C-Diff Remedies

c. diff - the only thing that worked for me was betonite clay. I tried probiotics, yogurt, kefir( yogurt drink). The clay helped tremendously

I take colloidal silver when c-diff symptoms return and it works very well. I get the silver from ___ and an 8 ounce bottle lasts for 6 months or more. It's good for killing over 1,000 types of bacteria and it can be used in place of antibiotics which will prevent one from getting c-diff in the first place.

Hi Patti, Since we know that C dif often starts after antibiotics, it would seem to be a result of the good guys getting killed off in the intestines,letting the bad guys take over and create havoc. If this is truly the cause then the cure should be in killing off the bad guys and replenishing the good guys.

Please read recent posting in EC on maple syrup/baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) cure for cancer (can also click on link to article in IMVA (International Medical Veritas Assn. by Dr. Sircus) where this information came from in which he states that he preferred black strap molasses instead of maple syrup because you don't have to boil it). The explanation of how it cures cancer is to saturate the sugar that the mold thrives on with the baking soda which kills it, so the unsuspecting mold (probable candida) gobbles up the sugar, not suspecting that it is poisoned and is killed off, and the cancer goes away on its own. Probably the slaughter of the bad guys gives the body time to replenish the good guys, bringing the system back into balance and good health.

The rapid way to replenish the good guys is probiotics, which can be expensive, but if you have the stamina to make your own cultured cabbage, it is supposed to replenish the good guys quickly. Recipes for this and for Asian Kimchi (another cultured dish) can be obtained on line. Just type in "cultured cabbage recipe" or "Kimchi recipe" in the search window. My son recently made his first batch of Kimchi using the recipe calling for Napa or chinese cabbage, green onions or scallions, ginger root which he loves and I found it better than the commercial brands that he shuns because of pork or shrimp, etc. in them.

I am now on my first batch of cultured cabbage. Sure glad that it calls for 4 ounces of it mixed with 4 ounces of water, because when you open the jar it smells somewhere between sauer kraut and flatus (anyone doesn't know what flatus is, the four letter equivalent begins with fa..). This definitely doesn't whet my taste buds, and one is instructed to drink it 2 or 3 times each day until ones feces no longer stinks and until it floats. By the time my cultured cabbage juice is used up, my son might have a partner in making Kimchi and using it as a side side with each meal instead of drinking the cultured cabbage (Kimchi is also a cultured dish).

Fortunately I have never had C dif, but this is the route I would probably take. In fact, I pulled up the cultured cabbage because I suspected that I might have a lesser problem secondary to many antibiotics during my hospitalization this past spring, despite the fact that my good and wise doctor gave me probiotics throughout the hospitalizition to prevent problems with killing out the good guys.

Nutrition is such a complex subject. I too am confused adout the sugar content in a lot of supposedly "healthy foodstuff". My daughter, now 4, was diagnosed with a small rectum and lazy bowel within 8 weeks of birth. We were told that the only way forward for her was an operation and meantime laxatives. After consultations with nutritionists and other medical reps we chose to give her a prune juice and water mix instead of an unnatural laxative knowing that this could affect her front baby teeth. When introducing solids we were also very careful not to give her anything that could constipate her. This included plenty of fruit and natural plain yoghurt products which for flavour I added the fruit. She has had so little in the form of shop bought sweets that she thinks wet raw carrot and turnips are desserts. And the good part is......so far no operation needed.

When I brought her to the dentist recently he told me that she needs 4 filling on each of her back teeth so I explained about the prune juice. He told me that this would only affect her front teeth not the back ones and that she was getting too many sweets. When I explained that there was no way that this could be the problem and told him about her treats of yoghurt, carrots and fruits. He told me that these are all high sugar even though it is natural sugar and it is these healthy treats that are probobly causing her the problem. I am in a bit too much of a temper at the moment to fully research this but from what little I have gathered most of our foods turn to sugars apart from meats and she is a bit young for an atkins diet.

Conflicting advice is coming at us from all sides. My husband has been diagnosed with a hereditary heart defect and the specialist gave him a special diet. When we rang the nutritionist at the hospital about another issue I mentioned this diet and she said no way would it be beneficial and gave us totally conflicting advice.

I do my own research on the subject whenever I can but there is such a large amount of information on the web that there are too many sites to trawl through.

O.k. now I'll get off the proverbial pedastal..........

