Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

[Rob.]

Breakfast is a challange thats too easy for me, mainly because i'll happily eat anything aslong as it'll keep me going. so for breakfast I have the carrot soup that I eat for all three meals of the day!

though I may steam some carrots, puree them and eat them in the same way as yoghurt, carrots have a sweetness to them that should work ok for breakfast. I'll simply have fruit for breakfast when I introduce it, baked apples are good example you could try, though I'm not going to as they tend to be too acidic for my poor teeth, so I'll more than likely have a fruit smoothie.

I have experienced that heartbeat thing, came to the conclusion is was throbbing from the extra blood that my gut needed. So perhaps yours will go away with this diet.

interestingly enough my sleep is improving with this diet, but that could also be because its making me feel quite tired!

[AliB]

My sleep has improved a lot - it's so good to wake up in more or less the same place I went to sleep in! LOL!! The restless legs have all but vanished now my digestion is beginning to settle. Even though I still get the stomach discomfort and backache and probably will do for a while, it is a lot better than it was.

I am also very tired a lot of the time - I did have a small window a week or two after I went gluten-free/DF where I had loads of energy and was even running up the stairs, but then I went down with a rotten virus and was ill again for the best part of 3 weeks. I'm coming out of it now but haven't managed to get that energy level back yet - although I can still at times run up the stairs in short bursts! That's something I don't remember being able to do for years, so there is a little improvement - mind you the fact that I have lost 2 stone undoubtedly helps. The fact that I don't get to bed very early probably doesn't help much with the tiredness though.

Funnily enough, my husband who suffers with Fibromyalgia has been doing the diet with me (with a little odd foray into gluten). He has noticed that he is able to concentrate a lot better and is not nearly so nervy and jumpy as he was, but he also is very tired. Normally he would wake quite early and not be able to get back to sleep, now he rarely wakes before me which is highly unusual.

I desperately want to get the weight loss going again but I can't seem to shift it yet. I hoped when I went gluten-free the weight might start to fall off but it is disappointingly reticent to take its leave!

[Rob.]

Are you not losing a lot of weight on this diet? Weight loss is much like an old set of scales, either stable and evenly balanced, tilted downwards, or upwards- the slightest change giving an overal lose or gain, however small. Eating one extra biscuit above or below your bodies required intake will cause you to lose (assuming you have it to lose), or put on a large amount over long periods time. I wouldn't aim for rapid weight loss through diet, as its not healthy, moreover a slow and gradual decrease that eating a healthy diet will give.

That reminds me, look out for your urine turning dark whilst on this diet, as that means you've strayed too far into the aktins style no carb diet.

all this knowledge yet i'm still ill! this diet seems promising though

[darlindeb25]

Are you both new to the gluten free diet too?

[AliB]

I lost about a stone and a half when I was on Byetta for 3 months for my diabetes (the doc should never have put me on it), which was the only saving grace about it as I am sure it was that that triggered my intolerance off big-time.

I have lost around another half a stone since I swapped back to insulin at the beginning of October, just through odd happenings - I lost 5lbs when my digestion collapsed but managed to figure out what was happening and start gluten-free/DF a few days later otherwise I probably would have lost more.

I have gone down a lb or two since starting gluten-free but it tends to go down a bit then float back up again, but seems to be sticking around the same weight at the moment which means I have lost about 2 stone overall.

Having been on gluten-free/DF for over a month and now SCD for the last week, I thought that it might have started to shift by now, slowly or otherwise, but every time I get on the scales it's the same! Boo hoo!

Ideally I could do with losing at least another 2 stone. Hopefully it will start to shift eventually. I think my metabolism went South with my digestion, so it may take a while and I probably won't have much success until I get my body back into internal balance.

At least since going gluten-free/DF I have been able to cut my insulin in half - I'm not eating the carbs to push it up.

That's interesting about the dark urine. Not drinking enough doesn't help either - I am dreadful for that. Boy do I miss my milky hot chocs!

Hi Deb. Yes. I have only been doing it for a week. It's a bit early yet for me to see any radical changes but it's ok so far. I just wish I could tolerate eggs - there would be a lot more food options open to me. Are you still thinking about following the diet?

I glutened myself lunchtime. I cheated and had some rice cakes with non gluten-free pate. I had the most awful backache all afternoon. Jolly well served me right! I will have to get hold of some chicken livers and make my own.

I made a stew for dinner with leftover chicken, carrots, leek, courgette (zucchini) and string beans plus a few herbs and a good dollop of 24hour yogurt. My tum was a lot better after that. I followed it with blueberries and banana and more yogurt (this one has turned out better and I have not reacted to it - I left it to 'brew' for about 30 hours this time and as it has separated I have been draining off the liquid), a sprinkling of flaked almonds and a small drizzle of honey. Yum.

