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Letters from the Specific Carbohydrate Diet support group, July 1-4, 1997 (18) Archived letters Friday, 11 July 1997 You can now read and search in the letters of SCD mailing list at the web database of MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU: http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/scd.html. Also, you can obtain the archived letters at MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU by sending a query to the listserv. Therefore, it doesn't make sense to file them at this SCD web library any more. Selected letters, however, will still be placed here - sorted according to the subjects and categories. These are the letters of July 1997. The files at MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU are archived as monthly logs. For instance, if you wish to receive the logfile of July 1997 as an e-mail, you write "GET SCD LOG9707" in the body of the message and send it to: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu. To give you an example, the log file of beginning of July 1997 looks like this: ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 02:49:03 EDT Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "Mazer, C. & Blank, J." <103120.612@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: scd and weaning off prednisone? Hello all -- I'm a newcomer to the list as well as the SCD diet. I've got UC, or possibly Crohn's colitis (the M.D.s are going back and forth on the diagnosis). I'd gotten down to 5 mg of prednisone per day (plus 4800 mg. of asacol); then I flared again, and am currently up to 20 mg of prednisone (plus asacol). My question is this: as of now, I'm fairly asymptomatic (2-3 stools per day, no diarrhea, not much urgency, very littlle blood) -- if I start the diet now, when the pred is putting me into remission, how will I know if the diet is working? The book says I should know in a month, by the decrease in my symptomology; but if I'm having less symptoms, how will I know whether to attribute this to the diet or the prednisone? Or, do I wait until I possibly flare again before beginning the diet? Any opinions or suggestions about this? A couple of minor questions. OK, soy milk is a no-no: what about rice milk? almond milk? Thanks y'all. John Blank 103120.612@compuserve.com ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 17:22:25 -0400 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Matthew Cirillo <mcirill@EMORY.EDU> Subject: Re: What do you think ? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Dietmar wrote: > > At 12:08 AM 6/30/97 MDT, you wrote: > >Hi to all, > > > >For those not follwing the news server (alt.support. ...), I am > >posting this here as well. I replied to someone wondering if > >IBD is hereditary. Here follows my message... > > > >----- > >In '83 I was the first to be diagnosed with Crohn's. Since that time, two > >of my mother's sisters got UC while in their 40's. Another sister's daughter > >(my first cousin (female/23)) was diagnosed with CD in the past year. I do > >not believe CD and UC to be hereditary, however I believe we have a genetic > >pre-disposition to getting such a disease along with environmental factors. > > > >I would like to share IMHO why I believe (based on my personal circumstances > >and experiences) to have gotten Crohn's disease. > > > >You can make your own judgements based on your own experiences. I do not > >state here that these CAUSED CD, instead I state that they CONTRIBUTED to > >getting CD with the genetic pre-disposition. > > > > - my grandmother never breast-fed any of her 8 children > > - my mother never breastfed (as was "the thing" in her day) > > - my parents smoked up until I left for University > > - my family doctor prescribed Tetracycline for acne problem. This is > > strong wide-spectrum anti-biotic which kill off good germs as well. > > > > *** all of the above lead to lower immune system to fight off disease > > > > - poor eating habits as a teenager > > - too much SUGAR (such as daily drinking of Kool-aid -- BIGGEST MISTAKE) > > THAT I'LL WHOLE-HEARTEDLY AGREE WITH. I was a MAJOR sugar junkie from age > 5 for about 36 years (finally stopped, I hope, about 5 months ago). Eating > sugar always made me bleed, once I figured out the connection. > > Also, studies have been done of people with colitis that showed their > consumption of sweets is about 2x the "norm". > > You figure it out ... makes sense? > > If anyone wants to discuss HOW sugar wreaks such havoc, we could tackle > this topic sometimes ... > > > - drank too much milk while doing weight-training > > > > *** these lead to yeast and bacteria build-up in the colon which then > > moves upp into the lower bowel to feed on the undigested sugars and > > starches. The parts on the intestinal wall which should break these > > down are damaged by lower immune system. > > > >So if you have read some of my previous posts, you know that I know strongly > >believe that diet plays a major role in the healing process. It cost me two > >operations and 40 inches of bowel to learn this lesson. Change of diet to > >simple sugars will no longer feed the yeast and bacteria, them allowing my > >system to rebuild itself. Vitamins help rebuild immune system. > > > >There's my two-cents worth on the subject. Think about your situation > > > >Let me know what you think, and your situation before Crohn's and UC. > > > > Good work, Dan. And, yeah, too bad it took you so long to figure it out, > but then, we're all in the same boat ... some of us are at least lucky > enough to find these "alternative" info resources liks this group! > > Dietmar > > >Bye Dan. > >------ > > > >Thanks... Dan. > > > >*************************************************************** > >* Dan Woods The University of Calgary * > >* dwoods@acs.ucalgary.ca Calgary, AB, CANADA, T2N 1N4 * > >*************************************************************** > > > >It seems obvious to me, following this line of reason, that eating an abundance of sugar could have been a triggering factor in acquiring our illnesses. Sugar, being a complex carb, requires "work" for the cells to break them down. It's like running a car in a low gear for a great distance, eventually something has got to give. I've been a mass consumer of sweet cereals as a kid (and adult), which consists of milk, grain and sugar. Imagine the work required to absorb all that! ========================================================================= Date: Tue, 1 Jul 1997 16:21:33 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: SMacDonald <smacd@ISTAR.CA> Subject: Relapse I have ulcerative colitis and have been on the diet since April 26, 1997. I did really well and was symptom free after less than one month. That lasted for about two weeks. Now I've gone into a relapse which has lasted about three weeks. It seems to be getting steadily worse but I can't figure out why. I know the book talks about a relapse after two to three months but how long is this relapse supposed to last? I'm on mesasol pills and salofalk suppositories, has anyone else had success with these? Thanks for any ideas. Sonya ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 09:04:59 -0500 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Jim Prousalis <j-pro@MINDSPRING.COM> Subject: Re: scd and weaning off prednisone? MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Mazer, C & Blank, J WROTE if I start the diet now, when the pred is putting me into remission, how will I know if the diet is working? The book says I should know in a month, by the decrease in my symptomology; but if I'm having less symptoms, how will I know whether to attribute this to the diet or the prednisone? Or, do I wait until I possibly flare again before beginning the diet? Any opinions or suggestions about this? Hi and welcome. I started the diet the same time as I started taking Prednisone and other medications and I know the diet helped me. The Prednisone and the other medications helped me at the time due to my bad flare up. As my doctor said "you can't put out a fire with a glass of water, that is why I am putting you on medication". My doctor is the doctor who wrote the forward to Elaine's book, his name is Dr. Hoffman. I slowly got off all medication in about a three month period only, because I was doing so well. I would definitely start the diet right away. A couple of minor questions. OK, soy milk is a no-no: what about rice milk? almond milk? Rice milk is another NO-NO! We are not allowed to have any starch. I tried the almond milk and it bothered me I really don't know if it is allowed, but I stay away from the almond milk. Good Luck! Jim ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 09:09:11 -0500 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Jim Prousalis <j-pro@MINDSPRING.COM> Subject: Re: Relapse MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi! I am sorry to hear about the relapse. Have you tried the diet again from the beginning? I know when I have had symptoms of the Crohn's acting up I go write back to the beginning of the diet. Good Luck! Jim ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 09:09:09 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Sheila Shea's comments re "do juicing" Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" From my experience, juicing did NOT work for me. After reading Barry Sears' book "The Zone" I understood WHY (it used to run through me like water through a city water main!). It's because you're dumping a high volume of concentrated "refined" carbohydrates ("refined" in the sense that you've stripped it of all its natural attendant material, like the fibres) into the system; people with IBD (well, at least me!) apparently can not tolerate the sudden onslaught of highly-concentrated CHO's ... their small & large bowel simply don't absorb the water etc. out of it fast enough because the mucosal lining is inflamed (I'm again talking for someone like myself here, who has colitis, but it can also /especially apply for Crohnies because 90% of the stool's water is absorbed in the healthy small bowel). So in case anybody tries juicing (esp. fruits, veggies may work a bit better, but I wouldn't count on it ... again, you're concentrating the natural sugars and not letting them be carried in their natural "cradle" of the undigestible fibres, etc.) and it does NOT work, here may be the explanation why. Try it & see for yourself. Best wishes, Dietmar ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 09:17:45 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Re: new List member At 10:40 AM 6/30/97 -0400, you wrote: >Hi, >I have just joined the SCD List after hearing about it from one of your >members, Barb, here in FL. I have a continuing very puzzling intestinal >problem(s) about which I have been going to doctors for 7 1/2 years, >currently going to Shands Hospital in Gainesville, FL. About every test in >the book has been run and the only things showing up are chronic pancreatitis >- my pancreas does not produce any enzymes at all - and malabsorption. I >literally now can not eat any solid foods of any sort or drink anything but >water. I am on IV feeding 12 hours a night (TPN - total parenteral >nutrition) - absolute necessity; I was becoming skin and bones, having lost >almost 50 lbs. Biopsies from intestines show no Crohn's or Celiac disease or >any inflammatory diseases. I just had a monitoring test done of the motility >of the intestinal tract (a tube with monitor run down to my small intestine >for 24 hours - a miserable test to endure) and it showed "abnormal" in >preliminary viewing, I won't know full results till I go back on the 14th. > They administered 3 different medications at various intervals to track the >effects and to see if they would help the condition; two I had allergic >reactions to, the third is a shot which I would have to give each day if the >printouts show it helps. >I have had Irritable Bowel Syndrome for years and years, not realizing what >it was till about 12 years ago. I have always had food sensitivities but >food allergy tests show no positive results (no positive results on any >allergy test). At any rate, this condition has gotten progressively worse >and has the doctors baffled, also, since I evidently am not showing >"classical" symptons. They don't know whether this motility factor is a >result of or a cause of my chronic diarrhea. >I've been reading everything I can find on intestinal disorders causing >diarrhea. I have Elaine Gottschall's book and have been reading it. I am >willing to try anything. I do have a real problem digesting any fats (ever >since I can remember) and a lactose intolerance. 1) What do you mean by "a real problem"??? 2) What type of fats do you normally eat that give you problems? 3) Do you take these fats in a diet that also contains starches/grains/sugars? >I currently have two >medications to take: Prilosec and Creon 20 (digestive enzymes). >What I would like to know, from someone who has gone through it, is what of >the foods given in her lists should I attempt to start trying and how best to >do this. In reading her book in the start list she gives eggs but farther on >she mentions not using these till later. I really would like to hear from >anyone who has made a transition from IV (TPN) feeding to starting on her >diet and how best to do this. Slowly. I did it this Jan/Feb during my 5-week hospitalizaton for severe bout of colitis ... I convinced my MD & the dietician to let ME be in charge of my food planning there, and NOT to give me their usual intro diet of jello, milk, tea, soya milkshake, apple juice, and toast etc. (you know, all that good industrial so-called "food" crap!). Instead I started with pureed vegetables (non-starchy ones, i.e. no potatoes, yams, etc. ... cilantro & broccoli & carrots worked quite well), sort of like baby food, and easy on the spicing (I prefer none), with either avocadoe, olive oil, or butter as fat. I ate that 3x/day, and slowly added in other foods (i.e. non-pureed veggies, then a 1/2 apple, etc). This was before i was applying Elaine's methods, only usng my ND's advice, so I started eating bread & potatoes eventually, too ... now I know I shouldn't have, but it wasn't too too bad in any case. Next time around I'd stay away from those, too, though. >You can email me at LLBSchn@aol.com >I really want to get back on some regular food but have had absolutely no >luck so far. My intestinal tract goes wild any time I try. > >Lori > Small portions of the above-mentioned stuff, too. Check out Peter d'Adamo's Book "Eat Right for Your Type: 4 blood types, 4 diets" to see if you are OK to eat meat, or if you're the grains type, then modify the diet as necessary. Best wishes, Dietmar >] PS: Also read the on-line excerpt from Wolfgang Lutz's book when it comes on. It might give you some insight (search for the pancreas section). Dietmar ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 17:02:03 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Re: scd and weaning off prednisone? At 02:49 AM 7/1/97 EDT, you wrote: >Hello all -- > >I'm a newcomer to the list as well as the SCD diet. I've got UC, or possibly >Crohn's colitis (the M.D.s are going back and forth on the diagnosis). I'd >gotten down to 5 mg of prednisone per day (plus 4800 mg. of asacol); then I >flared again, and am currently up to 20 mg of prednisone (plus asacol). My >question is this: as of now, I'm fairly asymptomatic (2-3 stools per day, no >diarrhea, not much urgency, very littlle blood) -- if I start the diet now, when >the pred is putting me into remission, how will I know if the diet is working? >The book says I should know in a month, by the decrease in my symptomology; but >if I'm having less symptoms, how will I know whether to attribute this to the >diet or the prednisone? Or, do I wait until I possibly flare again before >beginning the diet? Any opinions or suggestions about this? > >A couple of minor questions. OK, soy milk is a no-no: what about rice milk? *** Rice is a starch or grain (depends how you want to call it), so "NO". >almond milk? > >Thanks y'all. > >John Blank >103120.612@compuserve.com > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 17:06:57 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Re: Relapse At 04:21 PM 7/1/97 -0700, you wrote: >I have ulcerative colitis and have been on the diet since April 26, 1997. >I did really well and was symptom free after less than one month. That >lasted for about two weeks. Now I've gone into a relapse which has lasted >about three weeks. It seems to be getting steadily worse but I can't >figure out why. Try adding some fats (like butter, olive oil, fish oil) to your diet (don't be afraid of it ... only if you get "steatorrhea", fat floating in the stools, will you know you're on the wrong track, but my expectation is you will NOT have that happen). I'm currently doing that (I was in similar position as you), and it seems to be working well. I won't go into the complex explanation here (I've been pondering the problem of colitis for 30 years, having had it since about age 12, and finally about 1 month ago made some (what I feel) are good new insights. It revolved around the concept of acidity vs. alkalinity in the bowel, and the pancreas. As I said, I won't go into the details here, but try it and see if it works ... Dietmar Also, read Wolfgang Lutz's book which will be coming on-line @ Mik's site in a few days. >I know the book talks about a relapse after two to three >months but how long is this relapse supposed to last? I'm on mesasol pills >and salofalk suppositories, has anyone else had success with these? >Thanks for any ideas. Sonya > > ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 00:06:50 -0500 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "Robert G. Stockbridge" <rgstockb@WORLDNET.ATT.NET> Subject: Multi-Vitamins MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_01BC867B.D70EC4E0" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_01BC867B.D70EC4E0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Everyone, Can anyone give me the brand name of a multi-vitamin that fits the scd diet? I mean that has no forbidden addatives such as sugars, etc. Karen (Ms Gulf Coast) Hi Everyone, Can anyone = give me the brand name of a multi-vitamin that fits the scd diet? = I mean that has no forbidden addatives such as sugars, = etc. Karen (Ms Gulf Coast) ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 11:14:00 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Bill Homan <bhoman@TRANSART.COM> Subject: Re: Relapse X-cc: smacd@istar.ca MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello, Regarding the replase: you may want to refine the diet. I found that I needed to eliminate foods that are "OK" according to Elaine's guidelines, but *not* OK according to my experience. Another book, "Eating Right for a Bad Gut" book by Scala is a more conventional review of what foods a UC/CD sufferer may want to avoid. Scala has done informal surveys of UC/CD patients to determine what foods consistently cause problems, and some of the findings coincide with my experience, thought they are allowed on the SCD. Personally, I have maintained the SCD guidelines, but I also cut out red meat, beets (including V8 juice), some fruits, all unpeeled vegetables. I especially want to stress the red meat: the last three times I have tried a steak or burger, I was on my back the next day with the usual symptoms. These "beef" episodes came during periods of relatively good health. I also want to make a plug for garlic capsules - I take two a day and on days when I run out or forget, I definitely feel worse. (Caution - garlic is supposedly upsetting to some people with our condition.) I think the diet continues to be factor in my current good health. But I'm convinced we all must seek additional parameters based on our experience. Best of luck! Bill ---------- > From: SMacDonald <smacd@ISTAR.CA> > To: SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU > Subject: Relapse > Date: Tuesday, July 01, 1997 4:21 PM > > I have ulcerative colitis and have been on the diet since April 26, 1997. > I did really well and was symptom free after less than one month. That > lasted for about two weeks. Now I've gone into a relapse which has lasted > about three weeks. It seems to be getting steadily worse but I can't > figure out why. I know the book talks about a relapse after two to three > months but how long is this relapse supposed to last? I'm on mesasol pills > and salofalk suppositories, has anyone else had success with these? > Thanks for any ideas. Sonya ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 20:45:36 -0400 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: John Chalmers <johnc@SERV2.FWI.COM> Subject: Vitamins MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi In the book, Breaking the Vicious Cycle, Elaine mentions vitamins sold by Freeda Vitamins Inc. They are located in New York and their number is 1-800-777-3737. I have been using them myself. There was a recent message about bowel disease running in families. I think that the term applied is that it is familial. There are patterens found in families but the medical community stops short of saying that it is inherited. In our local support group we have several families with multiple occurrences. John ========================================================================= Date: Wed, 2 Jul 1997 23:30:45 -0500 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "Robert G. Stockbridge" <rgstockb@WORLDNET.ATT.NET> Subject: personal experience MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi: Ihave been on SCD for 2 months. I have lost 25lbs and my complexion is drastically improved, but most of all I feel much better. I have a lot more energy. My doctor knows I am on this diet but does not believe it will make a difference. I am on Imovan and he is weaning me off of predisone. I want to thank everyone for their input. I have told a couple people