'You cannot step twice into the same river, for other ...
|"You cannot step twice into the same river, for other waters are continually flowing in." -Heraclitus |
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|Healthy Testimonials: |
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|The following testimonials give a good picture as to how healthy living translates into healthy feeling. Those of us who choose |
|to become responsible to our health can make a difference. We feel that personal stories are the most effective way to reaching |
|out to others. If you have an experience you would like to share please email us at: testimonials@ |
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|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
|I developed ulcerative colitis halfway through my second pregnancy. My first and second pregnancy started off much the same. I |
|had what is called "hyperemesis", which means I threw up constantly, even unable to keep water down. I lost 15 lbs. with the |
|first pregnancy and 16 lbs. with my second pregnancy in the first trimester. I had to be hospitalized a few times in order to be |
|rehydrated. I was placed on medication with both pregnancies. With my first pregnancy, I pulled through after a very rough many |
|months, although I still was throwing up occasionally even in my 9th month. However, with my second pregnancy, doctors put me on |
|a new medication to control the "morning" sickness. The medication was working. I regained my appetite, although the only foods I|
|ate for about one month were vanilla pudding, mozzarella cheese, cottage cheese (one quart a day) and juice and hardboiled eggs. |
|It was around my 4th month that the disease started. All of the sudden, I had no feeling of needing to go to the bathroom, even |
|though days had passed. Then, when the BM finally did come, it was small pellets which then turned into green mucus-covered |
|pellets, and then BLOODY mucus-covered pellets. This scared me to death, but I attributed it to a hemmoriod or something. I |
|thought it would go away. Of course, it didn't. It only got worse. What it turned into was a nightmare. Instead of diahrea like |
|most people have during a flare up, I still had formed stools, but they were increasingly covered in blood and streaked with |
|blood and soon the water in the toilet would be bright red from all the bleeding. I would strain and strain at the toilet, |
|dripping blood all the while, but not able to get off the toilet because my colon was still contracting or spasming and I still |
|needed to go. Having a BM almost felt like childbirth. It took forever for it to happen, and all the struggling and straining |
|left me so weak and nauseated that I would throw up while still on the toilet. I had to place a trash can in front of me so I |
|could vomit into it. I did go to a GI who performed a sigmoidoscopy when I was about 7 months pregnant. It was barbaric. I was so|
|inflamed and had a big baby stuffed in me to boot, so there was really not much room for his instrument. It was just awful, but |
|he confirmed I had UC. Later, after I had my baby, he did a full colonoscopy and confirmed that my entire colon was ulcerated. I |
|chose not to take any oral medication at that time because I was too worried about the effect on my unborn son. I did take the |
|enemas however but they did not help at all. Anyway, about 3 weeks before my due date, my colon simply shut down. I went to my OB|
|and told him that I was in severe pain, that normally, with this disease I was going to the bathroom about 10 times a day, and |
|was passing a huge amount of gas. I told him that I was filled with tons of gas and other stuff, but that I couldn't get any of |
|it out. It hurt just to breath, with all that gas inside of me. I was in extreme pain. I don't think he believed me. Anyway, late|
|that night I was in agony and my husband drove me to the emergency room. They found out that I was in labor, which I guess in |
|part is why my colon shut down. They gave me an epidural which finally took all my pain away. I delivered my beautiful baby |
|(perfectly healthy!), but then when the epidural wore off, I was in agony again. Upon my GI's instructions, nurses gave me a huge|
|water enema. They said to try to retain it for 10 minutes. I was unable to even get it out after more than 12 HOURS. I just had |
|no sensations there, my colon was not working. Finally, the next day, my colon started working again, though very slowly at |
|first. That was when I had full blown diahrea. From there on, I went on prednisone, asacol, enemas, etc, and eventually got |
|better. I asked my GI repeatedly if diet had anything to do with my disease. NO, he said. I asked if there were any foods I |
|should avoid. NO, except fresh fruit and raw veggies when diahrea is present. But that's it, eat whatever you want. That never |
|made any sense to me. But I believed him anyway, he was a doctor after all, and I wasn't. Finally, after three years of |
|suffering, 4 hospitalizations, still throwing up when going to the bathroom, still seeing blood, despite being on medication, I |