[AliB]

Sorry Deb, I got confused. For some unfathomable reason I thought you meant the SCD! Doh!

I had to start gluten-free at the end of Jan after my digestion collapsed. I was in such pain when I ate and ended up in hospital twice, but they could find nothing wrong. By a process of elimination and some intense web research, I whittled it down to food intolerance.

I went and had a blood test for Celiac and immediately started gluten-free/DF. Within 5 hours the pain had gone. It took another week or so for my stomach to settle and the bloating to abate, but it was such a relief to not be in pain any more!

The Blood Test came back negative and I didn't bother with the Biopsy as there was no guarantee that that would have found anything either. I just don't see the point of putting myself through another round of agony just for that so won't bother. I know I am carb intolerant (gluten and dairy included) - I am proving it to myself. The only thing that would benefit me with a positive test is that I would be able to get a selection of gluten-free carbs on the NHS. Big deal. That would do me a fat lot of good!

I'm managing ok - just trying to focus on getting this stomach better. I realised quite quickly that there was more to this than just Gluten and Dairy which is why I have moved on to the SCD. There is no way I want to be stuck like this for the foreseeable future!

[darlindeb25]

Well, I'm reading the book, but I actually am having a very difficult time thinking about giving up my dairy. I have been gluten free for almost 8 yrs and dairy is the one thing I have not had to give up. It has never given me a problem. When I first went gluten free, cottage cheese and fruit were my staples and I did very well. I have continued to do ok with dairy, actually, if I give up my ice cream, which I know I can do, then I wouldn't actually have much dairy in my life. I do like my cheese. As I already have stated, I have given up all grains, nightshades, cruciferous veggies, red meat, and shellfish. I eat chicken, cod, talipia, tuna occasionally, green beans, peas, carrots, and some fruits. I actually hate yogurt, I only eat it because I know it's good for you, and I don't eat it often, cause I really do hate it. I love my peanut butter, but have given up my ricecakes, so don't even have the peanut butter very often.

What do you drink? I only drink decaf coffee and decaf tea. That and water. I never drink soda or juices, ocassionally cranberry juice.

I was glutened in January by a medication and still am trying to get my tummy bad to a normal for it. I have never had it react bad this long. My friend Kev told me last week that I had lost weight and I didn't believe him, but this morning, I found that I have in fact lost 15# since being glutened. Losing weight is wonderful, but losing it when you feel good is much preferred. I really am not sure what I will do. I do know, I work fulltime and I can't afford to mess with my diet so much that I end up with diarrhea, I have to work. I can't work and have diarrhea. I'm at a crossroads here. I have to finish reading the book and decide what's next.

[AliB]

Trouble is Deb, that although you don't think you react to dairy, it could still be the reason why your stomach is not recovering. I would say the only way to try is to drop dairy for a month or so completely and see what happens.

Ice Cream also contains quite a lot of sugar and other ingredients and any one of them could be a trigger. Nikki who has also posted on this thread reacts badly to soya and that is in a lot of foods.

Elimination is the only sure-fire way to figure it out. These things can be doing damage without us realising. My Mum never had any obvious symptoms all her life and Celiac was never picked up until just before she died when it was too late. I am not trying to be a scaremonger - just to help you see that you don't always get obvious symptoms.

If your stomach is not getting better - it is highly unlikely that it is due to the glutening - more likely that you are reacting to another food or foods.

Gluten kept my stomach continuously very sore every time I ate - when I stopped eating it the pain went away. But I still react to some other foods with a very uncomfortable stomach and backache and that tells me to figure out what it is and avoid it.

I get the obvious reaction with dairy - mucous and catarrgh - but not everyone does - doesn't mean though that they aren't intolerant of it, it will just come out in other ways.

I know it's hard and I feel for you - I would kill for a lovely milky hot choc right now, but I know I have to get better before ever I try to introduce dairy again, otherwise I am just prolonging the agony and could set myself up for even worse problems, even Cancer or something dreadful and I really don't want to go that route!!!

I am not a yogurt lover either, but this 24hour home-made yogurt is very nice, especially with a little honey and some fruit. My Hub has gone off just now to a local farmer to see if they do any Sheeps milk as I think I would be better off making it with that or goats milk rather than cow's, as I am much less intolerant to those. Commercial yogurts are not fermented for long enough and may actually be counter-productive.

Because of the diabetes, my body has tended to retain sugar deposits in different areas. I am hoping that that problem will now start to improve as the sugar starts to dissipate. The less sugar I have in my body, the better balanced it will be, but it will take time. I am just way too impatient and want to be better now, but it is still such early days yet.

I drink water, herb teas with or without honey, and well-diluted grape juice.

