Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD)

[YoloGx]

Hi Bea. You can use the whole granules for making the sole - in fact it is better than using it ground because you can see more easily when saturation point is reached by the granules that are left undissolved in the bottom of the jar.

If you have issues with your kidneys you may need to start gently with the water and salt and gradually increase it, and keep your eye on the loading.

My skin is looking better - not so wrinkly, I don't feel so tired, it looks as though my hair loss has slowed or even stopped - well, no more than would normally be expected, and I am sleeping better, so positive things so far.

On Sunday I told a friend who has asthma about this. She went home and started drinking water and taking the salt. Last night she came up to me and was so delighted - she has hardly coughed since Sunday and has not had to use her inhaler at all!

Hi Ali--I discovered years ago some salt is actually good for me. I was way low on salt since I used to always half the amount. I think when they refer to needing a low salt diet its in reference to those who actually have a high salt diet--which I never have had since I don't eat preserved meats or fast foods etc.

I ordered the large salt crystals which I will use for the Sole and also have enough left over to grind salt fresh using the salt grinder.

Bea

[Woolygimp]

After reading the last few pages of the thread, I've found that it has become incredibly derailed with posters advocating all means of what I would call whacky, alternative diets. I do not put much faith in Alkalinity diets, Candida, or any other "vague"/unproven diagnoses that are generally invented out people with no medical background, used to milk money out of people with the multi-million dollar supplement market.

What I am concerned about though, if the SCD was an effective diet and if it worked would this thread have been derailed as much as it is currently? Would people be willing to try "PH miracle" diets if the SCD had solved their problems? I think the answer is no, and it's pretty disheartening.

I mean no disrespect, especially to you Yolo as I know you're a valuable poster on the site... I just strongly disagree with a lot of what I consider fad diagnoses.

I had started the SCD several weeks ago but I had gotten glutened from the Yogourmet yogurt starter (or the casein in the yogurt) so I've felt much, much worse. I now stopped eating the homemade yogurt as I definitely react negatively to casein and I think the assumptions made in the book that 24 hours will make the casein safe is wrong. Something in the yogurt triggered an immune reaction. According to my initial lab results in 2007, I have a very strong IGA reaction to casein.

I was going to give the diet another chance and came to this thread to read if anyone was having success with it, but so far it doesn't seem that way so now I'm not so sure.

To elaborate on the yogourmet yogurt starter, it's the only possible thing that could've glutened me as I cook all of my own food and basically only eat fruits/chicken/vegetables. I had similar reactions both times I tried the starter, three weeks apart. I had a very bad flare up of my DH on my chest/shoulders both times, and I've never heard of casein causing a DH flareup. There is a cross contamination warning on the back of the packets.

Even if the SCD worked, I don't know if it's for me. My reaction and symptoms are almost all autoimmune related. Being glutened for me is a system wide autoimmune attack on my liver and endocrine systems causing various problems with adrenal/testosterone/thyroid as well as liver enzyme levels. I only have D after being glutened, although I think casein does cause the same autoimmune damage even though I don't get any "intestinal symptoms" from it. Being gluten free alone gets rid of the D although I haven't ever fully recovered from the autoimmune symptoms.

When I am glutened though, I can't eat anything with protein even chicken as it basically feels like it's killing me. A couple weeks after the glutening, I can tolerate protein again but it's very odd that I react so strongly to certain foods just after a glutening.

[Ms Jan]

Hi there,

What a sad - and wrong! - thing to conclude that the discussion of other potential ways of helping the healing process must mean that the SCD isn't working in and of itself.

I haven't posted much lately, but that is exactly because I am so much better - and after six years of being physically debilitated I'm pretty busy catching up with my life now when I'm finally able to. My sense would be that the same goes for many others who have improved on this diet. As for me, there is absolutely NO DOUBT whatsoever that my healing is due to the SCD, and in particular to the moderated form of it which I found my way to through lots of personal trial and error, but also through an incredibly well informed help by everyone on this thread. THANK YOU ALL!

I had been to a myriad of doctors and been tested for a zillion things, but nothing worked, not even going glutenfree last november after finally being diagnosed celiac - until I began the SCD!!

So Woolygimp, everyone must do what they find works best for themselves, and perhaps the SCD is not for you - but don't write it off in one sweep for everyone else as well.

More specifically as to the yoghurt, a lot of us have been unable to digest it. My symptoms are like a poisening of my entire system: I come down with brain fog and debilitating headaches, and vomiting to the point of vomiting even boiled water for 3-7 days - and that goes for eating anything I can't digest whether gluten, dairy, sugar, meat or grains as such. So I quickly cut out all dairy, including the 24-hour youghurt from my SCD.

I turned to the SCD in February of this year, and it has been a long battle figuring out even among the legal foods what I could eat and what I couldn't. Eventually I settled on a diet of non-sweet fruits, vegetables, nuts, chicken and canned tuna - all cooked separately and in the simplest possible manner with only oil, salt and pepper. It's been hard and there have been loads of set backs, but it worked!!! I improved somewhat immediately, but I think it took about 7-8 months before this September I started feeling really healthy, except for when I mistakenly ingest something I can't digest. Recently, I have been able to expand my diet mainly as to other fruits, a bit of meat and fish. But I'm still extremely careful and diligent - and I know from mistakes that I have to be.

Some of the late break throughs came when I cleaned out my supplements for anything with illegal ingredients in it (found things like hidden cross caramellose, sorbitol etc), as well as when I began exercising (ever so lightly in the beginning, but just enough to get my heart beat up every day, and gradually a bit more week by week - still working on this part ...).

I have also taken anti-candida supplements along the way (still do, as I certainly get worse whenever I stop taking them - and maybe I should add that I was years back diagnosed with candida/leaky gut by an immunologist) - the main ones having worked for me being caprylic acid, olive oil extract and grape fruit seed extract.

Knowing my body the way I do today, I can also attest to Ali's focus on the need for water and the PH-balancing of the body (which btw costs nothing extra), simply since it's evident that when I get too much acid-creating foods, I begin to react to foods I otherwise don't react to.

I hope my story can encourage anyone struggling at the early stages of the SCD. Last autumn I was so sick I honestly thought I wouldn't live for long (I don't say this to dramatize, just as a matter of fact when you can't walk 100 meters without breaking into a feverish cold-sweat, and you can't eat without getting poisoned). Now I feel stronger than in many years. Still have to be careful not to overexert myself, but I'm leading almost a normal life, I work, I walk sometimes for hours, and I can be awake a full day and still have energy in the evenings. I might have to stay on the SCD forever, even with my limited food choices (don't even have the SCD baked goods), but I don't care: I've learned to think: it's just food. Whatever keeps me healthy is what I eat - and the joy that lies in getting my health and energies back is so great I have no words for it. Only I'm pretty sure, everyone on this thread can imagine what I mean ....

So thanks again to Ali and everyone else - who through all these discussions of the SCD and other potential helpful 'ways' have done more for my health than any doctor I've ever consulted (and I've been to endless numbers of them, some even very good ones, they just weren't set up to help me with my interrelated seemingly 'mysterious' problems).

