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The following are the full testimonials and success stories that appeared in the SCD listserves.
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1998 |
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Date:
Sat, 13 Jun 1998 18:58:47 -0500 Anyway, July
1, 1998 will be my one year anniversary on the diet. I have followed
it faithfully and my life has changed for the better. I am a nice
jovial human being again! Date:
Sat, 13 Jun 1998 23:49:25 -0600 Date: Fri, 03 Jul 1998 08:11:17 -0500 From: Matthew Cirillo Subject: Re: SCD diet Yorktown Estates wrote: >> I am curious about how long it was until you noticed significant changes in symptoms, how long it was until you were able to get off medication (if you were in it), and if you plan to stay on the diet for the rest of your life. I also would like to know what foods, if any, that were deemed acceptable for the diet, might have caused problems for you. Did you ever consider surgery? I started the diet 2 1/2 years ago. I have Colitis. I noticed changes in 2 weeks, which were significant. My swelling went down, my urgency to go went down. I still had some bleeding, which only fully went away for a few 2-3 week periods at a time. MY spirits went way up. It was quite a while after that before I "found myself" at a higer level of remission, it is a slow, slow process. I feel that it took "resigning myself" to being on the diet for psychophysiological changes to occur to offset the frustration and discouragement of being chronically ill. I stopped meds after about 6 months on the diet. I should be on asacol, as a day-to-day maintenence drug which is supposed to help you stay in remmision, but I think it increases my bleeding. So I find that I just stop taking it. I had achieved a level of remission in March of this year that led me to believe that I had "gotten all I was going to get" from the diet. All the mucus, swelling and accompanying urgency to move bowels had disappeared. I had occasinal sporadic showings of blood in my stool, but nothing like what I had experienced before going on the diet. I had long given up any medication. A happy camper, I was. I started "reintroducing foods." I figured corn (in the form of tortilla chips and my own custom corn bread recipe) and rice, and beer were good starting points. Much to my delight, I was able to handle them without any adverse symptoms - at first. I noticed a significant boost in energy, most likely from the carbohydrates, and put an extra maybe 7 pounds on, I felt more substantial. Once I started putting ketchup on burger patties, and allowed myself to go out to restaurants, the symptoms started creeping back until -- WHAM! I was having a relapse! Now, 3 weeks later, on 15 mg of prednisone and back on the diet "with fanatical adherance" I find that I'm coming around again. I think if I had tread more lightly, or waited another 6 months, I would have been less succeptiple to having this relapse. BUT - I've learned now that the diet definitely alleviates the most bothersome symptom for me, the constant urge to go. I'm doing rather well, I must say. I feel good. But, some of that new-found carbo-induced energy is gone (replaced by the racey steroid induced frenzical state that prednisone puts me in). I expect that I'll be able to taper off the prednisne in another couple of weeks, thanks to eating only foods legal to the diet. I'm also back to being sensitive to stuff like grape skins, which are irritating to my stomach, but I don't feel that I'm back to square one by a longshot. If you ar pondering whether or not to take the plunge and do the diet, you would be foolish not to give it a shot. It must be done with 100% commitment, from my experience. Treat it like a religion, and you are the high priest. Matthew Cirillo
Date:
Wed, 8 Jul 1998 03:48:08 -0500
From: gjantzi Subject: RE: SCD Questions I have been on SCD for almost two years: (1) Acid reflux gone almost immediately. (2) Constipation and D gone after 8 - 9 weeks. (3) I have learned to listen closely to my body. Lately I have been cheating on the diet to see what would happen. So far, I can sense when the food is not agreeing with me (pizza) (chips)etc., and I immediately go back to the diet. It has been a year with no symptoms. But my body seems to say it is not ready yet. If it means that I will have to eat grilled salmon seasoned with Cajun spices, meatloaf made with a combo of turkey, pork and beef (lightened with V8), delicious nut muffins and smoothies for breakfast, pies made with almond flour crust, lasagna made with zucchini - I think I can enjoy it. In fact it seems like a very healthy life choice to me. Gerry Date: Mon, 13 Jul 1998 22:22:08 +0200 From: ka_bart_cmt@juno.com Subject: Doctor update I went to my doctor today and