In a curious case to say the least, she began to transplant feces on her own, using her boyfriend's material. But he has depression, and over time, the American woman began to show depressive symptoms too.
Stool transplants have already been recommended by health agencies for different purposes, such as treating resistant bacteria. Animal studies have also shown that the practice goes far beyond what we imagine, even reversing brain aging.
In view of these benefits, Koepke opted for this type of transplant to treat irritable bowel syndrome. For the past five years, he had been taking antibiotics, but to no avail.
Fecal transplantation involves mixing the feces of a healthy donor with saline solution, which is then inserted into the recipient's gastrointestinal tract.
It is possible to perform fecal transplantation using various methods, such as enema, oral capsules, colonoscopy or endoscopy.
At the beginning of the home treatment, Koepke made pills with the feces donated by his brother. She started to gain weight and was able to go to the toilet more often, but as a side effect, she developed acne (something her brother also suffered from).
So she switched and decided to start making pills with her boyfriend's feces. The acne went away, but as he suffered from depression, over time she began to experience depressive symptoms too.
Daniell's case was reported in a Netflix documentary called Hack Hour Health: the secrets of your gut:
The relationship between the gut and mental health may seem random, but it really isn't: an article in Nature Communications says that gut bacteria can influence depression.
There is a two-way communication between the gut and the brain, known as the gut-brain axis, which plays a crucial role in regulating mood and behavior.
Irritable bowel syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) causes symptoms such as abdominal pain and distension, constipation and diarrhea. According to the Brazilian Society of Digestive Motility and Neurogastroenterology, the main cause of the symptoms is visceral hypersensitivity.
The organization explains that it is a benign disease with a good evolution, if treated properly, and warns of signs such as bleeding, weight loss, dehydration and severe malnutrition.
But remember that stool transplants should not be done at home without medical supervision.
