For most of us suffering from digestive diseases starting SCD was the hardest part; having to eliminate all the comfort foods we were used to and completely re-adjusting our lives to incorporate a whole new eating regime.

Generally the benefits are immediate, even a few days into the intro diet we are feeling the results, and those of us who continue on, the effects are close to miraculous. There are thousands of people who have followed the SCD and as sales of Elaine Gottschall’s book have rocketed to over one million copies, sites such as BTVC-SCD Yahoo Group and Pecan Bread become the support foundation for people following the SCD.

So there comes a time when we all ask, “Can I eat ‘normal’ food again?”. In other words, what is beyond SCD?

Matthew Bourke a Bio-medical practitioner from Sydney, Australia has put together some notes on this (see practicioner’s review for bio).

The SCD diet is an essential part of the process for controlling and reaching remission for almost all inflammatory conditions within the body.

For people with inflammatory bowel conditions there is almost always a history of excessive carbohydrate intake and a period of intense or sustained emotional stress. The combination of these two factors causes the large bowel to become too acidic and this also lowers the pH of the lower small intestine (jejunum and ileum). The acidity in the small intestine reduces the effectiveness of the digestive enzymes from the pancreas and creates an environment where undigested carbohydrates and other food ferments and parasites thrive. The region that is often most effected is the iliocecal valve which is the junction point between the small and large intestine in the right lower quadrant of the abdomen. This area is always tender to pressure when this region is too acidic and often corresponds with tenderness of the right sacroiliac joint in the pelvis. People with chronic low back pain that does not respond or is aggravated by manual adjusting will often have an inflamed iliocecal valve.

It is important to note that lactic acid producing bacteria including streptococcus, lactobacillus and bifidus all may contribute to the acidity if the diet contains excess carbohydrate. For each molecule of glucose these bacteria produce two molecules of lactic acid which then lowers the pH of the bowel. Symptomatically you will often experience a burning sensation when passing a bowel motion when this situation is present. Therefore taking any probiotics exacerbates the situation unless the SCD program is in place.

In my experience emotional stress will override even a PERFECT diet. Thus one must address any key issues and make the appropriate lifestyle changes so that the immune system can normalise. We have found Neuroemotional Technique (N.E.T.) and Neurolinguistic Programming (N.L.P.) very effective for dealing with unresolved emotions and repetitive negative emotional states that have a huge effect on the health of our immune systems.

Heavy metal or chemical toxicity will also prevent the immune system from normalizing and reduce the effectiveness of the SCD protocol unless addressed properly. We use homeopathics, ZeoActiv8 zeolite, nutritional protocols and EB Pro advanced cellular cleansing ionic foot baths (www.erchonia.com).

Fine tuning is achieved by looking at what allergies exist including allergies to foods that are included in the SCD. Kinesiology especially N.A.E.T. is a very effective and efficient way of detecting and correcting the abnormal neuroimmunological response to these foods and other environmental substances.

For more information check our website www.optimumhealthessentials.com.au or www.naet.com for allergy elimination and www.netmindbody.com for neuroemotional technique.

When you google ‘Specific Carbohydrate Diet’ (SCDiet) you get over 360,000 results, with the most important ones at the top of the list.

Starting out on the diet can seem very daunting to a lot of people, especially when you have gone through every other treatment out there. Gastroenterologists (G.I.) still maintain that diet won’t effect Crohn’s, Colitis or any other gut diseases. They do agree though that Celiacs should not eat gluten. Well, at least that is something.

90% of people on the SCDiet will disagree with the G.I. When you read through some of the above mentioned websites you will see for yourself what this diet can do for you. The problem is still to find active support from either your doctor or G.I.

There is a worldwide network of Doctors who have realized how important diet is as complimentary treatment to gut disorders. And if these doctors are not easily accessible to you there is a very active and supportive site which is based in the U.S and has worldwide membership.

For Medical Professionals in your area:

1. U.S., Canada, U.K SCDiet.org
2. On-line support Pecanbread.com
3. Australia, New Zealand and Worldwide Mindd.org

On-line Support List

1. BTVC-SCD Support List: The BTVC-SCD group is a very active mailing list for group discussion of the “Specific Carbohydrate Diet” (SCD), which was developed by Elaine Gottschall for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The diet is very useful as an adjunct to conventional medical treatments for IBD and has helped many people achieve stable health once more. The BTVC-SCD mailing list is a place where those that have not found answers on other diets, but wish to discuss the “Specific Carbohydrate Diet” can exchange recipes and share ideas about how to cope with Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s in conjunction with this particular diet. This list is managed by Marilyn L. Alm.

Happy Cooking,
Sandra

This is one of the most frequently asked questions? So please indulge me while I address this in a round about way.

Firstly what is ‘normal’ food in contrast to ‘abnormal’ food on the SCDiet? SCD promotes a healthy unrefined diet full of fresh fruits, vegetables and protein. The foods on the diet can be purchased at any supermarket. But if you mean foods such as bread, rice, pasta and potatoes than the answer is not so easily defined. Some people who have followed a rigorous SCDiet for years have found that they can easily incorporate these foods back into their diet occasionally. By occasionally I mean perhaps once a month or even once a week, but certainly not on a daily basis. Again, moderation is the key.

I have been on the SCDiet for three years now and am completely symptom free, but still follow the SCDiet.

At this point I have no desire for so called ‘normal’ foods as the diet provides such a variety of dishes and foods that can be eaten. Once you have experienced the abating of horrific symptoms such as constant diarrhea, cramping and sleepless nights and find yourself on the other end of the spectrum, a healthy and vital person; the risk of a relapse isn’t worth it.

That is not to say that on those occasions when my darling son (he has no digestive issues at all) has his weekly croissant, I do feel a little nostalgic. But when the time comes for me to have that croissant it better be the best croissant in the world. This I gather will be in some little french restaurant in France.

The results of eating on the SCDiet can be so significant for those who are willing to give it their one and all, and by that I mean 110%, that it is worth foregoing a little bread, rice, pasta or potato.

Happy Cooking
Sandra