I had a bit of D but only for a day or so. As Rob said, that was probably due to my body having a bit of a clear-out, or possibly I may have eaten some food that my body couldn't cope with yet. I did have some raw apple and that may not have agreed with it. I am still getting the pale stools, but again, my body is sorting itself out so that is a not unexpected change. I'm only going once or twice a day at the most so I have no problem now.

[Rob.]

This'll make you laugh, Carrot poisoning! I've been having pretty much nothing but carrot soup, and its catching up with me big time

what other meals are you guys having to begin with? see all I can really think of is the carrot soup, as yoghurt doesn't agree with me. I think I may have to jump ahead with the diet and hope for the best

[darlindeb25]

For now, I am going to keep reading the book. I just don't know if I can give up my dairy. Let me finish the book and see what I think.

[AliB]

Carrots, yummmmm. You'll know you've had enough when you look in the mirror and see an Ooompa-loompa staring back at you! They'll be good for your night-vision lenses - just don't end up with a Vitamin A overdose!

Actually I am having carrots everyday as I cope with them fine. I only did the chicken and carrots thing for a couple of days as I didn't have the big D at the time (that came later ).

I am having a few things that I probably shouldn't be eating just yet, like nuts and dried fruit, but I find the evenings the worst, especially if I am in front of the TV. I have had a very hungry day all round today.

I had some more of the chicken stew and some yogurt and banana lunchtime, but was still hungry and ended up having nuts and fruit and paid for it all afternoon with dreadful backache. Serves me right. I really ought to just make a big pot of stew every day and just dip in when I'm hungry!

I made an Almond cake this evening with fruit and had 2 small pieces. That's the trouble with it, much too more-ish.

I have just gone clammy whilst typing this which often happens this time of the evening. I knew I shouldn't have had that other piece of cake, darn it. And having to write this post with the page surrounded by all those gluten-free goodies, just isn't fair!

Let us know what you think of the book and diet, Deb. I need to read it again - I'll probably have to read it about 4 times before everything goes in and stays there!

[darlindeb25]

I just finished Chapter 9 and now I remember why I didn't agree with Elaine Gottschall the first time I read this book. She lied to people, she gives people false hope. In Chapter 9 she says:

Many cases of celiac disease, spastic colon, and diverticulitis appear to be cured by the end of the first year. Other disorders such as Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis take much longer with a minimum of two years on the diet. A rule of thumb is to stay on the diet for at least one year after the last symptom has disappeared.

To begin with, celiac disease, diverticulitis, nor crohn's for that matter, can be cured--false information to anyone reading her book. They can go into a remission, but they are never cured. My father has celiac and diverticulitis. A friend has crohn's--many people with crohn's will go into a remission seemingly overnite, then years later have a flare up without warning. These diseases do not go away because of a diet, not this one or any diet.

I agree that maybe too many carbs can be a problem. I agree that there are bad carbs and maybe not so bad carbs, but there are 5 grams of carbs in a serving of green beans--how can green beans be bad? I agree that high fructose corn syrup is bad for people. I agree that wheat is probably bad for everyone, especially since it has been become such a hybrid product. My mom always used to say, "Corn is for fattening hogs, milk is for baby calves!" Corn really isn't a veggie, it is a grain, to which I am intolerant and my mother never did drink milk, she does however use milk in cooking.

The more I read, the more this diet worries me. She practically guarantees you will get diarrhea, which just doesn't seem right. I will finish the book. Not sure I will follow the diet though. I also will discuss it with my sister, who is a celiac and a dietician.

[AliB]

I just finished Chapter 9 and now I remember why I didn't agree with Elaine Gottschall the first time I read this book. She lied to people, she gives people false hope. In Chapter 9 she says:

To begin with, celiac disease, diverticulitis, nor crohn's for that matter, can be cured--false information to anyone reading her book. They can go into a remission, but they are never cured. My father has celiac and diverticulitis. A friend has crohn's--many people with crohn's will go into a remission seemingly overnite, then years later have a flare up without warning. These diseases do not go away because of a diet, not this one or any diet.

I agree that maybe too many carbs can be a problem. I agree that there are bad carbs and maybe not so bad carbs, but there are 5 grams of carbs in a serving of green beans--how can green beans be bad? I agree that high fructose corn syrup is bad for people. I agree that wheat is probably bad for everyone, especially since it has been become such a hybrid product. My mom always used to say, "Corn is for fattening hogs, milk is for baby calves!" Corn really isn't a veggie, it is a grain, to which I am intolerant and my mother never did drink milk, she does however use milk in cooking.

The more I read, the more this diet worries me. She practically guarantees you will get diarrhea, which just doesn't seem right. I will finish the book. Not sure I will follow the diet though. I also will discuss it with my sister, who is a celiac and a dietician.

I will admit that there are a few things in the book that are a little questionable, but I think we have to look at the bigger picture. Many. many people have had excellent success with this diet. No, I think you are right that 'cured' may be a bit ambitious, however, many have certainly gone into permanent remission on it.