And good luck to all of you just starting or still struggling with the diet!

Jan

[Woolygimp]

Thanks for posting Jan.

I don't know if the SCD is for me or not as my results have been tainted, twice, by the yogurt. So I'm giving it a third-go. It's just that all of my intestinal symptoms, stomach pains, diarrhea, etc. have all been pretty much eliminated on just a Gluten-free Casein-free diet and only really return if I get glutened or eat too much fruit.

Seeing that the SCD is mainly for people with Crohns and Collitis and people with persistent diarrhea, even after going gluten free, I'm not sure how much it will help me. I still suffer from fatigue and a myriad of other symptoms, especially endocrine related as I think the autoimmune reactions from being glutened over and over have at least thrown off my HPA axis if not caused damage to a few of my organs.

I guess I have nothing to lose so I'll give it another shot, but since you've probably read more of this behemoth of a thread could you comment on whether this diet works for people without the intestinal problems and just from the fatigue/other symptoms that come as part of being someone with celiac?

[YoloGx]

After reading the last few pages of the thread, I've found that it has become incredibly derailed with posters advocating all means of what I would call whacky, alternative diets. I do not put much faith in Alkalinity diets, Candida, or any other "vague"/unproven diagnoses that are generally invented out people with no medical background, used to milk money out of people with the multi-million dollar supplement market.

What I am concerned about though, if the SCD was an effective diet and if it worked would this thread have been derailed as much as it is currently? Would people be willing to try "PH miracle" diets if the SCD had solved their problems? I think the answer is no, and it's pretty disheartening.

I mean no disrespect, especially to you Yolo as I know you're a valuable poster on the site... I just strongly disagree with a lot of what I consider fad diagnoses.

I had started the SCD several weeks ago but I had gotten glutened from the Yogourmet yogurt starter (or the casein in the yogurt) so I've felt much, much worse. I now stopped eating the homemade yogurt as I definitely react negatively to casein and I think the assumptions made in the book that 24 hours will make the casein safe is wrong. Something in the yogurt triggered an immune reaction. According to my initial lab results in 2007, I have a very strong IGA reaction to casein.

I was going to give the diet another chance and came to this thread to read if anyone was having success with it, but so far it doesn't seem that way so now I'm not so sure.

To elaborate on the yogourmet yogurt starter, it's the only possible thing that could've glutened me as I cook all of my own food and basically only eat fruits/chicken/vegetables. I had similar reactions both times I tried the starter, three weeks apart. I had a very bad flare up of my DH on my chest/shoulders both times, and I've never heard of casein causing a DH flareup. There is a cross contamination warning on the back of the packets.

Even if the SCD worked, I don't know if it's for me. My reaction and symptoms are almost all autoimmune related. Being glutened for me is a system wide autoimmune attack on my liver and endocrine systems causing various problems with adrenal/testosterone/thyroid as well as liver enzyme levels. I only have D after being glutened, although I think casein does cause the same autoimmune damage even though I don't get any "intestinal symptoms" from it. Being gluten free alone gets rid of the D although I haven't ever fully recovered from the autoimmune symptoms.

When I am glutened though, I can't eat anything with protein even chicken as it basically feels like it's killing me. A couple weeks after the glutening, I can tolerate protein again but it's very odd that I react so strongly to certain foods just after a glutening.

Hi Woolygimp,

I can understand your concern about fad diagnosis. However, despite our various seeming at times "over enthusiasms", generally we are trying to discover more things that support our good health--whether they are on the usual radar or not. The SCD is very helpful, but sometimes doesn't do the whole thing by itself, or is only part of the story, or just is not quite right however you want to put it.

For some it really works striclty followed by itself. I think for most its a good direction to go at least for a while. By going off all grains for instance and eating a basic diet it helps the healing process for most people. The so called "miracle diet" is just a similarly simple diet supporting one's ph--ie., to not become too acidic. There are ways to figure that out. It is valuable and provides much needed clues for many.

The SCD itself was designed not so much for celiac as it was for those with IBS, Crohns, Colitis etc. who actually have a problem digesting complex sugars. Not everyone here is in the same boat. However the simplicity of the diet is helpful. We are obviously playing with SCD much like a jazz musician plays with a tune. There are many individual variations.

Thus for some the 24 hour yogurt or yogurt in any form is not appropriate since they have like you problems with the casein. Many who have that and want something fermented, make the acidophilous fermented cabbage instead. Whoever having fermented food, while excellent if one can handle it, isn't necessarily de riguer.--especially at first as one heals.

The point is to eat simply, and then expand your diet as your health improves.

For some they are lucky enough to be able to tolerate eating the ground up almonds and the honey and aged cheese and the eggs and fruit as well as the yogurt. Not everyone on here can do so however--either with some or all of those items--especially right away, if ever.

Mainly if anything I see this site as being composed of people who are open minded struggling towards their health and willing to go the extra mile that a purely non glutenous diet does not provide. It is different than a purely paleo or cave man diet, although there too are many connections.

Thus tidbits like making sole using salt crystals can be valuable, not something just to dismiss and laugh at even though many might thing that is just a fad. I personally have noticed using raw celtic salt feels better compared even to sea salt--so I am interested to see if the sole will actually do something. It is very cheap and I figure can't hurt. I especially am interested since I have had a history of nerve inadequacy. Maybe it could be in its own little heading, however some of us have established a more personal network of support on this site, so its nice to share these kinds of discoveries with each other. Certainly it does nothing to undermine the SCD whether one uses salt like this, drinks extra water or eats fish and beans rather than chicken and almonds.

I personally like Ali's willingness to stick her head out because more often than not there is a valuable element of truth in her research and forays. However for some I could see how her explorations might not appeal to everyone. However it was her willingness to risk that began this journey here for many concerning the SCD and healing celiac beyond the usual methods. She has said honestly it has solved many of her health issues but not all. Thus I am so very glad that drinking the extra water, taking the sole salt mixture, and using the ph method posited by the "miracle diet" has really helped her, especially with her chronic constipation and issues related to diabetes. She deserves our support--and I for one applaud her. Even now I am realizing how taking baking soda now and then can really help, especially if one has gone off the dietary track--as I did last night and actually ate some very non scd brownies!

Bea

[YoloGx]

Hi there,

What a sad - and wrong! - thing to conclude that the discussion of other potential ways of helping the healing process must mean that the SCD isn't working in and of itself.

I haven't posted much lately, but that is exactly because I am so much better - and after six years of being physically debilitated I'm pretty busy catching up with my life now when I'm finally able to. My sense would be that the same goes for many others who have improved on this diet. As for me, there is absolutely NO DOUBT whatsoever that my healing is due to the SCD, and in particular to the moderated form of it which I found my way to through lots of personal trial and error, but also through an incredibly well informed help by everyone on this thread. THANK YOU ALL!

I had been to a myriad of doctors and been tested for a zillion things, but nothing worked, not even going glutenfree last november after finally being diagnosed celiac - until I began the SCD!!

