosis is bad on levels that we are just beginning to figure out.

The researchers took groups of people with and without IBS, transplanting their feces into the bowels of GMO mice that were bred to be "germ free" (they had no bacteria of any sort in their innards).  After an amount of time, stool samples of these mice were looked at, and not surprisingly, knowing what we know of FMT, were found to match that of their human donor.  Interestingly enough, the IBS group and control were similar taxonomically, meaning that they grossly had the same species of bacteria in their guts.  However, probably due to subtle differences in ratios, they differed differed dramatically in their Metablomic Profiles.

Your Metablome is everything (I mean everything) found in whatever sample you happen to be looking at.  So, as opposed to the bacterial profile (numbers and species of various bacteria), the Metablome would describe the "Small Molecule Chemicals" found within any given sample of tissue, fluid, etc, etc, etc.  The defining factor of what makes a "Small Molecule" small (less than 900 Daltons), is that it not only has a low molecular weight and a very tiny molecular size, it is small enough to diffuse across cellular membranes. 

Oh; I almost forgot to mention; not only is the Metabolmic Profile looking at the makeup of certain sugars, Organic Acids (think OATS TEST here), Vitamins, Nucleic Acids (DNA & RNA), Fatty Acids, ANTIOXIDANTS like GLUTATHIONE, amino acids, cellular metabolites, etc, etc, but the Metablome consists of artificial or exogenous chemicals as well (chemicals from outside the body).  This means that DRUGS, XENOHORMONES, and the huge array of potential toxins (HERE'S A FREAKY ONE to contemplate) are also part of one's Metablome.  As would make sense, most drugs are purposely manufactured to be very small (under 500 Daltons) so that they readily diffuse into your cells.

The result was that the the IBS mice had "faster GI transit times" (can anyone say diarrhea? --- which along with periodic bouts of CONSTIPATION, is the hallmark of IBS). The IBS mice also showed "intestinal barrier dysfunction".  This describes the flip side of the Gut Dysfunction coin ---- Leaky Gut Syndrome.  And here's the bite about LGS.  Not only do the majority of the medical profession pooh pooh its very existence, be aware that there will be other "Leakies" likely tagging along with (Leaky Lung, Leaky Brain, Leaky Cord, Leaky Nerve, etc, etc (HERE).  And finally, "activation of the innate immune system".  Your immune system is not only made up of bacteria (AT LEAST 70% AND AS MUCH AS 80%) as well as GLIAL & MICROGLIA, but it is made up of generalized chemical responses.   Although it's way oversimplified, think of your innate immune system as INFLAMMATION --- the group of chemicals and WBC your body manufactures in order to deal with various sorts of tissue damage (as opposed to Adaptive Immunity, which would describe the antigen / antibody response).

The end-product of this mess?  By transplanting the dukie from unhealthy people into germ-free mice, the researchers created --- whallah --- IBS; complete with the anxiety (not surprisingly, both ANXIETY & DEPRESSION) along with everything on THIS LIST are considered "inflammatory" diseases.  The astute among you should be salivating at the not-so-hidden potential in this study.  If scientists can do such amazing things transplanting unhealthy dukie, what might happen if they decided to transplant healthy dukie into unhealthy mice --- or maybe even unhealthy people?

It's already been done folks, and for the love of Pete; if you have serious chronic illnesses or weight issues (especially if you have a history of EVEN A TINY AMOUNT OF ANTIBIOTICS), don't walk away without reading to the end.  Get on the bandwagon and start studying FECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANATION.  I have provided you tons of peer-review, all laid out in a neat and orderly fashion, including what to look for in a donor, as well as DIY advice (for the record, the advice is not mine and I would never recommend anyone try this on their own without the express written consent from their doctor --- although the world wide web abounds with stories of people doing just that).  It's why the generic protocol I have provided you (free of charge of course) has FMT as part of it (HERE --- HERE'S a cool post on Functional Medicine as well).  

As a special bonus to various friends and patients dealing with MS (or for that matter, PARKINSON'S, ALZHEIMER'S, EPILEPSY, or whatever), make sure to look at these specific posts on the topic (HERE, HERE, and HERE, along with a post that carries a short video from a physician with MS that pulled herself out of a wheelchair nearly two decades ago --- DR. TERRY WAHLS --- just by changing her diet).  As a special bonus, even though the authors of today's study concluded their study with the promise of using their data to create, "microbiota-directed therapies," HERE is why probiotics (which BTW, I am a fan of) can never be a tiny fraction as effective as FMT for truly sick individuals.

"There has been increasing interest in understanding the role of the human gut microbiome.  Certain microbes have been shown to enhance metabolism, the immune system, cancer resistance, endocrine signaling, and brain function.  Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) is the administration of a solution of fecal matter from a donor into the intestinal tract of a recipient in order to directly change the recipient’s microbial composition and confer a health benefit.  There are indications to suggest therapeutic potential for other conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, metabolic syndrome, and functional gastrointestinal disorders.  In addition, observations from patients treated with FMT for functional bowel disorders have noted improvement in seemingly unrelated comorbidities, revealing a possible role for gut-microbiota modification in many other conditions."  Cherry-picked, as are all quotes on this post, from the March issue of Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: In Perspective)

There are two main reasons that I'm doing another post on FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplant) as it relates to Gut Health and chronic inflammatory diseases.  Number one, my last post on this topic was over a year ago.  Because this subject is one of the hottest in all of medicine, it behooves us to look into what the medical community is saying about it.  Secondly, one of the most common questions I get looks like this.  After going telling me about their array of diverse and nasty physical symptoms, then talking about how many tests they've been through and doctors they've seen, people ask me this question (often in the form of an email or blog comment).  Hey Doc, what can be done about my X.................(insert virtually any health problem for X)?   If you've ever asked this question, this post is for you.

Bowel health has been a known factor in overall health for thousands of years.  Yet what do we continue to do here in America?  We go out of our way to destroy the health of our collective guts, in every conceivable way (HERE'S A NOVEL ONE).  As I've already shown you, both ANTIBIOTICS and NON-ANTIBIOTIC DRUGS destroy the diversity of the bacteria that make up what's known as your MICROBIOME (the bacteria that live in your Gut and urogenital tracts, and on your skin).  The resulting imbalance of "bad" bacteria to "good" bacteria (or even an imbalance in the ratios of various types of "good" bacteria) is known in science as DYSBIOSIS, which is then fed by sugar and highly processed carbohydrates.  However, medicine in the form of various DRUGS are not the only exogenous chemicals that cause Dysbiosis.   Let's discuss for a moment the role of vaccines in Dysbiosis.

Although it is very politically incorrect to say so --- a career-busting death knell (ESPECIALLY IF YOU HAPPEN TO BE A SCIENTIST) --- vaccines; especially the MONSTER NUMBERS PEOPLE ARE BEING COERCED INTO TAKING TODAY, are dramatically disrupting the body's ability to achieve something called HOMEOSTASIS.  In plain English, VACCINES are responsible for the disruption of health, largely via disruption of one's microbiome.  I've shown you the mechanism via something known in the scientific community as the "HYGIENE HYPOTHESIS".   Let me give you an example from the April issue of Gut (The Gut Microbiota Plays a Protective Role in the Host Defense Against Pneumococcal Pneumonia).  This European study helps make the case, while addressing today's topic; FECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTATION.