I think that it has to be about our mindset, too. If we think this diet is going to be a wonder cure-all we will be disappointed. If we think that the cure will be such that we can go back to eating whatever we like and never have a problem again, we will be disappointed.

We are sick because our bodies cannot cope with carbohydrate. Full stop. If we want to be well, we can NEVER go back to eating the way we did before. We are in this mess because of the way we ate before and have eaten all our lives. The carbs and sugars have done our bodies an incredible amount of damage.

If people have a genetic vulnerability to Crohn's or Celiac, or Diverticulitis, or whatever, like me with Diabetes, eating foods that damage the body will trigger it, eating foods that won't, won't. Just because someone with Crohn's doesn't get a flare-up for some years doesn't mean the damage isn't still being done. These things can also, like Celiac, be triggered by a trauma to the body, whether emotional or physical, but if we have been avoiding foods that will damage, it is far more unlikely that flare-ups will occur.

Whilst she has only geared the diet towards those with bowel disorders there is growing evidence to show that reducing carbohydrate consumption can help a lot of other conditions too. I have absolutely no doubt that she was on the right track, but there were limitations to her understanding, as well as the fact that she was only looking at this from one direction. There is another book 'Protein Power' by Drs Michael and Mary Dan Eades, that is essentially the same Paleo kind of diet but apparently covers the scientific and medical aspect in greater detail. That might be worth a library visit.......

[KAG]

Hi,

I've been doing SCD since October 2007. I'm not good with quoting, so in regards to the comment about curing celiac, I kinda read that comment in the book like celiacs could be cured of the damage that was being done in their intestines, maybe? The comment in the book did seem a little off though. I do have to say that when it comes to nutrition and health that I don't believe anyone has it completely figured out though. And I think that has to do with how different we all are. Elaine G did do a lot of research on digestion though.

I never did get diagnosed with celiac disease but I know that going gluten free didn't solve my intestinal problems. I believe that my problems came from antibiotics and birth control pill usage. So this SCD diet makes sense for me because I believe that I needed to starve out the bad bacteria. In going on the SCD diet it became very easy for me to find out other intolerances like eggs, onions and garlic. I have been going through healing reactions and sometimes I don't feel very well, but I can tell that I am healing with this diet. The goat yogurt is really helping. I used to react more strongly to dairy but now I can even eat some cheese at times. My only symptom when I eat cow's dairy is that my sense of smell diminishes and my nose tickles. The mucus I used to get is not so much. (This would probably mean that I still shouldn't eat cow's dairy, right? - Does this mean it's more of an allergy than an intolerance?) I don't know. I have always liked cheese the best!

So anyway, I do think that we eat too many processed carbohydrates and that our bodies are not capable of digesting them correctly. I subscribe to other groups and many people there are finding successes. And a lot of these people seem to be dealing with very serious intestinal issues.

I think that everyone needs to find what works best for them. I personally feel like SCD is helping me tremendously. It actually feels like my body is healing. My plans are to follow this diet for at least a year, maybe two. The plan is for me to be able to eat other food, but probably never gluten again.

This diet is strict but I had spent years never getting better.

Kim

[Rob.]

Her claim to cure coeliac disease was poor wording, I believe it explains early on in the book that where people have been given a symptomatic diagnosis of coeliac (I am one of them), symptomatic diagnosis is one that is based on symptoms, not hard test results. People who actually have general carb intolerance (read viscous cycle) who have since cut out a large proportion of grains believing themselves to be coeliac and shown improvement, but not complete cure are what she refers too when she claims to cure coeliac disease.

[AliB]

Hi Kim.

I think you're right about starving out the bacteria. I too think that is a lot of my problem, almost certainly triggered by anti-biotics but compounded by carbs and sugar.

I used to get a lot of colds as a child (looks like my immune system was compromised by carb intolerance even back then!) although I wasn't fat. The weight gain (trivialised by calling it 'puppy-fat'!) came later when I entered puberty - thinking about it logically that must be an early indicator of carb intolerance.

I hit a brick wall energy-wise at around 15, managed to lose some of the fat in my late teens but gradually put it back on after marriage, escalating with my first baby with the GTT showing marked glucose intolerance and dire warnings from the doctor that I would probably become Diabetic later in life. I did. And quite young at 40.

As I mentioned in a previous post, I had two chances to sort it out with low-carb, which was the only times I was ever really well, and I blew them both, stupid me. I can hardly remember any time (apart from the low-carb) when I didn't have Candida or other overload.

