This has been a much requested topic, so let’s dive into what is C. diff and how do we get better from it. 

C. diff or Clostridium difficile is a bacteria that is normally present in our colon in small amounts, but when it overgrows it can cause severe diarrhea and inflammation of the colon. In severe cases it can even be fatal, although rare. 

Most people who have dealt with this know how difficult it is to deal with and also get rid of completely…

By far the biggest culprit of this infection is taking antibiotics. These strong medications act like a bomb in the gut tract, terrorizing the balance that needs to be present to keep things working properly. 

We need mostly beneficial (commensal) bacteria, and just enough “bad” bacteria. Although they aren’t truly bad, they can turn into harmful pathogens if they get overgrown. 

Not too little, not too much. 

Antibiotics disrupt this balance so much that even just one round can affect the body for months and months. Then throw in the average person takes at least several rounds in their lifetime, and some dozens of rounds, we now have a major disruption to our gut health, which affects so much downstream as I always talk about. 

Maybe you haven’t had antibiotics for years, but now you need one and this is the one that broke the camel’s back, as they say. 

Now the “bad” bugs can overgrow and become pathogens because there aren’t enough good guys around to keep them in check. 

So you or a loved one has C. diff, now what?

Western medicine will usually prescribe more antibiotics, specifically flagyl or vancomycin. This can reduce symptoms, but you see the problem here, right?

Antibiotics were what caused the issue in the first place. 

So, yes, the overgrowth of the bacteria needs to be taken care of. 

But what is missing is true microbiome restoration- healing nutrients for the inflammation and also targeted probiotics to help restore the balance of good vs. bad bacteria. 

The number 1 key here for prevention of reoccurrence is restoring the balance of good vs bad bacteria. 

Giving more and more antibiotics does NOT restore balance, and I would argue further depletes the system and causes more inflammation on the gut wall, as we know antibiotics certainly do. 

But, what can we do? A lot as it turns out. 

Saccharomyces boulardii is an amazing beneficial probiotic (actually a yeast) that can help restore some of the balance. Not all probiotics are created equal though, and you must get a trusted source. 

This may be needed in high quantities for a short period and then decreased as balance is achieved. In addition, antimicrobial herbs like oil of oregano, myrrh extract and black seed oil have been shown in research to be effective. In addition, fecal transplant has been wildly successful and may be indicated for stubborn or severe cases.

We know the excessive and widespread use of antibiotics is one of the main contributors to C. diff infection, and why the failure rate of existing antibiotics on the infection is high and increasing. 

Medicine needs alternatives, and we know they’re here. 

If you need a resource, all of these products from trusted brands can be found in my professional dispensary on Fullscript.

This is Mullein whom I found yesterday. A beautiful medicinal plant with an affinity for the respiratory system. In summer it has beautiful yellow flowers that erect on a spike several feet from the center.

It has a super soft cozy feel seen rarely in the plant world. I liken it to sage “on steroids”. However Mullein often grows in disturbed soils and tends to improve the soil making it good enough for other plants to thrive and then moves on and quits growing there.

This plant is great for many respiratory ailments like coughs, laryngitis, sinusitis, hoarseness, whooping cough and bronchitis; and is generally recognized as safe (meaning no known cautions).

Mullein has been known since Dioscorides, a Greek pharmacologist and botanist, recommended it for use in lung conditions around 2,000 years ago. Plant medicine is truly ancient medicine!

You can find this medicinal herb along with many others in many respiratory herbal products. A great one to have on hand in your winter medicine cabinet! I have personally seen the wonders of this plant many times over in patients.