So Woolygimp, everyone must do what they find works best for themselves, and perhaps the SCD is not for you - but don't write it off in one sweep for everyone else as well.

More specifically as to the yoghurt, a lot of us have been unable to digest it. My symptoms are like a poisening of my entire system: I come down with brain fog and debilitating headaches, and vomiting to the point of vomiting even boiled water for 3-7 days - and that goes for eating anything I can't digest whether gluten, dairy, sugar, meat or grains as such. So I quickly cut out all dairy, including the 24-hour youghurt from my SCD.

I turned to the SCD in February of this year, and it has been a long battle figuring out even among the legal foods what I could eat and what I couldn't. Eventually I settled on a diet of non-sweet fruits, vegetables, nuts, chicken and canned tuna - all cooked separately and in the simplest possible manner with only oil, salt and pepper. It's been hard and there have been loads of set backs, but it worked!!! I improved somewhat immediately, but I think it took about 7-8 months before this September I started feeling really healthy, except for when I mistakenly ingest something I can't digest. Recently, I have been able to expand my diet mainly as to other fruits, a bit of meat and fish. But I'm still extremely careful and diligent - and I know from mistakes that I have to be.

Some of the late break throughs came when I cleaned out my supplements for anything with illegal ingredients in it (found things like hidden cross caramellose, sorbitol etc), as well as when I began exercising (ever so lightly in the beginning, but just enough to get my heart beat up every day, and gradually a bit more week by week - still working on this part ...).

I have also taken anti-candida supplements along the way (still do, as I certainly get worse whenever I stop taking them - and maybe I should add that I was years back diagnosed with candida/leaky gut by an immunologist) - the main ones having worked for me being caprylic acid, olive oil extract and grape fruit seed extract.

Knowing my body the way I do today, I can also attest to Ali's focus on the need for water and the PH-balancing of the body (which btw costs nothing extra), simply since it's evident that when I get too much acid-creating foods, I begin to react to foods I otherwise don't react to.

I hope my story can encourage anyone struggling at the early stages of the SCD. Last autumn I was so sick I honestly thought I wouldn't live for long (I don't say this to dramatize, just as a matter of fact when you can't walk 100 meters without breaking into a feverish cold-sweat, and you can't eat without getting poisoned). Now I feel stronger than in many years. Still have to be careful not to overexert myself, but I'm leading almost a normal life, I work, I walk sometimes for hours, and I can be awake a full day and still have energy in the evenings. I might have to stay on the SCD forever, even with my limited food choices (don't even have the SCD baked goods), but I don't care: I've learned to think: it's just food. Whatever keeps me healthy is what I eat - and the joy that lies in getting my health and energies back is so great I have no words for it. Only I'm pretty sure, everyone on this thread can imagine what I mean ....

So thanks again to Ali and everyone else - who through all these discussions of the SCD and other potential helpful 'ways' have done more for my health than any doctor I've ever consulted (and I've been to endless numbers of them, some even very good ones, they just weren't set up to help me with my interrelated seemingly 'mysterious' problems).

And good luck to all of you just starting or still struggling with the diet!

Jan

Well said Jan!!

Bea

[AliB]

I absolutely agree (and thanks for the vote of confidence ). The SCD was originally given to Elaine Gottschall to help her little girl with ulcerative colitis, but on the way it has been found to help all sorts of other health issues too.

I will be the first to admit that I wouldn't be nearly as well as I am if it hadn't been for the SCD.

When I too could hardly digest or cope with anything - even the chicken soup was an issue for me back then, but very gradually things improved until I got to the point that there are few 'legal' foods that I can't cope with and I even cheat with one or two non-SCD ones occasionally.

Despite that, I just couldn't understand why I was reacting to foods that I previously had had no problems with (apart from carbs which had been an issue for years). I couldn't understand why people would have issues with gluten, then soy, then corn, then..........

What was triggering it all?

I have been doing hours and hours and hours of research, analysis, cogitation, investigation, etc., etc., to try and make sense of it all.

Whilst the SCD did make a big difference, it didn't answer all the questions for me. My quest always has been to try and get better, and if I can find information that helps others on the way then that makes it even more worthwhile.

Some have been able to fall right in to the SCD and work well with it. Others have more difficulty. Like Jan, they have improved but only on a very limited diet.

The difference must come from the degree of damage in the gut and how well, or badly it copes with different foods. Why?

The dehydration issue has been a lightbulb moment. It makes so much sense. The SCD helps because it removes most, if not all of the foods that need a lot of water for digestion - the grains, starches, sugars and dairy. Not only that, but what is left are mainly water-providing foods like vegetables and some fruit.

The diet starts with chicken soup, cooked carrots and applesauce, all of which are 'wet' foods. I had issues digesting meat, eggs and nuts initially, all of which need more water than the veg but gradually that improved - nuts and meat took the longest. After a few months I found that I could cope with raw smoothies - but now realise that that was because I added a fair bit of water to them.

Even long before my digestion collapsed I always did need my food 'wet'. I would always need gravy, or custard, or cream or some kind of sauce. I often enjoyed soups more than anything else. Yet I was never an avid drinker. Daft Eh? This goes way back - right to my childhood.

I now believe that this is a two-pronged thing. The damage is caused by both the high-carb, high-sugar 'Western' diet foods, but also because the drinks that are prevalent within the diet are also very dehydrating. Both the food and the drink is drawing more water out of the body than is it putting in. Where it shows up purely depends on our personal genetic weaknesses and vulnerabilities or where the damage is most concentrated in the gut.

I really feel that had I realised this earlier in the process, the combination of the SCD AND THE WATER would have speeded up my recovery much quicker.

It has only been two weeks since I started the water 'cure', but the results so far are positive. My plan is, in two or three months time, to do a gluten challenge to see what, if anything, happens. I believe I was exposed to gluten this week, but I did not react.

Even if I did find that I was no longer intolerant, I would never go back to eating the carbs and sugars in any quantity. It has been damaging me for the last 50 years and I have no intention of going there again.

The fatigue, the weight issues, the hypos, the stomach problems, the IBS, the Diabetes, the hair loss, the gluten intolerance - they are either gone or are well on their way.......and I really am not a bit sorry to see the back of them!

[Lynayah]

Hi there,

What a sad - and wrong! - thing to conclude that the discussion of other potential ways of helping the healing process must mean that the SCD isn't working in and of itself.

I haven't posted much lately, but that is exactly because I am so much better - and after six years of being physically debilitated I'm pretty busy catching up with my life now when I'm finally able to. My sense would be that the same goes for many others who have improved on this diet. As for me, there is absolutely NO DOUBT whatsoever that my healing is due to the SCD, and in particular to the moderated form of it which I found my way to through lots of personal trial and error, but also through an incredibly well informed help by everyone on this thread. THANK YOU ALL!

I had been to a myriad of doctors and been tested for a zillion things, but nothing worked, not even going glutenfree last november after finally being diagnosed celiac - until I began the SCD!!

So Woolygimp, everyone must do what they find works best for themselves, and perhaps the SCD is not for you - but don't write it off in one sweep for everyone else as well.