I wish I lived somewhere where I had never seen a chocolate bar or cookies or a lovely milky hot chocolate (low calorie!), and warm, so I wouldn't have to eat comfort foods and could live on salad! I don't think I ever went hugely overboard with any of that stuff, we rarely had fries/chips and I have tried to keep fairly low-carb for some years, and I would never consider myself a glutton by any stretch of the imagination, but obviously my body just cannot cope with hardly any carb at all or only simple ones like fruit and veg.

I think at the moment, the reason that I am not yet losing weight may be due to the excess sugar in my body. That will have to be cleared out before my body can start to rebalance itself.

I too am finding it hard to tolerate eggs, which is a bit annoying as I would be able to vary my diet more if I could eat them. The jury is out on onions and garlic. What symptoms were you getting before you went gluten-free? How much have they improved since you started gluten-free and subsequently since going on the SCD?

That's interesting about the tickling nose, I used to get that a lot - itchy - right on the tip - used to drive me mad! I haven't had it since I went gluten-free/DF. My husband lost his sense of smell several years ago. We only started SCD about 10 days ago and it is early days yet, but I wondered whether he might get that back.

He hasn't had the digestive problems I had, but he has Fibromyalgia and Osteoarthritis, and does get a bit of IBS and bloating at times, so I am sure he also is Carb intolerant too, but just manifests in a different way. With a slight paunch he doesn't have the weight problems like me either, but I am sure this would help him anyway.

When you say Goats' yogurt - do you make it yourself or do you buy it? I have made some of the 24hour yogurt with cows' milk (I couldn't get any goats' milk at the time) and have coped with it fairly well, but have bought some goats' milk today to make some with that as I do seem to be able to tolerate it better - apparently it is a lot closer in make-up to human milk!

Are you beginning to find that you can tolerate other foods a bit better now than you could when you started the SCD?

[KAG]

Hi AliB,

My real problems started after giving birth to my first child when I was 30. I alternated between C and D, with mostly C. I would only go every 2 or 3 days. I had severe stomach cramps, severe gas and gas pains. I would double over in pain at times. My stomach would bloat up like a balloon. The gas I had was the smelliest gas ever and it was the smelliest poop too. It was like I was rotting inside. I always had a problem with acne. I used to get very irritable as well. I've since gone on thyroid medication for low thyroid which helped a lot but I used to not tolerate the heat at all and I was always sweaty and had sweaty palms. When I eat chocolate, my body feels hot too and my palms and feet sweat. It's weird, but since I went on thyroid medication for low thyroid, my heat regulation seems to work better (as long as I don't eat chocolate) I would get naseaous too. I had problems with candida and would get really mucousy. I felt like I wasn't digesting food at all. My underarms stunk really bad and I used to switch around deoderants trying to find out what worked. My breath was really nasty and I chewed gum all the time. I had very low energy. I was in a brain fog a lot and had trouble concentrating at times.

I found an allergist that treated me for candida and it helped some. I finally figured out that certain foods were giving me certain symptoms. BUT THERE WAS A REASON THAT I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH CANDIDA AND NOONE THOUGHT OF FIGURING OUT WHY I WAS HAVING TROUBLE WITH CANDIDA. When I finally found a natural practitioner, but I went through years of working with my diet. I managed to control most symptoms. I still had smelly gas and C. I still had problems with acne. The gluten free diet and dairy free diet got rid of almost all of my other symptoms.

I make my own 24 hour goat's yogurt. They have goat's milk in my grocery store here. Since I found out what foods were bothering me, my digestion is improving. It was also easier for me to figure out what was bothering me since I wasn't eating any grains and sugars. I can now eat peanut butter without a reaction. I am also able to eat lentils which I couldn't before. I think the grains (I love rice) were taxing my body and made it difficult to pinpoint other food intolerances I had.

I think this diet would definitely help your husband's issues. But it is difficult for people to see the connection between what they eat and how they feel. I know I've been to many doctors that have said that diet doesn't effect how you feel. It's even more difficult when his problems aren't related to digestion. The more I have been reading, the more I feel that all this processed food is really hurting everyone, and not just with digestion disorders. There are so many people having problems.

I just know that I finally feel like I am really healing. Being gluten free helped, but it wasn't the whole answer for me.

Kim

[AliB]

Hi Kim.

I sounds from your symptoms as if the carbs and dairy were really poisoning your system and your poor old body was really toxic. The fact that those things have improved so much would suggest that.

My body has never been very efficient at off-loading the toxins. apparently when you get spots and smelly sweat it actually shows that your body is expelling a lot of the rubbish through the skin. When that doesn't happen the liver is not functioning efficiently enough to do that.

I rarely get spots, I rarely even sweat - this may sound weird, but in some way I wish I did - at least then I would know that my body was getting rid of the rubbish rather than constantly creating more fat to store the toxins in!

I don't cope with heat either - if I am in the sun it just instantly drains all my energy. Since I went gluten-free/DF I have noticed that I haven't had to stick my feet out of the bed like I always used to, because they were always 'burning' - feeling extremely hot inside, yet not particularly hot on the outside - that was another weird thing.