locally about Elaine's book. I wouldn't say I'm symptom free, but I am much better. I want to share with the group how I improved the muffins which love. Instead of adding three eggs to the muffins I add 1 egg and 3 egg yolks. I then take the 3 egg whites and beat till stiff. After all the other ingredients have been mixed together I fold in the egg whites and then bake. This makes the muffins lighter. I've also made up many receipes that conform to this diet. My 12 year old says that the food eat tastes much better than before SCD. Karen ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 08:07:31 -0400 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Matthew Cirillo <mcirill@EMORY.EDU> Subject: Re: personal experience MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Robert G. Stockbridge wrote: > > Hi: Ihave been on SCD for 2 months. I have lost 25lbs and my complexion > is drastically improved, but most of all I feel much better. I have a lot > more energy. My doctor knows I am on this diet but does not believe it > will make a difference. I am on Imovan and he is weaning me off of > predisone. I want to thank everyone for their input. I have told a couple > people locally about Elaine's book. I wouldn't say I'm symptom free, but I > am much better. I want to share with the group how I improved the muffins > which love. Instead of adding three eggs to the muffins I add 1 egg and 3 > egg yolks. I then take the 3 egg whites and beat till stiff. After all > the other ingredients have been mixed together I fold in the egg whites and > then bake. This makes the muffins lighter. I've also made up many > receipes that conform to this diet. My 12 year old says that the food eat > tastes much better than before SCD. > KarenSHOW US THE RECIPES! SHOW US THE RECIPES!! We want more recipes! I like your muffin idea. I usually add in more nut flour just at the end before baking, which makes them denser, and firmer (If you mix well). But, to each his own! I'll have to try the "lighter side" of muffins next time (which will be tonite!) I lke hearing these positive stories of personal experience. It reminds me that the diet is working for me and I remain grateful for this opportunity to live a more comfortable existence. (I've swapped out some of my hobbies, instead of practicing the guitar and making music, I cook a lot and shop for food in odd places! It's less frustrating, but a bit more expensive!) ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 07:13:57 PDT Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: BILL <btren@BESTWEB.NET> Subject: experiences MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-1"; X-MAPIextension=".TXT" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit I too would like to0 thank Karen. Please send any recipe ideas. That is what this list is all about. The diet, remember? I like to hear how you all are doing on the diet and when a particular food does good or bad. I, myself am doing fine. The only problem I seem to have is with gas. It's not a great deal, but enough to keep me on the run so to speak. I have found that cheese and some veges(artochokes) are culprits. I wouldn't go near the old beans. But aside from the always present bleeding, I do feel fine. I made the carrot "cake" from the recipe list that was postede a few days ago. It's a bit eggy, but pretty amazing really.I still need munchy stuff. I too have enjoyed preparing food and shop with a different eye these days. Be healthy. Stick to it. Seeya..........Bill ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 09:50:01 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dempsey <stellar1@PACBELL.NET> Subject: Dairy Allergy MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hello everybody, For those of you who remember when I was going through yogurt difficulties, adjusting temperature, etc, well, I finally got to the bottom of it. I just plain and simple can't tolerate dairy products, an allergy, I believe. This is major news for me because being on the scd for almost five months, I've used the cheese as a major source of protein and now I am realizing it is what has contributed to many of my lingering health issues. Those being, eczema, fatigue and a wired feeling that has resulted in quite a bit of insomnia for me over the years. Since stopping the cheese, my face is distinctively less red and flaky and I am sleeping SO well. I just wanted to let you all know about this. I guess not all dairy allergies are dramatic. Personally, I can get a reaction 72 hours after I've eaten some, so it's been tricky to figure out that the cheese was the problem. Well, wonders never cease. I'm planning to have some allergy testing done to see what else I may be allergic to. A special thanks to Mik for his article on lactose intollerance vs. food allergy recently!! Take care everybody (Happy Fourth of July weekend for all the USA folks), Denise Davis, CA ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 15:18:33 -0400 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Bill Miller <miller@BEDFORD.NET> Subject: Yogurt Starter MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi Everyone, After some experimentation, I've found that I just can't tolerate yogurt made using commercial yogurt as a starter. Yogormet as a starter works well for me -- No gas. My guess is that commercial yogurt may be weak one or more of the different strains of lactobacillius, while the freeze dried isn't. I'm not sure -- any opinions? I do wonder if the little bit of sucrose it contains has any negative effects, but unless I find an alternative, I think I'll stick with it. Does anyone know of a mail order source for any brand of starter? I live in the boonies and none of the health food stores in the area carry it. Thanks, Bill miller@bedford.net Oh yea, would anyone be interested in starting a life without potato chips support group? For me, this is by far the hardest non-food to give up. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 18:22:24 -0500 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Jim Prousalis <j-pro@MINDSPRING.COM> Subject: Update MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi! I would like to say that I am very happy that the group is up and running. I think that this group is the best thing going. I was in such terrible shape 7 months ago. I can't believe how great I feel from this diet. I thank GOD everyday for Elaine and her book and Dr. Hoffman for introducing me to the book. I have NO pain in the gut anymore and I don't run to the bathroom 10 times a day anymore. The bleeding also stopped about 3 weeks into the diet. I also noticed that my breath doesn't stink anymore. I also gained alot of my weight back 34 pounds in total. Well it's time to go, I wish the best to all keep the faith. Good Luck! Jim ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 01:06:08 +0200 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: mik aidt <mik@INFORM-BBS.DK> Organization: Inform Subject: Wolfgang Lutz's book, "Dismantling the Myth" In-Reply-To: <199707031917.VAA06569@sun.inform.dk> Hi Everyone, Chapter 7 from Wolfgang Lutz's book, "Dismantling the Myth", about the gastrointestinal tract is now placed at http://www.inform.dk/djembe/scd/scdlutz.html (Some references are missing, but they are on their way...) Yours, Dietmar & Mik ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 17:23:43 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter At 03:18 PM 7/3/97 -0400, you wrote: >Hi Everyone, > >After some experimentation, I've found that I just can't tolerate yogurt >made using commercial yogurt as a starter. Yogormet as a starter works >well for me -- No gas. My guess is that commercial yogurt may be weak one >or more of the different strains of lactobacillius, while the freeze dried >isn't. I'm not sure -- any opinions? > >I do wonder if the little bit of sucrose it contains has any negative >effects, but unless I find an alternative, I think I'll stick with it. > >Does anyone know of a mail order source for any brand of starter? I live >in the boonies and none of the health food stores in the area carry it. > How about ordering it from Yogourmet directly? They're in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. >Thanks, > >Bill >miller@bedford.net > >Oh yea, would anyone be interested in starting a life without potato chips >support group? For me, this is by far the hardest non-food to give up. > > That, and maybe chocolate & cookies? Dietmar ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 17:29:42 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Re: Dairy Allergy At 09:50 AM 7/3/97 -0700, you wrote: >Hello everybody, > >For those of you who remember when I was going through yogurt >difficulties, adjusting temperature, etc, well, I finally got to the >bottom of it. I just plain and simple can't tolerate dairy products, an >allergy, I believe. Yes, I read recently that there's a difference between an "ALLERGY" and "lactose intolerance" (I think it was Mik who pointed to a paper on it, plus Loren Cordain in the Paleodiet group ???) >This is major news for me because being on the scd >for almost five months, I've used the cheese as a major source of >protein and now I am realizing it is what has contributed to many of my >lingering health issues. Those being, eczema, fatigue and a wired >feeling that has resulted in quite a bit of insomnia for me over the >years. Since stopping the cheese, my face is distinctively less red and >flaky and I am sleeping SO well. Sounds about right for an allergy that's being prevented. Good for you! >I just wanted to let you all know >about this. I guess not all dairy allergies are dramatic. Personally, >I can get a reaction 72 hours after I've eaten some, so it's been tricky >to figure out that the cheese was the problem. Well, wonders never >cease. I'm planning to have some allergy testing done to see what else >I may be allergic to. A special thanks to Mik for his article on >lactose intollerance vs. food allergy recently!! > There you are. Mik comes through in a crunch! Dietmar ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 16:07:14 +0000 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Comments: Authenticated sender is <feith@[198.168.103.1]> From: "Feith, Lori" <feith@CHAMPLAINCOLLEGE.QC.CA> Organization: Champlain College Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter Hello I have been on the diet for about 4 weeks and I still can't tolerate yogurt. Everytime I try even just a little bit my system goes hay wire. Do you think the commercial yogurt is having an effect on my system. Should I try the freeze dried starter. Any comments would be appreciated. ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 10:42:56 +0200 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: gwozdz <gwozdz@HRZ.TU-FREIBERG.DE> Subject: Information Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------42D23885184D" This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------42D23885184D Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Hi everyone! I got the article by Wolfgang Lutz in the Munich Medical Journal lately and I thought you might be interested in the abstract that is given in English. In general the article states that a low (not particularly a specific) carbohydrate diet helps most crohn`s and colitis sufferers remarkably. Unfortunately the article does not contain any details about the prescribed diet or forbidden foods. And I want to refer you to a website I came across which is a very thorough collection of material about a possible cause of IBD: Mycobacteria (paratubercolosis and avium). Abstract: "Low-Carbohydrate Diet in Crohn's Disease: A Low-Carbohydrate Diet (72 g/24 h) has a very favourable effect on pa-tients with Crohn's disease. Symptoms and signs tend to subside after 6 months in 70, after one year in 80 and after 1 1/2 years in 90% of the instances. Obviously there is no tendency of relapses, contrary to ulcerative colitis which also reacts to this diet favourably. Since nearly all gastrointestinal patients tend to accelerate the passage of ingesta through their intestines, the idea arises that ingesta not fully degraded are "persorbed" in the terminal ileum and cause allergic reactions with granulomatous lesions typical for Crohn's disease." I don`t write very often but I appreciate very much what everyone on the list contributes. My experience is that we can only help ourselves because most of the doctors know less than we do about our disease. Regards Miroslav Germany --------------42D23885184D Content-Type: text/html; charset=iso-8859-1; name="welcome.htm" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Disposition: inline; filename="welcome.htm" Content-Base: "http://iol.ie/~alank/CROHNS/welcome.ht m" <BASE HREF=3D"http://iol.ie/~alank/CROHNS/welcome.htm#similar"> <HTML> <HEAD> <TITLE>Does Mycobacterium paratuberculosis cause Crohns disease?</TITLE> <!-- Date: Wednesday, February 19, 1997 11:51 am --> </HEAD> <BODY> <H1>Does Mycobacterium paratuberculosis cause Crohns disease?</H1> <P> Site first published: Saturday, 15th March 1997.<BR> Site contents last updated:- Tuesday, 1st July1997. <P> <H2>Introduction.</H2> <P> Since Crohn's disease was first recognised in the early part of the twent= ieth century, it has been theorised that the disease is caused by a bacte= rial infection, with the principal suspect being mycobacteria, and more s= pecifically in recent times, Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. Recently, re= search is making advances in understanding this organism, and is indicati= ng more and more that at least some cases of Crohn's disease, if not all,= are caused by paratuberculosis infection. Most importantly, Crohn's pati= ents have been cured by antibiotic treatment which has activity against M= ycobacterium paratuberculosis. <P> This is an important question for sufferers of the disease, because the b= acterium in question is endemic in dairy foods and water supplies in most= areas of the western world. In order to facilitate self-education about = this question, I have put together this web site, which contains most of = the relevant medical research. The information is broken down into variou= s sections, as listed below in the "Table of Contents". All of the medica= l references have been taken from the Medline database. <P> For information about the methods/author of this web site, see <A HREF=3D= "about.htm">site information</A>. For a summary of the contents of the si= te, see the page <A HREF=3D"summary.htm">"Summary of main points</A>". Fo= r a list of links to important sites for Crohns disease sufferers and for= medical professionals, see the page <A HREF=3D"links.htm">"Links to othe= r information resources on the Web"</A>. On the = <P> <H2>Table of contents.</H2> <P> <H3>Use these hyperlinks to navigate around this site. Use the "back" but= ton on your browser to return to this table of contents.</H3> <P> <UL> <LI><A HREF=3D"#mycobacteria">What are Mycobacteria?</A> <UL> <LI><A HREF=3D"#paratuberculosis">Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"#avium">Mycobacterium avium.</A> </UL> <P> <LI><A HREF=3D"#where">Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in dairy foods and = water supplies.</A> <UL> <LI><A HREF=3D"milk.htm">"Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis in Cows Milk"</A= >. <LI><A HREF=3D"uhtmilk.htm">"Why IBD sufferers should only consume UHT da= iry products."</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"water.htm">"Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in water suppli= es"</A>. </UL> <P> <LI><A HREF=3D"#what">What is Crohn's disease?</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"#similar">The similarity of Crohn's disease to mycobacteri= al disease.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"#history">History and milestones of research.</A> <P> <LI><A HREF=3D"#recent">Important recent research.</A> <UL> <P> <LI><A HREF=3D"greenst.htm">On the Etiology of Crohn Disease.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"htout.htm">Two-year outcomes analysis of Crohn's Disease t= reated with rifabutin and macrolide antibiotics.</A> </UL> <P> <LI><A HREF=3D"#medical">Overview of medical research.</A> <UL> <P> <LI><A HREF=3D"animal.htm">Animals affected by mycobacterium paratubercul= osis.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"biopsy.htm">The search for Mycobacterium paratuberculosis = in Crohn's disease.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"immunol.htm">The search for a human immune reaction to Myc= obacterium paratuberculosis.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"chemo.htm">Treatment of Crohn's disease with anti-biotics.= </A> <LI><A HREF=3D"milk.htm">Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in dairy foods.</= A> <LI><A HREF=3D"johne.htm">The prevalence of bovine paratuberculosis (John= e's disease).</A> </UL> <P> <LI><A HREF=3D"#epidemiology">The epidemiology of Crohn's disease.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"#cost">Crohn's disease costs billions of dollars across th= e world.</A> </UL> <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"mycobacteria">What are mycobacteria?</A></H2> <P> Mycobacteria are a species of <A HREF=3D"PRIMER/bacteria.htm">bacteria</A= >. There are many different species of mycobacteria, widely spread throug= hout the environment. They are broken into three main groups. <P> <UL> <LI><B>non-pathogenic mycobacteria</B>, are usually harmless to humans, a= nd exist in the global environment without human interaction. <P> <LI><B>obligate pathogenic mycobacteria</B> (i.e. known to cause disease)= mycobacteria, cause disease in humans and other animals. Also, they requ= ire the benign environment of a host animal to multiply. Well known examp= les of pathogenic mycobacterial disease in humans are tuberculosis and l= eprosy. Disease caused by these obligate pathogen organisms is always chr= onic (long-lasting), since they take long periods of time to multiply, an= d are difficult to eradicate. Not all humans mount a successful immune re= sponse to these mycobacteria, and they can be fatal in those people if un= treated. <P> <LI><B>potential pathogenic mycobacteria</B>, can exist in the environme= nt independent of humans but can also cause disease if the immune defence= s of the host they infect are impaired or suppressed. These potential pat= hogens are often referred to as <B>opportunistic pathogens</B>, because t= hey become pathogenic when presented with the right opportunity. </UL> <P> For a list of mycobacteria, see this <A HREF=3D"mycotab.htm">table</A>. F= ollow this link for more information about <A HREF=3D"PRIMER/mycobact.htm= ">mycobacteria</A> in general. <P> <H3><A NAME=3D"paratuberculosis">Mycobacterium paratuberculosis.</A></H3>= <P> Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is an obligate pathogen, i.e. it cannot mu= ltiply outside the cells of animals. It is known to cause disease in a wi= de variety of animals, including primates. See the page <A HREF=3D"animal= =2Ehtm">"Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis in Animals"</A> for more informat= ion. In common with other obligate pathogens, the environment required by= Mycobacterium paratuberculosis for multiplying is the environment found = inside mammals and other animals. In animals, the most common site for in= fection by Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is the gastrointestinal tract, = where it tends to cause a chronic inflammatory disease. The most well stu= died animal paratuberculosis is Johne's disease, the name given to the di= sease as seen in cattle. Mycobacterium paratuberculosis occurs in two for= ms, the <B>bacillary</B> form and the <B>spheroplast</B> form. Many parat= uberculosis bacteria of the bacillary form may be required to cause clini= cal disease. In contrast, only a few paratuberculosis bacteria of the sph= eroplast form will cause disease. This difference between diseases caused= by the two forms of paratuberculosis is a result of the infected hosts i= mmune reaction. <P> Whether Mycobacterium paratuberculosis causes disease in humans has been = a question for researchers for over a hundred years, since the organism w= as first discovered in 1895, causing disease in a german cow. Since that = time, paratuberculosis has been recognised in many species of animals, in= both its bacillary and spheroplast forms. The bacillary form is easily d= etected in animals, since it grows in large numbers and is identifiable b= y a simple chemical test. In contrast, the spheroplast form, since it com= es in only very small numbers and cannot be easily be identified, was not= detected until the advent of modern genetic testing techniques. <P> Information about Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, its environment, etc, a= re available in the paper <A HREF=3D"paratub.htm">"Mycobacteria and the a= etiology of Crohn's disease"</A>. This paper also refers to Mycobacterium= avium. At the <A HREF=3D"http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/pbs/johnes/">"Johnes= Disease Information Center"</A>, there is <A HREF=3D"http://www.vetmed.w= isc.edu/pbs/johnes/em.html ">an electron micrograph of some bacillary form paratuberculosis bacteria= </A>. They also have a <A HREF=3D"http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/pbs/johnes/h= istory.html">history of research into M paratuberculosis</A>. They also h= ave extensive information on <A HREF=3D"http://www.vetmed.wisc.edu/pbs/jo= hnes/biology.html">the biology, environment, etc, of M paratuberculosis.<= /A> <P> <H3><A NAME=3D"avium">Mycobacterium avium.</A></H3> <P> Mycobacterium avium is an opportunistic pathogen, and comes in two forms,= the bacillary and spheroplast form. Both of these forms can cause diseas= e in animals. The spheroplast form also causes disease in humans. The peo= ple who most often contract disease from Mycobacterium avium are sufferer= s from AIDS, whose immune systems have been suppressed by the HIV virus. = In immunocompromised people, Mycobacterium avium invades the white blood = cells of the infected person, and uses them as sites to multiply. <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"where">Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in dairy foods and w= ater supplies.