You’ve probably heard of some pretty bizarre methods doctors have suggested to make people feel better but did you know that eating sh*t can actually be good for you?
We swear we’re not making this up! It appears that as scientists have become more interested in the role bacteria plays in our health and well-being, research has found that fecal transplants can actually help patients who are severely lacking in good bacteria by regenerating it.
The method is particularly useful for fighting C-Diff infections, as sometimes antibiotics can kill good bacteria in the gut and leave the harmful Clostridium difficile bacteria to do its worst – the infection kills 15,000 Americans a year.
So, to help, “good poop” is actually administered to infected patients either through a colonoscopy or, crazier still, through a tube in the nose.
Of course, for this to work, the doctors can’t just use any old crap and companies like OpenBiome near Boston, U.S, seek out poo which is close to perfection.
Eric is one such guy and, as one of 22 registered sh*t donors, he earns $40 (£26) for each sample. He’s already earned around $1,000 (£650) simply for sitting on the toilet and doing his business.
As reported by Fox 4, to donate, Eric first had to pass a 109-point clinical assessment. A myriad of factors could disqualify a donor – obesity, illicit drug use, antibiotic use, travel to regions with high risk of contracting diseases, recent tattoos and more. Eric also had to pass tests to confirm he hadn’t had any recent infections. Only 3 per cent of prospective donors are deemed healthy enough to help.
Speaking of his incredible poop, Eric said:
I had no idea. It turns out that it’s fairly close to perfect!
Over the past two-and-a-half months alone, Eric has generated 10.6lbs of poop, enough faeces to produce 133 treatments for patients suffering from C-diff. Meanwhile, OpenBiome’s donors have created about 5,000 treatments which has resulted in an astounding 90 per cent of the patients getting better.
Well done, Eric. Good sh*t, indeed!