Although we worry about hygiene and B.O., I sometimes wonder if we don't end up oppressing the lymph system when we use deodorants. If we have smelly sweat it is a good indication that the body is getting rid of rubbish. Presumably if we weren't toxic we wouldn't smell! Now there's a good reason to eat healthily!

[KAG]

Ali,

That is so funny about your feet and sticking them out of the blanket. I never even noticed that I used to do that too and now I don't have to! And sometimes I feel good about being able to get rid of toxins but most of time I can't believe how many toxins I have in my body. And when I can't get rid of my bad breath I just want to crawl under a rock than have to talk to someone.

The great thing about this forum is that I used to think I was all alone. Why was I the only one going through this?

Do you do anything to help your liver? I was thinking about trying something to help but maybe I will wait a little bit. Doing SCD means you can't have all the additives they put in things, so I get leary on trying new things. Have you ever tried colonics to get rid of toxins? I did that before when I lived in Chicago. I don't know if it helped or not. I know it didn't feel good.

I'm also thinking that my nose allergy itchiness and my constipation coming back might mean that I am not really tolerating the goat yogurt. I think I am just going to do acidophilus supplements for awhile and then try the yogurt again in maybe a month.

[AliB]

Doh!

Just because I told you I don't have to stick my feet out any more - last night I had to! They were really hot. I think I ate something my stomach didn't cope with very well. I used to get very itchy feet too and I realised that was to do with my digestion.

Don't tell me about bad breath! My mouth usually tastes like the bottom of a sewage pit when I wake in the morning and I have developed a way of talking to people without aiming the breath at them! I do think it is improving a little though.

I am thinking of having an Epsom Salts bath. That is supposed to be good for drawing out toxins.

For a few weeks back in December/January I took Milk thistle capsules. That is a very good liver tonic. During that time I think I actually passed some stones - I did notice something in the lav one day that looked like peas and I thought that was odd, as I hadn't eaten any! I looked, flushed them away and thought no more about it. When my stomach got so bad I couldn't cope I went to the hospital one night and the next day they did an Ultrasound scan because my gallbladder was sore. I didn't have ONE gallstone! I thought that was amazing. Then I thought back about what I saw in the lav and thought that maybe I had passed them all without realising and that was why the gallbladder was sore.

At my age I would have expected to have a bladder full! Because it was sore the Doctor thought it was probably infected and was talking about me having to have it out and I thought "not on your Nellie, mate, I want to keep all my bits thank you!" I would have found some way of getting rid of them if I had had some stones - even if it meant doing a liver flush! Why do Doctors think the only way to deal with these things is to whip them out! After a few days the soreness settled down.

About a week to 10 days after I started gluten-free/DF I had a pain in my foot - throbbing and pulsating. When I checked the Reflexology chart it equated with the liver - sure enough when I felt the area in my right ribs under my armpit it was quite sore.

Around the time I got the pain I actually felt something moving in my side, sort of trickling, which was worrying, but again it settled down within a couple days. I concluded it was my liver having a good old clear-out. It was probably getting rid of stones, grit, and maybe even fat and toxins.

One reason I took the Milk Thistle was because my hair had been falling out in handfuls. I knew that that could be a sign of a sluggish liver. After two weeks or so on the capsules my hair stopped falling out - hooray! I also was taking some good vit and mineral supplements to give my body a helping hand so that may have helped too, but I am sure that most of it was down to the Milk Thistle.

I haven't tried Colonic Irrigation. I have thought about as I know some who have and they felt better after, but I thought I would see what running on this diet would do for a while before I went down that route.

You may be right about the yogurt. Try not having it for a while and see if it makes any difference. If not, then at least you will know it isn't that. When I first went gluten-free I went from having diarrhea to almost constipation. Now, since going SCD my stools are very pale. Not sure why that is. It's only been under 2 weeks, hopefully it will settle down - I am not eating any grains and I daresay that would make a difference.

I used to get the itchy nose, but was never able to pinpoint what was causing it. Can't say I have noticed it since I went gluten-free/DF. I seem to be ok with the yogurt.

[KAG]

Ali,

Goodness! I wouldn't want to loose my gall bladder either. They took my tonsils out when I was five and from what I've been reading lately, the tonsils are important because they trap bacteria and virus you may breathe in. Kinda funny since my intestinal bacteria is out of whack. I do have to say that since I started SCD my poop has gone through weird stages. I did go through a stage for a few weeks when my stool was very pale. I was sure worried. But then it changed to something else. So hang in there!

That's funny about your feet. Things always work that way. Sometimes I'm afraid to say certain things so they don't end up happening.