he released me. He said I didn't need to come back unless I had a problem. He said I really hadn't had a real flare-up for over a year. I told him that is because I have been on this diet for that long. He still does not think that the diet is what has made me feel better. I am by no means completely cured. There are some days that my side hurts, but it is not bad and does not last. I was so glad to released from the doctor after 4 years. I am not on any medication, but plan on staying on scd for the rest of my life. I had to share this news with those people who understand how exciting this is. Karen Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 09:34:28 -0700 From: "Linda Schaaf" Subject: Is this the right diet for me? Dear HLachs@aol.com, I had the same problem you do. I was usually constipated and sometimes felt as if I had a basketball in my gut, I was that bloated! Off and on this would reverse to D, which many times I welcomed as it gave me relief. Just before going on the SCD, Sept. 27, 1997, I also began bleeding. Another problem was extreme chest pain along with sharp pains around my heart, which fortunately ended up to be from my stomach, not my heart. My theory on that was that all the stuff sitting in my intestines, due to constipation, was causing gas to back up into my stomach. The SCD has helped me become 'regular', which equates to one good bm in the morning. I leave the house for work feeling light and good. I very rarely experience the chest pain or sharp stomach pains now. I still have to work at it though, because there are certain foods that are allowed on the SCD that give me an adverse reaction. If I have a bad day, I can usually track it back to a particular food, usually some type of fruit. I have also cheated on occasion and I can declare without a doubt that grains will bring back the constipation immediately and can last for 4-5 days. So breads, pasta, anything with flour in it is harmful. My doctor wanted me to also try a diet that would be right for my blood type. I have not completely implemented it because combined with the SCD, it restricts me even further. One thing that the blood type diet would allow is corn, which the SCD does not. So my doctor said to experiment, one food at a time if I want. Well, I tried corn (I love chips and salsa). I do not recall having an immediate gut reaction, i.e. constipation, but it did bring back my eczema, which some research has shown, the scaly condition of the skin is an outward sign of what is occurring in the intestines. I can summarize all of this by saying, I have tried the SCD, and I have tested it with somewhat controlled experiments, and my conclusion is, it works! And it doesn't pay to cheat. When I started the SCD I hoped it would be a temporary thing, maybe 2 or 3 years. But I have adopted the attitude that the SCD is the way for me to eat. Since it has made such a difference in my life, I don't look at it as temporary anymore, and I also don't see it as restrictive. I have read that when you continue to eat foods that you are allergic to you will gain weight. I had gained an unwanted 25 lbs. I would also notice, when I was experiencing bloating, I could gain 5 lbs in one day! I have lost that 25 lbs and am back to my ideal body weight. The daily weight fluctuations have diminished as well. Sorry for making this so long. I hope you try the SCD, and I hope you get the same relief that I have. You will want to be fanatic about it, especially for the first 4 weeks, to see if it is going to help you. Regards, Linda Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1998 21:20:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Lisa Quigley Subject: Hello from Northern B.C. I was diagnosed in April with Celiac. During my first month my Naturopath and I added pancreatic enzymes, plantzymes, Bile, HCL and Pepsin, Carbamide. I am already taking biotin and folic acid, calcium, magnesium etc. etc. Within the first month of gluten free and my new supplements, I felt alot better. Prior to being diagnosed I lost 20 pounds in 3 months. I now weigh 98 pounds and am 5'7". A little bit slim for my liking! As well, prior to April 5th, I was a vegetarian for 2 years as I thought that I was doing my body a favour cutting out the meat. I had problems digesting it but now as I think back it was probably what I ate with it that was causing the problem. For my entire life, I have been affected by digestive and constipation problems and just sort of learned to live with it as "this is me". My energy levels in March 1998 were so low that I was sleeping most of the day and had incredible headaches and stomach aches (especially after eating - in the gallbladder area). I am now a meat & veggie eating-aholic! and have never felt better! On May 25th I dug out my copy of "Food and Gut