Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

We spend a lot of time talking about the bad news in this discussion group - here's the spot for the good news. If you've had c-diff and are now well, please tell us about it here.
roy
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby roy » Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:38 am

Cure is the result of the natural gut flora returning and overcoming c.diff.
All probiotics including kefir consist of bacteria (and yeasts) that are foreign to the gut and only last a couple of days.
It's thought that some probiotics take up the space that c.diff wants to occupy resulting in c.diff not being able to multiply.
That allows the good flora to recover.
Whatever works is good but I doubt if one day of kefir would cure anything overnight.
Toxins, damage and D can not magically disappear at the flick of a switch.
Caution on raw milk.
Lots of bad bugs alongside the good ones!
Nobody wants to take antibiotics because of something like TB from raw milk.

maxny1
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby maxny1 » Fri Oct 14, 2016 4:24 pm

I'm with Roy on this. As frustrating as the Medical Industrial Complex can be, I would not stop going to the Doctor and give up on medications or FMT and just drink Kefir alone to cure C Diff. The evidence for probiotics seems to be conflicting and is not much by way of double-blind, placebo-controlled, reproducible studies. I myself am taking the S Boullardi, a second Jarrow probiotic, and eating yogurt/kefir. I want them to work. I want to believe. But there are millions of different strains in healthy gut flora, which is why the FMT works, so 1 or 7 or 8 strains seems a drop in the bucket.

Pro-Probiotics: Meta Analysis https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4769010/ ; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3740259/ ; https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3105609/

Pro ABX taper with Kefir adjunct: http://cid.oxfordjournals.org/content/59/6/858.full

Against Probiotics: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27180007 (Kefir increased C Diff severity in mice!) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4790329/ (Helped in Prevention, but not in Treatment preventing relapse) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3867563/ (says towards the end, insufficient evidence for probiotics as adjunct treatment)
edit- added article
Last edited by maxny1 on Sat Oct 15, 2016 12:01 am, edited 1 time in total.

ppp67
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby ppp67 » Fri Oct 14, 2016 5:44 pm

Personally, I luv plain kefir and it feels good too. I don't eat it all the time mind you.
I'll say one thing though -- it's better than Cold FX at treating a cold :)
(OK, trick statement. Doing nothing but rest is better than Cold FX)

I totally understand the backlash to probiotics. And it is valid.
There are so many companies pushing their stuff at exorbitant prices.
Have you seen that 1hr video showing hand-drawn cartoons on the web?
The truth is none of it comes close to the flora diversity of a healthy person.
Not even close.
No scientific proof yet.

I still like kefir. It's cheap. It's not a cure. But I think its good for prevention.
It's been 3 years now since I had CDIFF. Still worry about it.

BTW, thanks for posting the study links.
I won't take kefir as a treatment in the future.

ddmdoro
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby ddmdoro » Thu Apr 12, 2018 10:50 am

THANK YOU, THANK YOU! SO GRATEFUL TO YOU FOR SHARING THIS REMEDY!
Lifeway Kefir is a godsend and, as you mentioned, it took effect immediately.
One year post CDIFF (and two rounds of Vanco) I was still having terrible issues. Seemed ever food/beverage disagreed w/me and gave me issues that often kept me at home. Had been taking probiotics the whole time, which cost a lot and did nothing.
I drank a bottle of Lifeway Kefir (plain) the first day...and the "nervous intestines" stopped as if I'd flipped a switch. The next day, I drank a flavored version. (I prefer the plain...which tastes much like buttermilk or sour cream.) I also take a tablespoon of citrucel in a full glass of water once per day.
It is said that Lifeway Kefir bacteria colonize the intestines (while probiotics do not linger) and you need to feed them with fiber. This is still the first week, but I drink less than half a bottle per day now...and drink the glass of citrucel. I feel the best that I have in a couple of years.

fishrman
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby fishrman » Sat Jun 09, 2018 10:40 pm

