On May 27, 2011 a New York Times article reports that Sherwood Gorbach, a 71 year doctor, has been instrumental in the development of a new antibiotic, Dificid, also known as fidaxomicin, for treating C. difficle (C. diff) diarrhea. Dr. Gorbach spent most of his professional life as professor of medicine and public health at Tufts University. He is also well known in the natural health community as one of the co-inventors of a probiotic known as Lactobacillus GG  (GG stands for Drs. names: Sherwood Gorbach and Barry Golden).  So it is needless to say he is well versed in the use of probiotics.

The discovery and bringing to market of Dificid is no doubt a wonderful event. One reason is there are more antibiotic resistant C. diff strains due to the overuse of Flagyl and Vancocin which have been the mainstays for C. diff treatment. It is important to point out that there are many studies in the medical literature that show the concurrent use of probiotics or probiotic yogurts with antibiotics greatly reduce or prevent C. diff in the first place. ¹ Also, prolonged use of probiotics after a C. diff infection reduces the likelihood of getting recurrent C. diff infections. What a novel concept—why not use probiotics and/or fermented yogurt on a regular basis?  

It turns out that the Dificid, at this point in time being the “new kid on the block,” was shown to be much better than Vancocin in preventing recurrent C. diff. About 25 percent of the Vancocin users had a recurrence compared with only about 15 percent of the Dificid users. Why would this be?  It’s too soon and too new for resistant C. diff strains to develop! What’s more, Dificid like most prescription drugs, has its dark side—namely side effects of nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and gastrointestinal hemorrhage. Now let’s talk about cost; the drug is likely to be at least as expensive as Vancocin, which costs $1,000 or more for a course of treatment. Optimer, the pharmaceutical company that sells Dificid, is predicted to make about $159 million per year after a few years of selling the drug.

If we really had a health care system in addition to a sickness care system, probiotics would be taken as seriously (if not more so) than antibiotics in both the prevention—and yes, the treatment—of most all infections. It would be interesting for both Dr Gorbach and the New York Times to tell the more complete story of how Dificid could be avoided, but if truly needed, be complemented with probiotics that would include multiple species and strains of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacteria in a high enough dose to really matter, several hundred billion probiotic bacteria per day.

1. Hickson M, et al., “ Use of probiotic Lactobacillus preparation to prevent diarrhoea associated with antibiotics: randomised double blind placebo controlled trial.” BMJ. 2007 Jul 14;335(7610):80. Epub 2007 Jun 29.

Leonard Smith, M.D.

Dr. Leonard Smith is a prominent Board-Certified, general, gastrointestinal and vascular surgeon who had a successful private practice for 25 years. In addition to his active surgery practice, he also incorporated lifestyle, diet, supplementation, exercise, detoxification, and stress management into many of the therapies he would prescribe. Many of his patients with cancer, cardiovascular disease, and other serious illnesses did so well under his treatment regimes that he began to devote most of his career to foundational health care and preventive medicine.

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No matter where you live in the U.S., you can’t turn on the TV or pick up a paper these days without hearing about the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Since the explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig at the end of April, roughly a million gallons of oil have been leaking into the ocean every day—putting the total number at more than 50 million gallons.

Still, while much of the focus has been on the surrounding wetlands and wildlife, little has been said about the oil spill’s effect on the human population. Like just how toxic is all that oil? And how is it going to affect not only the cleanup workers but the people living in the nearby communities? Well, it seems I’m not the only one who’s been wondering.

In a workshop arranged by the Institute of Medicine and held in New Orleans last month, medical researchers came together to discuss the toxic effects of oil spills on humans. Along with short-term effects like skin rashes, nausea, headaches and respiratory issues—common among cleanup workers exposed to crude oil—they looked at possible long-term effects such as cancer, especially with regard to children who are “less efficient at detoxifying and metabolizing chemicals” says Dr. Brenda Eskenazi at the University of California Berkeley.

Not only that, but experts looked at how oil spills like the one in the Gulf affect not just physical health but mental health, citing evidence of increased depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder, all of which can contribute to serious health problems such as heart attack, high blood pressure and other related issues. Pretty scary stuff, if you ask me.