More specifically as to the yoghurt, a lot of us have been unable to digest it. My symptoms are like a poisening of my entire system: I come down with brain fog and debilitating headaches, and vomiting to the point of vomiting even boiled water for 3-7 days - and that goes for eating anything I can't digest whether gluten, dairy, sugar, meat or grains as such. So I quickly cut out all dairy, including the 24-hour youghurt from my SCD.

I turned to the SCD in February of this year, and it has been a long battle figuring out even among the legal foods what I could eat and what I couldn't. Eventually I settled on a diet of non-sweet fruits, vegetables, nuts, chicken and canned tuna - all cooked separately and in the simplest possible manner with only oil, salt and pepper. It's been hard and there have been loads of set backs, but it worked!!! I improved somewhat immediately, but I think it took about 7-8 months before this September I started feeling really healthy, except for when I mistakenly ingest something I can't digest. Recently, I have been able to expand my diet mainly as to other fruits, a bit of meat and fish. But I'm still extremely careful and diligent - and I know from mistakes that I have to be.

Some of the late break throughs came when I cleaned out my supplements for anything with illegal ingredients in it (found things like hidden cross caramellose, sorbitol etc), as well as when I began exercising (ever so lightly in the beginning, but just enough to get my heart beat up every day, and gradually a bit more week by week - still working on this part ...).

I have also taken anti-candida supplements along the way (still do, as I certainly get worse whenever I stop taking them - and maybe I should add that I was years back diagnosed with candida/leaky gut by an immunologist) - the main ones having worked for me being caprylic acid, olive oil extract and grape fruit seed extract.

Knowing my body the way I do today, I can also attest to Ali's focus on the need for water and the PH-balancing of the body (which btw costs nothing extra), simply since it's evident that when I get too much acid-creating foods, I begin to react to foods I otherwise don't react to.

I hope my story can encourage anyone struggling at the early stages of the SCD. Last autumn I was so sick I honestly thought I wouldn't live for long (I don't say this to dramatize, just as a matter of fact when you can't walk 100 meters without breaking into a feverish cold-sweat, and you can't eat without getting poisoned). Now I feel stronger than in many years. Still have to be careful not to overexert myself, but I'm leading almost a normal life, I work, I walk sometimes for hours, and I can be awake a full day and still have energy in the evenings. I might have to stay on the SCD forever, even with my limited food choices (don't even have the SCD baked goods), but I don't care: I've learned to think: it's just food. Whatever keeps me healthy is what I eat - and the joy that lies in getting my health and energies back is so great I have no words for it. Only I'm pretty sure, everyone on this thread can imagine what I mean ....

So thanks again to Ali and everyone else - who through all these discussions of the SCD and other potential helpful 'ways' have done more for my health than any doctor I've ever consulted (and I've been to endless numbers of them, some even very good ones, they just weren't set up to help me with my interrelated seemingly 'mysterious' problems).

And good luck to all of you just starting or still struggling with the diet!

Jan

GREAT post. Thank you, Jan.

Lyn

[Lynayah]

AliB: Thank you for yet another excellent post. You are so dedicated to helping us all -- MOST appreciated!

Hugs!

Lyn

[YoloGx]

Water is such a basic thing many don't notice how necessary it is. I feel fortunate I have done so for years. I was astounded several years ago when my partner's Chinese herbalist/acupuncturist didn't take into account how little water Graeme was drinking. It took a year before I got through to him about that...!!

For me however, I know I have celiac. There is no way gluten is good for me now or ever. I have no magic bullet out of that however I cut it.

How fortunate for you Ali if it turns out you are just simply gluten intolerant or sensitive and in the past ate too many carbs and processed foods etc. and until recently have been just plain dehydrated. I wondered about that when you mentioned how little you actually drank...

My diet is changing right now however due to the bout with the antibiotics last month. Its making it harder for me to eat much chicken or even fish these days. It just doesn't appeal and I think its hard on my intestines and kidneys. Aargh! nasty antibiotics! when will I learn?? I need to not push myself to the edge energetically with work as I did. I really can't take it and the stakes are just too high.

Interestingly however I have noticed now that brown rice is not bothering me--I tried it again mainly because how much squash and veggies can I eat especially without the meat?? or nuts etc. So lately I have been eating huge plates of salads with some brown rice or squash alternated with the yogurt and sunflower seeds and a little chicken thrown in sometimes. Not very scd--but related...Maybe I should meanwhile start another thread?? Do you think there is anyone else out there like me?? Maybe so??

One of the things that appealed to me at first were the scd goodies. Of course they don't work for me since I am very allergic to nuts of all kinds...and really honey still feeds the fungus/yeast etc.--as does, it seems, most any kind of fruit.

My little foray last night of having brownies was of course (as I knew it would be) counterproductive. Haven't done anything really stupid like that since January--and that was with carob, stevia and honey before I got into the scd. Reason I did it was that I wanted to make some brownies for my partner who had gotten glutened and wanted something "nice" to help him forget his troubles. Pretty dumb, eh? Since it was compounding problems with all the carb and sugar...However I do understand the human motives...So I made the brownies from a gluten-free package from a safe kitchen rather than have him get glutened again with someone else's not safe kitchen. Part of the motivation was that it was quick and easy. I would have been better off making home made carob brownies with stevia rather than have the sugar however...or maybe the scd honey. And of course alternatively what I really should have done was to be strong and not eat any of them, esp. since chocolate isn't that great for me!! (and don't tell me about almond meal brownies since neither he nor I tolerate almonds).

So today I am having the candida/carb space out. Am taking olive leaf and garlic etc. to counteract the beasties and marshmallow root and dandelion to soothe the kidneys. Need to get some oregano oil capsules...

Life goes on. I am still on the healing path--though maybe that path is changing a little. Forays like this show me how easy it is to go off that overall healing path (wherever it takes me)--and how necessary it is to stay on it.

Bea

[AliB]

Here's an interesting personal experience of Celiac and the water and salt connection.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21771/1/Cel...tion/Page1.html

I now feel that like type 2 Diabetes, it may well be possible to reverse Celiac Disease. This may seem controversial, but even Elaine felt that it was possible and may well have even encountered people who had recovered from it by following the diet.

I was thinking about this. The thing that made me pick up on Celiac in myself was the floaty stools and the running diarrhea. They are typical symptoms. But diarrhea is in itself dehydrating.

As I mentioned in another thread, I now believe that diarrhea is an extension of constipation. That they are both a result of dehydration - the diarrhea is a more virulent manifestation at the point where the dehydration is so bad that the gut can no longer support the digestion of certain foods and just ends up using what water is available to get the indigestible food through and out of the body as quickly as possible.

The fact that people 'develop' Celiac at different stages may simply depend on at what stage the dehydration has degenerated the gut to the point that it can no longer digest gluten and gluten-containing foods. The fact that there is a much higher amount of gluten in the wheat etc. these days may well also be a factor.

Perhaps the gluten is yet another aspect of the food that needs a lot of water to complete the digestive process.

