What about the SCD diet??? Anyone try that?

Okay truly stummped guys!!!
Wednesday -Friday I was bleeding like someone stabbed me...before that Diahrea for 2 weeks
SCD INTRO diet since Friday night and Monday ...SOLID stool not one stomach cramp!!! NOT ONE!!! SOmebody talk to me...I see why people go banannas over this diet...I am in disbelief that symptom relief could simply be found in chicken soup! lol

Well Im on 6 MP and I wonder if that makes me more sucseptable to triggers?

Hey EMOM!
Well when you feel good after weeks of feeling like crap its almost like you forget you know what I mean...
I have been consuming the chiken soup, as well as the dry curd cottage cheese with some straw berries...I needed something to ward off the sugar cravings, and the groud beef patty for breakfast.
I have some SCD home made yogurt waiting for me at home...which I have been instructed to tackle slowly...two spoon fulls today....three tommorow...a cup the day after and so on.
I made my yogurt using a heating pad...do I need to drip it?

Keeper>

You note that "The doctors don't recommend trying diet for symptom control. Apparently they don't have a study that shows benefits from diet, but I can't imagine that they get nobody showing improvement on this diet."

They're just not looking very hard.

Br Med J. 1979 Sep 29;2(6193):764-6.Click here to read Links
Treatment of Crohn's disease with an unrefined-carbohydrate, fibre-rich diet.
Heaton KW, Thornton JR, Emmett PM.

Thirty-two patients with Crohn's disease were treated with a fibre-rich, unrefined-carbohydrate diet in addition to conventional management and followed for a mean of four years and four months. Their clinical course was compared retrospectively with that of 32 matched patients who had received no dietary instruction. Hospital admissions were significantly fewer and shorter in the diet-treated patients, who spent a total of 111 days in hospital compared with 533 days in the non-diet-treated control group. Whereas five of the controls required intestinal operation, only one diet-treated patient needed surgery. This is in strong contrast to general experience with this disease. Treatment with a fibre-rich, unrefined-carbohydrate diet appears to have a favourable effect on the course of Crohn's disease and does not lead to intestinal obstruction.


Z Gastroenterol. 1981 Jan;19(1):1-12.Links=20
[Sugar free diet: a new perspective in the treatment of Crohn disease? Randomized, control study]

[Article in German]

Brandes JW, Lorenz-Meyer H.
Since several studies have shown that patients with Crohn's disease have an increased consumption of refined carbohydrates, the influence of a diet excluding refined sugar on the course of the disease was examined. In a randomised control trial, 20 patients (10 patients in each group) with Crohn's disease were treated for an average of 18 months with two different diets. The patients used in the study had a low or middle activity of the disease. Drug treatment was omitted 14 days before commencement of the study. The first group was treated with a low carbohydrate diet (refined sugar excluded), the second group received a high carbohydrate diet (refined sugar-rich). In patients with higher activities of the disease (activity index 100-200 points), the diet which restricted refined sugar was superior to the sugar-rich diet; in 4 out of 5 patients the disease activity decreased and remained so throughout the study-period. In contrast to this 4 patients treated with the sugar-rich diet had to be taken off the treatment because of increasing activities of the disease. In patients with quiescent disease (activity index less than 100 points), neither of the diets showed detrimental effects. The statistical analysis of clinical and laboratory dates noted during the study period resulted in no significant differences between the two groups.=20


Hum Nutr Appl Nutr. 1984 Dec;38(6):469-73.Links=20
Diet in the management of Crohn's disease.

Workman EM, Alun Jones V, Wilson AJ, Hunter JO.
Thirty-three patients with Crohn's Disease were studied to see if their symptoms were related to food intolerances. Initial treatment to produce remission of symptoms was total parenteral nutrition (20), elemental diet (2) or elimination diet (11). Twenty-nine patients reported specific food intolerances, and 21 of these remained in remission on diet alone, the mean length of remission being 15.2 months. The most important foods provoking symptoms were wheat and dairy products.=20

[NB: "The most important foods provoking symptoms were wheat and dairy products."]


Lancet. 1985 Jul 27;2(8448):177-80. Click here to read Links
Crohn's disease: maintenance of remission by diet.

