NOTE: A NEW PHOTO OF Drs. Oz and Roizen IS AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON THE BBS.
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Q: I read about an autistic child who improved after taking antibiotics for strep throat. I thought people with autism needed more - not fewer - gut bacteria, and that antibiotics kill them off. What's the real story here? - Alice J., Knoxville, Tennessee
A: The short answer is that we're just beginning to understand the relationship of the gut biome (the trillions of bacteria in your digestive system) to complex conditions such as autism. We know that good health, a strong immune system and steady blood sugar levels depend on a balance of many kinds of gut bacteria - some that we call good; others that, if unchecked, we call bad. If this child's symptoms of autism were improved (and news reports said there was a dramatic change) by taking an antibiotic, it MIGHT be that killing off some of the bacteria in his gut (a side effect of taking the antibiotic to KO strep) restored a healthy balance.
The case you're referring to is similar to a case study done in 1999 with younger adults who had symptoms of autism alongside intestinal problems. When their intestinal infection was treated with antibiotics (vancomycin) there was a temporary reversal in their autistic symptoms.
In this recent case, we don't yet know if the boy's symptoms will return or not. But his father, John Rodakis, is a medical venture capitalist with a background in molecular biology and an MBA from Dr. Oz's alma mater, Harvard. He's started a nonprofit, N of One: Autism Research Foundation. You can go to its website at www.nofone.org for more info.
This foundation's research focuses on individual treatments for individual patients. It's hoped that finding an effective treatment for ONE individual will lead researchers to explore treatments that are effective for many. And it does look like achieving the proper balance in a person's gut biome may be part of the solution.
Q: My brother is obese (6 feet tall, weighs 300-plus pounds) and now, at age 50, he needs a knee replacement. I know it would help if he lost weight BEFORE the surgery, but he can barely walk. I'm afraid the surgery might be unsuccessful because of his weight. What's your take on this? - John M., Solon, Ohio
A: When overweight and obese people who can't walk because the extra load on their joints has caused osteoarthritis get knee or hip replacement surgery, it really can improve their quality of life. Studies show that if your brother doesn't have other complications from being obese (his height and weight classify him as "morbidly obese"), such as diabetes, heart disease or high blood pressure, his chances for a good post-op recovery are the same as someone who's of a normal weight.
Unfortunately, most overweight and obese people do have those kinds of complications.
For them, losing weight BEFORE joint replacement surgery is clearly a good idea. One way to do this if someone is very obese: weight-loss surgery. A very interesting study from The Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City recently found that getting bariatric surgery prior to joint replacement is "a cost-effective option from a public payer standpoint in order to improve outcomes in obese patients who are candidates for joint replacement." Although it may be preferable to lose weight through diet and exercise, that's really tough; bariatric surgery may be the only way to shed enough weight and keep it off. We're hoping studies like the one at HSS will help weight-loss surgery become more widely available.
Bariatric weight-loss surgery also can help reverse the stampede of joint replacements that's happened in the past decade. The number of total knee replacements has doubled, hitting 644,243 in 2011, due largely to the obesity epidemic.
Encourage your brother to talk to his doctors about weight loss, bariatric surgery and his upcoming joint replacement so that he can get more than a new joint - he can get a Do-Over for a new life!
Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.