I feel that if one looks at it from that aspect it is no surprise that people with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance then go on to develop further intolerances to other foods. Which foods will purely depend on how much water their individual body needs for digestion of that particular food.

I thought that it was interesting in Anne Marie's report that her body wasn't absorbing the water until she started taking the salt. It comes back to needing to take the two in conjunction.

Also it has to be imperative that we follow a very low-carbohydrate diet whilst rehydrating because if we are still eating a lot - or even a moderate quantity of grains and other dehydrating foods, we wouldn't really be getting the benefit of the water. Instead of rehydrating the body it would be drawn off for digestive needs.

I have put 'celiac' and 'dehydration' into Google and quite a lot of stuff has come up.

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/lofivers...php/t19484.html

I thought it was interesting that CarlaB said that when she drinks water she can never get enough of it. I found that - if I drank water I was always still thirsty! Of course! My body was crying for it! It needed water! I didn't drink it because it made me feel thirsty! Doh!

This is no coincidence. There are all those Celiacs on there saying how dehydrated they always are........they may dump gluten but they are still eating lots of dehydrating carbs.

If I was a betting person I would bet my life on it. Dehydration is not a symptom of Celiac - it's the cause..........

[YoloGx]

Here's an interesting personal experience of Celiac and the water and salt connection.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21771/1/Cel...tion/Page1.html

I now feel that like type 2 Diabetes, it may well be possible to reverse Celiac Disease. This may seem controversial, but even Elaine felt that it was possible and may well have even encountered people who had recovered from it by following the diet.

I was thinking about this. The thing that made me pick up on Celiac in myself was the floaty stools and the running diarrhea. They are typical symptoms. But diarrhea is in itself dehydrating.

As I mentioned in another thread, I now believe that diarrhea is an extension of constipation. That they are both a result of dehydration - the diarrhea is a more virulent manifestation at the point where the dehydration is so bad that the gut can no longer support the digestion of certain foods and just ends up using what water is available to get the indigestible food through and out of the body as quickly as possible.

The fact that people 'develop' Celiac at different stages may simply depend on at what stage the dehydration has degenerated the gut to the point that it can no longer digest gluten and gluten-containing foods. The fact that there is a much higher amount of gluten in the wheat etc. these days may well also be a factor.

Perhaps the gluten is yet another aspect of the food that needs a lot of water to complete the digestive process.

I feel that if one looks at it from that aspect it is no surprise that people with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance then go on to develop further intolerances to other foods. Which foods will purely depend on how much water their individual body needs for digestion of that particular food.

I thought that it was interesting in Anne Marie's report that her body wasn't absorbing the water until she started taking the salt. It comes back to needing to take the two in conjunction.

Also it has to be imperative that we follow a very low-carbohydrate diet whilst rehydrating because if we are still eating a lot - or even a moderate quantity of grains and other dehydrating foods, we wouldn't really be getting the benefit of the water. Instead of rehydrating the body it would be drawn off for digestive needs.

I have put 'celiac' and 'dehydration' into Google and quite a lot of stuff has come up.

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/lofivers...php/t19484.html

I thought it was interesting that CarlaB said that when she drinks water she can never get enough of it. I found that - if I drank water I was always still thirsty! Of course! My body was crying for it! It needed water! I didn't drink it because it made me feel thirsty! Doh!

This is no coincidence. There are all those Celiacs on there saying how dehydrated they always are........they may dump gluten but they are still eating lots of dehydrating carbs.

If I was a betting person I would bet my life on it. Dehydration is not a symptom of Celiac - it's the cause..........

Dear Ali--if drinking enough water resolved celiac, I would have cured my celiac years ago. Celiac is not caused by dehydration. However dehydration may exacerbate a whole host of problems, including celiac or (more likely) gluten intolerance. The image I use is of a pond that is all blocked up. Pretty soon it becomes all murky and foul without sufficient inflow and outflow.

In my case I never did have diarrhea as my main symptom even though I developed celiac when I was 4 months old--on a preponderantly liquid diet (though I was introduced to pablum--which my body definitely did not like).

More often it is my understanding that the genetic predisposition to getting celiac is often kicked in when the individual experiences a lot of stress. After one gets celiac they now find, one has it for life--although it may show itself in different more underground ways. In the past however it was believed one could "grow out of it". My doctors thought I had outgrown the condition as a young child, but unfortunately I didn't. It just showed itself in other ways.

I wish drinking enough water actually was a cure for celiac--but honestly girl, it isn't. Nevertheless I believe it is very important for everyone to drink plenty of water to maintain good health--and, in its simplicity, it is often forgotten.

[Lisa]

This is no coincidence. There are all those Celiacs on there saying how dehydrated they always are........they may dump gluten but they are still eating lots of dehydrating carbs.

If I was a betting person I would bet my life on it. Dehydration is not a symptom of Celiac - it's the cause..........

Seventy-five percent of fluids taken in are absorbed in the small intestines. With Celiac Disease, as you know Ali, absorption is hindered. It's very common for those with Celiac to be dehydrated.

[Ms Jan]

Thanks for posting Jan.

I don't know if the SCD is for me or not as my results have been tainted, twice, by the yogurt. So I'm giving it a third-go. It's just that all of my intestinal symptoms, stomach pains, diarrhea, etc. have all been pretty much eliminated on just a Gluten-free Casein-free diet and only really return if I get glutened or eat too much fruit.

Seeing that the SCD is mainly for people with Crohns and Collitis and people with persistent diarrhea, even after going gluten free, I'm not sure how much it will help me. I still suffer from fatigue and a myriad of other symptoms, especially endocrine related as I think the autoimmune reactions from being glutened over and over have at least thrown off my HPA axis if not caused damage to a few of my organs.

I guess I have nothing to lose so I'll give it another shot, but since you've probably read more of this behemoth of a thread could you comment on whether this diet works for people without the intestinal problems and just from the fatigue/other symptoms that come as part of being someone with celiac?

Hi Woolygimp,

Whether the SCD will work for you or not, is difficult to gauge. I guess the reason you're looking into it is that other diets/eliminations are not working sufficiently, and in that case probably you could be helped by the SCD. I think it depends less on what your symptoms are; than what causes them (I'm not typical either, having no bowel issues whatsoever, only this horrendous vomiting and splitting headaches etc - and it's worked wonders on me). The diet is often used for autistic kids, so my belief is that it can work on a plethora of symptoms, including many neurological ones, as long as these are caused by digestive issues.

I think one of the reasons the SCD has worked for me, is the cleansing of the body taking place once you stop ingesting anything processed, artificial or otherwise poisonous for the system. But I also believe that success is achieved more by listening to your own body than by being religious about any 'prescriptions' of a diet. The process is just made so much easier by learning from and being guided by someone like Elaine Gotschall who has done a lot of the research and work - but it's up to oneself to find what works and what doesn't within any given diet. Like, I don't think olive leaf extract is SCD-legal, yet I still take it because it seems to work for me, whereas I don't even have half of the legal foods listed, nor the yogurt.

So read up on the diet, see if it sounds compatible with your own experience of your health issues and food reactions, and if so try it out for a couple of months and see if you can feel a difference.