Jones VA, Dickinson RJ, Workman E, Wilson AJ, Freeman AH, Hunter JO.
20 patients with Crohn's disease took part in a controlled trial in which remission was maintained by either an unrefined carbohydrate fibre rich diet or a diet which excluded specific foods to which a patient was intolerant. 7 out of the 10 patients on the exclusion diet remained in remission for 6 months compared with none out of the 10 on an unrefined carbohydrate fibre rich diet (p less than 0.05, Fisher's exact test). In an uncontrolled study an exclusion diet allowed 51 out of 77 patients to remain well on the diet alone for periods of up to 51 months, and with an average annual relapse rate of less than 10%.


Of more recent interest:
http://www.mdheal.org/crohn%27s.htm

NUTRITIONAL THERAPY FOR CROHN'S DISEASE

A paper presented at the Fourth Annual Sympoium on Alternative Therapies
at the New York Marriott World Trade Center

March 28, 1999

Some snippets from that:

"The dietary treatment was administered in a tiered fashion. The initial diet was a grain free, low disaccharide diet (the specific carbohydrate diet, SCD); this was followed for 30 days. If a symptom reduction of 50 percent or more occurred the diet was maintained and nutritional supplementation was begun with fish oil capsules supplying 875 mg of EPA per day and a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral preparation supplying 400 mg of vitamin E, 20 mg of zinc, 200 mcg of selenium, 800 mcg of folic acid. If there was less than a 50 percent reduction in symptoms, additional dietary changes were made on an individual basis. These were (a) complete elimination of all milk derived products, (b) reduction in dietary yeast and monosaccharides, (c) avoidance of all nuts and nut flours, (d) addition to the diet of non-glutenous starches (e.g., rice and potatoes)."

From the results:
"All 20 patients demonstrated a decrease in symptoms and reduction in medication use. Six patients have entered complete clinical remission, discontinued all medication, and maintained remission for five to 80 months. The most rapid response in this category belongs to a 28 year old male who presented with daily fevers of 40 degrees C, bloody diarrhea six times per day, a serum albumen of 2.6 g/dl, ESR of 90 and oxalic acid excretion of 164mg per day, despite the use of azathioprine 100 mg per day and prednisone 40mg per day. This patient achieved complete clinical and laboratory remission during the first 60 days and has maintained remission for three years. For the remaining 14 patients, reduction in symptoms scores were from 90 percent to 40percent (mean reduction of 65 percent)."

So, yeah. There are data to support both safety and efficacy of carbohydrate restriction in the management of Crohn's disease.

(Not that you said there wasn't- I'm just showing how big my brain is!) ;-)

Diet can't compete with high-powered drug companies; there's no way newer studies on dietary management of Crohn's will come out in the existing medical climate. The endpoint for papers on dietary management seems to be in the mid-1980's, when better drugs reached the market and gained acceptance.

Age alone (within reason) should not obviate the relevancy of medical literature. There are good old studies, and bad old studies- same with the new stuff.

There is one other study, BTW; in 2007, a paper was published from some Austrian researchers who found- in a VERY small sample group- they achieved very good results in terms of remission and in tests (including MRI and endoscopy, IIRC) by feeding the subjects nothing more than red meat and sourdough (!). The sourdough seems to run counter to the whole carbohydrate restriction thing, until one realizes that unlike "baker's yeast" used to make dough rise today, historically fermented bread products were allowed to rise for many hours. This alone would consume many of the carbohydrates. In fact, this is a basic tenet of the Weston Price Foundation- no grains that have not been fermented.

And, of course, if they're fermented, then it removes much of the "food" provided for undesirable fermentation in your gut.

So, there's that paper. I have the references if anyone is interested. Again- very small sample group- like 5 people.

That and there's liability. At least with dietary counseling, they can pawn it off on a registered dietitian (reads: golfing buddy). But from a liability perspective, when everybody is prescribing drugs (which appear with alarming frequency in journals, calling for more and more use every month, it seems), that makes it tough for a physician to come out and say, "Well, we put him on a diet based on a couple of books and some old articles, eschewing the slew of TNF inhibitors that you see advertised with the evening news every night so they must be perfectly safe."

It's all about appearances, after all.

At that point, the opposing party will present ten physicians who get up and all happily proclaim there is no such thing as effective dietary management of Crohn's. It's an autoimmune disorder, you see- no way for it to be influenced by diet.

And for many, this may be true. But it's not true for me.