I wonder if Ted could weigh in on this. People are saying that yogurt is a good way to go when I've heard from nutritionists that yogurt is usually loaded with sugar which is never good, it is a milk product and for C Dif you are always advised NOT to use any dairy products for a while. Also I doubt that yogurt has the levels or variety of pro-biotics needed to actually help with C Dif. Also, I notice that just today someone wrote a frightening warning about C-Dif here with NO suggestions on how to help. Personally, I'm not happy that I just left my mothers hospital room who is frightenly ill with C-Dif, I come to this site for answers and I get more fear. I will contact a nutritionist on Monday about this and if he enlightens me anymore, I will add some HELPful tips about C Dif according to what he has to say. On my own I have read about Colustrum supplements, and (believe it or not) Fecal transplants. I am sure each case is different so I'll mention that my mother was on anti biotics for a urinary tract infection she got a week after having a hystorectomy. I will add more information on Monday night if our nutritionist can enlighten me.

WARNING!

Please warn your readers that C-diff is now more dangerous then it used to be. My Dr. one time laughingly told me that he knew he had caused a couple of his patients to get C-diff. Just because of course he had prescribed a anti-bioitc that his patients needed to recover from something else. C-diff was a common or fairly common after effect for some folks after anti-biotic treatment, as the anti-biotic causes diahrea which disturbs the bodies natural flora or bacteria in the intestinal tract.

However, about ten years ago or around that time, the bacteria became more resistant to being cured by flaygl or vankomycin. My mother got this disease and it was not from anti-biotics another thing to note, she got it from a colonoscopic exam.

After weeks of treatment with vankomycin, flaygl, dehydration, not being able to eat and yet gaining forty pounds of fluid she died.

This was unique at the time, but not as much any longer. One of the main reasons for her death, which is why I write at this time of year, is that she caught this illness at the typical cold and flu season, in the height of it. This year we are experiencing a pandemic flu that is predicted to overwhelm our health care system. Therefore what happened to my mother may happen again, Dr.s offices telling patients with c-diff it is just flu and to use a otc product to stop the diahrea, which is the worst possible thing to do.

This bacterium is like a cork screw it literally eats into your colon, with the many feet of colon we have, it is easy for the bacteria to be in a fold and after treatment is stopped it crops up again in a couple weeks. You are not healed of this until you have at least 3 negative tests, two weeks apart. Then anytime you get a return of symptoms it may have come back and you need to get into the Dr. asap.

People can become dehydrated and their entire system weakened especially if it gets to the point where they can no longer eat anything by mouth.

If her life saves one, then God has used it for a purpose, because friends this is a stupid way to die. It should not happen. In order for it to not happen it has to be taken as serious as it can be, not that it will be, but if you do not know, err on the side of safety and do not, let anyone tell you it is just the flu, or it is a easy thing to get over.

i bought it from earth's living clay. Carol who runs the business responds to questions if you have any about the use, so it's better than a random chain that carries it. I am taking it to prevent and control c.diff. relapse (i've had it for the past 3 months) one 2 oz mixture in the morning before you've eaten and one in the evening - at least an hour after you've eaten. you mix 1/4 cup of the clay with 2 cups of water and shake the mixture before you pour the doze. Also, make sure you use all plastic or glass materials for the spoon and bottle and cup from which you drink, since metal will interact with the clay and strip it of its positive function. keep us updated on how you beat this horrible disease!

Hello there. Thanks to all who make this wonderful resource available to us! I usually buy bentonite clay online from Mountain Rose Herbs but I have also found it in bulk at Whole Foods around the vitamins section. I hope this helps.

Hi, Two weeks ago I was given antibiotics for complications of the flu bug, they call the Antibiotic the Zpack, a 5day course, I also had an Antibiotic shot.

The day after starting the pack I felt really well, but as the days went on, my throat felt not quite right, and the day of taking my last antibiotic pill,as the day progressed I could feel the original symptoms start back, hence early hours I awoke with terrible lower back pain, which ended up with me being admitted to Hospital, after tetss done etc a day later I was diagnosed with C.diff. I am now on 1500MG of Flagyl antibiotic which is not nice to take, I feel very lethargic, weepy, in other words just extremely miserably ill.

I read on this site of other people having had this awful C.diff and using the Bentonite Clay,where would I purchase this from please, I know one can purchase this clay at Farm Shops, but would be afraid to use that incase it has other additives??

