Sharing (Poop) Is Caring

Fecal microbiota transplants will never not be a little weird and a little funny. The whole concept behind them is rife for comedy: You're literally taking someone else's poop and shoving into your own body. Sure, FMTs are undeniably beneficial for quite a few people out there, but as we're about to see, even the best intentions in the world can't stop poop jokes from being funny.

In a recent documentary entitled "Designer $hit" – don't worry, it's a dollar sign, no expletives here – a mother and son combo from Toronto was interviewed regarding FMTs. And they certainly had a story to tell.

It all started way back in 2006, when Charlie Curtis was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease in rapid succession. Within 2 years, his symptoms were so bad that he needed to be hospitalized, and he would use the bathroom upward of 40 times a day. Not ideal for anyone, but especially so when you're barely out of your teens.

His mother, Sky Curtis, was quite obviously distressed by this turn of events and so she contacted Thomas Borody in Australia, the "inventor" of FMTs. Seeing as it was earlier days for the procedure and it wasn't approved for Charlie's specific condition, Dr. Borody advised Sky to simply do the procedure at home, administering her healthy stool to Charlie. And to her credit, the treatment did work. When the Curtis's were interviewed for the documentary in 2019, Charlie was symptom free and off medication.

The treatment, however, was not without some ... interesting side effects. You see, while she was delivering the FMTs, Sky Curtis was going through menopause. And as Dr. Borody said in the documentary, FMTs can transfer quite a few things, such as diseases and, more importantly, hormones.

Yeah, Sky Curtis gave her son menopause. Or rather, Charlie experienced all the symptoms of menopause: sweating, hot flashes, and mood swings. Hey, no treatment comes without a few side effects, and given the choice between pooping 40 times a day and a few mood swings, I'd probably take the menopause. And hey, to all the mothers out there, the holidays are coming up soon, why not take a page out of Sky Curtis' book and give your children the gift of poop? Tis the season, after all.

Beer of the Week

The beer: Is Butter A Carb?

The brewery: Evil Genius Beer Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Description (from Untappd): "The only thing better than pretzels and beer is pretzels in beer, and EG has teamed up with Auntie Anne's to bring you just that. This crisp Oktoberfest-Style Lager was brewed with malt, hopes, and warm, soft pretzels for an extra dose of rich flavor. Don't get it twisted."

Would I buy it again? Perhaps I had unrealistic expectations for this beer. After all, the other pretzel-flavored beer I've had is one of my absolute favorites, and beer and pretzels are such a natural combination. And I think, if I had this beer in isolation without previous knowledge of Aldus' pretzel beer, I'd probably like this beer a whole lot. But I have had Aldus' pretzel beer, and this one just doesn't compare. It's a solid beer, and there's a bit of that bready saltiness, but it just doesn't capture the pretzel magic that Aldus managed. I'm afraid I just could not buy this one again. Once you've had the real deal, you can't make due with a pale imitation.