Tag Archives: Clostridium Difficile

Questions & Answers

Para-Cresol: Clostridium Difficile’s Chemical Weapon

There is a very interesting study about Clostridium difficile (C. diff) that’s worth reading.

C. diff is a bacteria that we all have. However, in some people, C. diff can go ballistic in response to a course of antibiotics. This is another reason I am not a fan of the routine use of antibiotics.

I remember producing a video some time ago about antibiotic usage, particularly in America. Back in the ’50s, antibiotic use was so common that some women carried the medication in their purse.

If anyone had a cough or sniffle, out came the antibiotics. Antibiotics were touted as cure-all drugs that could cure any disease. Now, we know that they probably created more diseases than they cured. Be very, very careful about antibiotic usage. I’m absolutely convinced that a time will come when antibiotics are never used again, and their use will be seen as a dark period in the history of medicine. I’m talking a hundred years from now, not in the next five.

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In this study, Dr. Lisa Dawson from the London Tropical School of Medicine and Hygiene discovered that C. diff produces a chemical called para-Cresol. This chemical smothers and kills other surrounding bacteria but doesn’t harm C. diff. That’s obviously a competitive advantage and helps C. diff grow to very high levels. When Dr. Dawson made a mutant form of C. diff that does not produce para-Cresol and put it in the gut of mice, she discovered that this strain of C. diff had plenty of other bacteria growing around it. It seems that para-Cresol is what allows C. diff to ramp up production without very much competition from other gut bacteria.

C. diff is one of the very few conditions where a fecal transplant has shown to work reasonably well. In many cases, I don’t think fecal transplants are worth the $20,000 price tag, but if you have C. diff, it’s probably worth it.

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Questions & Answers

What You Can Do If You Have Clostridium Difficile

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is a bacteria that lives in the gut.

Some people can get a very serious C. diff infection after using antibiotics such as clindamycin. In one study, clindamycin was shown to wipe the gut almost entirely for two years. One dose.

Most cases of C. diff occur in hospital. One of the biggest causes of this infection is antibiotic use.

Conventional medical websites will say that the cause of C. diff is antibiotics and the cure is antibiotics.

To me, that’s like saying, “Watch out for handguns. They kill people.

By the way, if you carry a handgun, it’ll help you not get killed.”

If you’ve got a clostridium difficile infection, the concern is that you’ve got a 20% chance or recurrent C. diff infections.

If you have C. diff, my recommendation is to get a comprehensive stool analysis. The stool test will tell you if you also have problems with yeast, parasites, or other harmful bacteria. It will also indicate your levels of beneficial bacteria.

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I highly recommend you use a proper lab like Genova Diagnostics or Doctor’s Data for your stool test.

Some people recover quite quickly from C.diff. For others, it becomes a chronic infection. Some will have relapses and recurrences. Unfortunately, some people have a very poor recovery from C. diff.

Fecal microbial transplants are recommended in some cases. Some people have to be hospitalized and have surgery for C. diff.

As far as diet goes, if you have C. diff, you should avoid aggravating foods.

To keep a long story short, with C. diff, it’s definitely an advantage to be alcohol, coffee, and caffeine-free for at least three to six months.

I would recommend including steamed vegetables and other easy to eat foods in your diet. You’ll have to monitor what does and does not agree with your GI system. For example, some people with C. diff have quite bad diarrhea and abdominal pain when eating salads. Lemon juice and apple cider vinegar may also be poorly tolerated on the presence of C. diff.

Yogurt is often fine, but be cautious with kefir, kimchi, and sauerkraut.

For protein, emphasize lean protein without too much fat. Fish and eggs are usually perfectly fine.

Proceed with caution when it comes to fruit. I don’t think bananas or oranges are great foods for people with gut problems. I think the same about white bread.

Drinking water is essential because C. diff causes diarrhea.

As far as supplements go, grapefruit seed extract works quite well for C. diff.

Try not to take antibiotics if you want to prevent clostridium difficile infection, especially if you’re older. I suggest avoiding antibiotics unless it’s a matter of life and death.

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