As well as the 1500mg Flagyl daily, I am taking Aloe Vera Gel,and Acidophilus tablets trying to get my Colon flora back to normal. I would take the Bentonite Clay if I knew where to get it and maybe anyone who knew could email me. I would be very grateful for any advise.

What I want to know is...WHY do Drs give Antibiotics to patients knowing there is a chance they will strip the patients' good flora from their Colon and end up like myself with C.diff, it is appalling,and reading through there are many people around in the same situation as myself, these Flagyl are causing heartburn, fuzzy head, sickly feeling, is probably the liver trying to deal with it all.

I hope someone can help me please as to what I can do, and to advise me where I can get Bentonite Clay from.

Thank you. Regards Jacqui

I was diagnosed with c.diff. in March after having taken antibiotics and had bloody diarreah for several days. The flagyl was working while I was taking it but a week after the 10 day therapy the symptoms were back. I went to the emergency room to avoid waiting for an appointment, but the doctors gave me levaquin, which is an antibiotic that makes the condition worse. Somehow it made it somewhat better, but when I went to see my primary doctor 5 days later he put me back on the flagyl, which didn't make much of a difference any more. I was then given vancocin, but decided to take 3 days off all medicines since I was going to see a specialist then. I had diarreah about 5 times a day. I started taking probiotics and 4 days later my symptoms were significantly reduced. I tried the vancocin once but was allergic to it -- it is a very strong antibiotic and actually its side effect -- just like the flagyl -- is mild diarreah, which is what I already had. I started taking cholestyramine, which binds the c.diff. toxin and causes constipation; also I started eating only white rice and white bread and some baked potatoes - very plain food, with aminoacid supplements (rice powder) and vitamins, esp. vitamin C. Also, I got about 5 different probiotic brands with several strains - you want those that give you billions of cultures - like 50 or 100 per serving. I have been free of symptoms for almost two weeks now and my last test was negative, although tests are not 100% reliable. You have to keep checking it every couple of weeks. All in all my advice is to stay off the antibiotics as much as possible and take lots of probiotics and keep a starchy simple diet. Certain herbal teas have also helped me -- calendula (or marigold) and plantago lanceolitis - 1 tablespoon per 400ml of boiling water is left for about 30 min. Strain and drink before eating 3 times a day.

We recommend the interesting article in today's Wall Street Journal called: Rising Foe Defies Hospitals' War on 'Superbugs'

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122160848756745487.html

I was struck by c.difficile while taking clindamysin. i only took 3 dosages and went through great pain and fever,colitis. after a 10 day treatment of flagel, c.difficile returned., my gastroenteroligest then gave a heavier treatment of flagel for 10 days. this time it helped ,it was under control. my doctor explained it this way.,'it was a nuclear bomb going off in my colon and intestines and the clindamysin killed off all the bacteria'.

i was warned strongly not to eat dairy. i was weak and built my strength back up. i cannot have yogurt. i order a probiotic to keep the flora built up in the colon. i find banana's and white rice helps, keep a balance on fiber, be careful with anti-biotics when your prescibed for an illness. have your gastroenterologist phone# handy just in case of a relapse with c.diffice. i have a great gastroenteroligist who is there for me a.m. or p.m. with great understanding.

I was diagnosed with C-Diff on Feb.14,2008. I had initially gone to the Dr. with bad stomach pain & sore throat & was prescribed Omnicef. On day 10 I had bad diarrhea with blood. I went to the ER. A week later I got a call saying that I had C-Diff. I took 10 days of Flagyl which was one of the worst experiences ever. I still have upper abdominal pain from time to time. I want some relief.

To Beth from Bristoll 4/01/08:

Hello Beth, Welcome to the world of unwanted side effects (c diff in your case) from antibiotics. In most cases this is from killing off the good bacteria along with the bad. If so, the best treatment is to replace the good bacteria by eating lots of live YOGURT. Ripe bananas (the peels get brown speckles on them) should also help.

I also remember reading where someone wrote in to Earth Clinic, that they solved the diarrhea problem with 5-6 drops of iodine in a glass of water. I would try one or both instead of taking another antibiotic. Looking at the humorous side of the sitation, you can now respond to Kyra Jones, from Los Angeles 4/2/08, question: "What on earth are they doing for their $150,000 education"?