</A></H2> <P> Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is present in the food chain, through the = medium of dairy products from cattle infected by the organism. Cows with = bovine paratuberculosis (Johne's disease) are known to secrete Mycobacter= ium paratuberculosis in their milk. Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is not= destroyed by standard milk pasteurisation techniques. See the page <A HR= EF=3D"milk.htm">"Mycobacterium Paratuberculosis in Cows Milk"</A> for mor= e information. <P> Mycobacterium paratuberculosis is not killed by standard HTST pasteurizat= ion. This is true for other pathogenic bacteria that can potentially infe= ct HTST-pasteurized milk. For this reason, sufferers of Crohns disease an= d other Inflammatory Bowel Diseases should consider switching to UHT milk= , which is much more effective at destroying bacteria. See the page <A HR= EF=3D"uhtmilk.htm">"Why IBD sufferers should only consume UHT dairy produ= cts"</A> for more information. <P> As stated in the paper, <A HREF=3D"greenst.htm">"On the Etiology of Crohn= Disease"</A>, Mycobacterium paratuberculosis has also been cultured from= the municipal water supply of a major city in the United States. See the= page <A HREF=3D"water.htm">"Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in water supp= lies"</A> for more information. <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"what">What is Crohn's disease?</A></H2> <P> Crohns disease is a chronic inflammatory disease of the gastrointestinal = tract. Its affects hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Its = cause is unknown. The disease is autoimmune in nature, i.e. it causes the= immune system to attack and inflame the bodies own tissues, most often i= n the gastrointestinal tract, but also in other parts of the body. When t= he disease is active in a patient, treatments include long term administr= ation of immunosuppressive drugs and surgery, involving removal of segmen= ts of the damaged bowel, and sometimes the fitting of ostomy bags. Two of= the main drug treatments are steroids, often in high doses, which have a= n immunosuppressive anti-inflammatory effect and "6-MP" based drugs, whic= h suppress the action of the immune system, and are used after organ tran= splant surgery to prevent rejection of transplanted organs. <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"similar">The similarity of Crohn's disease to mycobacteria= l diseases.</A></H2> <P> The symptoms of Crohn's disease are extremely similar to symptoms of dise= ases caused by known pathogenic mycobacteria, particularly intestinal tub= erculosis, caused by the obligate pathogen, Mycobacterium tuberculosis. S= o much so, that intestinal tuberculosis is often misdiagnosed as Crohn's = disease. This confusion is contributed to by the fact that there a degree= of commonality of treatments between the two diseases. For a comparison = of the symptoms of known mycobacterial diseases and Crohn's disease, and = discussion of the known commonalities between the two diseases in terms o= f diagnosis and treatment, see the page <A HREF=3D"similar.htm">"Similari= ties between Crohn's disease and mycobacterial disease."</A>. <P> Also, there is evidence that Crohn's disease presents in two main forms, = the aggressive "perforating" form and the contained "nonperforating" form= =2E This is a feature that Crohn's disease shares with the mycobacterial = disease <B>leprosy</B>, which also presents in two forms, the aggressive = "lepromatous" form and the contained "tuberculoid" form. See the page <A = HREF=3D"polar.htm">"The polar manifestations of mycobacterial diseases an= d of Crohn's disease"</A> for more details. <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"history">History and milestones of Research.</A></H2> <P> Crohn's disease was first recognised by a Glasgow surgeon, Dalziel, in 19= 13. He recognised that it was a different disease from intestinal tubercu= losis, but believed that it was so similar to that disease, and to paratu= berculosis in cows, that it must have a mycobacterial cause. He failed to= prove this connection, because of the inability to demonstrate visible b= acteria from tissue samples. In 1932, Crohn et al., on the basis of this = same inability to demonstrate visible bacteria, classified the disease as= not having a mycobacterial origin. Nonetheless, this classification was = not universally accepted, and research into whether Crohn's disease is in= volved with Mycobacterium paratuberculosis has been carried out since the= n. See the page <A HREF=3D"history.htm">"History of early research on Cro= hn's disease"</A> for a description of early research and the work of Cro= hn et al. <P> An important milestone in paratuberculosis research in recent years was t= he discovery in 1985 of a genetic code (<A HREF=3D"PRIMER/bactid.htm">the= IS900 insertion sequence</A>) that is unique to Mycobacterium paratuberc= ulosis. The sequence is found in both the bacillary and spheroplast forms= of Mycobacterium paratuberculosis. Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) techn= iques make it possible to detect small numbers of Mycobacterium paratuber= culosis against the background of other DNA signals present in the human = body. Knowledge of this sequence permits researchers to state with certai= nty (depending on the care with which this highly complex test is conduct= ed) whether the organism is present in any given sample. It also permits = them to rule out the presence of other forms of mycobacteria. <P> In December 1994, attention was drawn to the fact that Crohn's disease, i= n common with known mycobacterial diseases, is not a uniform disease and = may present in two main forms, the <B>"perforating"</B> and <B>"nonperfor= ating"</B> forms. See the page <A HREF=3D"polar.htm">"The polar manifesta= tions of mycobacterial diseases and of Crohn's disease"</A>, for a detail= ed discussion of this. No research to date has considered this division. <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"recent">Important recent research.</A></H2> <P> Two recently published papers provide solid evidence that Mycobacterium p= aratuberculosis is involved in at least a proportion of Crohn's disease. = Most notably, treatment with a multi-drug antibiotic regime which is acti= ve against intracellular forms of mycobacteria resulted in remission in a= large majority of Crohn's patients. <P> These papers are:- <P> <UL> <LI><A HREF=3D"greenst.htm">"On the Etiology of Crohn Disease"</A>, Green= stein et al., Veterans Affairs Medical Center, New York, published Septem= ber 1996. <P> <LI><A HREF=3D"htout.htm">"Two-year outcomes analysis of Crohn's Disease = treated with rifabutin and macrolide antibiotics."</A>, Gui et al., St Ge= orges Hospital Medical School, London, published January 1997. </UL> <P> Points to note from these papers are:- <P> <UL> <LI>Using meticulous methods and highly specific tests, active Mycobacter= ium paratuberculosis organisms were isolated and identified in all of the= surgically removed tissue of a group of Crohn's patients, in all of the= surgically removed tissue of ulcerative colitis patients, and from no pa= tients not suffering from Inflammatory Bowel Disease. <P> <LI>A large majority (93.5%) of Crohn's disease patients treated with a m= ulti-drug, long-term antibiotic regime directed at Mycobacterium paratube= rculosis experienced a substantial improvement in symptoms. A large propo= rtion of these remained in lasting clinical remission. <P> <LI>Only a very small proportion of Crohn's disease patients treated for = Mycobacterium paratuberculosis infection remained on their current treatm= ent regime, i.e. few of them needed to keep taking drugs to "maintain" th= e disease. <P> <LI>A possible explanation for the failure of clinical trials to prove th= e efficacy of antibiotic drugs against Crohn's disease is as follows. Suf= ferers of the disease, if it is a mycobacterial disease, should break dow= n into two separate groups, those with a "contained" form of the disease = and those with an "aggressive" form of the disease. Failure to separate p= atients into these two groups would lead to uninterpretable results. For = more information, see the page <A HREF=3D"PRIMER/human.htm">"Immune react= ions to mycobacteria"</A> <P> </UL> <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"medical">Overview of Medical research.</A></H2> <P> I have tried to organise the medical research here, by breaking it down i= nto six main areas, as listed below. Each item in the list is a link to a= page that contains a brief explanation of what the research is trying to= achieve, and contains links to abstracts from the actual medical researc= h papers. In order to aid you in understanding what questions are being a= ddressed in the medical research, I have written a <A HREF=3D"primer.htm"= >basic primer of infectious disease</A> that explains some of the terms t= hat you will need to understand. <P> <UL> <LI><A HREF=3D"animal.htm">Animals affected by mycobacterium paratubercul= osis.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"biopsy.htm">The search for Mycobacterium paratuberculosis = in Crohn's disease.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"immunol.htm">The search for a human immune reaction to Myc= obacterium paratuberculosis.</A> <LI><A HREF=3D"chemo.htm">Treatment of Crohn's disease with anti-biotics.= </A> <LI><A HREF=3D"milk.htm">Mycobacterium paratuberculosis in dairy foods.</= A> <LI><A HREF=3D"johne.htm">The prevalence of bovine paratuberculosis (John= e's disease).</A> </UL> <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"epidemiology">The epidemiology of Crohn's disease.</A></H2= > <P> Epidemiology studies of Crohn's disease have been conducted in many count= ries. They yield some important insights into the disease. These include <P> <UL> <LI>There is strong evidence that Crohn's disease is caused by an environ= mental agent. <LI>Incidence of Crohn's disease is increasing in most parts of Europe an= d North America. <LI>Crohn's disease is beginning to make an appearance in parts of the wo= rld that have not experienced it before. </UL> <P> For more information on these topics, see the page "<A HREF=3D"epidem.htm= ">The epidemiology of Crohn's disease"</A>. <P> <HR> <H2><A NAME=3D"cost">Crohn's disease costs billions of dollars across the= world.</A></H2> <P> In the United States, in 1990, Crohn's disease cost between 1.0 and 1.2 b= illion dollars. Other countries with a high prevalence of Crohn's disease= are:- Canada, Sweden, Norway, Germany, United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belg= ium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Irelan= d, Australia, New Zealand, and many countries of Eastern and Central Euro= pe. For a brief discussion of the worldwide cost of Crohn's disease, see = the page <A HREF=3D"cost.htm">"The financial cost of Crohn's disease."