While not discussing pneumococcal vaccine specifically, this study says that, "Pneumonia accounts for more deaths than any other infectious disease worldwide (3.5 million, although this number is probably an underestimation).  Antibiotic treatment led to a significant drop in the microbial diversity, which was significantly reversed by transplantation of normal feces.  We found that the gut microbiota protects the host during pneumococcal pneumonia, as reflected by increased bacterial dissemination, inflammation, organ damage and mortality in microbiota-depleted mice compared with controls. FMT in gut microbiota-depleted mice led to a normalization of pulmonary bacterial counts."  Instead of doing things to normalize immune system function, what are we doing here in America?  We're telling people that along with FLU VACCINES THAT HAVE BEEN PROVEN TO BE NEARLY 100% INEFFECTIVE, they need to get an annual pneumonia vaccine as well, which actually destroys Gut Health, leading to infections, including pneumonia itself.   Lest you think I am inferring too much from this study, lets move to another.

The same month as the study above, the journal Clinical & Transnational Immunology published a similar study called Bugging Inflammation: Role of the Gut Microbiota.  This study began by saying, "The advent of vaccination and improved hygiene (antibiotics such as penicillin) have eliminated many of the deadly infectious pathogens in developed nations. However, the incidences of inflammatory diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, asthma, obesity and diabetes are increasing dramatically."  We could spend a month dissecting these two sentences made by scientists at Australia's Monash University.  Since we don't have time, let's take a quick peek at what they have to say about the Hygiene Hypothesis as it relates to health and disease.

"Decreases in early-life microbe exposure owing to increased hygiene, parallel major increases in the incidence of inflammatory diseases. Owing to this association, researchers have proposed two hypotheses to describe the recent drastic increase in the incidence of inflammatory diseases.  The hygiene hypothesis was proposed as an explanation for the increasing prevalence of inflammatory diseases in the Western world. The hygiene hypothesis is hinged on the proposition that early-life exposure to diverse microbes help the immune system develop and differentiate infectious from harmless agents. Previous studies have shown that children raised in rural areas have more frequent microbial exposures and lower incidences of asthma, leading to the belief that a cleaner environment, such as with improved hygiene, results in a dysregulated immune response and consequent development of inflammatory diseases.  This creates a lack of diversity in the microbiota, and is thought to cause an underdeveloped immune system, predisposing the host to a range of diseases. Therefore, the contribution of both urban/rural setting and antibiotic use have been shown to influence microbiota composition and diversity, induce a dysregulated immune response and leads to the development of inflammatory diseases."

Because researchers tend value their jobs (who could blame them?), they would not dare directly attack, or even raise questions about vaccinations.  However, in this case someone had the cahonies to do an end-run and take a shot at the unprotected flanks.  Despite growing numbers of scientists taking this 'contrarian' position, our government continues to spout their status quo; that vaccinations don't really have any side effects other than the ones mentioned at the beginning of THIS POST.  While not denying that the reactions seen toward the end of the link exist, authorities claim they are extremely rare.  As you can see, bolstered by current peer-review (particularly if it comes from outside the United States) researchers are gaining small measures of courage to at least discuss / mention this issue.  A prime example can be found in the January issue of the World Journal of Gastroenterology (Gut Microbiota in Autism and Mood Disorders).  In this study a half dozen Italian researchers concluded that.....

"Available evidences display that the impairment of gut microbiota plays a key role in the development of autism and mood disorders. The gut microbiota is involved in the maturation of the immune system: it stimulates innate immunity in the early years of life, leading to the maturation of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue, and acquired immunity, through stimulation of local and systemic immune responses. Known, finally, is the role in the synthesis and metabolism of certain nutrients, hormones and vitamins, and clearance of drugs and toxicity.  Recent data show the strong correlation between dysbiosis and conditions such as obesity, allergies, autoimmune disorders, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and psychiatric disorders.  Due to these new evidences about the fundamental role of gut microbiota in the alteration of immune, neural, and endocrine pathways, the so-called “gut-brain axis” is acquiring new significance, even if the communication routes are not still defined.  In the last few years, much research has been done in this direction, underlying the importance of dysbiosis in the etiopathogenesis of pathology such as autism, dementia and mood disorder. The evidence of the inflammatory state alteration, highlighted in disorders such as schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, strongly recalls the microbiota alteration and highly suggests an important role of the alteration of GI system also in neuropsychiatric disorders.  In particular, the dysbiosis and the consequent alteration of intestinal permeability lead respectively to the production and spread into the bloodstream of ......."

Firstly, much of this study will be lost on you if you did not at least browse the previous link (it's short) as having a firm understanding of the HYGIENE HYPOTHESIS.  Secondly, we see that AUTISM is tied directly to GUT HEALTH (HERE as well). Thirdly, did you catch the reference to LEAKY GUT SYNDROME ("intestinal permeability" allowing all sorts of toxic junk to be "spread into the bloodstream")?    And fourthly, the authors put the cherry on the sundae by revealing that FMT is a viable option for treating those with Autism (the study related it to the "amelioration of specific symptoms" in autistic children).  

Do you think that vaccines might have the capability of fouling / corroding / destroying Gut Health?  If not, you've been swallowing too much of what the taxpayer-funded government-led propaganda machines continue to distill.  Their distortions of the truth and outright lies are just another of the many examples of the unholy alliance between BIG PHARMA and our GOVERNMENT (including the FDA) --- one more reason SCIENCE-BASED MEDICINE is often anything but.   But beyond antibiotics, medications, vaccinations, dysbiosis, a leaky gut, and their relationship(s) to any number of health issues, diet is also at play here.  After Bugging Inflammation discussed the importance of DIETARY FIBER as a prebiotic food source for our microbiomes, they mentioned that.......

"It is becoming increasingly clear that the aforementioned hypotheses inadvertently [or maybe even intentionally] influences the composition of the host gut microbiota / microbiome. The microbiota harbour essential genes required for the metabolism of food intake, indicating an additional role in energy harvest and homeostasis. Many factors in the hypothesis, such as antibiotic use and dietary components, influence significantly on the composition of the host gut microbiota. The resultant dysbiotic microbiota could prove to merge both the hygiene hypothesis and the diet hypothesis into one, and contribute to the risk of inflammatory disease development. However, this also raises an exciting opportunity whereby altering the microbiota may also present as a potential modifiable component or therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases.  Factors in both the ‘hygiene hypothesis' and the ‘diet hypothesis' converge on microbiota modulation. The factors proposed by the hygiene hypothesis (such as early childhood exposure to microorganisms and the use of antibiotics) and... FMT."