Reaction" by Elaine Gottschall that I had purchased about 5 years ago, read, put away and thought that I could never eat like that. As of that date I have been on the SCD. It was about a month after that and I really started to notice the increase in energy. Like wow! Up to May 25th I was feeling OK but new there was still something wrong. I like a few others (notes that I have read on the chat line) dove right in and was eating nuts etc and salads from day one as I didn't really read the instructions properly. Something else that I notices as I reread the book a few days ago was that seeds are not allowed. I've been eating tahini and sunflower seeds quite a bit. No more now though. I have a few questions that I was hoping for input if possible. I still am constipated. I went to see a different ND who told me that at one time in my life, I have had the Epstein Barr Virus (I cann't seem to remember having it) and that the symptoms will be low grade for the rest of my life. He said that this causes improper liver function, therefore poor elimination as well. I was unable to take the homeopathic tincture (barberry) as it made my feel fatigue and have a horrible headache. Have you heard of this and do you think that it could cause the constipation? I still also have an "Oily substance" that I see in the toilet water, when I go to the bathroom. What does this mean. Could it be from the seeds that I have been eating?? Not digesting the fat?? I have not gained any weight back yet and cannot wait to put it back on. I read some of the info about certain veggies (squash, pumpkin, turnip) that may do it and I will increase this in my diet asap. Any other recommendations? Would eating smaller meals 4 x a day be good? I was taking a colloidal mineral drink prior to being diagnosed called "Longlife Minerals". It has all 90 colloidal minerals and a few other added nutrients such as nopal cactus, 100% soluable fibre. It is in a base of crystalline fructose, potassium gluconate, magnesium gluconate, citric acid, malic acid, calcium gluconate, zinc gluconate, potassium benzonate, potassium sorbate, copper gluconate etc. etc. I think the colloids are good but the base is not allowed on the SCD. Therefore, can you recommend a product that would give me the collodial minerals. Do you think they are a good thing??? Is gray hair (I am 29) caused by my body being starved of nutrients? Will it turn brown again? What can you do for a prolapsed bowel?? I also have another bit of information that I would like to share. I have just recently read "Eat Right for your Blood Type", by Peter D'Adamo. It is really an interesting book. One thing that fascinated my was that I am a Type "O" and the diet that he outlines for Type "O"'s is very close to the SCD. I am interested to know how many people there are out there that have Celiac etc. are Type "O" people???? The Type "O" is known as the "Meat Eater - Hunter Gatherer" and was the first known blood type for prehistoric man. There is a web site about the "Paleolithic Diet" if anyone is interested. On this diet the individual eats only what the Hunter Gatherer would have ate back then - meat, veggies, certain legumes, certain nuts, no dairy, no grains and no potatoes. The Type "A" came along later when mankind began growing food for agricultural purposes. They Type "A" is the vegetarian and can tolerate the grains and dairy but isn't very tolerable red meat etc. I apologize for dragging on so long, but I thought is was interesting and Food for Thought!!!! Hee Hee I feel really good, the best in years (have been losing weight for about 4 years now). I would like to sincerely thank Elaine Gottschall for writing both of her books and giving me a new life. I also enjoyed the new information about Celiac in "Breaking the Viscous Cycle". I can actually think straight again and have colour in my face! We have been trying for children for a few years now and can now hopefully see them in the future sometime. I look forward to helping anyone I can with this information. I look forward to any of your knowledge when you have a moment!!! Thank you again! Lisa Quigley Fort St. John, British Columbia Date: Thu, 3 Sep 1998 04:31:20 -0400 From: "Steven A. Melnick" Subject: Re: Smoking I have been on the diet for 2 years with tremendous (perhaps miraculous!) results. I do occassionally enjoy a cigar (every few days) and have done so for years. It was not until I went on this diet that remission occurred. In fact, I was on a serious downward spiral until I started the SCD. The diet works. Stick with it. Steven
Date:
Fri, 11 Sep 1998 08:40:41 -0400 About 10 years
ago, freinds bought tickets for our anneversary to see Elton John
at madison square garden. I had to meet them & my husband at penn
station, so I left work, going to the bathroom first of course.