The bottom line is that the whole situation is devastating, and even though it may be easier to just not turn on the TV or read the news, the more we learn about what’s happening in the Gulf and how we can make a difference—no matter how small—the more we can begin to take steps toward a safer, healthier future for all. My prayers go out to all those who have been affected by the oil spill, and I can only hope that the recent efforts to contain it will be successful.

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Notable News

Clostridium difficile (C. diff) – More than Difficult!  Chances are you’ve probably heard of C. diff before, or at least its most common (and least pleasant) side effect – the gut-wrenching diarrhea. I know, I know, here I go talking about poop again, but this is important! C. diff infections are becoming more common every year. Studies tell us that 7,000 people are infected each day, and 300 of those die from the infection. So I say the more we know about C. diff, the better.

Okay, let’s start with the basics – just what is C. diff anyway? It’s short for Clostridium difficile, a disease-causing bacterium that most often appears after a person has taken antibiotics. This happens because the good bacteria that are normally present in the intestines (and which help keep our immunity strong) are also destroyed by antibiotics. Basically, when we take antibiotics to fight infection, they kill a lot of the good bacteria in our gut along with the bad, which disrupts our normally healthy intestinal balance. And C. diff is one of those opportunistic little buggers that will quickly take over and multiply if it has the chance, causing a potentially dangerous infection whose symptoms include severe diarrhea, abdominal cramping and nausea.

Interestingly, another culprit in the C. diff epidemic has come to light. The use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) has been associated with a risk for C. diff infection.  PPIs are used to treat gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), also known as acid reflux. These drugs suppress the secretion of acid in the stomach. 

But Wait! We Need Our Stomach Acid!  One of the functions of stomach acid is to kill bacteria that comes in with food. When there is not enough stomach acid, as occurs in people taking PPIs, harmful bacteria like C. diff can enter the intestinal tract and quickly multiply.

Can You Say Superbug? Have you heard the term Superbug?  C. diff is a Superbug. Superbugs are bacteria that become resistant to antibiotic treatment, which means that after a while, taking antibiotics won’t do anything to stop the harmful effects of the bug. Antibiotic resistance is largely the result of over-prescribing antibiotics for every little sneeze or sniffle instead of giving the body a chance to fight off the infection on its own, and it’s become a huge concern in the medical community today. I’ll talk about this more in a later post, so stay tuned!

Bottom Line? Our intestinal flora – the friendly bacteria in our intestines – play a major role in our health. One particular probiotic called Saccharomyces boulardii has been found to be especially useful for people with C. diff, particularly those that have recurrent C. diff infections. The reason is because S. boulardii is actually a yeast organism, so it’s not destroyed by antibiotics like most bacteria, which means it can keep working in the body to protect against C. diff – even if you’re taking antibiotics. The bottom line is, maintaining a good balance of beneficial microorganisms (probiotics) in the gut is a vital part of creating digestive health, which as we all know is the foundation for total-body health!

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Summary:
In this video blog I discuss a recent lawsuit by Terry Williams against Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. In her lawsuit Ms. Williams states that she suffers from Aerotoxic Syndrome. What is Aerotoxic Syndrome? Where do you get it? What does it do to your body? Tune in and find out…

Full Script:

Have you ever felt just completely sick after lengthy airplane travel? Headache, nausea respiratory distress and muscle aches? Well airline attendant Terry Williams has, and she is suing both Boeing and McDonnell Douglas. It seems Ms. Williams has fallen victim to Aerotoxic Syndrome, brought on by the toxic chemical laden air that can be circulating in air cabins.

You see, since the early 1960’s, cabin air has typically combined the re-circulated existing cabin air with air coming off the engines. The air pulled into the engines is cooled and compressed and then pumped into the cabin.

A very toxic chemical called tricresyl phosphate is commonly used to prevent wear inside the engines.

Does this chemical really get into the cabin? Well, a secret analysis of 31 airplane cabins from different airlines was done at the University of British Columbia. 28 of them tested positive for High levels of Tricresyl phosphate.

According to a University College of London neruopsychologist, up to 200,000 airline passengers a year may suffer illness from this contaminated air.

From now on, when I fly, I’m bringing along some Renew Life’s Liver Detox. This will help the body to detoxify this harmful chemical more efficiently and quicker.

And don’t forget to visit DetoxStrategy.com, the website of my book, The Detox Strategy: Vibrant Health in 5 Easy Steps.

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