The first thing I would ask is why aren't more practicing physicians talking about diet since it's importance is reinforced over and over again in the peer-reviewed science (HERE)?  And while the authors tout both PROBIOTICS and FMT as effective therapy against any number of INFLAMMATORY and AUTOIMMUNE illnesses, they readily admit that, "Human studies have shown that probiotics have minimal effects on the composition of the gut microbiota, and is usually undetectable after 2 weeks post-ingestion."  Unfortunately they are correct.  The April issue of Genome Medicine (Alterations in Fecal Microbiota Composition by Probiotic Supplementation in Healthy Adults: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials) takes this concept even farther by stating, after reviewing studies on the efficacy of probiotics for treating "healthy adults," that there was a, "lack of evidence for an impact of probiotics on fecal microbiota composition."  Firstly, this study tells us absolutely nothing about using probiotics to treat "unhealthy" patients, of which there are hundreds, if not thousands of studies touting benefits for.  And secondly, even though I see numerous patients who respond like gang-busters to probiotic therapy; for the chronically ill patient, FMT is frequently a far better option (HERE'S WHY). 

What I am going to do now is show you a few studies from our current calendar year (2016) that help prove that while I might be slightly off my rocker, I'm not totally off my rocker, although there are plenty out there that would vigorously debate this.

• WHAT LEADS TO DYSBIOSIS?  The June issue of Clinical & Transnational Immunology (New Insights Into Therapeutic Strategies for Gut Microbiota Modulation in Inflammatory Diseases) stated that, "The interaction between the gut microbiota and the host immune system is very important for balancing and resolving inflammation. The human microbiota begins to form during childbirth. C-section delivery, formula feeding, a high-sugar diet, a high-fat diet and excess hygiene negatively affect the health of the microbiota. Considering that the majority of the global population has experienced at least one of these factors that can lead to inflammatory disease, it is important to understand strategies to modulate the gut microbiota."  Think about it for a moment.  There are lot's of C-SECTIONS here in America (ONE IN THREE).  Most citizens are LIVING THE HIGH CARB LIFESTYLE.  Children are often given formula instead of being breast fed (HERE).  And as you'll see from other studies we'll discuss momentarily, science is saying that all it really takes to completely foul up your microbiome is a single round of antibiotics (HERE and HERE).   As for those worried about a diet high in healthy fats (HERE or HERE), don't be, as the authors are talking about "high fat" diets as they relate to JUNK OR HIGHLY PROCESSED FOOD.   BTW, the study discussed the benefits of FMT.

• BLOOD PRESSURE REGULATION:  Last month's copy of Circulation Research (Hypertension-Linked Pathophysiological Alterations in the Gut) revealed that, "Sympathetic nervous system control of inflammation plays a central role in hypertension. The gut receives significant sympathetic innervation, is densely populated with a diverse microbial ecosystem, and contains immune cells that greatly impact overall inflammatory homeostasis. The increase in blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats was associated with gut pathology that included increased intestinal permeability and decreased tight junction proteins. These changes in gut pathology in hypertension were associated with alterations in microbial communities relevant in blood pressure control. A dysfunctional sympathetic-gut communication is associated with gut pathology, dysbiosis, and inflammation, and plays a key role in hypertension. Thus, targeting of gut microbiota by innovative probiotics, antibiotics, and fecal transplant, in combination with current pharmacotherapy, may be a novel strategy for hypertension treatment."  There's that Leaky Gut / Dysbiosis / Inflammation thing again.  Quite interesting considering that SYMPATHETIC DOMINANCE is best measured by Heart Rate Variability, which has itself been shown to be better than blood work for measuring systemic inflammation (click the link).

• POST-STROKE ORGAN FAILURE:  What happens when blood pressure is not dealt with?  CardioVascular Accidents (CVA's) which are also known as strokes.  Last month's issue of Critical Care (Successful Treatment with Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Patients with Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome and Diarrhea Following Severe Sepsis) provided a case study of two elderly gentlemen who had been diagnosed post-stroke who were both suffering with, "multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS), cerebellar hemorrhage and cerebral infarction, septic shock, intestinal dysbiosis and severe watery diarrhea....  Following FMT, MODS and severe diarrhea were alleviated in both patients. Their stool output and body temperature markedly declined and normalized.....  associated with a decrease in the patients' fecal output and in the levels of plasma inflammation markers."  No idea whether or not these individuals regained neurological function, but FMT bringing people out of multiple organ failure is rather astounding no matter how you slice it.

• CARDIOMETABOLIC SYNDROME & OBESITY:  Because my site has at least a dozen studies showing that antibiotics lead to obesity (obesity is part of the METABOLIC SYNDROME) --- PARTICULARLY IN CHILDREN --- it should come as no surprise that there are tons of studies on using FMT to treat those with Metabolic Syndrome (aka "PRE-DIABETES").  I am going to give you a few from this year.  The September issue of the Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine (Treating Obesity and Metabolic Syndrome with Fecal Microbiota Transplantation) had this to day on the subject.  "Alterations of this complex physiological bacterial population associated with negative functional outcomes or disease, known as dysbiosis, can cause low-level inflammation and altered intestinal homeostasis. Dysbiosis is linked to a variety of ailments, including obesity and its associated metabolic disturbances. One way to modify the human gut microbiome is by transplanting fecal matter, which contains an abundance of live microorganisms, from a healthy individual to a diseased one...."   While this might initially sound gross, it usually starts sounding much more tolerable once the possibility of living life at a healthy weight is contemplated.

• CARDIOMETABOLIC SYNDROME AND OBESITY PART II:  The April issue of Nutrients (The Intestinal Microbiota in Metabolic Disease) showed that, "microbial changes in diseased subjects have been linked to adiposity, type 2 diabetes and dyslipidemia.  Gut bacteria exert beneficial and harmful effects in metabolic diseases as deduced from the comparison of germ free and conventional mice and from fecal transplantation studies."  This next study is particularly interesting in light of what we know about SUGAR BEING CANCER'S FOOD OF CHOICE.  The July issue of Current Oncology Reports (The Gut Microbiome and Obesity) stated that, "Animal and human studies have implicated distortion of the normal microbial balance in obesity and metabolic syndrome. Bacteria causing weight gain are thought to induce the expression of genes related to lipid and carbohydrate metabolism thereby leading to greater energy harvest from the diet. There is a large body of evidence demonstrating that alteration in the [microbiome] leads to the development of obesity...."   February's issue of Frontiers in Cellular Infection and Microbiology (The New Era of Treatment for Obesity and Metabolic Disorders: Evidence and Expectations for Gut Microbiome Transplantation) put the icing on the cake when they revealed that, "The microbiome has been implicated in the development of obesity. Conventional therapeutic methods have limited effectiveness for the treatment of obesity and prevention of related complications. Recently, microbes residing in the human gastrointestinal tract have been found to act as an "endocrine" organ, whose composition and functionality may contribute to the development of obesity. Therefore, fecal/gut microbiome transplantation (GMT), which involves the transfer of feces from a healthy donor to a recipient, is increasingly drawing attention as a potential treatment for obesity."  They are correct about interventions for the obese being ineffective (HERE).  Fortunately for you, there are literally hundreds of studies on FMT / GMT for treating OBESITY.

