VSL #3 is a probiotic. It is the best on the market. She takes 1 packet of 450B 2x a day. Now that she has 2 completely solid stools per day the VSL will help with mucosal healing in the colon. We will repeat her colonoscopy in 7 months.
Here are the VSL#3 articles given to me by my daughter's doctor:
Am J Gastroenterol. 2010 Oct;105(10):2218-27. Epub 2010 Jun 1.
Treatment of relapsing mild-to-moderate ulcerative colitis with the probiotic VSL#3 as adjunctive to a standard pharmaceutical treatment: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study.
Tursi A, Brandimarte G, Papa A, Giglio A, Elisei W, Giorgetti GM, Forti G, Morini S, Hassan C, Pistoia MA, Modeo ME, Rodino' S, D'Amico T, Sebkova L, Sacca' N, Di Giulio E, Luzza F, Imeneo M, Larussa T, Di Rosa S, Annese V, Danese S, Gasbarrini A.
Source
"Lorenzo Bonomo" Hospital, Andria, Italy. antotursi@tiscali.it
Abstract
OBJECTIVES:
VSL#3 is a high-potency probiotic mixture that has been used successfully in the treatment of pouchitis. The primary end point of the study was to assess the effects of supplementation with VSL#3 in patients affected by relapsing ulcerative colitis (UC) who are already under treatment with 5-aminosalicylic acid (ASA) and/or immunosuppressants at stable doses.
METHODS:
A total of 144 consecutive patients were randomly treated for 8 weeks with VSL#3 at a dose of 3,600 billion CFU/day (71 patients) or with placebo (73 patients).
RESULTS:
In all, 65 patients in the VSL#3 group and 66 patients in the placebo group completed the study. The decrease in ulcerative colitis disease activity index (UCDAI) scores of 50% or more was higher in the VSL#3 group than in the placebo group (63.1 vs. 40.8; per protocol (PP) P=0.010, confidence interval (CI)₉₅(%) 0.51-0.74; intention to treat (ITT) P=0.031, CI₉₅(%) 0.47-0.69). Significant results with VSL#3 were recorded in an improvement of three points or more in the UCDAI score (60.5% vs. 41.4%; PP P=0.017, CI₉₅(%) 0.51-0.74; ITT P=0.046, CI₉₅(%) 0.47-0.69) and in rectal bleeding (PP P=0.014, CI₉₅(%) 0.46-0.70; ITT P=0.036, CI₉₅(%) 0.41-0.65), whereas stool frequency (PP P=0.202, CI₉₅(%) 0.39-0.63; ITT P=0.229, CI₉₅(%) 0.35-0.57), physician's rate of disease activity (PP P=0.088, CI₉₅(%) 0.34-0.58; ITT P=0.168, CI₉₅(%) 0.31-0.53), and endoscopic scores (PP P=0.086, CI₉₅(%) 0.74-0.92; ITT P=0.366, CI₉₅(%) 0.66-0.86) did not show statistical differences. Remission was higher in the VSL#3 group than in the placebo group (47.7% vs. 32.4%; PP P=0.069, CI₉₅(%) 0.36-0.60; ITT P=0.132, CI₉₅(%) 0.33-0.56). Eight patients on VSL#3 (11.2%) and nine patients on placebo (12.3%) reported mild side effects.
CONCLUSIONS:
VSL#3 supplementation is safe and able to reduce UCDAI scores in patients affected by relapsing mild-to-moderate UC who are under treatment with 5-ASA and/or immunosuppressants. Moreover, VSL#3 improves rectal bleeding and seems to reinduce remission in relapsing UC patients after 8 weeks of treatment, although these parameters do not reach statistical significance.
Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2009 Nov;7(11):1202-9, 1209.e1. Epub 2009 Jul 22.
The probiotic preparation, VSL#3 induces remission in patients with mild-to-moderately active ulcerative colitis.
Sood A, Midha V, Makharia GK, Ahuja V, Singal D, Goswami P, Tandon RK.
Source
Department of Gastroenterology and Medicine, Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana, India.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & AIMS:
Probiotics can maintain ulcerative colitis (UC) in remission effectively, but little is known of their ability to induce remission. We conducted a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a high-potency probiotic, VSL#3, for the treatment of mild-to-moderately active UC.
METHODS:
Adult patients with mild-to-moderate UC were assigned randomly to groups that were given 3.6 x 10(12) CFU VSL#3 (n = 77) or placebo (n = 70), twice daily for 12 weeks. The primary end point was a 50% decrease in the Ulcerative Colitis Disease Activity Index (UCDAI) at 6 weeks. The secondary end points included remission by 12 weeks and reduction in total individual UCDAI parameters from baseline at 12 weeks. Intention-to-treat analysis was performed.
RESULTS:
At week 6, the percentage of patients with an improvement in UCDAI score that was greater than 50% was significantly higher in the group given VSL#3 (25; 32.5%) than the group given placebo (7; 10%) (P = .001). At week 12, there were 33 patients given VSL#3 (42.9%) who achieved remission, compared with 11 patients given placebo (15.7%) (P < .001). Furthermore, significantly more patients given VSL#3 (40; 51.9%) achieved a decrease in their UCDAI that was greater than 3 points, compared with those given placebo (13; 18.6%) (P < .001). The VSL#3 group had significantly greater decreases in UCDAI scores and individual symptoms at weeks 6 and 12, compared with the placebo group.
CONCLUSIONS:
VSL#3 is safe and effective in achieving clinical responses and remissions in patients with mild-to-moderately active UC.