how I got into remmission from Ulcerative Colitis in 7 weeks

stereo,
naturopaths in plural. everything from scd plus herbs and probiotics, to gluten,dairy,sugar free, to low carb, low sulphite etc plus various neutraceuticals, powders, shakes, herbs. you name it, i have had it recommended to me. and tried it. i know there's a big difference between naturopathy and homeopathy - the homeopath was a classical german homeopath working in Italy recommended by a friend who had success with him for cd. also tried ldn, chiropractics,naet, probiotics by the boatload,5 different chinese herbalists, ayurvedic meds from india. the list goes on an on....

Well done in your remission that's great news.

Just wondered why no smoked fish or canned fish? I eat a lot of fish including canned sardines and tuna. Interestingly, I have been questioning canned fish lately so it would be good to hear why they aren't a good idea fior you.

Best wishes and thanks for sharing.

Puddleduck

To be honest I don't know why, but she was specific about this as well as NOT USING MICRO WAVE to heat up food Heh! I just stuck to the diet. But I still believe it is the shake I take every morning and night that keep the wolves from the door. Also whatever I took in the first few weeks must have done something to help the colon I just don't understand how it did it. I did start eating canned tuna before the diet but as I was in a contsant flare up and never been in remission it is hard to tell. I had more urinary tract infections in the last 2 years than I have ever had in the 45 years prior, due to the inability to control my bowel. Oviously the blood and mucous is full of bacteria.

Mind you the xmas Turkey I brought was frozen and I let if thaw for days in the fridge and cooked it xmas day along with roast veges and lots of other goodies. I did not stick to my diet xmas day I had roast: turkey, potatoe, pumpkin, carrot, mashed potatoe with little (marg and milk), little bit of roast mint lamb, steamed brocolli, piece of pavlova I made, with cream and blackberries, blueberries and strawberries. A piece of plum pudding, glass of sauvign blanc, white dinner roll and the worst thing a can of lemonade.
I did not get mucous but I did bloat up, was constipated and had bad abdomen aches and wind for 3 days. But it did not cause blood and mucous ir lack of bowel control Thank God.

mum of 3

iamagardner 2

I figured that killcolitis is frustrated and I agree with you, I don't think anyone can fail personally at this disease they did not ask for the disease and are given meds by DR's and GI's who we all hope know what they are doing, Sounds the same with homeopaths and naturopaths. Like someone said their are good apples and bad apples meaning DR's. But personally no one can fail we are at the mercy of everyone else and in saying that we are also in the mercy of our selves. I wish I had tried another GI not just the one I was given. Then again I may not have reached ther destination I did. But the common goal undoubtdly would have to be remission for every one, reguardless of how they get there.

mum of 3

Oh yes I dont know if this is important or not but for the first 6-10 weeks of my diet I coughed up flem all the time is was annoying and it was stringy and sometimes hard to bring up. Has this ever happened to anyone else who started a totally different diet. Oh you should also know I do not smoke and don't really drink alcohol due to having a 4 yr old and working nights. My sex life is better now as I will let my husband near me where I had issues when I had no bowel control.
Someone said my body was being like detoxed on this healthy diet and that's why the flem came out I did not mention that to my GI or Naturopath hmmm....

what are your thoughts?

mum of 3

Whatever works for you is great. In my post, I was just equating big pharma with the "natural supplements" industry and saying they are both to be treated with suspicion.
Whole foods are cheap or sometimes free and there is a billion dollar industry devoted to making whole foods into pill form called supplements.
I firmly believe that anyone with UC or any autoimmune disease for that matter should modify their diet to healthy alternatives, no soda pop, etc.
But the need for supplements I think is just programming by these greedy companies that sell that stuff.
You can make your own supplements and tinctures at home.
Threads like these can be very helpful and informative and don't have to always fall into attacks and defense.

seriously did anyone else who modified their diet at the beginning bring up flem...

No I did not.

P.S. Anytime you don't under an abbreviation such as IIRC, IMO, OP, you can google it. Ones you may not find there is D and C which are shortcuts to diarrhea (spelling too hard) and constipation (too long) lol.

I agree with you kickboxer. I came to the forum for the first time in september in a panic I remember. I wrote a nice long post tearing up about what how I was just diagnosed, how insensitive my GI doctor seemed to me, and then concluded how I wasn't going to just submit myself to this disease. And I get a response from a few others who savagely critique my message and narcissistically take my message as an insult to their own darn life and tell me that because I'm trying to look on in a positive direction, that infact I'm in denial.