|searched the internet and found Elaine Gotschall's book. I went to the library that night and got it! It has saved my life. It |
|was helping within the first few days! I use to walk around looking so bloated that I honestly looked like I was 6 months |
|pregnant. Now, I am not bloated, the vomiting has stopped, the bleeding is gone. I am improving a little each day. My insides |
|don't ache anymore. I have regained my life and have hope for my future. I went from seriously considering having my colon |
|removed to good health again. Elaine saved my life, and I will forever be indebted to her. Thank you Elaine! Sarah |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
|It has taken me over 3 years to feel confident enough to write to you all with my story. Here it is: |
|I have been on the SCD for three years and four months. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s colitis in March of 1988, having had |
|symptoms years prior, which were now progressing. Diarrhea, fatigue, blood in stools, cramping, and lots of gas. Mornings were |
|especially troublesome. It seemed there was a revolving door which stopped at the toilet. I did not have severe pain and was |
|always functional, being able to continue to work, participate in sports and exercise, have relationships, and travel. However |
|all these things were becoming more challenging, as the disease became more debilitating. I grew more concerned about my |
|deteriorating health and so I made an appointment with my good friend who was also Naturopathic Physician. He mentioned a diet he|
|had discovered and gave me the first Elaine Gottschall book to read. "Rick, (the name of my friend and Dr.) I can’t give up |
|bagels, pasta and rice, no way, no how", I replied in protest. And so I let many more years pass by, gradually worsening but |
|still functional. Then one day while playing basketball, I fractured a rib, took ibuprofen for pain, and had a flare-up. It was |
|bad. I knew during this time I would either have to choose powerful drugs and it’s ramifications with side effects, and possible |
|eventual surgery, or opt for that diet that I read about years before. I said good-bye to bagels and rice, and began my "healing |
|journey". |
|Although I did NOT begin the SCD with the introductory phase of the diet as prescribed, I did find enough initial improvement |
|that I was encouraged to continue. For example, I noticed that I wasn't as gassy, especially after a meal. However the first year|
|was very frustrating with constant ups and downs, and uncertainty as to whether the diet was REALLY WORKING. After about a year |
|of being on the SCD with 100% faithfulness, I felt frustrated, as it seemed I couldn't hurdle this plateau. Filled with and doubt|
|and desperation, I phoned Elaine Gottschall. She was just wonderful with me. She gave some general SCD advice, clarified a few |
|key points, and asked me to consider trying azulfidine(I was not taking any medication while on the SCD and for years prior). So |
|after one year on the SCD, with marginal improvement, I began using Azulfidine while continuing the SCD. |
|My second year showed slow but steady progress. I grew more hopeful and confident. I would notice that improvement would come in |
|a 2 step forward, one step backward fashion. Also I would regularly experience "mini flare-ups" lasting sometimes days and even |
|weeks, (generally they were 2-5 days in duration). Although these flares were never severe, they did "throw me for a loop" |
|psychologically. It was as if someone was telling me not to get too cocky about my improvement. And so I didn't. In my third |
|year, feeling significantly better, and growing with confidence, I took myself off Azulfidine (total time on this medication- 15 |
|months). |
|Forty months later and feeling perhaps 75% better overall, I continue to stay with the SCD and continue to improve. MY LIFE IS SO|
|MUCH BETTER. I no longer have the fear of losing my colon or being on powerful drugs. I ‘m not concerned about the location of |
|the nearest bathroom, deodorizers, or passing gas during intimate moments. This summer I bicycled in the Canadian Rockies for 2 |
|weeks and felt just great. I occasionally miss the "forbidden foods", but soon come to realize that the most important things in |
|our lives are being as healthy as possible, so that we can love and be loved. Put in this context, my choice is clear. |
|Here are some of the things I learned during this time that some of you may find helpful: |
|· The SCD works. |
|· Healing takes time, so be patient. |
|· Surround yourself with supportive people and things. |
|· Don’t let the negative few bring you down. |
|· By and large the medical community will not be there for us so don’t expect it. This is not to say that you can’t find a |
|supportive physician however. |
|· Drugs are valuable in that they buy us time, but ultimately, don’t heal. |
|· Eating a variety of SCD foods makes it easier. |
|· Folic Acid supplements and Ginger seem to help. |
|· Body-Mind or relaxation techniques are helpful. This might include Yoga and meditation. I think they are powerful ways of |
|modulating our breathing, which normalizes/relaxes nerve pathways throughout our body, but specifically, for us, in the |