</A= > <P> <HR> <P> This URL: http://iol.ie/~alank/CROHNS/welcome.htm<BR> This site maintained by Alan Kennedy, email <A HREF=3D"mailto:alank@iol.i= e">alank@iol.ie</A><BR> This is the top level page.<BR> </BODY> </HTML> --------------42D23885184D-- ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 17:58:18 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter At 04:07 PM 7/3/97 +0000, you wrote: >Hello > >I have been on the diet for about 4 weeks and I still can't tolerate >yogurt. Everytime I try even just a little bit my system goes hay >wire. Do you think the commercial yogurt is having an effect on my >system. Should I try the freeze dried starter. > >Any comments would be appreciated. > > First, make sure you're using whole (3.25%) homo milk, just the normal stuff ... not skim, not 2%, not anything else. Second, make sure you're NOT adding milk powder to it. Third, make sure you're fermenting it AT LEAST 24 hours. Fourth, yes, DO use the freeze-dried starter at least for the first batch; after that you could use some tablespoons from the batch as your new starter, or use the bought powder again ... both work fine for us. Question: what equipment are you using to ferment it? Home-made, or store-bought? Dietmar ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 18:02:06 PST Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: ACB <benkea@MAILHOST.PAC.DFO.CA> Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter In-Reply-To: <90257130707991/1044568@VANHQ1> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN >Hello > >I have been on the diet for about 4 weeks and I still can't tolerate >yogurt. Everytime I try even just a little bit my system goes hay >wire. Do you think the commercial yogurt is having an effect on my >system. Should I try the freeze dried starter. > >Any comments would be appreciated. I would try powdered starter if I were you. I myself could never tolerate it either, made with commercial yogurt as starter, and when I tried YOGORMET powdered starter it was like night and day. I ate the yogurt with no problem. Now I only use powdered and it's fine. That makes at least 2 of us on this list who experienced the same thing with the powdered starter correcting the problem. Although it didn't make the difference for everyone who didn't tolerate yogurt, it's definately worth a try at least. Anna ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 22:10:19 -0600 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: William Laing <wlaing@TELUSPLANET.NET> Subject: Re: Dairy Allergy MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ---------- > From: Dempsey <stellar1@PACBELL.NET> > To: SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU > Subject: Dairy Allergy > Date: Thursday, July 03, 1997 10:50 AM > > > Hello everybody, > > For those of you who remember when I was going through yogurt > difficulties, adjusting temperature, etc, well, I finally got to the > bottom of it. I just plain and simple can't tolerate dairy products, an > allergy, I believe. This is major news for me because being on the scd > for almost five months, I've used the cheese as a major source of > protein and now I am realizing it is what has contributed to many of my > lingering health issues. Those being, eczema, fatigue and a wired > feeling that has resulted in quite a bit of insomnia for me over the > years. Since stopping the cheese, my face is distinctively less red and > flaky and I am sleeping SO well. I just wanted to let you all know > about this. I guess not all dairy allergies are dramatic. Personally, > I can get a reaction 72 hours after I've eaten some, so it's been tricky > to figure out that the cheese was the problem. Well, wonders never > cease. I'm planning to have some allergy testing done to see what else > I may be allergic to. A special thanks to Mik for his article on > lactose intollerance vs. food allergy recently!! > > Take care everybody (Happy Fourth of July weekend for all the USA > folks), > Denise > Davis, CA Hi Denise and the Group Was this cheese you speak of DCCC? Are you or will you stay with the yoghurt? Happy Fourth,and good health. Will ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 00:36:49 EDT Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "Mazer, C. & Blank, J." <103120.612@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: fiber, cholesterol, colon cancer I'm about to embark on the diet, but I have some concerns about it as a long-term (more than a couple of months) eating plan. My cholesterol tends to get high, but I can control it through diet, namely a diet consisting of high fiber, especially oat bran. If I keep my fat intake to 20% or so and eat 1/2 cup of oat bran per day (in muffins, cereal, or whatever) I seem to be able to keep my cholesterol below 190. This is important for me as heart disease runs in my family. Elaine's diet seems to be -- or could be, I guess is more accurate -- fairly high in saturated fats (animal fats), and cholesterol. There's a lot of eggs and cheese involved, not to mention meats. This makes it pretty hard to regulate your cholesterol. She says it's possible to be a vegetarian on her diet, but it would seem to be quite difficult, as complex carbohydrates are basically prohibited, and these are important to complement the proteins in legumes (the only vegetable proteins that seem to be allowed). I'm not a vegetarian, particularly, but I've found eating a near-vegetarian diet to be an excellent means of keeping my saturated fats low while getting enough protein. Any thoughts on this problem? I'm 54 years old, and while IBD (they're not sure if it's UC or Crohn's colitis) is certainly a major health issue, it probably won't kill me -- and a heart attack very well might. Then there's the colon cancer problem, important generally but especially so for those of us with colitis. It's known that a low-fat high-fiber (whole grains again) diet lowers the risk factors for colon cancer. It would seem that Elaine's diet would be higher risk in this regard. John Blank 103120.612@compuserve.com ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 00:36:47 EDT Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: "Mazer, C. & Blank, J." <103120.612@COMPUSERVE.COM> Subject: are these forbidden? I'm about to embark on the diet, but some questions remain as to details: Are the following forbidden on the diet? Black beans Red beans (kidney beans) Metamucil Alfalfa sprouts (or other sprouts) (I know bean sprouts are out) Why are garbanzos (chick peas) forbidden, but not white beans or lentils or split peas? What's the principle here? Why almond milk only after 6 months? Is there any way to communicate with Elaine directly to get authoritative information about these kinds of details? John Blank 103120.612@compuserve.com ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 23:04:59 -0600 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: William Laing <wlaing@TELUSPLANET.NET> Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ---------- > From: Bill Miller <miller@BEDFORD.NET> > To: SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU > Subject: Yogurt Starter > Date: Thursday, July 03, 1997 1:18 PM > > > Hi Everyone, > > After some experimentation, I've found that I just can't tolerate yogurt > made using commercial yogurt as a starter. Yogormet as a starter works > well for me -- No gas. My guess is that commercial yogurt may be weak one > or more of the different strains of lactobacillius, while the freeze dried > isn't. I'm not sure -- any opinions? > > I do wonder if the little bit of sucrose it contains has any negative > effects, but unless I find an alternative, I think I'll stick with it. > > Does anyone know of a mail order source for any brand of starter? I live > in the boonies and none of the health food stores in the area carry it. > > Thanks, > > Bill > miller@bedford.net > > Oh yea, would anyone be interested in starting a life without potato chips > support group? For me, this is by far the hardest non-food to give up. Hi Bill The commercial yogurt is a poor starter, likely all the culture is dead long before it was ever placed on the store shelf. You didnt mention where on the continent you reside Bill , so I am not sure you if you can obtain the starter I use called "rosell" (all small case ) Made in Montreal. I believe it to have a decidedly better taste than the Yogormet starter. But then each to his own, after all taste is all in our mouth. The rosell is readly available in health food stores or I can give you the address of the manufacture if you desire . I have used it for four years and enjoy . Will ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 23:19:24 -0600 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: William Laing <wlaing@TELUSPLANET.NET> Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ---------- > From: Feith, Lori <feith@CHAMPLAINCOLLEGE.QC.CA> > To: SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU > Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter > Date: Thursday, July 03, 1997 10:07 AM > > > Hello > > I have been on the diet for about 4 weeks and I still can't tolerate > yogurt. Everytime I try even just a little bit my system goes hay > wire. Do you think the commercial yogurt is having an effect on my > system. Should I try the freeze dried starter. > Hi Lori: Commercial yogurt is of no value to anyone of us on the SCD. As well just a short time ago there was an exellent post stating you CANNOT trust labels. The question begs what is in the commercial yogurt if you CAN NOT trust labels? If we are not aware of which foods we consume, the SCD is rather pointless. Good Luck in your search for Good Health. Will We must make our own ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 23:32:29 -0600 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: William Laing <wlaing@TELUSPLANET.NET> Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit ---------- > From: ACB <benkea@MAILHOST.PAC.DFO.CA> > To: SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU > Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter > Date: Thursday, July 03, 1997 8:02 PM > > > >Hello > > > >I have been on the diet for about 4 weeks and I still can't tolerate > >yogurt. Everytime I try even just a little bit my system goes hay > >wire. Do you think the commercial yogurt is having an effect on my > >system. Should I try the freeze dried starter. > > > >Any comments would be appreciated. > > I would try powdered starter if I were you. I myself could never tolerate it > either, made with commercial yogurt as starter, and when I tried YOGORMET > powdered starter it was like night and day. I ate the yogurt with no problem. > Now I only use powdered and it's fine. That makes at least 2 of us on this > list who experienced the same thing with the powdered