Turmeric Enema May Equal Vancomycin for C. Difficile Colitis
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) Nov 03 - Turmeric enemas may be as tolerable and effective as vancomycin enemas for treating Clostridium difficile colitis, a small new study suggests.
Turmeric, a plant belonging to the ginger family, produces a bright yellow spice that has been used for thousands of years in food and as medicine. Curcumin is its major component.
Turmeric is known to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-microbial properties, and it also slows cell proliferation, according to Dr. P. Patrick Basu of North Shore Forest Hills Hospital and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York.
Dr. Basu told Reuters Health that after reading about the use of turmeric enemas for ulcerative colitis, he hoped to find a similar benefit for patients with moderate to severe C. difficile colitis.
He reported Monday at the American College of Gastroenterology's annual meeting in Washington, DC that he and his colleagues randomly assigned 36 patients to twice-daily enemas containing either vancomycin (250 mg), turmeric (1 g), or placebo, for 10 days. Patients also took 500 mg metronidazole orally three times a day for two weeks.
The infection was eradicated in similar proportions of patients in the vancomycin and turmeric groups (83% and 76%, respectively), compared to 66% in the placebo group.
At 21 days after the end of treatment, the ATLAS score for clinical severity (Age, Temperature, Leukocytes, Albumin, and Systemic antibiotics) was reduced by 60% in the vancomycin and turmeric groups, compared to 38% in the placebo group. In addition, the endoscopic appearance of luminal ulcers was improved with vancomycin and turmeric compared to placebo.
Recurrence developed in 10% of patients treated with vancomycin, 9% of those in the turmeric group, and 29% of patients who received the placebo.
While the treatment was generally tolerable, two patients given the turmeric enema complained of stained fomites. Dr. Basu and his team addressed the issue of leakage by giving patients non-medical suppositories after the enema was administered.
"The people who got vancomycin, they did very well, and curcumin, they did equally well," Dr. Basu said. "The beauty of it was that the curcumin was much, much less expensive." He estimated the cost of the turmeric enemas at $150 for 14 days of twice-daily enemas.
Dr. Basu said he and his colleagues are running a larger trial with 120 patients, which they plan to submit for publication next year.
that I didn't want to eat, but thought I should as I hadn't eaten since mid-morning and I've been losing weight. I had a bowl of stew but regretted it after as I had bad cramps and felt ill. I figured that I probably ate too much or too soon and should've listened to my body and not eaten. I'm going to try the pro-biotic enema today and see how it goes.
wonder why this might be.. 