|gastro-intestinal neighborhood. |
|·And finally, If you’re a single guy--find a girlfriend who can cook. |
| |
|Jeff |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
|In 1930, I suffered from birth from cow’s milk and was very skinny. In the years to follow, I had trouble with colds, flu, and |
|caffeine caused heart palpitations; hot spices caused gall bladder to act up; had my tonsils cut out twice; spastic, angry colon |
|and was told to find psychiatric help; IBS off and on Drs. called it. Colon was full of BM, diarrhea and I vomited a lot. |
|Couldn't eat much because of the shaking after bending over to weed the yard and had pain on my right side with a low grade fever|
|for two years before they found by blood test that it was my appendix and they were cut out with two feet of diseased colon. |
|There were ten teeth pulled, gums had pockets in them and the teeth were loose and gums bloody. I had dizzy spells and had a |
|brain scan which showed a scar deep down in the brain from the lack of nutrition. Wasn't able to go to parties, work, vacations, |
|Christmas gatherings, weddings, funerals, births, church, or family get-togethers because I was too sick to go. Began having |
|upper itchy back in 1983. Another pain began in 1988 on the right side again, and I thought it was an ovary. My grandmother died |
|(Dad's mother) and a letter came from her Dr. saying she had a tenderness on the right side of her gut. Dad had the same troubles|
|as I was having. Once Dad farted so hard that water splashed his butt sitting on the toilet. I had a real bad urgency when BM hit|
|the wall before sitting down on the toilet seat. My granddaughter was with me and I told her not to tell anyone about what |
|happened because I will deny it. Then we started laughing as I cleaned BM off the wall. By now I was eating less and less. Seemed|
|everything turned to gas after eating. I would have a snack of an apple and a wheat cracker-got sick. So I didn't eat either one |
|after that. I would have a salad with dressing and got bloated, gas and pain. Didn't eat salad anymore. Instead of IBS in 1994 I |
|had IBD-Crohn's Disease which was discovered by a GI's colonoscopy. I was given Asacol (8 a day) Zantac (1 a day)and Folic Acid |
|(1 a day) after being in hospital because of the pain and then I was sent home. Got weaker and weaker with headaches. Was told to|
|eat whatever didn't make me sick. (?? Who knew what to eat ??) I kept gaining weight like my body said your not going to die. Up |
|to 170 lbs. from 120 lbs. Had urgency to the bathroom, carried clean underwear, soap,(2) wash clothes. At 2 A.M. or so would |
|hear a rumble and feel pain that woke me up. I went to the bathroom with a heavy winter bathrobe, a blanket and a pillow to sit |
|on the toilet for two hours or less. Had hot sweating, vomiting and finally diarrhea. Laid on the floor - so weak - cold -stayed |
|there till I warmed up. Sleep some hours and didn't want to get up. My husband, Gene, (my main support--I am grateful for his |
|help) asked a nutritionist from hospital to help - a bland diet - it didn't work. Dr. sent us to a meeting on Crohn's/Colitis and|
|they didn't help us as a support group except for more medicine; insurance disability--but you could be dead before you would get|
|it and was told to have an attorney to help you get it; or talked about surgery; IV's for food; leaky gut and fistulas, etc., |
|etc., etc.. I asked the library about books on Crohn's in 1996. They sent Elaine Gottschall's book, "Breaking The Vicious Cycle |
|Intestinal Health Through Diet." (THE SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE DIET.)I read it and it made sense about starch and sugar not being |
|digested. Fermentation was causing an ulcer, mucus, and diarrhea. The book tells what to eat and what to avoid eating to get |
|well. I had to give the book back to the library. Went to a Dr. in Fort Wayne to sew up my pockets in my gums and he told me |
|about Vera Brueck who liked to talk about Crohn's. I stopped eating sugar and candy that very day after seeing her and that was |
|May 17, 1997. Went to their CCFA Meetings and met John Chalmers. Asked my therapist, Donna Berwald, on the same day about the |
|diet and she suggested that I give it a try. What would it hurt for a month? I felt better in a week and a half (not completely |
|well however). Later I was having so much energy that I never had before that I couldn't stop myself from going places and doing |
|things. (Living like I never did before.) I thank the higher powers for this book to be printed. Happened to find the SCD-List |
|e-mail address in Elaine's book and got on line with everybody from all over the world that Rachel Turet had started. And Elaine |
|learned to use a computer to correct our mistakes. After two years on the SCDiet I thought I might go off the diet but changed my|
|mind. "Why go off a healthy diet that made me well:" cholesterol normal (stopped Prevacal), bone density increased and all things|
|mentioned above improved as well as my immune system. So with all the information I learned from Elaine and others on the List I |
|corrected some of my mistakes in preparing yogurt and mayo, etc.. I had not liked cooking before because I would get sick |