• POLY-CYSTIC OVARIAN SYNDROME:   Because PCOS is causally linked with sugar and carbohydrate metabolism (it's typically treated with the same drugs doctors treat DIABETES with), it should come as no surprise that we are starting to see studies on the topic as it relates to FMT.  The April issue of PLoS One (Association Between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Gut Microbiota) stated that, "Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most frequent endocrinopathy in women of reproductive age. It is difficult to treat PCOS because of its complex etiology and pathogenesis. After treating PCOS rats with Lactobacillus and fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) from healthy rats, it was found that the estrous cycles were improved in all 8 rats in FMT group.  These results indicated that dysbiosis of gut microbiota was associated with the pathogenesis of PCOS."   If you are heavy, hairy, and have unusually severe menstrual problems, it's likely you have PCOS.

• CONSTIPATION:  Because so many of the problems commonly treated with FMT are intimately associated with diarrhea (C. Diff, COLITIS, Crohn's, Regional Illitis, etc, etc), it should be noted that one of the recent studies was on CONSTIPATION.  Published in the April issue of the Archives of Medical Research (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Combination with Soluble Dietary Fiber for Treatment of Slow Transit Constipation: A Pilot Study), this study said that, "Intestinal microbiota and soluble dietary fiber play an important role in intestinal microecology, which is closely related to gut motility. Regulating intestinal microecology comprised of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) and fiber supplementation is becoming a novel therapy for functional gastrointestinal disease. The patients showed an increased stool frequency from 1.7 per week to 4.8 per week and an improved stool consistency after FMT combined with fiber. This is a pilot study confirming that FMT combined with fiber may improve symptoms experienced by constipated patients by regulating intestinal microecology, without any serious adverse events."  Hardcore constipation (no pun intended) can be virtually impossible to solve without FMT.

• WHAT ABOUT FMT AND / OR ANTIBIOTICS WHILE PREGNANT?  The June issue of BMC Medicine (Antibiotic Use During Pregnancy: How Bad Is It?) came to essentially the same conclusions I've trying to warn women about for decades.  "Perhaps the most clinically relevant aspect of the pregnancy microbiome is antibiotic treatment during pregnancy. Antibiotic treatment during pregnancy is widespread in Western countries, and accounts for 80% of prescribed medications in pregnancy. The use of antibiotics during pregnancy has also been associated with increased risk of asthma in early childhood, increased risk of childhood epilepsy, and increased risk of childhood obesity. Antibiotic usage during pregnancy undoubtedly affects the bacterial environment of the mother and of the fetus A single course of antibiotics perturbs bacterial communities, with evidence that the microbial ecosystem does not return completely to baseline following treatment.  Antibiotics in pregnancy should be used only when indicated, choosing those with the narrowest range possible."  The thing about treating pregnant women; most doctors (natural or allopathic) are at least to a significant degree, running scared because if something happens to either mama or baby they are likely to end up on the wrong end of a lawsuit.  Thus, you are not likely to see FMT recommendations for pregnant women anytime in the near future.  To reiterate; be warned that giving your child antibiotics, whether in the womb or out, is possibly the SINGLE WORST THING YOU CAN DO FOR THEIR FUTURE HEALTH.  And because the vast majority of antibiotic prescriptions in America don't meet official criteria (standards of care), they are considered unnecessary to begin with.

• ANTIBIOTICS ARE THE MAJOR DESTROYER OF HEALTH IN CHIDREN PART II:  In a recent study (The Effects of Antibiotics on the Microbiome Throughout Development and Alternative Approaches for Therapeutic Modulation) from the "Harvard of the Midwest" (St. Louis's own Washington University), researchers publishing in the April edition of Genome Medicine stated that, "Human-associated microbes perform an array of important functions, and we are now just beginning to understand the ways in which antibiotics have reshaped their ecology and the functional consequences of these changes. Mounting evidence shows that antibiotics [adversely] influence the function of the immune system, our ability to resist infection, and our capacity for processing food, and effects on diseases such as malnutrition, obesity, diabetes.....   It is becoming increasingly apparent that there exist several disease states for which a single causative pathogen has not been established. Rather, such diseases may be due to the abundances and relative amounts of a collection of microbes [dysbiosis].  A dysbiotic microbiome may not perform vital functions such as nutrient supply, vitamin production, and protection from pathogens. Dysbiosis of the microbiome has been associated with a large number of health problems and causally implicated in metabolic, immunological, and developmental disorders, as well as susceptibility to development of infectious diseases.  Critical developmental milestones for the microbiota (as well as for the child) occur, in particular, during infancy and early childhood, and both medical intervention and lack of such intervention during these periods can have lifelong consequences in the composition and function of the gut ecosystem."  Have I mentioned to you yet that staying away from antibiotics is the best thing you can do for your family?  By the way, the authors spoke at length about turning dysbiosis around with a therapy that's been in use for the better part of two millennia ---- FMT.

• DEPRESSION & BEHAVIOUR:  I've already shown you how the microbiome is intimately linked to Autism.  Now let's look at DEPRESSION and other similarly related diseases of the brain.  In a fascinating study similar to several done previously related to both obesity and FMT, researchers in this month's issue of the Journal of Psychiatric Research (Transferring the Blues: Depression-Associated Gut Microbiota Induces Neurobehavioural Changes in the Rat) took feces from 33 human patients diagnosed with, "major depression," (as well as 33 controls) and transplanted it into 66 'normal' rats.  The results were astounding.  "We demonstrate that depression is associated with decreased gut microbiota richness and diversity. Fecal microbiota transplantation from depressed patients to microbiota-depleted rats can induce behavioural and physiological features characteristic of depression in the recipient animals, including anhedonia [an inability to experience pleasure from activities usually found enjoyable, e.g. exercise, hobbies, music, sexual activities or social interactions] and anxiety-like behaviours, as well as alterations in tryptophan metabolism. This suggests that the gut microbiota may play a causal role in the development of features of depression...."  August's issue of Clinical Psycopharmacology and Neuroscience (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Its Usage in Neuropsychiatric Disorders) showed that, "The interest in microbiota-gut-brain axis and fecal microbiota transplantation is rapidly increasing. New evidence is obtained in the etiology and pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric disorders. In this review, neuropsychiatric areas of use of fecal microbiota transplantation have been discussed in the light of the current information.  It is pointed out that microbiota plays the decisive role on immune function and interacts with human cells.  Micro damage to the intestinal epithelial wall may occur by the changes of the microbiota, and intestinal epithelial permeability may increase. Thus, the microorganism-induced harmful substances can be released into the systemic circulation and can initiate an immune response. This condition is called “leaky gut”.  There is strong evidence that intestinal microbiota dysbiosis may play an important role in the etiology and pathogenesis of schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, mood disorders, depression and anxiety disorders.     FMT is a fairly reliable application. Serious side effects have not been reported."  Speaking of side effects......