I think I will try milk thistle but I'll wait awhile first. I have a tendency to try too many things at once. Then I have to go back and figure out what started bothering me. I do really think that getting rid of grains and sugars allows your body to heal. Hey, if it takes awhile, that's ok. I do enjoy eating healthy. Sometimes my body gets tired, but I really think it's from the healing. I will start the epsom salt baths. That's a great idea.

For my bad breath, I started scraping my tongue and cleaning out my nostrils with a neti pot. I think it's helping. For the neti pot, it used to sting (I used filtered water and a little natural salt), but I read about putting a pinch of baking soda to help with the sting and it sure feels much better. I have a filter in my shower so I put the neti pot and two small containers of salt and baking soda in the tub and do it in the morning with my shower. Less mess, much easier to do. One day I WILL BE HEALTHY!

I really do love cooking and making healthy food. I just wish we didn't have to do it every day. That's whats really hard. Wouldn't it be great if we only had to eat every other day?

It's weird that your hair is falling out because mine does too. It's not in clumps but it is constant. I am very thankful that I have a lot of hair. I think my hair has been falling out since I was about 16. Every time I move, it takes about 6 months before the drain gets clogged in the shower! At the end of every week I just have to swipe my hand on the floor and pick up tons of hair.

That is really cool how you could match up your pain with a reflexology chart. I love those kinds of things. I love it when you can see how your body is working and I hate going to the doctor to have them tell you you are wrong. It's taken way too long for me to learn how to trust myself.

[AliB]

Thanks for telling me about the poop problem! I did wonder why it seemed to be going backwards - at least I will have some confidence that it will get back to some kind of normality. It's probably like this whilst my body is re-jigging itself and off-loading toxins, etc.

I had never seen or heard of a Neti Pot. That's interesting. Amongst all the other crap things going on in my body I also have a permanent scab up my left nostril (my Dad and my Mum both had one and my son has one - is that a Celiac indicator I wonder????). It is very annoying. I went to the ENT department at the Hospital but the doc just said to rinse with salt water. I was wondering how the heck I was going to get it up there without choking! I will have to invest in a Neti Pot! I wonder though if the scab would go away of its own accord now I am on this diet?!

Yes tonsils are important - they are also another means by which the body expels toxins. If you have bad breath it can often be to do with the tonsils. I occasionally have had a 'cheesy' deposit on mine which, when I remove it absolutely stinks!

What a gross conversation this is.................what gross unhealthy beings we are.....................!

I know exactly what you mean about food - sometimes it feels as though I can think about nothing else! Why can't we be like a python or something and just have one huge big meal and not worry about it again for a few months!

Well, I was exaggerating about my hair falling out in clumps, but it felt like it - it was everywhere. My husband was getting fed up of picking it out of his dinner! It was all over my clothes, his clothes, the furniture. Every time I ran my hand through it I looked like Dr Jekyll, or Mr Hyde, or both. I wouldn't have minded if it was only the gray ones falling out! Now, at least I can run my hand through it and there is nothing there. My hand is empty. That is wonderful.

I sometimes wonder what Doctors actually learn. They are very good at dishing out drugs. They are very good at telling you (because they can't find anything) that there is nothing wrong with you. They are very good at listening to you, then giving you a drug that 'might help', but actually ends up making everything worse, or, as happened to a friend who told the doctor that she was depressed because she couldn't eat, being given anti-depressants for her depression (actually her gallbladder was very infected and she ended up having to have emergency surgery to have it removed as it burst and almost killed her). Cause, what cause?

My Mum died through Medical negligence, my Dad died through Medical negligence. Do I have any faith in Doctors? I think you can work that one out yourself! I do use them when I have to but I prefer to (and seem far better at) working it out myself. If I'd left it to Doctors I would probably be dead too! A Doctor I used to see a few years ago once turned to a trainee when I went in one day and said, "this is Alison, she usually tells me what is wrong with her, and she usually is right"! That Doctor actually became so disillusioned with the Medical Profession, she went off and became a Homeopath!

Two months ago I went to the Doctor because of my stomach and continuous diarrhea. He booked an Ultrasound. It came through this week for next Wednesday. Fortunately I had it done at the hospital 2 days after I went to see him when I was in so much pain I thought I was dying. The Ultrasound found nothing wrong. So I went back to the drawing-board and found Celiac and put the pieces together. If I had had to wait for the appointment I would have been in absolute agony for 2 months and still been back to square one. What a crazy stupid world we live in.

I wish I lived in France. You see the Doctor in the morning and in the afternoon you have your scan, op, test, whatever. The UK is supposed to have such a wonderful system. Ha. ha.

[KAG]

Hi Ali,

It is kinda weird talking about noses and poop and phlegm and such.

Sorry about your mom and dad. I see my dad's health deteriorate with all the drugs the doctors give him. My mom is more likely to believe me though and she has improved a little. She is still one of those that believes the doctor has the magic pill.

