Rating: 
Summary: breaking the vicious cycle
Review: This book is a gift from God.... Well, praise God for leading me to Elaine's book.... . You have nothing to lose and only good health to gain. Be proactive-take your life back! Believe me, this simple little diet can cure an uncurable disease. Just try it for 1 month. I do not believe in coincidences you where ment to read this. Put the pain and suffering behind you-it's only food, it can not hurt you. God bless you on your journey to radiant, vibrant health. Vicki
Rating:
Summary: Not only a diet...A CURE!
Review: To anyone suffering from an IBD, read this book and follow the diet. I have been following diet for only 4 months and docs already see signs of reversal. It's a strict diet that must be followed religously but it beats pain, meds and surrgery. You get used to it like any other diet. Side effects (in addition to IBD being cured): immune system is bolstered (less colds-I swear!), skin clears up, weight stabalizes, cholesterol decreases and mood improves as your intestinal lining heals. What more do I have to say? Do this diet for 1 year and heal. Don't be a slave to the medical/drug community. ... There is also a listserve, online that one can access to ask questions or just get support from others on the diet or those who have gotten well with it. The author herself is there to give expert advice! I must warn that this listserve is a wonderful bonus as it's nice to have a support group but it's not for the meek. This diet takes conviction and those on this listserve can be tough cookies (made w/ nut flour as the diet instructs). The main point is THIS BOOK WILL GET YOU YOUR LIFE BACK-DO THE DIET!!!!!!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Good but incomplete reference
Review: I have IBD and speak from personal experience when I say the Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a priceless tool to help you feel and be better from a chronic and debilitating condition that most MDs have a difficult time diagnosing and treating.To do service to both the book and the diet, I think it only fair to evaluate them separately since they are two different things. The diet rates 5 stars as most of the reviewers here attest to, but since this website calls for *book reviews,* the rest of my opinion stated here solely concerns the book itself. The author does a credible job of explaining the science behind the diet and documents her sources. However, it may be above the heads of most readers. Since this book hasn't been updated since 1994, the author would be doing a real service to people with IBD (both those who have already bought the book and those who are certain to) if she would produce a thorough revision and update of the book. There are too many areas that are not fully explained and need to be. Everyone who comes to the SCD is a rank beginner and the book should address its topics from this perspective. Adding a Q and A section would be very helpful. In too many instances, the book ignores the "what ifs" such as what if the yogurt recipe (central to the diet) doesn't turn out as expected or is left cooking past the recommended 24-hour time period. And what about goat milk? The diet specifics especially should be expanded as there are many more issues that have come to light since the 1994 printing. Legal and illegal foods plus vitamin supplements and their additives should be categorized under topic lists. Any double negatives about what is and what isn't allowed should be taken out. It's simply too confusing. An editor with experience with producing this type of book would greatly enhance its effectiveness. There is a website that appears to attached to the book that has a link to an online mail list that might be useful to those with questions. However, both the website and mail list suffer from the same problems --as well as their very own-- that the book does. This said, the diet has real value for those looking for a relatively quick, safe and effective method of dealing with several types of chronic bowel conditions. A word to the wise: approach all sources involving Elaine Gottschall and SCD with patience and perseverance. She is the "Dr. Laura" of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet!
Rating:
Summary: Can't argue with positive success
Review: This book is in strong need of an editor, but thank goodness there's lots of web support behind it. The program laid out IS a difficult one, particularly if you're exhausted all the time because of IBD. It's best to have somebody help you on this, because there's a lot to putting it into place. After two months, I don't feel that the disease (colitis) has been "cured", but most of my symptoms have become very managable. Normal stools for the first time in three years. Most people I've talked to with bowel disorders have said it took at least two years to clear it up. I'm willing to give this a try, especially since neither 3 gastroenterologists nor several herbalists were able to come up with these results.