• SIDE EFFECTS IN FECAL MICROBIOTA TRANSPLANTATION:   After having looked at hundreds of studies on FMT, I have yet to see one mention anything other than similar to what's mentioned in the last bullet point concerning side effects.  Bear in mind that most of these studies are looking at FMT performed on very sick patients, who are often dying of C. DIFF INFECTIONS (FMT is the medical standard of care for dealing with these patients after antibiotics have failed twice, which they usually do because the infection itself is caused by antibiotics, usually in a hospital setting).   February's Journal of Hospital Infections (Adverse Events in Fecal Microbiota Transplant: A Review of the Literature) stated plainly that, "The vast majority of adverse events of FMT appear to be mild, self-limiting and gastrointestinal in nature."  The May issue of Clinical Endoscopy (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation: Current Applications, Effectiveness, and Future Perspectives) revealed that, "The high success rate and safety in the short term reported for recurrent Clostridium difficile infection has elevated FMT as an emerging treatment for a wide range of disorders, including Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome, myoclonus dystopia, multiple sclerosis, obesity, insulin resistance, metabolic syndrome, and autism.  FMT may be safe and well tolerated with few serious adverse events, even though it is often administered to patients with significant medical comorbid conditions."  PLoS One stated in their August issue (Systematic Review: Adverse Events of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation)  that, "A total of 7,562 original articles about FMT were identified in this study...  The total incidence rate of adverse events was 28.5%."  Holy outhouses Batman, that's a lot of adverse events!  However, the question we need to be asking is how serious were said events?  "The commonest attributable adverse event was abdominal discomfort, abdominal pain, increased stool frequency, flatulence, bloating, cramps and other nonspecific symptoms. The second commonest attributable adverse event was transient fever."  About 3% of patients had "transient" (short-lived) FEVER, while the others who had side effects had common GI issues such as gas. 

SAFETY SIDE NOTE:  Please realize that in most cases, the people getting FMT's, are seriously ill.  The vast majority of those receiving transplants are getting it because they have recurrent C. Diff --- a nasty, and often deadly, bacterial infection caused by the very thing used to treat it.  Also be aware that of the people who died in the PLoS study (yes, there were something like eight deaths at least somewhat associated with the procedure), they were not dying from being infected by someone else's feces.  They were dying because of instead of using a simple "Retention Enema," many of these people were having the transplant done via endoscopy (the upper GI style was far more dangerous than the lower GI style).  Unfortunately, one of the dirtiest of the many dirty little secrets in the practice of medicine is that colonoscopies come with some serious and common side effects (HERE).  This is why I am not suggesting you try this on your own.  Many people do, getting fantastic results.  This is why I have to warn you from time to time that my site is meant for informational purposes only, and is not meant to diagnose, treat, or cure any diseases.  If you feel your disease(s) may have been cured due to the information on my site, immediately report it to the proper authorities so they can give you your disease back.

• DOES THE DONOR MATTER?  According to the May issue of Future Microbiology (Does the Donor Matter? Donor vs Patient Effects in the Outcome of a Next-Generation Microbiota-Based Drug Trial for Recurrent Clostridium Difficile Infection), "the specific donor did not affect the outcomes."  However, I would warn you that this study was done on very sick people --- people dying of recurrent C. Diff infections.  I would argue that when it comes to treating people with the other sorts of health problems we've discussed today, the donor very much matters.  For a list of what one should be looking for in a feces donor, all you have to do is CLICK THE BUTTON (honestly, it's mostly common sense).

This, folks, is the real poop on the matter.  If you are chronically ill or have done everything under the sun to lose weight to no avail, FMT is something to look into and at least explore.  Even though it sounds gross, it's been proven to be both safe and effective for any number of health-related issues.  I'm not sure what more folks want.  And not that I am suggesting that my readers rush out and do it, there are ANY NUMBER OF SITES that actually show you how to do an FMT, DIY-style.  All of this is why FMT is an integral part of THE POST I give people who are desperately in search of solutions to their chronic health conditions.

"We are witnessing a paradigm shift in therapeutics.  Previously, bacteria were thought of only as potential pathogens, whereas now we appreciate that a diverse community of bacteria is crucial to the health of the host. We are now learning that to restore such diversity once it has been interrupted can result in miraculous cure. The future of microbiotic therapy is bright."  The last few sentences of the abstract of the November / December 2015 issue of the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology (Fecal Microbiota Transplant: Respice, Adspice, Prospice).  

In case you weren't aware, GUT HEALTH is the single most important factor in overall health, and nothing is bigger right now in the Gut Health arena than FMT (Fecal Microbiota Transplant).  If you are dealing with CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DEGENERATIVE DISEASES, AUTOIMMUNE ISSUES, an inability to LOSE WEIGHT, or even CHRONIC PAIN, it would behoove you to at least take a look at this method of treatment.

FMT is exactly like it sounds --- the transplant of a HEALTHY MICROBIOTA into someone whose Gut Flora have been compromised --- via their 'stool'.  If you want to see some of the things that will compromise your Gut Flora, HERE is the post to read (hint: it's not just ANTIBIOTICS).  The resulting DYSBIOSIS is being tied to almost every health problem you can name (not to mention the hundreds you can't).  And while PROBIOTICS are certainly worth a try, it is critical to remember than when talking about difficult cases, they simply cannot compete with FMT (HERE).

Today I want to take a couple of minutes and talk about what is going on over the course of the past few months in peer-review.  Although I may refer to a study that is geared towards FMT for those dealing with chronic C DIFF INFECTIONS that don't respond to treatment (the treatment also happens to be their very cause of the problem), there has been so much written on this topic (it works about 90% of the time and it is safe), I am going to bypass it altogether.  And even though I have written about DIY FMT, don't ever, even for one moment, think that I am suggesting you do this without the consent / supervision of your physician.  However, in the immortal words of Yoda, "think about it you should".  It is so much easier, cheaper, more effective, and less dangerous than the DIAGNOSTICS, MEDS, and other treatments (see pic at the top) people are routinely put through today.

The material provided in this and other posts is for informational purposes only.  It is not meant to replace or substitute for the recommendations or advice of your doctor or medical provider. This post is not meant to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease (the FDA decides who can do that). If you believe you have a medical condition or problem, contact your health care provider immediately.  The statements contained in this post have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (HERE'S WHY). 

When it comes to FMT, the truth is, the sky is the limit.  The journal with the quote at the top of the page had this to say about modern FMT (I use the word 'modern' because the same study says that there are records of this very treatment being used in 4th century China.   "It is very likely that an array of products derived from feces or based on specific microbiotic profiles and commercially prepared in a controlled environment will be available to restore eubiosis to a dysbiotic intestinal microbial community, and thereby correct a variety of GI and non-GI disorders."  

This sounds great on the surface, but be aware that one of the hottest arenas for gene manipulation is with bacteria (can anyone say GMO?).  Odds are that eventually these bacteria will not be coming from human feces, but from bacteria that were genetically modified, grown in the lab, and then "perfectly" formulated.  Even though you will be told that this is just as good as mother nature, eventually (after companies have made their billions) we will realize that that it's not --- sort of like the way it took the medical community forty years to figure out formula is not really better than mother's milk --- something they touted for decades.  The 'synthetic stool' is going to become very popular --- mostly due to its ease of use, not to mention it will be heavily promoted by its manufacturer.