I guess for me the choice was easy even if progress was very slow: the foods I found I could digest were all SCD legal. So in a sense what the diet did for me was guide me to figure out what I could and couldn't eat - and thus how I could heal myself (can ! - I'm still a work in progress ).

Hope you'll find what works for you.

Jan

[Ms Jan]

Just read up a bit further back, and

- Michelle, as to an SCD-legal olive leaf extract, I'm not sure. But personally, I'm taking the Vitamin Shoppe's liquid one, and though I'm so hypersensitive to everything, this one agrees perfectly with me (tried one once where the extract was alcohol-based and that was a disaster).

- Chaty-Cady, as to enzymes, I take them from time to time, mainly if I go out and though being as careful as I can not feeling too sure about what could accidentally be in my food. And I feel the enzymes have helped me through a few 'accidents' without repercussions. However, I'd never dare to use them on a regular basis, since I'd be afraid that it might make me less able to sense which foods agree with me and which don't, thus maybe making me ingest things regularly which I basically can't digest. But listen to your own body and see how it works for you.

- Ali, as to water/salt I absolutely agree on the importance, and I know I fall sick immediately when I don't get enough water. However, since I've been an avid water drinker - and also much of a salt ingester- most of my life, I know that water deficiency is not the reason behind my celiac/other problems. But it's fantastic if this is the missing piece of the puzzle for your issues - as it might also be for many other people. Also water is essential to clean out the liver and kidneys, so I believe it should be a basic component of any diet.

I've found that one great way to stay hydrated is through eating loads of water-rich foods, like cucumber or iceberg salad, non-sweet fruits (grape fruits fx) - and in particular to ingest these before any 'water-scarce' foods such as meat etc. This is because the more water a food holds, the faster it is digested, thus not to clogg up the system the order of the foods is important. Since most water rich foods contain lots of useful enzymes, ingesting them first will also aid the digestion of all other foods (see also the principles/explanations in the book 'Fit for Life').

Jan

[AliB]

The thing is that it may not actually be our dehydration that is to blame for the Celiac. Dr. B was convinced from his research and study that Type 1 Diabetes - the type that develops in childhood, was very likely triggered by dehydration in the Mother - that her dehydration had impacted on certain processes in the baby during its development. To quote -

Whereas the onset of dehydration-induced diabetes is normally seen in the elderly and is often reversible (with the implementation of a low-carbohydrate diet and rehydration) , the more serious and structurally damaging variety of the disease is often inherited by their offspring. Juvenile diabetes will need the same approach to its early preventative treatment before permanent structural damage can take place. It should be remembered that the genetic transcription mechanism of parents - in particular the Mother - if affected by amino pool imbalance, will be equally represented in the offspring. In effect, this is how genetic damage and inherited disorders establish.

My Mum was a type 1 Diabetic. To their knowledge there was no history of Diabetes in my Mum's family. Where did hers come from? My Nan died in her early 60's from cancer. What if dehydration had prevented her body from being able to expel the toxins from her body by that late stage, but early dehydration had impacted on my Mum as she was growing in the womb. My Nan was an avid (diuretic) tea-drinker and may well have gone on to develop T2 diabetes if she had lived long enough. What if those who have had issues with gluten from a young age have been affected in the same way - after all it is not unusual for gluten intolerance to run in families.

I know this may seem somewhat speculative, but it should never be dismissed out of hand. It certainly sounds perfectly feasible and logical to me.

Mum had other health issues through her life that could well have been triggered by dehydration, not least, towards the end of her life, obvious symptoms of gluten intolerance/Celiac Disease (and there do seem to be strong links between T1 Diabetes and Celiac). I am type 2 Diabetic so I also have an impaired ability to process carbohydrate and have done for years since long before I became Diabetic, to the point that although classified as Type 2 I have to take insulin. On top of that I also, albeit seemingly only in recent times, have developed a quite severe intolerance to gluten - perhaps prevented from getting to the Celiac stage by my swift intervention.

If caught early enough, it does seem that it is possible to halt the degeneration of Diabetes - Victoria Boutenko put her whole family on a raw food diet when her son Sergei was diagnosed with type 1 at the age of 10. In doing so, she prevented him ever having to go on to Insulin. He is now 20, insulin free and has normal blood sugar.

Perhaps dietary intervention at an early stage could also prevent Celiac from progressing?

Elaine was convinced that an imbalance in the gut flora was a major contributor and I am sure she was right, but then if people are eating, and drinking, a lot of sugar and foods that turn to sugar in the body, not only are they going to encourage the growth of pathogenic bacteria, but they are also going to encourage dehydration.

It seems that both she and Drs. Haas found that they were able to reverse the damage that was apparent in those with a so-called gluten intolerance - they felt that the damage that triggered the gluten issues was actually triggered itself by sugars and sugar in-digestion and the resulting bacterial overgrowth.

I do feel that the 'genetic' thing often throws up more questions than it answers and may even be a bit of a red-herring, after all, not all those with diagnosed Celiac seem to carry the obvious genes - no one seems to really know which are the right ones although they have linked the DQs 2,8,3 and 1 etc. Some have bits of some and not of others, some have the genes but not the disease. There really seems to be no clear-cut application in that avenue - but then the genetic thing is not very clear-cut in most diseases. How often do we hear the phrase 'scientists think they have discovered the gene for.........'

But then, you know me by now, I always have felt that most, if not all of our 'Western' diseases are just different symptoms and aspects of the same problem - the 'Western' diet.

[AliB]

Woolygimp, I don't know if you have come across this page on the SCD website but it is well worth reading if you haven't.

Open Original Shared Link

[fig girl]

Good to see you here Michelle. Sounds like you are doing some good sleuthing!

These days I am liking the olive leaf tea or olive leaf extract capsules best as antifungals as well as anti virals, anti bacterials and anti microbials. That and Neem leef and neem oil. Both trees seem to have similar principals. Kills the fungus and virus etc. without harming the human being so much as most other solutions--though the impact of the fungal etc. die off can be a little overwhelming, especially at first--so start slow! A word of warning... Though soon enough you may find you have an extra spring in your step if you stick with them!! Lately I have combined these two herbs due to a horrific experience with antibiotic induced fulminant colitis.

I also have had to resort to using enterically coated acidophilus. I like the NOW brand best when taking capsules overall since they are generally gluten free. I found through this experience that The 24 hour yogurt continued to be very good--but not quite enough to combat the colitis--despite what Elaine Gottschall said in her book-- thus the entericallyl coated acidophilus to make sure it repopulates the gut. Though to its creditd, the yogurt probably kept my intestines from turning into some kind of septic factory despite the fact the intestinal lining was sloughing off!!

I also thus needed(and still need) to take the marshmallow root to soothe and heal the inflamed and deteriorated lining of my gut. Again despite what EG said. I am now actually taking pectin mixed with fresh ground flax seed. Both entirely non SCD approved for the same reasons!! However necessary fjor me right now. I prefer to be observant as to what actually works for me and others that I observe and be open minded and not doctrinaire in whatever approach I take. Though there are those who actually are allergic to complex sugars and thus cannot tolerate anything mucilaginous. Apparently there is even a test one can take to determine what sugars one can or cannot tolerate. I may be actually allergic to fruit sugar for instance. At some point when I have it more together I want to get tested for it.