You have to look beyond the bullcrap people bring to the table here, because no one seems to understand that when any of us have good results, and want to share it with others, its not that we're trying to blame anyone for not being pro-active in the specific direction or approach we've taken, its that we're excited about our results and genuinely want to share them -in hopes that incase their regimen's aren't working, that we've found something maybe not every doctor will recommend to help the condition.

kickboxer, didn't see your post until now. No, I can't tell, that's why I posted what I did. As I said, our "lifestyle" before UC was excellent (I assume by lifestyle you mean diet, exercise etc). It did not cause her disease which is what I believe you mean when you say a "lifestyle change" is in order. I have to say, we have changed our lifestyle probably more than most according to various prescriptions, so I do understand that. I'm not saying that alternatives don't work by any means. I just think you have to be very careful of all that's implied by what you post on a site where people are desperate. Surely you can see how a new poster posting about a great new product that put their severe UC into remission would raise some suspicion - it's not exactly rare that people come to this site to sell their "cures" is it? Good Luck to you.

i've spent my share of money on supplements - some seem to work, but did not, some i am still using sporadically, some made me feel worse.
yes - there's a lot of money involved in this industry. a lot of crappy persons who don't know sh-it about this disease but will try to look smart in front of you and take your money. the worst one i've met was a acupuncturist. but that's another story.

i've also spent my share of money on medication, doctors and alopat sollutions. now i am happy i've found a GI who understands me and supports me even if she does not agree sometimes. but she will bend to the truth - since starting SCD i am far better than before. and i will also bend to her truth - the 5'ASA's helped me a lot.

my academic formation is epistemology. i know a lot about scientific methodology and about what doctors - real doctors - need to see/check in order to admit that a drug or a way of life is really helpful for their patients.
there is no way - at least until now - to make a general and scientifically correct statement that a specific diet will help in managing UC as a hole.
too many factors are to be taken into consideration:
1. the foods are not the same over the globe - take apples for example - same breed will contain more sugars if it's cultivated south and less if cultivated 500 km north. take cheese - there's no general recipe to make swiss chesee as far as i know and so on. so THERE IS NO CONTROL over the quality of food people eat in order to develop a real scientific study.
2. there is no control in what UC patients eat - some will eat more or less from the same food, some will mix it with something else and so on.
4. there is no real map of UC genetics triggers.
5. there is no real map of our gut flora in order to make a real scientific comparison between an healthy group and an UC group. They can just make general and non scientific observations.
6. there is no control over the medication the UC group is in (i a including here the suplements also).
7. there is no... and so on. and so on.

BUT. because there is a big "but" here:

1. There are people who can micromanage (micro - because we talk about individuals) their disease with diet.
I am one of them. And on this site there are many others.
We're not doing the same diet. I am sure of it. Some will rely more on specific foods than others. Some will react to foods other seem to see as a problem. and so on. but it is a REAL FACT that for some of us diet helps. and for some of us it helps a lot.

2. There are people who can micromanage their disease with suplements. I've seen a lot of success stories here about this too.

3. There are people who can micromanage their disease with medication.

4. There are people who can micromanage their disease with a combination of all above and God knows what else.

5. There are people who found no way yet to manage their disease.

and

6. All people here are looking for help or are trying to provide help based on their PERSONAL experience. If we don't respect eachother and try to jump with our boots on other succes stories then this forum has lost it's purpose.

Let's keep this friendly.

I have not been fortunate with diet or supplements but I don't believe anyone is trying to sell or push products here. I hope they are not. I have spent a ton of money on supplements, the list I have tried is a page long. I didn't see any benefit from these, even with the addition of SCD diet. I don't doubt that these things help other people and I am happy that some are able to treat with these methods but my experience leads me to believe they do not help my UC.

I always question whether it is the supplements/diet or just natural waxing and waning of UC symptoms that causes the remission experienced. Perhaps there is another cause for their symptoms besides inflammation that the diet/supplements address. There are too many "what ifs" to say with 100% knowledge that these supplements & diets caused remission. Many of the people using these approaches are on medication in conjunction to the diet which adds another level of questioning. I don't know enough about anyone else's UC, their diagnosis, their symptoms...

I was struggling with moderately active colitis. I had a sigmoidoscopy that showed inflammation, that proves it was the UC and not IBS or something food related. Without changing diet, meds, supplements or diet, I went into remission out of no where. Even my GI was shocked. These days I try not to figure it out & I go with the flow. If something works for you, stick with it - I try not to push things on others because often, these things won't work for someone else. One thing that I think has been helping me is trying to have a positive attitude and keep stress minimized. Taking medication to manage stress and anxiety as needed.

I haven't spent a penny on supplements in years and I am doing well. I am going to keep doing what works for me.

I don't think it's fair to say it's tough being 31, especially for a male. I am female and in my early 30's and it's no easier for us. It's not easier for either sex or any age. It's always awful.

My opinion is, do what works for you & don't judge other people - we don't know their circumstances.

Mum of 3, your regimen looks great, i'm pretty much following the same exact dietary plan, except I still eat potatoes and have canned tuna fish, but otherwise pretty exact to what you've done! I'm going to have to look into Rejuven X and Vital Greens, they sound like great supplements, I wonder if the US has them...