Last month's issue of Expert Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Gastrointestinal Disease: 2015 Update and the Road Ahead) carries more of the same.  Although they do say that, "In tandem with the rise of FMT, the gastrointestinal microbiome has emerged as a 'vital' organ armed with a wealth of microbe 'soldiers' more powerful than known antibiotics. FMTs' reputation has diffused into many new 'indications' yet these appear to be merely the tip of the iceberg when considering its potential applications,"  they likewise reveal where this is all headed -- a theme seen over and over and over again in the studies I looked at.  "FMT as a therapeutic tool has evolved from the original format of blended donor stool and moved towards a refined product comprising a myriad of microbial components, presented aesthetically as encapsulated lyophilized powder."  Sounds great, but again, leaves me leery.

There are a number of studies going on attempting to determine which bacteria are 'bad' and which bacteria are 'good' concerning certain diseases, as well as finding out the optimal ratios of bacterial strains to each other.  The Middle East Journal of Digestive Diseases (Physicians' Knowledge and Attitude Towards Fecal Microbiota Transplant in Iran) reinforces some of what I said earlier.  In the study, almost 1/3 of the physicians polled stated that, "they prefer to skip the stool preparation phase; as they are more in favour of synthetic microbiota as opposed to fecal microbiota."  Go back and read my earlier post on why synthetic microbiota (probiotics) cannot compete with FMT.

Last month's issue of European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences carried an Italian study done at Rome's Institute of Bioethics, Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Ethical Aspects of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation).  What did the experts consider to be the bioethical considerations for FMT?  There were three of them, "donors’ selection, safety concerns / ratio risk-benefit, and informed consent".  I'll get to the others, but the third one is easy; warn patients of the risks and let them decide.  Which begs the question; how risky is FMT?

To date, FMT appears to be safe.  How safe?  Almost absurdly previously-unheard-of so. "Most patients treated with FMT experience diarrhea on the day of infusion, and small percentage report belching and/or abdominal cramping or constipation.   Adverse events were reported for some patients (3 out of 317)."   In our modern age of GROSSLY UNDER-REPORTED SIDE EFFECTS, it makes you wonder what these 'adverse events' were.  Wonder no more.   "Upper gastrointestinal tract bleeding, peritonitis, or enteritis. In another case report, nasoduodenal FMT for Crohn’s disease [running a tube through the nose to the small intestine] resulted in transient adverse effects, including fever and abdominal tenderness in 3 of 4 patients.  However, these effects disappeared for all patients over the following 2 days."

Firstly, 3 of 317 patients is significantly less than 1%.  I'm not sure I have ever seen a risk profile so low for any sort of bodily treatment --- excepting CHIROPRACTIC ADJUSTMENTS.  And what side effects did occur were minor and were gone in a few days.  In fact, the authors stated in their abstract that, "to date, FMT appears to be safe and without serious adverse effects."  Similar conclusions were echoed by every single study I looked at on FMT. 

The Polish journal Polski Archiwum Medycyny Wewnetrznej (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Gastrointestinal Diseases: What Practicing Physicians Should Know) stated that, "The use of FMT for non-CDI [non-C. Diff Infections] indications such as inflammatory bowel disease and irritable bowel syndrome, is likely to increase. Presently, these indications remain in the domain of research institutions."   Be aware that most research institutions are not funded by public monies as much as you might think they are.   Instead, they are greatly funded by "BIG PHARMA".   Unless they can patent some of these GMO'ed bacteria and the techniques for making them, this is not only a bust for them as far as making money is concerned, it has the potential to actually help people get well (as opposed to perpetually covering symptoms). 

I have shown you previously that the number one form of medical treatment in America is based on suppressing the Immune System (see earlier link) --- one of the most common classes of drugs used for this are CORTICOSTEROIDS.  In a study published in last month's issue of the Journal of Translational Medicine (Step-Up Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Strategy: A Pilot Study for Steroid-Dependent Ulcerative Colitis), 8 of 14 patients with steroid-dependent ULCERATIVE COLITIS, "achieved clinical improvement and were able to discontinue steroids following FMT."  Of the remaining six, "three experienced transient or partial improvement. Microbiota analysis showed that FMT altered the composition greatly, and a microbiota composition highly similar to that of the donor emerged in the patients with successful treatment. No severe adverse events occurred during treatment and follow-up."  To those dealing with Inflammatory Bowel Disease of any kind; results like this are tantalizing.

Two recent studies, including the June issue of Scientific Reports (Transmissible Microbial and Metabolomic Remodeling by Soluble Dietary Fiber Improves Metabolic Homeostasis) offer up some interesting tidbits concerning the role of FMT in treating those with OBESITY and METABOLIC SYNDROME --- two health issues that have both been heavily linked to Gut Health (see the links).  The study reveals the importance of soluble fiber on Gut Health ("dietary fibers are increasingly appreciated as beneficial nutritional components") as well as the link between poor Gut Health and PRE-DIABETES.  Dietary changes in the amounts and TYPES OF FIBER were associated with, "pronounced and time-dependent improvement in glucose tolerance, indicating a causal relationship between microbial remodeling and metabolic efficacy. These changes correlated with improved metabolism, notably enrichment of probiotics [good Gut Flora]....."

The August issue of the Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology (Emerging Role of Fecal Microbiota Therapy in the Treatment of Gastrointestinal and Extra-Gastrointestinal Diseases) gives us more of the same.  "Approximately 100 trillion microorganisms colonize the intestinal tract.  Diet represents one of the most important driving forces that can define and influence the microbial composition of the gut.  Changes in gut physiology (i.e. gastric hypochlorhydria [HERE], motility disorders [HERE], use of drugs [HERE], degenerative changes in enteric nervous system [HERE]) have a profound effect on the composition, diversity and functional features of gut microbiota.  There is an increased interest in the role of FMT for the treatment of metabolic syndrome and obesity which collectively present the greatest health challenge in the developed world nowadays."  Speaking of Hypochlorhydria (the cause of the vast majority of GERD and heartburn), let's look at another study.

The all-too-common (and almost universally misdiagnosed) problem of having too little stomach acid, or having stomach acid that is too weak (Hypochlorhydria) not only leads to Dysbiosis, but PARISITOSIS as well.  In the July issue of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Donor Recruitment for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation), we get a taste of this.  "Recruitment of fecal donors for FMT is challenging with only a small percentage (about 10%) ultimately serving as donors. Many were unable or unwilling to meet the donor commitment requirements. A surprisingly large proportion of healthy asymptomatic donors failed stool testing, primarily due to gastrointestinal parasites." 