Rating:
Summary: I have my life back
Review: I don't know where to begin. Let me start by saying that it would be a very fair statement to say that Crohn's disease had highjacked my life. I have always been very ambitious and very motivated. After 10 years of battling CD, I was more ready to give up after this last flare than at any other point in my life. Living in constant fear of the next big flare, my life was in a state of suspended animation. I put of applying to grad schools, i refused to get in any relationships, i refused to put any real effort into anything I did -- all b/c I thought to myself, "what's the point. The next big flare will set me back and undo my efforts." Then the flare came. I was already on steroids, 6mp, Asacol, and was eating healthier. Although I showed some initial improvement with the prednisone, I started getting bloody BMs. Then the rate increased. Then it got to the point where I was having 10-20 pure blood BMs a day and not eating. MY best friend noticed and I confided in him my situation. He basically convinced me to go the doctor. Had I waited any longer, I would probably not be here. My GI started preparing me for the psychological impact of losing my colon. Honestly, I told him that I would rather be dead and that I wouldn't go to the hospital. He basically bribed me with a very high dose of demerol and other goodies to go in and get IVs, both of fluids and of steroids. So, I did. He was very concerned and said that the only other possibility was that it was a rare bacterial infection called C. Diff. Luckily, I did in fact have C. Diff. A month before, I had started the SCD diet (_Breaking the Vicious Cycle_) and signed up for their listserv. I should have paid closer attention b/c they mention that many people develop C. Diff. when they first start the diet. Basically, proponents of the SCDiet argue that IBD (and many other ailments) are caused by bacteria. These bacteria feed on complex sugars. By cutting off their supply of food, and starving them into submission, your symptoms gradually decrease and your disease goes into remission. I've known of the diet for years, but never really bought into their theory or was desperate enough to try it (i'm only 22). Then, I met someone who had basically rid themselves of the shackles of IBD with this diet. Combined with the fact that I realized that conventional medicines weren't cracking it for me, I tried the diet. It was hard at first. I didn't mind so much that the diet cut out starches like rice and potatoes or complex carbs like bread, but it was really hard to cut out processed foods. Eating out is a pain, but well worth my new found health. Most people see results within a couple weeks, if not days. It took me three months. It had been probably 10 years since I had had a normal BM without prednisone. You don't know how happy I am to report that I am not only medication free but also have NORMAL bowel movements!!! I have my life back. I am easing back into the grove, and I'm still very cautious and guarded. But, I have picked up applications to grad school, have started a rigorous exercise regime, sleep a lot less, feel a lot better, have starting dating again, have starting working again, and have started looking to the future again. So, to anyone out their wanting to regain your health and are willing to try something different, I suggest trying the SCD. If you are around the same age as me (i'm 22), and need somone to motivate you, email me at safacles@hotmail.com. It's worth it. If I can do it, anyone can do it.
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Summary: No More Autism: Healing Inside and Out
Review: How can I find words to describe the miracle that is this diet? Following it has given me back my son in a way I never dreamed possible. Elaine's diet has cured my son's autism and his three year struggle with GI troubles. My son Colin, age 4 ½ , has struggled with GI troubles since 11 months old. He had the ROTAvirus, chronic diarrhea, and was constantly on steroids (for asthma) and antibiotics (for ear and lung infections). By age two-and-a-half he was having night terrors every night. By age three, he was labeled "failure to thrive" due to his low weight and height. He was also diagnosed as having developmental delays (Pervasive Development Disorder, ie Autism). He was behind in speech and motor skills...he banged his head and stopped looking at me. My son slipped away from me! Everyone had answers for us...the mainstream doctors (neurologists) wanted to give him drugs. The GI doctors thought Colin had "autistic" diarrhea and wouldn't help us. They wouldn't even do a colonoscopy on a child who had struggled with a GI disorder for years. The alternative doctors told us to cut out gluten and milk and use high dosages of vitamins. Stopping gluten stopped his night terrors--but his chronic diarrhea and delays continued. In fact, as I became a "gluten-free" cook and branched out to new starches, Colin's symptoms got worse. When my son was labeled as having "high functioning autism" at age 3 1/2, God told me to "put Colin first." So I quit my job to save my son. I decided