Re: Clostridia overgrowth and SCD

August 27, 2006

,

I think I remember reading that the probiotic strain s.boulardii can be

effective against clostridia... I hope I'm remembering that right. You might

double check with your DAN if that would be okay for him to take. I know it's

legal... it's the ONLY strain besides acidophilus that you should supplement on

SCD. I hope that helps.

Patti

Clostridia overgrowth and SCD

I really need advice on this. My son Theiss's Organix Acid test shows he has

Clostridia overgrowth. I read from Official Breaking the Vicious Cycle Website

that the SCD diet alone can't kill them. My DAN! doctor told me not to use any

antibiotics etc now but just SCD. Has anyone had simliar problem and how did you

treat this nasty problem with success? Should I take him to see a paed?

Many thanks,

scd 06/06

Theiss 3yrs, PDD-NOS

Marcus 9 mths

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August 28, 2006

This is a repost of the article that Elaine sent me on S. Boulardii.

It is fine to use on SCD and is helpful with clostridia.

Jody

mom to -7 and -9

SCD 1/03

==============================

Saccharomyces boulardii Info Sheet

PWA Health Group

May, 1996

What Is It Really?

Saccharomyces boulardii (SB) is a live yeast packaged in

capsules and sold over the counter in Europe to treat diarrhea.

Studies suggest that SB protects the gut from amebas and

cholera, may keep candida from spreading, alleviates diarrhea

caused by c. difficile, Crohn's disease and diarrhea of unknown

cause in PWAs, and traveller's diarrhea.

How's It Work?

We don't know. Test tube results show it doesn't directly kill the

bugs (bacteria, fungi, or parasites) causing infection. Theories of

how it works include: 1) SB or something it produces may

prevent gut inflammation that causes diarrhea, by interfering with

how various bugs bind to gut cells; 2) SB might increase certain

protective immune proteins that in turn kill the infection-causing

bugs; and/or 3) SB might be a superior non-toxic competitor with

amebas and candida in the intestine ( " There ain't room in this

gut for the both of us. " ).

Clinical Studies in PWAs

There's only been one so far, as one in Seattle was cancelled. In

a French study, 30 PWAs with chronic, severe (watery, 4-8

liters/day) diarrhea from no known cause, all with a history of

CMV, MAI and KS, took 3 grams (3000 mg) of SB per day. Within

two days, the volume of their diarrhea had been reduced to 1

liter. By the eighth day on SB, their stools were normally formed.

SB for C. Diff Diarrhea

Taking antibiotics can cause diarrhea by killing off little

organisms you need to maintain a healthy digestive system.

Then other naturally occurring bacteria and yeast may rage out of

control 97 without their natural predators to keep them in check.

C. diff is one of the most difficult of these antibiotic-caused

diarrheas to treat, mostly because it's so resistant to most other

antibiotics. It's usually treated with vancomycin - a fairly toxic

drug, that often fails, with recurrence of severe diarrhea. Several

studies of SB have been conducted in people with antibiotic

diarrheas. In one, 13 people with recurrent C. diff tried a regimen

of thirty days SB plus 10 days of vancomycin - 11 were cured with

no recurrence of C. diff. A placebo controlled study of 180 people

on various antibiotics reported that 22% of the people on

placebo got diarrhea, but only 9.5% on SB did. A study of SB for

infants with C. diff reported dramatic results as well.

Studies for Other Diarrheas

The largest placebo controlled study of SB was in 3000

Austrians who took 250 or 1000mg while they travelled abroad.

People on SB got significantly fewer cases of diarrhea than

those on placebo, and there were less cases on high dose than

low dose. Another study evaluated SB in 20 patients with Crohn's

disease, a life-long syndrome where people suffer from severe

diarrhea, gut pain and weight loss. They were all treated with SB

(250 mg 2x/day) for two weeks. All had fewer bowel movements.

Half stayed on SB, while the others were put on placebo for

another ten weeks. Those on SB had reductions in bowel

movements while the group on placebo went back to the same

number of bowel movements that they had had when the study

began.

Side Effects and Toxicity

Few side effects have been reported from the use of SB. People

with yeast allergies should not take SB, and some people have

complained of itchiness and facial swelling (sounds like...yeast

allergy). Because this product is composed of live yeast, you

must not drink alcohol for it to be effective. Alcohol will kill the

yeast. It is important to drink a lot of other liquids when you have

a case of diarrhea to avoid dehydration. SB is a different yeast

than candida, which causes oral and vaginal thrush. SB does

not increase thrush and in fact may lessen or prevent thrush

infections. Some are concerned that since this is a living

organism it may take root in an immune-compromised person

and cause systemic infections. A number of people with AIDS

have been on SB for more than a few years without any reported

complications. But there have been three reported cases of

systemic SB fungal infections. In two cases, patients had

perforated colons after surgery, which allowed the yeast to

escape their GI tracts. Both responded quickly to a course of

Ampho B. A very ill one year old girl treated with SB and 6

antibiotics for pneumonia, diarrhea, and fever developed an SB

fungal infection. She was treated successfully with Fluconazole

and improved overall with the use of aspirin. We must remember

that she is an infant, and her system is substantially different

than an adults. Normally, the yeast doesn't get absorbed; it

moves right through the GI tract and is excreted in the stool in 3

to 5 days. Contact your doctor if you have any conditions that may

cause a rupture in your GI tract (CMV, KS, MAC, ulcer) and you

are taking SB.

Drug Interactions

Good News: If you take SB with certain antibiotics, namely

clindamycin and amoxicillin, the level of SB in your gut is

substantially increased. These antibiotics kill off other

organisms that may eliminate the yeast, so elevated levels of SB

when taking these antibiotics are good. These drugs can cause

C. diff, which SB may keep in check. Bad News: Antifungals can

kill SB, just like they kill candida and other fungal infections.

Fortunately, fluconazole's effect on SB is minimal, and PWAs

who want to try SB can continue to prophylax with a dose of

50-100 mg a day. Even so, for optimal effect, you should not take

fluconazole and SB at the same time of the day.

Dosing

The dose of SB differs depending upon the condition you are

using it for, but ranges from 250 - 1000 mg a day. In PWAs with

severe diarrhea of unknown cause, the starting dose is at least

three times as much - 3000 mg a day. You may not need to

continue at this dose - if it gets your diarrhea under control, you

can gradually lower your dose till you find the lowest dose that

works for you. In the Seattle study, if the SB works after two

weeks, the people reduce their dose to 2000 mg a day. If it still

works, after two more weeks, the dose is lowered another 1000

mg. This continues until each person finds his or her lowest

effective maintenance dose.

This article was provided by PWA Health Group

August 31, 2006

Thanks Jody. We have ordered the product and will start using it soon.