To me the studies re-enforce my belief that diet is not the cure for crohn's but if you eat like crap (ie. lots of refined sugar) you are less likely to feel well. I can certainly testify to that.

Doc when I used to make it I bought a yogourmet, much easier.

Many herbal supplements that I have expermented with for myself created "incredible" amounts of gas, most were known to have an anti-candita effect, but left me symptom free for extended periods of time. Gas is a side effect of yeast die-off. Just a thought

Hey Miguel...I too am already a lean guy who works hard in the gym to stay at 155 lbs and not look like a rail. It is very hard to deal with the physical part of this disease (watching your body waste away) I have particular get so discouraged when I hit the gym during remission and gain weight and muscle mass only to have a flare 4 months into it and loose it all...However your first priority must be to get well. I have had crohns since I was 14 years old. I have had long remissions and killer flares over a 15 year period. I have been on 6 mp for almost a year...I have been in remission since my last flare since March of this year...So to flare 6 weeks ago has been a real dissapointment to me...Two weeks ago I started bleeding...it let up then last wednesday started again very bad...At that point I discovered the SCD diet and started the intro diet...The intro diet is simple...Chicken soup, hamburger pattis, eggs, SCD yoghurt...
Miguel you have nothing to loose by trying it...I will give you the recipe for the soup if youd like! ITs chicken, one whole onion, carrots, celery and parsley, season it with salt...Eat this for 2 days or until you are feeling better! The diet truly is not that hard to follow if you really dedicate a few days to studying it!

Miguel> I dropped from mid-160's (healthy weight for a 5'11" guy my age) to 139 pounds with Crohn's. I started the SCD on 19 December of 2007; that was my minimum weight: 139 pounds. Stuff was staying in me for two hours, and coming right back out the other end.

By mid-April, when I met with my GI again, I had gained 13 pounds. Prior to that, I was losing a pound a week like clockwork. After I started the diet, I put ON almost a pound a week. I'm currently at 152 pounds- same as April- and working on my abs. I've never had washboard abs, so I've been working pretty hard with some exercise DVDs. I'm adding muscle- it feels good.

The SCD is easy to follow once you accept one tenet: the American Heart Association and other groups have misled the world into thinking saturated fat and cholesterol are bad. Grab the cheese and eat it. Roast the chicken over cauliflower to absorb the fat. Have a bun-free hamburger with cheese. Have some eggs.

One of my favorites is the SCD-safe custard. Two 8-ounce packages of "farmer's cheese," cooked with 6 eggs until smooth. Flavor with cinnamon and vanilla. Chill. Add honey and blueberries for breakfast, or dessert. If that doesn't add weight to you, I don't know what will. Moreover, it's GOOD fat and valuable protein- stuff you can use right now.

Two notes: the link between dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol is a weak one. Yes, adding eggs into your diet will bump up your cholesterol, but it's temporary and will go away.

Second: the link between serum cholesterol and heart disease is a very poor one. We've known this since 1939, but because serum cholesterol tests are inexpensive and easy to do, they are still used- and mis-used. Read "Good Calories, Bad Calories" and "In Defense of Food."

Eat richly, and get the carbohydrates out of your diet. Good luck!

http://www.scdiet.org/2recipes/desse01.html

It is just a bit past halfway on my scroll bar.

EMom said...

Doc2007 said...
I made my yogurt using a heating pad...do I need to drip it?

Ahhh...you are one of the talented ones... No, you don't need to drip it unless you want it to be thicker. I never drip mine unless I have a recipe that calls for it to be dripped. I use it just as is for smoothies and such. Enjoy!!!

I make mine with the heating pad too, and I understand that the yogurmet seems to be easier, but really the only step with the heating pad that is different than the yogurmet is I have to watch the temperature and adjust if necessary. My vetry first batch didn't need adjusted at all. My second batch did (I had other issues with this batch as well though). I have made it about every two weeks.

I like that I can make a whole lot at a time, especially since the whole family is enjoying the benefits of "Dad's diet". With four teens, we use a lot of yogurt (SMILE)

He is currently in remission, so it is hard to get it in him since he is feeling well, he doesn't see the NEED for it(slightly stubborn, hates yogurt, and sees it as medicine - his logic is that since he is feeling well, he doesn't need this medicine)

I am glad you are seeing results - we did too! - and I hope you stay well.