|afterward. Now, I enjoy cooking and eating the food and being well. As of this writing (2000) I have been on SCDiet for three (3)|
|years. |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
|I'm thirty-one years old and have been living with UC for eight years. It has dramatically altered my life by being both a burden|
|and a blessing for me and my family. When I first noticed symptoms I had never heard of inflammatory bowel disease. Unfortunately|
|my first gastroenterologist was devoid of a "bedside manner" and offered little comfort or hope other than drugs. Naively, I |
|accepted his bleak prediction of my future and the opinion of there being nothing else I could do. After the passing of six |
|years, four hospitalizations, treatments of three different GIs who touted the "changing your diet will have no effect" theory, |
|too many steroids, and too much trust in physicians and drug companies profiting from my illness?I had enough. The time had come |
|for me to take charge of my own healing. |
|I began by exercising consistently. Though I had been doing yoga off and on for a few years, I became more serious about my |
|practice to help to manage stress. I now do yoga daily and it has played a vital role in my recovery. I started food combining |
|which involves separating proteins from carbohydrates, like meat with vegetables or grains with vegetables but no meat and grains|
|at the same meal. In this practice fruit is eaten alone. It improved my digestion significantly and I continue to food combine |
|today. Though all of this helped to put me in remission for a while I still experienced another flare. |
|This flare was unexpected and did not accompany an unusually stressful period in my life as my past flares had. I refused to even|
|consider prednisone again and consulted a holistic doctor who in turn referred me to an acupuncturist. Together they discovered I|
|had high levels of Candida which is quite common in IBD sufferers and oftentimes the culprit. I had been eating a lot of whole |
|wheat and they suspected a food allergy or at least a sensitivity. Wheat in abundance can be very acidic and cause dysbiosis?an |
|imbalance in the intestinal flora. The holistic doctor put me on an antifungal and then suggested I try The Specific Carbohydrate|
|Diet, a diet developed by Dr. Sidney Valentine Haas and promoted in a book by biochemist and cell biologist, Elaine Gottschall, |
|B.A., M.Sc., entitled Breaking The Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet. Dr. Haas helped Gottschall's daughter recover |
|from ulcerative colitis through this diet. The diet excludes all grains, high-lactose dairy products, and sugar. It allows fruit,|
|most vegetables, nuts, meats, eggs, certain dairy products like hard cheeses and homemade yogurt, and honey. At the time I had |
|been eating a borderline vegetarian diet for years, with fish and poultry only occasionally, and I liked the discipline of my |
|dietary choices. I mistakenly shunned The Specific Carbohydrate Diet at that time in my life and instead followed an alternative |
|diet outlined by my holistic doctor. I excluded wheat, dairy and sugar and began an intensive program of Chinese herbs and |
|supplements. I received acupuncture treatments regularly to balance the energy, chi, in my body. |
|The program developed by my holistic doctor and my acupuncturist helped to keep my UC under control with minimal symptoms and I |
|was able to avoid prednisone. I continued on my maintenance medication, Pentasa, and was able to lead a normal life and never had|
|to slow down or take any sick days from work. I know this was due also in part to my continued exercise and yoga routines. |
|Despite all the improvement, however, I did have slight symptoms that were insistent on hanging on. I could never quite shake |
|them and after a year of annoyance I took a hard and open-minded look at The Specific Carbohydrate Diet. |
|To paraphrase Mr. Frost, I decided to take the road less traveled and this has made all the difference. |
|The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) has been the answer to all of my problems with my UC. I only wish I had found it sooner and |
|that more people in the world knew about its healing abilities. The diet is based on sugars and how IBD sufferers digest them. |
|There are three kinds of sugars, monosaccharides, disaccharides and polysaccharides. The digestive systems of IBD sufferers are |
|impaired and can only digest monosaccharides. Monosaccharides are found in honey, fruit and certain vegetables. Disaccharides and|
|polysaccharides are found in grains, all other sweeteners and dairy. When we ingest these our systems can not break them down and|
|they pass undigested, ferment, and cause an overgrowth of bad bacteria. The book further outlines the science of this process and|
|the guidelines of the diet. It has given me my life back. It is restrictive but very do-able and once one experiences the |
|benefits of recovery, all the sacrifices are worth it. Many people can return to a normal diet after a few years on the SCD and |
|some never experience flares again. |
