Internet "Doctors" Gone Wild: The Fecal Transplant

[HuckleB]

Bring the crazy – Fecal Transplant
http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/12/bring-the-crazy-fecal-transplant/

-------------------------------------------------

"There’s a few places around the interweb that you can always count on for a good old dose of craziness. One of those is the Autism Web forums, where the latest trend being discussed is Fecal Transplant.

Yeah. Fecal Transplant.

It is actually a known therapy to attempt to cure

...pseudomembranous colitis (caused by Clostridium difficile), or ulcerative colitis which involves restoration of colon homeostasis by reintroducing normal bacterial flora from stool obtained from a healthy donor.

Feeling a bit icky yet?

..."


-------------------------------------------------

More on this at this link:
Challenging untested and unsafe autism therapies: the “anti-cure” defense
http://leftbrainrightbrain.co.uk/2010/12/challenging-untested-and-unsafe-autism-therapies-the-anit-cure-defense/

-------------------------------------------------


Uh, yeah, well, ummm, hmm, you know, uh, ummm, yeah, I got nothing.

:crazy:

[Auggie]

1. I've heard of this -- it does succeed

[HuckleB]

4. At what?

:shrug:

[Auggie]

7. pseudomembranous colitis

Read the post. Or see this link: http://penetrate.blogspot.com/2008/10/weird-science-fecal-implants-replace.html

[HuckleB]

11. Uh huh.

As noted above: Internet "Doctors" Gone Wild.

:(

[Ian David]

5. Mommy and Daddy report improvements in behavior because they WANT to see improvement...

... and they'd feel really stupid (and guilty) about doing this if they didn't report improvement.

[trotsky]

10. Yes, it has had limited reported success.

But it's VERY risky. In addition to all the helpful bugs, there can be quite a few not-so-helpful that hitch along for the ride. Bugs that may live under a truce with their current host's body but which would wreak havoc in someone else.

Still a very experimental, very dangerous procedure.

[HuckleB]

18. And, uh, it serves no purpose as a proposed treatment for autism.

[trotsky]

19. Oh absolutely right - for autism it's patently absurd. :)

[HillbillyBob]

2. As an idea it sounds full of shit.

I heard a report of a certain type of parasitic worms is also a cure too.

[Ian David]

6. I'm beginning to think that Autism is called by parents who believe in woo-woo snake oil. n/t

[ck4829]

3. First death of a small child from this 'treatment' in about a week

Just wait.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. I almost lost my entire colon to UC when I was 11. Luckily in my case steroids

saved it, but I still suffered for years from flare-ups. While I am not excited about the notion of fecal transplants, I can see how someone who has tried all conventional treatment methods and is facing life with a colostomy bag just might go there. :(

[HuckleB]

13. This is about an internet "doctor" (read some individual) pushing it as a cure for autism.

There is research looking into this for other GI ailments, so your point is well taken. However, using it as an autism treatment is baseless on every level.

:hi:

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. Yes, in terms of Autism I would have to agree there. :^)

[Newest Reality]

9. I wouldn't knock its potential ...

If it worked for birthing 'W', it could work for any asshole.

[Heddi]

12. I have had patients that have had fecal transplants--not for autism, but C-Diff. It is very effectiv

The patient takes GoLytely, or some other colon prep and pretty much empties out the bowel of as much content as possible. The "donor" (It's always been a family member that I've been aware of) gives a stool sample and a small portion of stool is mixed in a 1L bottle of sterile saline, and then instilled into the bowel via enema. The idea behind it is that the "donor" fecal flora will repopulate the bowel of the patient, therefore getting rid of the Clostridium Difficile flora that was there previously. It's been great for people with uncontrollable and long-term C-Diff. Most people are squeamish about it, but when someone loses 50 pounds in a month from the diarrhea associated with C.Diff, you begin to look at this as a viable option, especially because it works.

Now, for Autism...never heard of this being used for that. Then again, I work at a Level 1 Trauma center, University Medical Center..that means we generally have to have many forms of proof before we do things. We don't just work on anecdotal evidence :D

[silverweb]

15. Why don't they just isolate and culture the right bacteria?

That would make more sense -- lab grown, very specific "good bugs" needed in quantifiable amounts.

The "fecal transplant" is just a crap shoot (pun intended).

[laconicsax]

16. Probably because invasive procedures like this as a "cure" for autism exist to fatten wallets.

It's much easier to charge desperate parents a ton of money for invasive procedures than for something simple.

[HuckleB]

17. Well, there is the matter of a lack of plausibility.

Doing so would not provide a treatment for autism. Those who are pushing this as a treatment for autism are also pushing a cause that has long been discredited.

[Odin2005]

20. Oh for fuck's sake. I am sick of all these quacks trying to "cure" me with BS.