starter correcting the > problem. Although it didn't make the difference for everyone who didn't > tolerate yogurt, it's definately worth a try at least. > Anna Hi Anna and the group You can if you will add me to that list of never using commercial starter Anna. However I do prefer th 2% of all the milks. I find the whole , or even half and half is just too rich for for my taste buds. Again it becomes a matter of taste for most I imagine. One more point in buying milk is the container. I choose to buy only the waxed carton. The reason being the clear plastic bottle allows the rays from the neon lighting in the display case to destroy some of the vit. D that has been add to the milk. Certainly pleased to see the list up and running agn. with so many contributing to it. Good Health Will ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 09:23:57 +0000 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Comments: Authenticated sender is <feith@[198.168.103.1]> From: "Feith, Lori" <feith@CHAMPLAINCOLLEGE.QC.CA> Organization: Champlain College Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter Just one question - where do you buy this Yogurmet powder starter? I would imagine at Health Food Stores. I live in Montreal. Thanks Lori ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 09:31:48 +0000 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Comments: Authenticated sender is <feith@[198.168.103.1]> From: "Feith, Lori" <feith@CHAMPLAINCOLLEGE.QC.CA> Organization: Champlain College Subject: Re: Dairy Intolerance I have been on the diet for about 4 weeks and have not been able to tolerate any milk products, however, I knew before that I had a milk protein intolerance. I was hoping that following this diet would eventually allow me to eat yogurt, etc. I thought this only because I could not eat eggs before and now I am able to! Don't get your hopes up about allergy testing - the doctors are not very sympathetic to food allergies. Good Luck, Lori ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 09:33:59 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Re: fiber, cholesterol, colon cancer At 12:36 AM 7/4/97 EDT, you wrote: >I'm about to embark on the diet, but I have some concerns about it as a >long-term (more than a couple of months) eating plan. > >My cholesterol tends to get high, but I can control it through diet, namely a >diet consisting of high fiber, especially oat bran. If I keep my fat intake to >20% or so and eat 1/2 cup of oat bran per day (in muffins, cereal, or whatever) >I seem to be able to keep my cholesterol below 190. This is important for me as >heart disease runs in my family. > > >Elaine's diet seems to be -- or could be, I guess is more accurate -- fairly >high in saturated fats (animal fats), and cholesterol. There's a lot of eggs >and cheese involved, not to mention meats. This makes it pretty hard to >regulate your cholesterol. If you've been following the Paleodiet list-group, as well as read the Lutz book excerpt, you will find that (like virtually all of western people) you've been fully indoctrinated with the "party line" about fats. It's now becoming clearer & clearer (read Barry Sears' book "The Zone" for a starter, or Lutz's excerpt, escpecially his section "Fat is Not The Culprit") that this fear of fat and supposed health benefits by its avoidance is total bullshit, let me repeat, bullshit, foisted on us on the industrial food-processing industries starting in the 50's. Do some reading, convince yourself, then don't worry about it & just eat more "good" fats (i.e. lard or rancid beef fat are NOT a good fat, but I'd say olive oil, chicken / duck fat, butter, full-fat yoghurt, fish oils, ,avocado probably are). >She says it's possible to be a vegetarian on her >diet, but it would seem to be quite difficult, as complex carbohydrates are >basically prohibited, and these are important to complement the proteins in >legumes (the only vegetable proteins that seem to be allowed). I'm not a >vegetarian, particularly, but I've found eating a near-vegetarian diet to be an >excellent means of keeping my saturated fats low while getting enough protein. > >Any thoughts on this problem? I'm 54 years old, and while IBD (they're not sure >if it's UC or Crohn's colitis) is certainly a major health issue, it probably >won't kill me -- and a heart attack very well might. > >Then there's the colon cancer problem, important generally but especially so for >those of us with colitis. It's known that a low-fat high-fiber (whole grains >again) diet lowers the risk factors for colon cancer. It would seem that >Elaine's diet would be higher risk in this regard. > On Elaine's diet you'll be eating lots of veggies and some fruits, plus normal amounts of fat. Read the Sears book, and stop worrying about the Fat Police ... I now believe that theory will soon be publically propounded as "Oops, screwed your head around once more, sorry, let's go on to the next fad we can sell you!" >John Blank >103120.612@compuserve.com > > Best wishes, Dietmar ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 09:38:14 -0700 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Dietmar Subject: Re: are these forbidden? At 12:36 AM 7/4/97 EDT, you wrote: >I'm about to embark on the diet, but some questions remain as to details: > >Are the following forbidden on the diet? > > Black beans > Red beans (kidney beans) Well, how about keeping a food diary and finding out for yourself if they work for you? Then YOU'll have the answer for sure. > Metamucil Have you ever looked at the ingredients? Doesn't it have sugar in it? And artificial colour/flavour? So what do you think? > Alfalfa sprouts (or other sprouts) (I know bean sprouts are out) > Alfalfa sprouts have become suspect recently, but for another reason: the seeds the growers use often come from E. European and 3rd-world countries, and they've had infestations of bacteria & diseases. Personally, I don't eat them, they're not worth the trouble anyway ... a few leaves romains or cilantro or whatever has much more "meat" to it, and easier to wash & eat, than fiddling around with those tiny alfalfa sprout threads. >Why are garbanzos (chick peas) forbidden, but not white beans or lentils or >split peas? What's the principle here? > >Why almond milk only after 6 months? > >Is there any way to communicate with Elaine directly to get authoritative >information about these kinds of details? > Most of the answers to such FAQ's are on Mik Aidt's website. You're not the first one who's asked them! Search & you shall find! See you, with best wishes Dietmar ========================================================================= Date: Thu, 3 Jul 1997 22:44:28 -0400 Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: Jmrsy@AOL.COM Subject: Re: Yogurt Starter Have you tried crunchy cheese chips? They crunch like potatoe chips and are delicious. We use shredded cheddar cheese. Put a thin layer of cheese on a hot griddle and keep it over low heat. When one side is a little brown you can flip it over and brown the other side lightly. I like to cool it on a paper towel. When it's not to hot to touch break it up and enjoy. Sharon ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 16:21:03 PST Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: ACB <benkea@MAILHOST.PAC.DFO.CA> Subject: plastic theory In-Reply-To: <92232230707991/1044652@VANHQ1> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN > One more point in buying milk is the >container. I choose to buy only the waxed carton. The reason being the >clear plastic bottle allows the rays from the neon lighting in the display >case to destroy some of the vit. D that has been add to the milk. I never thought of that, but a better reason for not buying anything in plastic (if you can help it) is the fact that plastic has been scientifically proven to leach chemicals into the food that is stored in it. Some plastics ARE safer than others, but no-one knows which are which, and I wouldn't count on the government regulatory bodies to ensure our safety with something like this. You are better off to buy everything in glass or paper containers whenever possible. At least this practice reduces your risks. There are tons of potentially harmful environmental materials and things around us, but we do take some precautions, like anti-radiation screens on our computers, not sitting too close to the t.v., trying (in vain) to wash off the chemicals used in fruits and vegetables, recycling wherever possible, etc. That's why I try to do one more thing, and that's not buying plastic unless I have to. You'll still catch me with it sometimes, because it's not easy to avoid. Plastic is everywhere when you start to think about it. And even when it comes to those cartons of milk, they are still lined with paraffin wax (or whatever kind of wax), which is a petroleum product, which is in effect the same as a plastic, so who knows if that is just as harmful. Somehow it seems better to me than the plastic jugs. One thing I never do is buy OIL in a plastic bottle because oils and fats will LEACH the harmful chemicals from the plastic very readily. They say oil is the worst thing to put in plastic. Any liquids have a chance of leaching, and dry foods are the least likely to leach the chemicals. Cooking or heating anything in plastic is also the worst, especially in the microwave. Most people think this plastic stuff that I'm saying here is far fetched or a bit irrational, but if you saw the program I did on tv about it, you would be convinced too. These scientists were doing some lab experiments, and accidentaly discovered that the plastic beaker they were using caused cellular changes in whatever it was they were storing in it. I can't recall all the details of it but they mentioned that the beaker plastic was found to cause cancer, and that further investigation revealed that some plastics leached molecules into food that acted as "fake estrogen" when ingested, binding onto our natural estrogen receptors, taking up the room for the real estrogen. This caused males to have low sperm counts, shrinkage of the sex organs, etc. The story went on to show how these baby alligators that live in an area polluted by pulp and paper mill effluents (which they say are similar chemicals to those coming from the plastics), were being born nearly a-sexual, with less and less of a differentiation between the males and females. You're probably thinking by this point, that I'm nuts, or this program I'm telling about was done by people who were all nuts, but I swear, it all sounded quite proffessional and authoritative, complete with world renowned scientists, and doctors being interviewed, and even they said they went home and threw out all their tupperware and started only using ceramic and glass once they found out about it. One day I might write a book called "The Plastic Conspiracy". If I had time, I would research it and find out the truth about these evil plastics, but until then, I just try to avoid it if I can. Anyway, I just thought I'd