|The SCD is the best kept secret among IBD treatments, despite the fact that two million copies of Breaking The Vicious Cycle have|
|been sold. Elaine Gottshcall has worked hard to bring it to the public but few westernized medical establishments have embraced |
|it. The bottom line is?it isn't profitable for them. Fortunately, other research results have begun to surface concerning the |
|role of carbohydrate digestion in IBD. Hopefully, this knowledge will begin to spread. |
|Living with this disease and living with this way of eating now has definitely altered my lifestyle. In the past I missed many |
|days of work, and there are often quizzical looks at restaurants from servers and friends when I request special preparations of |
|my food. All of this often ignites questions and I have had to learn to be open and honest about my condition. It's funny. If we |
|had diabetes or food allergies, we wouldn't hesitate to acknowledge it. However, it is often difficult to admit that you have a |
|problem with your colon. It immediately brings to mind a taboo subject. This is very unfortunate but realistic. I often say |
|simply that I have a digestive disease. But recently, I have more often admitted that I have colitis and I haven't encountered |
|any negative responses. People have been genuinely sympathetic and often are interested to learn more about my lifestyle. The |
|more openly we speak of our disease, the less an embarrassing subject it will be. This is part of our lives and we have nothing |
|of which to be ashamed. |
|I stated earlier that this disease has been both a burden and a blessing for me. The blessing has come with my appreciation for |
|the life I live, the developed awareness of my body and health, and my family and friends who love me. I have also been blessed |
|with being one of the growing number who have discovered the SCD and with having this opportunity to encourage other IBD |
|sufferers to try it and recover. I will include several websites where you can find both the book and information about the diet,|
|including the website connecting us to almost 400 users of the SCD worldwide who regularly post questions and answers and |
|testimonials. |
|I am now on the road to recovery and am well enough to begin to start a family with my husband. He has been my best friend, |
|supporter and inspiration through many years of illness. I hope others have a support system like the one provided to me by my |
|husband and family. I also hope this essay and my experience will encourage others to take charge of their own health and start |
|the journey to recovery?to make the SCD road more traveled. I wish you all health and happiness. |
| |
|Gina |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
|Dear Healing Crow Inc: |
| |
|Love your web site. |
|I too found the scd, just by fluke in a health food store, but didn't start it until three months after being put on prednisone |
|for a mild Crohn's flare. I continued with the diet and the drugs (budesonide replaced pred. after 6 months) until I reached a |
|state of collapse a year later and had to take a three month leave from work. I was amazed to be examined and find there was no |
|evidence of any disease. The drugs had done me in, masking a recovery brought about by the diet. |
|Since being off the meds, I have mostly returned to normal. I don't think people realize how much of the recovery with the diet |
|is hampered by the toxic drugs in use. |
|The amount of info on the Internet about SCD is absolutely fabulous. I stuck with the diet through thick and thin partly because |
|I found the first scd web site an learned about other people's success. Knowledge is power. I don't believe medical practices |
|will ever be the same with so much information so readily available, thanks to people like you. |
|Presently (after 3 years), I follow the SCD 90% and just don't sweat the little things. It's now a lifestyle, not a diet. |
|Cheers |
|_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ |
| |
|©2001 The Healing Crow, Inc. |
|All rights reserved. |
|Please direct site commentary or questions to: crow@ |
|The Healing Crow is a nonprofit corporation. Information published by The Healing Crow is intended to expand the knowledge of the|
|reader about health issues. It is not meant to diagnose, prescribe, or replace medical care. Our mission is to educate the public|
|about chronic illnesses and corresponding non-drug related treatments. We encourage others to critically examine all avenues of |
|information pertaining to health including: naturopaths, chiropractors, physicians, medical and scientific papers, and others; in|
|order to make an informed decision. We believe a patient has the right to question a health source without taking any medical |
|advice on faith. The best patient is an informed one. Before instituting a major change in diet or nutrition please consult a |
|worthy expert in nutrition or a doctor. Although we believe our information to be as accurate as possible, discrepancies may |
|arise. If you have a personal story and would like to include your testimonial on our site, please email us at the link above. |
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