I walked the 2 blocks to the train station and as I walked up the
stairs, IT hit me. I had to go SO bad. As the train approached,
I seriously considered throwing myself in front of it to finally
put an end to my miserable
Date: Wed, 11 Nov 1998 20:44:00 -0600 (CST) Date:
Mon, 19 Jan 1998 17:45:35 -0800 Hello everybody, I am one of the people who have had such success on the SCD that I am now so busy enjoying a regular life, I have wandered away from participating in the list as much as I used to. One of the pitfalls of getting healthier! I have been on the diet since March 97, going on eleven months now. I am someone whom the diet has helped very much. I know there has been a lot of discussion on the list about whether the diet is enough. My opinion is that for those whom it works for, it works very well. If it doesn't, then it may not be worthwhile for you to be on the diet. Elaine recommends a month on the diet to see if it helps. If it doesn't perhaps you need something else, or a personal variation (which could no longer truly be called the SCD, by the way). I myself had to eliminate many so-called "okay" foods for a long time. I even gave up honey, all dairy and all fruit except apples for several months. Now I can eat everything. I even had some "cheats" over the holidays, namely some chocolate and white sugar, and didn't have a single symptom from my transgressions, which is really amazing to me. I never dreamed I would have such good bowel health again in my life. By the way, my condition has been IBD. I've been in remission since last August. I have gone through many many patterns of up and down during this past year, with relapses and bouts of flu-like symptoms. But from my experience, I want to encourage everyone to stay optomistic and keep trying. Don't give up and don't ever cheat until you have at least been symptom free for a long time (of course, Elaine recommends staying on the diet for a year after you last symptom) and know you could handle it emotionally if you backslide into a relapse.. Do what you need to do for yourself if you need to take supplements, vitamins or the drugs that help you, we are all highly individual. However, it is my belief that the SCD really does rehabillitate bowel health over the long term, even without additional measures. It may take a long time. But the basic premise is sound. I know this from having tried many angles of alternative health care and traditional western medicine over many years of debilitation. I think I will remain on an SCD pattern of eating for the rest of my life, because it actually is rather habit forming after being on it so long. And also because my Mom has had Crohns and I think my gut is my "weak link." I will undoubtedly always have to be careful. I can still tell how stress affects my gut, although I haven't had a relapse in many months. I also think it is important to really read the book -- and to re-read the book at some point, because there are things you will understand after being on the diet for awhile that might have not made as much sense in the beginning. There is a lot of science to understand. I wish everybody a great deal of luck to top it all off! Best wishes
everybody, Denise Subject: Re:
SCD is it enough? > How long were you symptom free before you could start eating >everything? First let me be clear that what I mean by being able to "eat everything" is everything that is on the SCD diet. I have not experimented with grains at all, or anything else for that matter, short of the cheats I had over the holidays that did not affect me adversely. But to answer your question, four months. In August I was still not able to eat some things. I might also add that I took medicine to erradicate an amoeba at that time (in August) and that made a big difference for me, helped along the SCD for me in a big way. I think it just shows how unique all our situations are. Best wishes, Denise Date:
Tue, 20 Jan 1998 15:25:10 -0800 Dear Denise, Thanks so much for your update on your health. I am so happy for you. I also have good news. I have been on the SCD since June 15, 1997. I have experienced some improvement and a lot of flares, particularly diarrhea. In December, someone posted how they handle flares: back to the original diet and after things settle, adding only 1 new food at a time, allowing 2 days to see what that new food does to the guts. For about 6 weeks now, I have been just on the "starting" diet. At first, no difference; then, slowly, slowly I began to notice a change in my bowel movement from watery diarrhea to less of that and more of a formed stool. This past week, it has been only the latter. I think I was eating things on the diet that I simply was not ready for, i.e. honey, (I still eat it in the cheesecake), fruit and yogurt! While I haven't cut out the yogurt, I have reduced intake considerably; only about 3 cups a week. No cheese, except the dry curd cottage cheese which I put in the cheesecake and mix into the yogurt when I eat yogurt. Rest of the time, I'm eating veggies (green beans, all squashes, occasionally-- cooked skinless tomatoes,carrots and zucchini) and chicken and fish and seafood. I try to alternate them, eating a particular veggie/other food every four days. That's it. I literally can feel a shift happening in my guts. They feel "stronger"; like I haven't experienced in about 10 years! I have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or Ulceritive Colitis, depending upon which doctor you trust! I plan to stay on this diet for at least another 6 weeks, total of 3 months and see what happens; if everything is okay, then slowly, slowly take on a few of the other foods on the diet, one at a time and continuing to follow the program above. Hope this is helpful to someone on the list. Good health to us all in 1998! Prateeksha
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Date:
Wed, 30 Dec 1998 19:36:02 -0700 Date:
Mon, 14 Dec 1998 19:02:09, -0500 Date:
Sun, 14 Jun 1998 08:46:08 -0400 Date:
Mon, 31 Aug 1998 19:52:11 -0400
Today I have
been on this wonderful diet for 2 years! Date:
Tue, 7 Jul 1998 10:15:57 -0700 Date:
Wed, 26 Aug 1998 09:47:28 EDT I have been
cooking for weeks and freezing so I can send her Date:
Wed, 23 Dec 1998 10:48:08 -0400 Sheri, The quickie
version: I was diagnosed at 17 with Crohn's Disease. I've had one
resection (6.5 years ago). I'm now 27 and teaching high school math.
