Hyperimmune egg powder for the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome: A case series
Received 17 October 2003
Abstract
Objective
To demonstrate the benefits of a hyperimmune egg powder supplement for treating irritable bowel syndrome in 2 patients.
Clinical Features
The first patient, not under chiropractic care, had been diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome by her primary care physician. She sought care due to failure of several other alternative therapies. Her primary care physician ordered specific dietary modifications, yet this regimen did not appear to improve her symptoms. The second patient, also diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome by her primary care physician, decided to seek care because the attending physician was concurrently treating her for idiopathic scoliosis, and both treatments could be administered at 1 office visit. Her primary reason for seeking this treatment was her longstanding episodic intestinal cramping and diarrhea. She overheard another patient in the same clinic discussing how the hyperimmune egg powder had alleviated her digestive complaints and decided to undergo a 2-week trial of the hyperimmune egg powder.
Intervention and Outcome
The first subject was given a 31- day supply of the hyperimmune egg powder. She reported significant subjective improvement in frequency of defecation and stool consistency after 48 hours. She kept a daily journal to monitor her bowel habits during the trial period. The second subject was provided a 15-day supply of hyperimmune egg powder and instructed to keep the same daily journal to monitor her bowel habits. During the second week of the trial, she noticed less frequent bowel habits and a more solid stool consistency. However, shortly after she stopped taking the hyperimmune egg powder, the pre-trial symptoms returned. Because of this, she was put back on the hyperimmune egg powder, and the symptoms improved thereafter.
Conclusion
The addition of hyperimmune egg powder into an ordinary daily diet may have improved bowel function in 2 subjects, at least subjectively. However, it is unclear whether the subjective improvements are due to the hyperimmune egg powder or any psychosomatic effect created by physician contact, regardless of treatment type. This study should be repeated on a larger scale with a control group before any conclusions are made.
ABSTRACT