throw in my two cents on the plastic comment. Hope you don't all think I'm nuts. I didn't make this all up, I just believed it. >Certainly pleased to see the list up and running agn. with so many >contributing to it. Same here. Just like the old days with this list. Lots of messages back and forth. I like it. Anna ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 16:34:50 PST Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: ACB <benkea@MAILHOST.PAC.DFO.CA> Subject: Re: Dairy Intolerance In-Reply-To: <81845040707991/1044718@VANHQ1> MIME-version: 1.0 Content-type: TEXT/PLAIN >Don't get your hopes up about allergy testing - the doctors are not >very sympathetic to food allergies. > >Good Luck, > >Lori I agree about not getting your hopes up about allergy testing. I've been there, done that, as they say. I had a Vega test done by a Naturopath, which uses a special machine, electric current and samples of about 25 different allergens in little vials. And also an extensive blood allergy test called IgG IgE or something to that effect at another Naturopath. This one tested me for about 200 different foods, spices, etc. Both of these tests are supposed to find allergies, intolerances, and sensitivities. I've been to several NDs. All the results of these allergy tests came out ambiguous and did not hold true, which was really disappointing to me. At the time, I thought that this allergy thing WAS the answer. The things I absolutely KNEW I was allergic to because I get the early stages of anaphalaxis when I eat them, did not even show up on these tests, so now I don't trust them. When I questioned the doctor about this, they said that these tests only test for so called "hidden allergies" not the obvious ones. I didn't buy that. I don't know about the skin scratch allergy tests that the MDs do. I hear they are mainly good to test for airborne things, or contact dermatitis type reaction allergens, and not so good for foods, because foods are not introduced through the skin, but rather, through the mucosa of the digestive tract. Anna ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 17:10:00 PST Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: ACB <benkea@MAILHOST.PAC.DFO.CA> Subject: Beliefs, Paradigms >On Elaine's diet you'll be eating lots of veggies and some fruits, plus >normal amounts of fat. Read the Sears book, and stop worrying about the >Fat Police ... I now believe that theory will soon be publically propounded >as "Oops, screwed your head around once more, sorry, let's go on to the >next fad we can sell you!" I totally agree with Dietmar's excellent post in response to John's valid concern. We have been brainwashed in this society. The industries do it quite easily, and the mainstream medical industries fall for it too. Especially the Dieticians, whose schooling in my opinion is major brainwashing (sorry to offend anyone out there who is one). The things most MDs and Dieticians believe in are pounded it into their heads for years during the training. Then they become so closed minded, it's almost impossible to convince them of anything else. Tell any Dietician about our SCD and they'll tell you it's just plain wrong. They don't want to hear an explanation or believe in anyone's testimonial experience, because that is the extent of their brainwashing, so to speak. I just saw another exposee that told how they actually have no scientific evidence that salt is bad for high blood pressure and heart disease. Ask anyone you know and they'll tell you that too much salt is bad for you. Apparently there is no real proof of this. They actually have studies proving the opposite, that there's nothing really wrong with salt, and this idea of the badness of salt started in the 50's with a theory, a rumor and it stuck. The media is to blame for all this misinformation as well. Think about how many things in the past have been so publicized and thought to be true by the mass population, and then later on were disproved and are now regarded as total bunk. An old saying goes that many of these ideas we think are "the way it is", will one day be accepted to be "as old as sealing wax". (I think that refers to the wax people used to use to seal letters, correct me if I'm wrong) meaning that at one time in history, everyone did it and thought it was normal, but now nobody does it anymore and wouldn't even consider it. Anyway, the point is, I think Dietmar was on the ball with his bit of advice. If I were concerned about cholesterol (rightfully so, with all the media about it), I would take a cholesterol test now, before starting the diet, get a baseline reading, and then go on the diet for a month. Eat more fish and poultry, less red meat; more egg whites, less yolks; more olive oil, less butter, and more nuts, fruits, and vegies. Notice I said "more" and "less", not "all" or "none". There's nothing wrong with a little butter, but that doesn't mean you can slather it on like there's no tomorrow. Another thing I remembered is the butter/margerine thing. Remember how it was thought that margerine was healthier than butter. Everyone was convinced. Nobody would dare say they thought butter was ok. But NOW, it has been proven that margerine is actually WAY WORSE for everyone than even butter! Ever hear about Trans-fatty acids, hydrogenation, etc? Did you know that there are actually regulations or laws now that prevent margerine advertisments from claiming margerine is good for your health? It's all because they proved that margerine is horrible for you! Thank God margerine is not allowed on this diet. Although, I stopped eating margerine way before I found this diet. Margerine was only invented during the war because there wasn't enough butter to go around. I'm too young to remember, but remember when you had to squeeze the food coloring in and mix it up yourself? Gross! When the war ended there was no reason to keep eating margerine, but the companies needed to keep making money so it became the "healthier" counterpart to butter. Now we all know different, don't we. Not to mention that margerine is an oil usually stored in plastic (for those of you who read my plastic ramblings earlier). Margerine is probably worse than eating plastic. Ok, you're starting to think I'm nuts again, so I better go. That'll be all for now. Sorry to be so long. Anna ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 18:06:41 PST Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: ACB <benkea@MAILHOST.PAC.DFO.CA> Subject: Why??? >Are the following forbidden on the diet? Elaine has said kidney beans are allowed. The rest of things you listed, I'm not positive about. >Why are garbanzos (chick peas) forbidden, but not white beans or lentils or >split peas? What's the principle here? We don't really know why in a lot of cases. One reason I have heard is that Elaine didn't have a chance to "test out" every single food known to man and she mainly went by what the Drs. Haas told her. After all, they apparently invented it, not her. She is no food scientist, and she didn't even have IBD herself. The amount of research and work done by her just to figure out those foods listed as allowable so far, was very extensive and labour intensive. I am greatful just for that alone. I think that basically, that is the reason. Maybe with more research, we could find out more foods we could possibly eat and more answers as to why. But who has time or resources for that kind of project? It seems the medical establishment couldn't care less about the purported anecdotal evidence that this diet helps us. I haven't seen anyone rushing to do any studies, controlled trials, etc. It seems all anyone wants to do is dis-prove it, rather than prove it unfortunately. >Why almond milk only after 6 months? I found myself asking WHY to a LOT of things in this book. Finally I gave up and just accepted it, because usually, nobody knows why. We can theorize, but then again, that's what this diet is all about. A theory. I think almond milk probably contains concentrated forms of carbohydrates and therefore maybe harder to digest. Just like you're not supposed to eat nuts at all until the diarreah is gone. Not everyone realizes the fact that this diet is a gradual process of introducing things. It's not an all or nothing type of thing. We are supposed to start out with limited foods that are easier to digest, and as we get better, add a few more things, like the nuts, beans, etc. Let's remember the name of this diet is "Specific" Carbohydrate Diet. It seems that it's not necessarily a carbo free diet or even merely a low carbo diet. For some reasons, mostly unknown at this time, certain carbohydrates are easier to digest for us than others. That's probably why some beans are yes and some are no. God only knows, as the saying goes. >Is there any way to communicate with Elaine directly to get authoritative >information about these kinds of details? I have heard that Elaine is actually very open to getting phone calls. From personal experience, I know she doesn't really like answering questions by fax because it takes too long to write it all out. She is happy to answer all your questions on the phone. I think her new number is 905-349-3443. After talking to some people, I've heard that she sometimes even phones to check on how they are doing later on. Good luck, Anna ========================================================================= Date: Fri, 4 Jul 1997 12:45:31 PDT Reply-To: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> Sender: Specific Carbohydrate Diet List <SCD@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU> From: T G <tguar@HOTMAIL.COM> Subject: Re: fiber, cholesterol, colon cancer John, I agree about the fact that we don't know the whole story on fat and cholesterol. I also heard on the news the other day that aside from advoiding animal fats, people who want to keep their cholesterol levels under control should avoid sugar as well. I think the key is that it's really only animal fats that have been linked to higher cholesterol levels. So you should not be worried about eating the other fats, like olive oil and the fats in nuts and fish. And depending on your diet before, you may actually end up eating lower fat content overall. A lot of the foods that we have to avoid because of their sugar or starch content, also have a lot of fat in them, like donuts, cakes and chocolate bars. As far as fiber goes, the diet is high in fiber once diarrhea is no longer a problem and you can start introducing raw fruits and vegetables, nuts and beans. And I'm pretty sure that oat bran is not the only soluble fiber that has been linked to lowering cholesterol. Another source of soluble fiber is the part of a fruit other than it's skin. Also, exercise is a very successful way of controlling your cholesterol level, as well as many other health benefits. By the way, there were a few people on the diet who posted their pre and post diet cholesterol levels and they had actually dropped. Take care, Tina
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