Decades ago, science established the fact that the Gut Flora of individuals with AUTISM is quite different than than those without Autism (the most likely reason that virtually all Autistic children have bowel / Gut issues).  A study published in the May issue of Microbial Ecology in Health and Disease (Approaches to Studying and Manipulating the Enteric Microbiome to Improve Autism Symptoms) reinforces this.  "An increasing number of research studies have provided evidence that the composition of the gut (enteric) microbiome (GM) in at least a subset of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) deviates from what is usually observed in typically developing individuals. There are several lines of research that suggest that specific changes in the GM could be causative or highly associated with driving core and associated ASD symptoms, pathology, and comorbidities which include gastrointestinal symptoms, although it is also a possibility that these changes, in whole or in part, could be a consequence of underlying pathophysiological features associated with ASD." 

THE STUDY (actually it was the transcript of a symposium held in Little Rock, AR last summer) went on to talk about that fact that since the Microbiome is intimately linked to Autism Spectrum Disorders, and that it is now possible to manipulate the Microbiome via FMT, it stands to reason that, "manipulation of the GM could potentially be leveraged as a possible therapeutic approach to improve core and associated ASD symptoms and also address important comorbid medical factors that may be present in some children with ASD, such as GI symptoms." 

It amuses me how the same doctors that decry the natural approach to healing usually end up acting as if they had discovered something that the natural health community has been talking about for decades (HERE).  If you have Autistic children, you should be spending some time on this site.  By the way, this study talked about the importance of having certain parasites in your system.  It seems that some of these critters act in a symbiotic nature in similar fashion to the bacteria that make up your Microbiome.   But if you follow the work of DR. ART AYERS you already knew that.

Firstly, remember that I am not advocating you do your own FMT, as that would be against my license to practice.  Secondly, if you or your family are struggling with chronic health issues, you should do some serious research into FMT.  The really cool thing is that there are lots and lots of pros to this approach, with very few cons.  The two biggest aspects of any treatment (cost notwithstanding) are safety and efficacy --- does it work, and if so, is there a significant chance of said treatment causing harm.  FMT proves its grit on both counts.  After scouring the peer-reviewed literature, about the worst thing I found was a case study of one individual who gained weight after an FMT.  Which all begs the question --- what is the profile of the ultimate dukie donor?

• THEY ARE HEALTHY:  Firstly, you don't want a donor who has all sorts of overt diseases or health issues.  But more than that, you are looking for someone who has a high degree of overall health and vitality.
• THEY ARE HAPPY:  Because DEPRESSION is heavily linked to the Microbiome in peer-review (HERE), I would strongly suggest that you not take stool from an individual with problems in this area.
• THEY ARE THIN:  Because your Microbiome is so intimately linked to your weight (HERE), the last thing you want is to have an FMT that will make you heavier --- like the example above.
• THEY DO NOT TAKE DRUGS:  Particularly true of those drugs that suppress the immune system (see earlier link).  Does this mean VACCINES as well?  I would certainly be leery of those who are getting annual vaccinations such as FLU SHOTS.  But be aware that if "No Vaccines" is your criteria for a donor, you have dramatically cut your pool. 
• THEY ENJOY THE EARTH:  People who are out in the sun and in the dirt GARDENING are typically going to have much better Microbiomes than work-a-day Joe who watches TV in his spare time.
  
• THEY ARE NOT CLEAN FREAKS:  I have written about the Hygiene Hypothesis as it relates to your Micribiome many times (HERE and HERE are a couple).  Cleanliness might be next to Godliness, but when it comes to your Microbiome, too much of a good thing is definitely a bad thing.  I am certainly not suggesting you in filth, but best evidence shows us that as a society most of us are far too clean.
• THEY DON'T HAVE FOOD SENSITIVITIES:  You certainly don't want to pick up a GLUTEN SENSITIVITY or issue with DAIRY if you can at all help it.
• A BLOOD RELATIVE WHO LIVES IN YOUR REGION:  Gut Flora tend to be shared by families.  Certain bacteria are specific to the environments of certain regions.  Although these certainly aren't deal-breakers, it's something to think about.  On the flip side of this coin, it is important to remember than EPIGENETICS are far more important than Genetics when it comes to health.
• OTHERS:   Check peer-review and online resources.  Testing (medical screening) is not a bad idea either.  My link on Parasites provides some of this detail.  If your donor happens to be your ultra-healthy spouse, this might not be such a big deal.  If it is a stranger off the street that you found via an advertisement in the local paper, definitely do what needs to be done to protect yourself.

Just remember, the information on this website and / or post is not to be construed as medical advice.  All of it, including text, images, and videos are for 'informational' purposes only. The purpose of our site is to promote a broader public interest, understanding, and knowledge of a wide range of health-related topics. Neither this site nor the information contained in it is intended to provide a substitute for professional medical advice, medical diagnosis, or medical treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician before doing, feeling, asking, or even thinking about anything that pertains to your health.  Even though your doctor might find information like this "bizarre" to say the least, always pay attention when they tell you that you should simply take Anti-depressants or more Antibiotics.  As is always the case, the final decision is yours and yours alone.  Your health is up to you.

"Clinical levels of antibiotics can cause oxidative stress that can lead to damage to DNA, proteins and lipids [fats] in human cells....."   Dr. Jim Collins, Ph.D. faculty at the Wyss Institute and Distinguished Professor at Boston University.  Collins was discussing his research published in the latest issue of Science Translational Medicine for the July 3 issue of ScienceDaily.

"FMT using donor stool has arrived as a successful therapy."  Dr Martin Floch, the Editor-In-Chief of the Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology, from the September 2010 issue of the same (Fecal Bacteriotherapy, Fecal Transplant, and the Microbiome).

"Diabetes and even obesity, as well as Parkinson's disease, might be cured just by replacing the bacteria in your gut."  From the January 19, 2011 issue of NewScientist (Fecal Transplant Eases Symptoms of Parkinson's).  The article was discussing research by the famous Australian Grastroenerologist, Dr. Thomas Borody (Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Emerging Applications) published in the December issue of the National Review of Gastroenterology and Hepatology.  I wrote about bacteria and obesity HERE.  I also happen to believe that science is close to telling us that PARKINSON'S is an Autoimmune Disease.

We recently learned via two studies from Vanderbilt University (published in the latest issue of Lancet Respiratory Medicine) that those who survive a visit to the ICU are far more likely to end up with DEPRESSION and associated symptoms (loss of appetite, fatigue, and insomnia) than the general population (approximately 1/3 of these folks still have Depression one year after their discharge).  There are two things I want you to note about this.  Firstly, we know that Depression is heavily associated with DYSBIOSIS and POOR GUT HEALTH, which are largely brought about by ANTIBIOTIC USE --- the very drug that people staying in the ICU are typically saturated with.  Although the authors of the study believed that this Depression was related to "physical disability", they are probably only partially correct here.  Secondly, if you will recall YESTERDAY'S POST, you will recognize that all of the symptoms of Depression listed in this study are heavily associated with Sympathetic Dominance.  Although the authors suggested that Physical Rehabilitation would be a better option for this group than would ANTI-DEPRESSANTS, I think they are completely missing the boat as far as restoration of normal gut flora and Brain Health is concerned. 