Unlike what you are planning, I do tend to eat some squash each day. Not a lot, but enough. I have to make sure I don't eat too much meat due to my already degraded right kidney. Fortunately the 24 hour yogurt is very agreeable even to my kidneys. Plus somehow I handle eating quite a few sunflower seeds... Just have to make sure I eat plenty of green vegetables. Nothing quite like them for balancing the ph! If you can tolerate them raw, making a smoothie out of green veggies (etc.) is a quick pick me up!! Even there however I might add some zuchinni however...just to balance the energy. Right now though, with a degraded but recuperating gut, cooked veggies is de riguer! PLus the Chinese say, cooked veggies generally are better during the cold weather seasons than the raw.

Your plan of two weeks without starchy anything doesn't sound too awfully rough for most people and probably is a great way to help combat the yeasties...

Bea

PS--my celtic sea salt I ordered online will be arriving sometime next week. I am looking forward to experimenting with making the Sole as well as using the more natural highly mineralized tan colored sea salt. I used it in the past and liked it, but never tried the Sole before... Even got a special salt grinder too...the white sea salt is always caking and hard to get out of the container.

Thanks for the info Bea! I may check with a Health food store that might carry the olive leaf that i can make the tea with or grind it into a powder - i think you had wrote in another post that it may be more effective to make the tea with the powdered olive leaf. She carries dried herbs - i'll check to make sure nothing was added to them. I have coconut oil and GSE so i'll try those first.

I am feeling more clear minded and more energetic eating the low carb SCD foods. I guess I am pretty consumed with candida/yeast since it's taking eating only these foods to make a difference. Tomorrow will be 2 wks since i started it and i feel like this second week i've made good progress. The first week i had some die off symptoms (headache, irritability, itchy rash on wrists - i think the rash was a die off symptom or a side effect from stopping the carafate). I've read where some people have a rash from die off.

If i can't find the celtic or himalayan salt at the nearby health food store i'll order on line also. I may have to try the Sole too. I hope it helps you - let us know how it goes!

[fig girl]

Just read up a bit further back, and

- Michelle, as to an SCD-legal olive leaf extract, I'm not sure. But personally, I'm taking the Vitamin Shoppe's liquid one, and though I'm so hypersensitive to everything, this one agrees perfectly with me (tried one once where the extract was alcohol-based and that was a disaster).

I've found that one great way to stay hydrated is through eating loads of water-rich foods, like cucumber or iceberg salad, non-sweet fruits (grape fruits fx) - and in particular to ingest these before any 'water-scarce' foods such as meat etc. This is because the more water a food holds, the faster it is digested, thus not to clogg up the system the order of the foods is important. Since most water rich foods contain lots of useful enzymes, ingesting them first will also aid the digestion of all other foods (see also the principles/explanations in the book 'Fit for Life').

Jan

Thanks Jan! I may try to find just the dried olive leaf first before the extract - i'm so hypersensitive also. I have some coconut oil so i'll try it later this week or the GSE.

What non-sweet fruit were you able to digest first or is easiest for you to digest? I'm trying to figure out which non-sweet fruit to try first - white grapefruit maybe? I looked for papaya the other day in the grocery store but didn't see any.

I always feel better and am less constipated when i ingest more water throughout the day. I've been putting a pinch of baking soda in my water along with the sea salt to help with my ph balance and it seems to work - does this seem ok to do?

Glad you're feeling and doing better Jan!

[Ms Jan]

Hi Michelle,

Thanks!

Yes, grape fruit was my main fruit the first many months. I'd either peel it and eat it as an orange, or more often, blend it with water for a pulpy and very fresh juice. Sometimes I'd add cucumber or other greens for a really healthy cocktail. Strangely, despite its sweetness I've always also been able to digest pineapple, and it even seems to have a good effect on me; I think it's because it contains the enzyme bromelain. Papaya sounds like a good choice, they're easy on the stomach - they're hardly ever available in Denmark where I am now, but when in the US, I eat them. I've developed an allergy to melons, but if you can tolerate watermelon it's such a wonderful fruit that's normally very easy to digest. I also have kiwis, and in smaller amounts raspberries and blueberries. More recently, I've been able to add strawberry, mango, and grapes, but these are sweeter so be careful with these, particularly the grapes, until you can manage more fructose.

And remember, whichever the fruit, it's much easier to digest on an empty stomach so have it alone - or before rather than after a meal.

As to water with baking soda and salt, I hope Ali can chip in?

Hope you get better!

[YoloGx]

Lucky girls! All I really seem to tolerate as far as fruit goes are lemons...which I sweeten with stevia to make lemonaide. I keep wondering if it is or is not a fructose allergy... I am actually OK these days with (gads!) brown rice! If it was just candida et al I am betting this would not be the case.

Bea

[Ms Jan]

Hi Bea,

Yes, it sounds like something else/more than candida is going on if you can't even have grape fruit. don't know too much about fructose intolerance, except that it's pretty serious for those who have it with potential organ side effects, so perhaps it'd be worth having checked. And brown rice to me is a killer, so it's interesting you have no problems with that. Your gut flora surely sounds like 'one of a kind' ...

I think I realy improved when I stopped pushing the cart - you know at the moment where I accepted my dietary limitations and just fanatically stayed on safe foods, not even trying new SCD legal foods. It somehow calmed my system that it wasn't challenged. And luckily after a while it's just become a habit, so I no longer feel like crying in the super markets or when I'm out where other people have cakes or gourmet dinners. I just look at it all as if it's poison, and make sure to always be full or carry some safe foods of my own around. I've found that being 100% dilligent is easier than doing 97%, which then much too easily tempts one to 85% etc .... But I guess in one sense it's easy for me to do my diet 100%, simply because I get so very sick when I don't. And having been able to add a few more fruits have just been like a great treat.

Do hope you find whatever combination that can heal you properly.

Jan

[Lynayah]

Here's an interesting personal experience of Celiac and the water and salt connection.

https://www.celiac.com/articles/21771/1/Cel...tion/Page1.html

I now feel that like type 2 Diabetes, it may well be possible to reverse Celiac Disease. This may seem controversial, but even Elaine felt that it was possible and may well have even encountered people who had recovered from it by following the diet.

I was thinking about this. The thing that made me pick up on Celiac in myself was the floaty stools and the running diarrhea. They are typical symptoms. But diarrhea is in itself dehydrating.

As I mentioned in another thread, I now believe that diarrhea is an extension of constipation. That they are both a result of dehydration - the diarrhea is a more virulent manifestation at the point where the dehydration is so bad that the gut can no longer support the digestion of certain foods and just ends up using what water is available to get the indigestible food through and out of the body as quickly as possible.

The fact that people 'develop' Celiac at different stages may simply depend on at what stage the dehydration has degenerated the gut to the point that it can no longer digest gluten and gluten-containing foods. The fact that there is a much higher amount of gluten in the wheat etc. these days may well also be a factor.