I just read all of the above after doing some research on Kefir. Looks like it might be worth a try. I will give it a try too! I wanted to point toward a study done by a Dr. in Minnesota that appears to confirm it really does work. https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/59/6/858/2895561

beth22
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby beth22 » Sun Jun 10, 2018 1:51 am

Thanks for the link. I posted that a few years ago, but I can't remember in which section. Good to have it in more than one place. When you start kefir, just take a small amount at first to see how it agrees with you. It gives some people a lot of gas and sometimes looser stools. See how you tolerate it first.

fishrman
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby fishrman » Sun Jun 10, 2018 2:04 pm

Thanks Beth! Have you heard of the coconut water Kefir? Am thinking it might be better for those that might be lactose sensitive. Not sure if there are as many probiotics in it though?

franny
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby franny » Mon Jul 02, 2018 7:18 pm

Thank you so much for your sharing your story. I tried Lifeway Kefir after 2 courses of Vancomycin and I have been free of c diff for 2 months! Hoping it is gone for good.

fishrman
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby fishrman » Mon Jul 02, 2018 8:24 pm

Hope so too franny! I am almost 2 months post Vanco right now and feel things are significantly better, as well. Still have some concerns about constipation now but between the C. Diff and the Vanco, the gut got pretty messed up.

JeepMom
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby JeepMom » Tue Oct 09, 2018 10:20 am

I have been suffering with C Diff for two months now. I have been on two rounds of Flagyl and a round of Vanco. Both helped, but I relapsed each time. Currently, I stopped my second round of Flagyl 8 days ago, have been dealing with a relapse for 5 days. I just found this thread last night and have drank the kefir brand mentioned 3 times now. At first, I had horrible cramping and gas (I skipped starting light and went for the full monty), but have had to very mucosy BMs in the last couple of hours. Usually, I still feel terrible, but I am feeling better. I am going to keep at it, and hope that I am finally on to getting better. Thank you so very much for this post. I am crossing everything in hopes that I can finally be rid of it for good.

roy
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby roy » Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:55 am

Flagyl is no longer reccomended as the treatment for c.diff.
It's been recognized that although Flagyl will stop the active infection it also kills the good gut flora that is needed to prevent a relapse.
Theres too many relapses when flagyl is used.
If a Dr has treated you with flagyl first, then Vanco second but then tried flagyl for a third treatment you need a new Dr!
Kefir might help but wont treat c.diff.
Probiotics including kefir are to support your gut flora and you wont see any difference in 3 days.
3 months maybe but not 3 days! They are a long term addition not a quick fix and do not replace medical treatment.
A relapse is frequent watery D 3x a day or more.
Anything else including a positive stool test can be normal recovery.

DebJS
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby DebJS » Tue Oct 09, 2018 12:03 pm

My doctor suggested drinking three "wine glasses" of kefir per day. I was diagnosed 10 days ago and while it certainly hasn't cured anything, I can't help but think that at least it is pushing in some of that good bacteria. Not sure how it differs in bacteria content from yogurt, which I was eating daily before C Diff. So yeah, no miracle cure, but I still feel good about re-populating the good bacteria.

JeepMom
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby JeepMom » Tue Oct 09, 2018 12:09 pm

Roy, I agree with you on the new doc! I can't get into a different doc until next week, so I needed something to help in the meantime. I had to beg for the vanco from my other doc after a round of flagyl didn't work. 10 days after vanco, I relapsed again, they put me on flagyl again. I hope the new doc is more versed in this infection.

Believe
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby Believe » Mon Apr 08, 2019 11:53 am

Roy, is it really true that a positive stool test can be part of normal recovery? Is this why they don’t like to retest if you are not showing typical symptoms?

roy
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Re: Kefir worked for me 3 years ago. Still free of it.

Postby roy » Mon Apr 08, 2019 4:59 pm

Yes, a positive test is not an indication of c.diff that needs treating.
If the whole population were tested tomorrow there would literally be millions of positive test results but very few would show any clinical signs of illness.
The test is to confirm a Drs suspicion of c.diff colitis. its NOT a reliable diagnostic tool.
No typical symptoms means no disease.


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