Bacteriotherapy, which is also known as fecal transplantation, is the process of taking the stool from one person's digestive system and implanting it into another person's digestive system. This may sound strange, but fecal transplantation is providing relief for many people with digestive problems like IBS.

No one is quite sure why fecal transplantation works for some people. It is thought that those with digestive problems have a microbial imbalance within their digestive system that is causing their illness. While people can take probiotic supplements in an attempt to regain bacterial balance in their digestive system, usually probiotics are limited to a few specific strains of bacteria which may not provide what the digestive system is missing since there are literally thousands of different types of microbes within the digestive system. This is where bacteriotherapy comes into play. Fecal matter is essentially a snapshot of a person's bacterial & microbial ecosystem. Fecal transplantation transplants that healthy ecosystem from a healthy digestive system into someone with an unhealthy digestive system. It's almost like how a doctor might transplant a working organ into the body of someone who has a failing one.

The fecal transplantation process usually starts by locating a donor. This donor should have a healthy digestive system with no known digestive problems. Often someone from the same family is recommended. Some people have had their spouse provide the donated fecal matter. In a clinical setting usually tests are run to verify the donor has a healthy digestive system that is clear of viruses, bacteria or parasites that could be harmful. People who do not have access to a clinic willing to do fecal transplantation have just taken the donor's healthy digestive system history as enough evidence to continue.

In order to provide a steady, daily supply of fecal matter, the donor should eat a fiber rich diet. At the same time recipient is going to be doing the opposite. Usually the recipient is put on a low fiber diet & then eventually a liquid diet right before the transplantation occurs. In a clinical setting the recipient may be given a course of antibiotic drugs & then a powerful laxative, essentially the same stuff you'd get during colonoscopy preparations. Again, people who are doing fecal transplantation on their own have skipped these steps.

The fecal matter must be fresh & used immediately. Once the fecal matter has been "donated" into a disposable container it is then placed into a blender & mixed throughly with a salt water solution. Salt water is less irritating than regular water to the mucous membrane within the lower digestive system. In a clinical setting this slurry is then filtered or strained so that it be used more easily as an enema or in some cases via a naso-gastric tube. After the recipient has received the fecal transplant they may be given anti-diarrheal medication like Loperamide to prevent cramping. This process is then repeated for approximately 5 - 10 days.

Fecal transplantation was pioneered by Dr. Thomas J. Borody from Sydney, Australlia. He was one of the first to start using it to treat people with Inflammatory Bowel Diseases like Crohn's Disease or Ulcerative Colitis along with IBS and the hearty bacterial infection Clostridium difficile. Fecal transplantation is starting to get some attention within the United States. Dr. Lawrence Brandt from New York, NY used bacteriotherapy to treat patients with Clostridium difficile & the University of Chicago is investigating running research trials on fecal transplantation.

Given that fecal transplantation is still very experimental it is hard to find a doctor who is willing to perform the procedure. Luckily, if you're strong willed & not squeemish, you can perform fecal transplantation in your own home. Dr. Thomas J. Borody's clinic created the "Home Probiotic Infusion Protocols" which gives you directions on how to perform bacteriotherapy at home. It's important to note that it's aimed at people who have visited his clinic & are doing things "by the book".

Remember this is experimental, you are dealing with fecal matter that can make people ill if not properly handled & there is always the chance that it doesn't help or makes your situation worse. If you need motiviation you can read about people's experience with doing fecal transplantation at home.