Perhaps the gluten is yet another aspect of the food that needs a lot of water to complete the digestive process.

I feel that if one looks at it from that aspect it is no surprise that people with Celiac Disease and gluten intolerance then go on to develop further intolerances to other foods. Which foods will purely depend on how much water their individual body needs for digestion of that particular food.

I thought that it was interesting in Anne Marie's report that her body wasn't absorbing the water until she started taking the salt. It comes back to needing to take the two in conjunction.

Also it has to be imperative that we follow a very low-carbohydrate diet whilst rehydrating because if we are still eating a lot - or even a moderate quantity of grains and other dehydrating foods, we wouldn't really be getting the benefit of the water. Instead of rehydrating the body it would be drawn off for digestive needs.

I have put 'celiac' and 'dehydration' into Google and quite a lot of stuff has come up.

https://www.celiac.com/gluten-free/lofivers...php/t19484.html

I thought it was interesting that CarlaB said that when she drinks water she can never get enough of it. I found that - if I drank water I was always still thirsty! Of course! My body was crying for it! It needed water! I didn't drink it because it made me feel thirsty! Doh!

This is no coincidence. There are all those Celiacs on there saying how dehydrated they always are........they may dump gluten but they are still eating lots of dehydrating carbs.

If I was a betting person I would bet my life on it. Dehydration is not a symptom of Celiac - it's the cause..........

This thread is absolutely fascinating, and it just keeps getting better. Thank you, by the way for the salt suggestion. I've been using Original Himalayan Crystal Salt, and I love it.

[YoloGx]

Hi Bea,

Yes, it sounds like something else/more than candida is going on if you can't even have grape fruit. don't know too much about fructose intolerance, except that it's pretty serious for those who have it with potential organ side effects, so perhaps it'd be worth having checked. And brown rice to me is a killer, so it's interesting you have no problems with that. Your gut flora surely sounds like 'one of a kind' ...

I think I realy improved when I stopped pushing the cart - you know at the moment where I accepted my dietary limitations and just fanatically stayed on safe foods, not even trying new SCD legal foods. It somehow calmed my system that it wasn't challenged. And luckily after a while it's just become a habit, so I no longer feel like crying in the super markets or when I'm out where other people have cakes or gourmet dinners. I just look at it all as if it's poison, and make sure to always be full or carry some safe foods of my own around. I've found that being 100% dilligent is easier than doing 97%, which then much too easily tempts one to 85% etc .... But I guess in one sense it's easy for me to do my diet 100%, simply because I get so very sick when I don't. And having been able to add a few more fruits have just been like a great treat.

Do hope you find whatever combination that can heal you properly.

Jan

Hi Jan,

The reaction to fruit and ground up grains is why I started avoiding grains...just to keep things simple. I decided to on a semi-paleo or cave man diet, like I did years ago when I was getting rid of candida overgrowth back in the late eighties.

I thought at first with the SCD I would be able to actually expand my diet. Aalthough I could for a couple of weeks, soon my old allergies came back. However I did find that the 24 hour yogurt was better than the 7 hour yogurt. It seems I am sensitive to lactose but not casein.

Up until this week I have been completely strict with staying off all grains and sugars. However the little glutening foray that Graeme had and then my making him a sweet, led me to try out brown rice (since I also made that for him too). Much to my surprise the brown rice seems to be just fine for me now--though more than likely I should not have it every day.

I think I will get the fruit sugar reaction checked out sometime. In the meanwhile I simply am avoiding all fruit except for the lemons.

Despite the awful antibiotics bout I had in early October and then having to repopulate my gut with probiotics and take the olive leaf etc., in some ways I now seem to have improved--although my energy is still on the mend. Yesterday I discovered I may be able to have aged cheese every so often. The thing is not to have it every day or I may react to it, as I did a while ago.

I am in a gradual experimenting stage right now, seeing where my boundaries are.

I am thinking the SCD is no longer quite right for me. However it has helped me these last several months since now it seems I may be able to eat aged organic cheddar cheese once or twice a week (I think!) and eggs a couple of times a week--whereas previous to that I had a flaming reaction to both.

My diet has been more limited than the average sSCD-er these last 10 months due to the no fruit, no cheese, no eggs, no nuts, no carrots, no tomatoes or green peppers and of course no honey--plus having to not over emphasize meat due to my damaged right kidney...For me my diet always has to be a balancing act--towards moderation.

When you stop and think about it, squash and brown rice aren't that different on the glycemic scale--though no doubt brown rice is not a mono-saccaride. I don't think squash is either, but it is SCD OK.

Nevertheless I decided to start another thread, called "back to basics"--exploring a moderate diet that is still off the standard (even gluten-free!) American diet. It will still avoid ground up grains and an over reliance on the whole grains. It will use healing herbs, squash and roots (minus potatoes etc.), the 24 hour (plus!) yogurt, some chicken and occasionally salmon etc. and lots of veggies. Given my restricted diet for so very long, I want to expand it a little and figure this is a way to do it--which might help some other folks too along the way.

Unfortunately my proposed diet is not SCD correct at all. I love this thread, so plan to nose around a little but likely will be less active in it.

Bea

[AliB]

I went for an ultrasound today but as expected there was nothing out of the ordinary. Everything was where it should be and apparently as it should be. I didn't think it would achieve anything. They can't see through the ribs, and the problem I have is further up in my back and on my right side under the ribs.

Quite where I go from here I haven't a clue. Having waited 6 months for a non-materialising appointment that should only have taken 4-5 weeks due to the gross incompetence of my Doctor (!), I am back to square one.

I still think that this may well be SIBO, but it now seems that the tests for that aren't particularly good, mind you I suspect that it may be like the Celiac test where they have to set it at greater than 10 because some of the 'healthy' control group were found to have gluten antibodies (but then they might have 'silent Celiac!). Because they found evidence of SIBO in some healthy controls just may mean that many have it but are not (yet) displaying any symptoms!

I can't quite figure out why they even need to bother with the breath test - all they need to do is swab people's tongues first thing in the morning (well, they'd get a jolly good sample from mine!) and they will be able to figure out exactly what they are dealing with!

The water and salt is definitely what my body now needs, but that in itself is not enough to eject the little beggars.

I really don't want to go down the antibiotic route due to the almost certain probability of resistance so am just going to have to bombard them with whatever else I can get my hands on. I have just ordered some olive leaves and will get some grapefruit seed extract. I had some Citricidal at one point but I don't have a clue where that went to so will have to get some more.

I had a big mug of oregano and lapacho (pau d'arco) tea a while ago. Ugh. I took two oregano oil capsules at dinner and I have just had three garlic oil capsules (I just can't bring myself to eat it raw - last time my throat was on fire! Once you have it, it seems a very tough customer to eradicate.

I suspect that SIBO is probably behind the issues that many of us have with different sugars and carbs and other foods - whether it forms as a result of dehydration or whether it even contributes to it is something probably as yet unknown. It is undoubtedly still driven one way or another by the Western diet.