About ten studies suggest that the gut flora in ME/CFS is having a bad bloom. Plus, every week more and more studies come out which underline the surprisingly important role the gut plays in our health. But how to return the gut flora of ME/CFS patients to health?
The first ME/CFS fecal transplant study had surprisingly good results.
Fecal transplants are the most powerful option, and the results of the first ME/CFS fecal transplant study are out. While the study was decidedly light on statistics, it suggests poop transplants could end up being a valuable addition to an ME/CFS treatment regimen.
Check out those results, a look at the world of fecal transplants, and a much more rigorous poop study that’s underway now in Norway which should tell us much in a Simmaron Research Foundation sponsored blog:
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Glad you reported on this info, thanks Cort.
Dave, thank you for the Dr. David Bell poison ivy info
(link at: https://www.prohealth.com/library/the-poison-ivy-treatment-an-intriguing-cfs-case-study-by-dr-bell-28034 )
Just as Dr. Bell wondered if there could be CFS without fatigue (possibly from IL) a study on effect of poison ivy on mouse ? model seems to add an extra Q for me: Could the possible benefit of poison ivy for CFS be without an itch?
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/11/161107160619.htm
Itching to know if the IL findings in mice can be extended to CFS research.
Sunie,
Thanks so much for posting the poison ivy story. I had a similar experience. I had acquired the proceeds from an international conference on immunotoxicology in preparation for writing a paper for our organization, “Immunotoxins as Teratogens”. I simply could not concentrate long enough to wade through all the highly technical papers from the conference until…I got the flu. Suddenly, sick as I was, I could concentrate and was able to finish the paper https://www.birthdefects.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Immunotoxins_as_Teratogens.pdf
Sunie and Betty,
Thanks for bringing this up! I’ve had very similar experiences and have often wondered how common they are in the ME community.
From early onset of my ME/CFS, I noticed that my fatigue and post-exertion malaise sometimes lessened during minor infections (e.g. colds, cold soars, etc.). I called it the “sweet spot”: after the body has beat the infection but before it fully recovers. I still felt sick, but it was closer to a healthily person battling acute illness than to the debilitating symptoms of ME. The difference is so significant is that there were times when I would crave acute infections. The problem is that sometimes the ME rebounds more severe once the acute symptoms ended (cf. women who experience remission during pregnancy and then relapse after).
One notable exception: A couple years ago I got a bad flu. After the five-day fever broke, I had by far my most productive week in years. This time, for some reason (the antiviral Tamiflu?), there was a gradual return to baseline rather than a sudden rebound. I haven’t returned to that level of activity tolerance to this day.
Initially, I thought that such paradoxical experiences would change my doctors’ perceptions of my illness, perhaps even result in new experimental tests and treatments. But like Dr. Bell points out, this expectation was naïve.
There were a few doctors who seemed interested. My rheumatologist and infectious disease specialists acknowledged that this suggested some kind of immune dysregulation akin to autoimmune disease. But they didn’t know what to do with it. (In my experience, rheumatologists tend to be most transparent about the incompleteness of medical science.) Others, including an ME specialist clinic, were surprised and puzzled. Still others just seemed not to care, continuing on about the “psychological components” of CFS.
Finally, in relation to Dr. Bell’s poison ivy experiment, on a couple occasions I experienced abrupt relief during a short episode of seasonal allergies (e.g. sneezing, itchy eyes, etc.). I had forgotten about this until now. Maybe I should store some ragweed in my medicine cabinet for emergencies?
(Apologies, Cort, for the off-topic convo. I did appreciate the poop post.)
Thank you Betty and David 🙂
My apology Cort— thought my reply was going to Simmaron link you’d posted. (where Dave had posted on his experience with poison ivy).
August 25, 2019 at 10:50 am – Rep
That’s so interesting because I have (had) the SAME thing happen!!
I have ME, yet not as bad as some, probably due to my younger age of 22. So last year when I had a cold, I actually ran a bit and felt good! (Of course, I didn’t know I had ME, just thought I was tired a lot) and of course I relapsed hard, but I’ve noticed that trend as well with me. That’s interesting
I cam across an article on the below referenced nanotechnology website that seems to relate to the topic under discussion here. The title is “Nanoparticle relieved symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease in mice.”
I thought it might be of interest.
https://phys.org/news/2019-08-nanoparticle-relieved-symptoms-inflammatory-bowel.html
I got my donor from http://www.microbioma.org and helped quite a lot, but still not cured, but definitely FMT is the solution to our disease in the long term, must look for good donors.
Good to hear. It seems like a quite promising treatment angle. 🙂
Funny odd how so many things seem to go in a circle.
This says a large amount of seritonin can result from certain bacteria in the gut.
https://www.caltech.edu/about/news/microbes-help-produce-serotonin-gut-46495
Would be interested in getting a Fecal Transplant but I’d like to find a legit place. In the Dove Clinic study, it’s done by Dr. Julian Kenyon – but I discovered stories on Dr. Kenyon that make him sounds like a charlatan. Can he be trusted? What’s the most respected fecal transplant clinic?
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/patients-misled-on-alternative-cancer-care-sc0f2kdh5rf
Hi Robert,
I am also loking for a good place to get a fecal transplant. In Germany (Iam german) I found one doctor, who does it during a koloskopie. The german doctors who practise koloskopie have to run through a process of certification, but I don´t know whether this is also true for services out of our national health insurance.
Another question: The Dove Clinic offers fecal transplantation with a catheter. They introduce the stool 6 times. Do you know which way is better? Once during a Koloskopie or 6 times with the catheter?
Did you get further informations about legit places?
Kindest regards
Jutta
Kindest regards
I forgot another question: This german doctor offers the posssibility to get a tranplant from a related. I suspect that the transplant will then be accepted more easily.
I would like to participate in a clinical fecal transplant trial ibs chronic fatigue for 38 years.
I’ve had ME for a bit longer than you but…idk why I’m scared. Bedbound, I’ve tried everything. How weird that I shudder at the thought of this it’s only poo ?
Having said that… I’ll try anything, not like I’d have to eat it ?
Well, actually – there is a pill form 🙂 🙂 🙂