My son has scab in his nostril but I just noticed it recently. I wonder if that's the same thing you are talking about. We haven't gone to the doctor for his yearly physical but I'm not sure what to make of it. He does have slight problems with dairy and his body is more sensitive to things. Now I'm really curious about it. Has the doctor ever said what he thinks that is? Can you even do anything for it? Definitely let me know if you find anything out about it. I try to limit grains and sugar for my kids but I don't do SCD with them. They really just have minor issues. I know they could get worse but restricting a kid's diet is so hard. And they definitely don't want to be different.

There are some really good alternative doctors here in the states, but they all gravitate towards the big cities and usually cost more money and insurance doesn't cover much of the cost. Then it depends on what type of insurance you have and employers are paying less and less so the insurance keeps getting worse and worse. It takes a lot of time, money and effort to find a good doctor here. And Florida (except Miami area) attracts a lot of whacko's as far as doctors go. But then Florida has a lot of strange people here too. Warmer weather is a magnet for creeps. But I do have to say that the weather was wonderful today and me and my kids got to go swimming and I started working on my tan! But in another month I'll be sweating like crazy again.

I always wanted to live in France too, but I wanted to live in the cafes and eat and eat!

[AliB]

Hi Kim. Sorry I can't post today in any detail. We have had to travel for a Funeral and the lady I am staying with has just let me use her computer to check my emails etc. I should be back Tuesday. I'll be in touch then - I haven't abandoned the site!!!!

[AliB]

Hi Kim.

I'm really not sure what the scab is. Some years ago I went to the doctor and he gave me some cream for it. I used it for a few days and it started to clear up but I stupidly stopped using it and it came back. I didn't realise that the cream was an anti-biotic and I should have kept going with it till it was completely gone. A friend told me it was Staphylococcus which made sense with the AB cream. There are a couple of other types of cream but I think it had got used to them by then and they wouldn't touch it.

About 2 years ago I mentioned it to my doctor and she took a swab. A few weeks later I went to the ENT centre and spoke to a doctor there but he said it wasn't Staph and just to sniff up a mixture of salt, bicarb and sugar. I'm afraid I never did that as I couldn't figure out why, if it has never healed on its own and it took AB cream to deal with it which now doesn't work as it became immune to it, salt water would have any effect? Plus I didn't fancy choking on salt water every time I did it!

I just wish I had been better informed originally. If the doctor had told me that it was likely to be a bacterial infection and to keep taking the cream until well after it had gone, I would have done it properly. Doh!

I know what you mean about trying to limit kids diets, it is so difficult, especially when they see other kids at school tucking in to whatever they want. My daughter has just got my eldest grandson (aged 6) onto gluten-free to see if it will help his stomach problems. They give him gluten-free for school lunch and she is managing at home by baking different things but it is not easy. I am sure the little one probably has Candida issues already as he is addicted to gluten, carbs and chocolate. He is quite small for his age and has learning delay - he's about a year or so behind the 'norm' and is still in diapers at night although he's over 4 and a half.

I am convinced it may well be linked to his diet. He has never eaten fruit or vegetables until recently and then only an occasional banana and slices of apple, potato, carrots and string beans and perhaps an occasional 'little tree' (broccoli). For a long time the only 'vegetable' he would eat was baked beans! It wouldn't hurt for them both to be on gluten-free/DF for a while, although my daughter has changed over to Goats milk which I think has helped a bit.

Don't talk about the weather - you're making me envious! We are just creeping on to the edge of Spring here so we do have some warmer weather to look forward to but our Summers are very sporadic. We hardly had one at all last year.

My Uncle and two of my cousins live in Florida - not too far from you as it happens. My uncle is up in Homosassa, one cousin is in Palm Harbour and the other in Dunedin. I have another cousin in Ohio. I have never been to the States. I think the flying has put me off! My Aunt and Uncle were both from the UK but emigrated first to Canada then to America back in the 60's. They have 3 girls. the first one who was born in the UK is dark complexioned with dark hair (her paternal grandpa was dark), the second, born in Ontario is blonde and fair-skinned, and the third, born in the States is ginger with freckles! They all look like different members of the family!

We don't have insurance like you do. There is private insurance for those who can afford it, but as we are already paying for the NHS through our taxes, having insurance means that technically you are paying for it twice. It would not cover for 'alternative' doctors or therapists so if we want that sort of treatment we have to pay out of our pocket. There are odd things we can get on the NHS like Acupuncture but it only seems to be pretty basic and the NHS doesn't do any tests you need, only what the doctor thinks is appropriate which generally is only basic again and they seem to be impotent other than being glorified drug pushers, or recommending surgery! People are so sick in general these days that it must be difficult for the insurance companies to make any profit!