A few weeks ago it would have been more accurate to say I was trying
to teach high school math, as I had no energy and was in very frequent
pain/discomfort which I just couldn't stand anymore. I know where
every public restroom is in many areas of NH, and I know the walls
of my bathroom at home more intimately than any other room! I was,
even more, just trying to survive. I knew the diet
would help, as I had started it most of the way (some cheating)
over the summer and it helped significantly. I couldn't/didn't maintain
it completely once school started, and I had gotten to the point
3 weeks ago where I was almost as sick as I had been last June. I restarted
at square one, and after 3 weeks I feel GREAT!! This is the third
day in a row I've had no discomfort to speak of. The trips to the
bathroom have decreased from at least 6-10 a day to between 2-4,
frequently (though not yet always) formed. These things really excite
me these days. It feels SO good. Last summer
I had certain things I just couldn't resist, and I didn't improve
nearly as quickly as I have this time. Following the diet strictly
is definitely important. It helps even when you cheat, but it won't
have the chance to fully work it's magic. AND, once you
start to feel better, it starts to be easier to maintain. Now when
I look at even my favorite forbidden foods, I connect them with
how sick I was not long ago. It was awful, and I NEVER want to be
back there. The more I associate certain foods with that pain, the
less appealing they seem. It helps a lot. So yes, the
diet works. The last thing
is, I too had the idea that I would be sacrificing/investing a couple
of years of difficultly in order to be "over it" after
that and never have to worry about it again. One thing that has
helped in the last 3 weeks, as compared to my summer attempt, is
that I realize that the diet itself is no sacrifice at all compared
to the sacrifice of not being able to live any kind of enjoyable
life when I was so sick. It starts to seem like a gift. Yes, I would
like to eat garlic bread again in a few years, but if I don't it's
still okay. I wasn't convinced of that until recently, but now I
need no more convincing. Good luck and keep us posted!! Nancy Date:
Wed, 9 Sep 1998 20:59:40, -0500 Date:
Thu, 24 Sep 1998 13:46:04 -0500
Date:
Mon, 17 Aug 1998 09:48:24 -0400 Date:
Mon, 3 Aug 1998 21:12:31 -0400 Date:
Tue, 3 Feb 1998 23:33:04 EST Hello Michelle, I have some of the same questions that you do regarding the SCD diet. I came out of eight years of Crohn's remission in september and went on the SCD diet and Pentasa in october. My daily bouts of loose stools and D. stopped almost immediately. I am staying strictly on the diet, but am not limiting the quantities of any permitted foods, ie. as much fruit, honey, yoghurt, nuts, meat, vegetables etc. as I can eat. I seem to tolerate everything. The pains from inflammation have subsided substantially, but are still present occasionally. I was very anemic, but have been very aggressive with iron, b-12, folic acid, and a host of vitamins. My blood levels improved quite a bit in two months but still have a way to go. I have a stricture that is too small to allow a scope through and finally, may be developing my first fistula. I really hope that isn't the case. My feelings on all this is that I will give nutrition (SCD) and modern medicine 100% each a chance to get me to the best overall health I can have. Stopping eight years of D. is surely an improvement and I contribute that exclusively to SCD. According to Elaine Gottschall that should also improve blood levels. I expect it is the Pentasa that has helped reduce the pain of inflammation this quickly. But it may not be enough. We'll see. I've always been a firm believer in modern medicine. But I chose to go on the SCD diet because it makes so much sense. We are all learning as we go. I think the restrictions of the diet is a small price to pay for the chance it may bring renewed health. Good luck!
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