that instead of listening to "experts" in autism, I would listen to my son. I knew he had the answers inside him so I studied him. I always knew Colin had a problem with food. His bizarre food cravings as a toddler-milk, cheese, and bread-had been replaced with a craving for gluten free waffles, potatoes, and basically all starches and complex sugars. Some said he was allergic to these foods. But, I knew it was impossible for him to have 30+ allergies. I also knew if food was the problem-somehow it was the answer too. I concluded that my son was not autistic, but instead a boy with celiac disease or some other GI disorder. Then, thanks to a former co-worker, who was a Celiac not cured by gluten-free living, I found Elaine's book. Within months on Elaine's diet, my son's stools were normal for the first time in his life! Then, he started doing complex pretend play, looking at us, and advancing in ALL AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT. He played with toys appropriately. He voiced his wants, needs, and questions. Oh-the glorious why questions! He started asking me questions about God, about life, about the seasons...and about why his tummy had always been sick. His teachers were amazed. Our family was amazed. We know this diet saved him. We watched it happen before our eyes. No drugs. No expensive behavioral therapies. Just diet. I say don't give up. When Colin couldn't digest the fruits and veggies, we cooked them. When he couldn't eat the almond flour-we gave him squash and banana for carbs until he was ready for the nut flours. We didn't do the yoghurt described in the book at first-as Colin gets asthma when he drinks milk. Then, we started using goat's milk yoghurt instead so he could get the good bacteria he needed to heal. If you truly want to get well, there is always a way. But you have to have faith and be patient. Today, my son is the picture of health. He has gained 8 pounds and five inches in less than a year! He has a healthy glow. He has normal bowel movements. He has a wonderful appetite too. And now-he has caught up in almost all areas. He has friends! Next year he will be going to a regular preschool. Some doctors and others ask us now if we have "switched" children. All this through food. The other day I told my son that I was going to help a friend of his start this diet. I was explaining about the yoghurt, almond flour, etc. He said, "Mom, thank you," and threw his arms around me. I said, "For what?"
"For me Mom. Thank you for me. Thank you for making my tummy better." Even Colin knows the power of this diet. God bless Elaine for fighting for us all and for helping me save my son!
Rating:
Summary: Ideal for IBS too!
Review: The problem with IBS is that we never seem to get a straight diagnosis or treatment. This book will help you make sense of why you are having problems and what you can do to get rid of those problems!!!!!! I felt better within weeks; following this diet has gotten rid of problems that medications couldn't touch. i had eliminated so much from my diet before SCD, and it seemed like more and more foods kept getting added to my "do not eat" list. Lots of these were vegetables, high calcium and vitamin sources!!! Now i live grain free and I am starting to eat many of those green vegetables with no trouble. LOVE THIS LIFE!!!!!!!
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Summary: I Cannot Say Enough About This Diet
Review: It has saved my life. I have been on the diet for just over a year and I feel great. I have had my ups and downs but the overall picture is one of health. I am healthier now than I have ever been in my life.
I have suffered with Ulcerative Colitis for over 3 years. I was not responding to medications, or any alternative supplements. I decided that it must be the food and started the diet.
The bleeding, which has been profuse in the past, is now gone. No cramping, diarrhea, or bloating. I am the picture of health. Everyone that sees me says I look great. I have more energy than ever which is great because I have two small kids who need a mom.
This diet is the answer to all your intestinal troubles. Don't wait any longer for relief. All the sacrifice in the world will be worth it.
Rating:
Summary: Breaking The Vicious Cycle
Review: I have received good relief on this very healthy and sensible diet.
Rating:
Summary: From a Professional Point of View
Review: I am a Clinical Nutritionist. I have been in practice for
5 years. I hold a Ph.D and am currently completing a Docorate of Science. I have used Dr Gottschall's research and her book for all of my IBS patients. I have sent copies to Physicians for their patients. Words alone barely describe the results that can be acheived with the work Dr. Gottschall has accomplished. As a Clinical Nutritionist, I may also include neutraceuticals to improve the health profile but that is not to discount the marvelous ability of this woman's amazing work and dedication. Do not keep this book a secret. It is infinitely important that those individuals who require the knowledge get it. Sincerely Joanne Vaughan Ph.D
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