Although there are any number of ways to restore this flora (avoid SUGAR / STARCH, drink fermented drinks, eat fermented foods, eat plenty of fiber, WORK IN THE SOIL, take quality PROBIOTICS), there is an option that has been getting a lot of play lately --- especially among desperate, chronically sick (particularly AUTOIMMUNE) patients.   That would be FECES TRANSPLANTS (sometimes referred to as FMT or Fecal Microbiota Transplantation).  That's correct.  I did not stutter.  Not only are Stool Transplants being done for people with chronic Clostridiun Difficile (C. Diff) infections, they are being done for people with a wide variety of AUTOIMMUNE DISEASES as well.   Just not in America.

Although it sounds repugnant to those of us who are healthy, how many things as potentially effective as having two ounces of liquified feces "injected" into your bowel could be so easy?  So easy you could do it at _ _ _ _?  The truth is, there are a whole host of YouTube videos explaining / describing how you can go about performing this procedure on yourself in the privacy of your own home.  And why, pray tell, would people want to do something like this at home instead of simply going to their doctor to have it done?  Ask yourself which doctor is doing it right now?  Very few.  Although I believe there are many reasons for this, power and money are always the ones I look for first (not to mention, doctors would have to admit that their FREQUENTLY ABSURD PRESCRIBING HABITS FOR ANTIBIOTICS would probably called into question as a potential cause of the disease in the first place).  We will delve deeper into this issue in a moment, but for those of you questioning the safety of such treatments, the track record is virtually spotless.  After telling us that there are potential problems with the endoscopy itself, Dr. Lawrence Brandt, speaking in the March 2012 issue of Gastroenterology and Hepatology says, "otherwise, there have been no significant adverse side effects definitely attributable to fecal transplantation."

Despite the fact that European physicians are treating all sorts of Chronic Autoimmune Diseases with this technique and have been for years, the FDA is laying down even more restrictions and regulations concerning its use here in America.   Since I reported that Stool Transplants were being used in the States to treat people with Chronic C. Diff infections (1/24/2013 --- HERE), the FDA declared that physicians who want to use the procedure in their clinics need to fill out an IND application (Investigational New Drug).  Let's just say that the whole process of getting an IND can not only be a pain in the rear end, but going through the entire process can prove extremely time consuming and cost-prohibitive as well.  

Last year Dr. William Schaffner of Vanderbilt University, told Medpage Today that, "just putting [an IND] together and carrying it out and managing data to the level of sophistication required by the FDA, just running it all costs a lot of money."   Even though the FDA is now allowing individual practitioners to perform these procedures without the IND for those with C. Diff, those with C. Diff is all they are allowed to treat in this fashion.  What about the tens of millions of Americans with Autoimmunity?   Despite the fact that the National Institutes of Health say there are 24 million Autoimmune Americans, the AARDA says that over 50 million Americans suffer from Autoimmune Disease. Why the difference? The NIH numbers only include 24 diseases for which good epidemiology studies were available.  I have seen stats saying that one in 3 American adults have some sort of Autoimmune Disease.

It's not that there are not numerous studies as well as plenty of anecdotal evidence saying touting its benefits.  It's that the government wants to control every aspect of your life --- particularly your healthcare.  And because they are increasingly paying for your healthcare (with your tax dollars, of course), their belief is that they should have ever-increasing control.  In fact, last year, the FDA admitted that its, "interest in regulating the procedure has nothing to do with any adverse events."   Dr. Eric Alm ---- Associate Professor of Biological Engineering at MIT with degrees in Mathematics, Computer Science, Biology, and Biochemistry, ----agrees, but also thinks that this procedure should not be done except under strict medical supervision.  But not because he really thinks it's dangerous.  He wants it done by physicians only, "primarily for data collection".  Data collection?  Huh?

Never forget that when doctors collect data, it's ultimately the government's use, to make more money, or both.   Just follow the trail.   Dr. Alm happens to own a company that collects, checks, and sells "Stool Specimens" for this procedure.  His website says that his company works with doctors, "to make FMT easier, cheaper, safer and more widely available. We do so by providing hospitals with screened, filtered, and frozen material ready for clinical use. This service eliminates the time, staff, protocols, and facilities needed to screen and prepare material from new donors for each treatment. With OpenBiome, all that’s needed to deliver FMT is a doctor and an endoscope."  This sounds rather good; sort of.

Firstly, I applaud Dr. Alm's entrepreneurial spirit.  He saw a need, put a heck of a team together, and went about making it all happen.  He will do well with this venture.  And if the FDA ever lifts their restrictions against using this procedure for chronically ill people, Katie bar the doors.  He and his company will be making money like there's no tomorrow.  Secondly; understand that the drug companies are going to fight lifting the IND for use of this procedure for those with Autoimmune Diseases and chronic illnesses, tooth-and-nail.  Why?   It's really as simple as understanding the relationship between POOR GUT HEALTH, SICKNESS, AND DISEASE.  Big Pharma wants you using drugs --- lifetime drugs --- to ward off the symptoms of your Autoimmune Disesases; not potentially cure them with a dukie enema.  Again, the problem is currently that doctors cannot perform this procedure without an IND for non-C. Diff illnesses.  Thirdly, are you really telling me that this procedure needs to be done with an endoscope?  Use an "Rectal Syringe" and be done with it already.  Fourthly, they are up against a public who is desperate for solutions.  Although many love the comfort of their medical "box", there are millions of others who are ready and willing to step outside the box when given the facts.

Michael Hurst has the website FECAL TRANSPLANT DOT ORG.  There are many other similar sites.  One of the best is THE POWER OF POOP.   To the uninitiated, this whole thing might sound like some sort of sick joke.  But for those who have been CURED OF RA, IBS, FIBROMYALGIA, INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASES such as Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease, or any number of other Autoimmune Disease, this topic is as serious and real as it gets.  Rather than me talk about it, I am going to let you watch Michael's video. 

(For the record, I am not suggesting you do this.  In fact, I would never suggest you do anything without getting your doctor's permission first.  As I told you earlier, this website, blog post, and video are for informational purposes only.  Again, do not even think of trying something like this at home without the express written consent of your doctor.)

I would not hope to claim to be some sort of expert on this procedure.  But once you begin learning about the importance of GUT HEALTH, you can begin to appreciate the potential benefits of Fecal Microbiota Transplantaion. And as I said earlier, I could not readily find information on adverse events from this method of treatment, despite there being a fairly large body of research on the topic. 

As I have said previously, ANTIBIOTICS are one of the top destroyers of health in the United States.  And on top of it all, we are often times TOO CLEAN.   For many people, it adds up to an Autoimmune Nightmare.  After all, 80% OF YOUR TOTAL IMMUNE SYSTEM IS FOUND IN YOUR GUT.  Destroy it and you are in deep trouble.  Restore it and you have a fighting chance to get your life back.  Getting your life back would be better than someone putting a gold brick in your lap and telling you to keep it.  Just make sure that if Michael invites you over to his place for margaritas Friday evening, make sure to tell him that you'll be bringing your own blender!