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Summary: The path to a sustainable, controlled remission of IBD, IBS
Review: I just got the new 8th Printing "Millennium Edition" of this wonderful book. This new edition is clearer than previous editions and includes valuable Internet resources for support, recipes, success stories, and more. I took drugs for 15+ years to battle my Crohn's. Nothing really worked. I finally started the SCD four years ago and have been able to maintain a controlled remission, drug free, since 1997! This diet has changed my life! For me, this diet provides better results than the drugs ever did, without the long-term side effects. After 1.5 years on the SCD I finally allowed my doc to perform a colonoscopy. The results: "We got all the way to the cecum. No evidence at all of Crohns. No scars. No inflammation. Nothing. You look completely normal." (Ahem - and this from a doctor who previously claimed diet had nothing to do with IBD.) My recommendation to IBD sufferers: get this book and start the down the path to sustainable remission. Diet has everything to do with getting better--find a new, more supportive doc if yours disagrees or learned otherwise! My only regret is not having started this regimen sooner!
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Summary: I have my life back!
Review: Breaking the Vicious Cycle is an easy to understand and very comprehensive presentation of information which needs to be available to people. Those who are not willing to take responsibility, and commit time and thought to taking care of themselves, as well as those who want easy, work free solutions, will have great difficulty with this diet. But, for those of us who are relieved to have access to information which empowers us to take care of ourselves, this book is a godsend. With it I have been able to completely regain my health without the use of medications. It is a tragedy that this information is not available to everyone with digestive disorders, so that we all can make informed personal choices about how we wish to approach our treatment. People with the determination to regain their health will almost certainly benefit from learning about this diet.
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Summary: Happy and healthy from now on.
Review: After being diagnosed with Crohn's disease at age 18, I'd watched my symptoms grow more severe as the years passed. Seven years later, my flare-ups of the disease were becoming longer, more painful, and less responsive to the lastest drugs. This book finally gave me some control. I started using Elaine's diet on Jan. 1, 2000, determined to be well. It's been eight months, and I'm doing great. My symptoms gradually disappeared after 2 months on the diet. At this point I am 100% free of symptoms with the exception of when I get a little lazy and eat out more, or buy deli foods that I'm "pretty sure" are safe on the diet. Inevitably I can backtrack and find the offending substance(s) in foods that have brought about mild "reminders". I've been off prednisone for 3 months (longer than I've been off it in years), and I'm off 80% of my other medications. The suggestions in this book may seem difficult, or even impossible to follow (believe me, 90% of my previous diet included foods that are off limits on this diet), but no piece of bread, glass of milk, or chocolate is worth experiencing the loss of health this disease, and other GI diseases, imposes. My most sincere thanks to Elaine Gottschall, Dr. Hass, and others, whose research has given us the information in this book. I no longer worry about how much longer I can get away with not having surgery, where my income will come from after using all my sick days from work, or what medications could harm my unborn child when it comes time to start a family. Thanks to the specific carbohydrate diet, this disease is under my control. Support group information online can be found at scdiet.org. Update 8/12/01 This diet has allowed me to be symptom-free and medication-free for well over a year. The longer you do it the easier it gets!
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Summary: This book saved my life!
Review: A little over six years ago I was one day away from death, according to my doctors, when I was finally hospitalized for ulcerative colitis. At that point, I'd been extremely sick for years, hadn't eaten much for a long time, had eaten nothing for two months, and could no longer hold down the tea with honey and salt I'd been living on. A doctor who had watched my colonoscopy had gasped with horror at the picture on the screen. My eminent doctors would come into my hospital room every day to tell me that I'd better be realistic and accept the fact that I was going to be an extremely sick woman for the rest of my life, and would constantly be on drugs such as Prednisone (I was hooked up to IV Prednisone in the hospital) and Cyclosporin. They predicted that the drugs would stop working, I would eventually end up having surgery to remove my colon, and then, if all went well, another surgery to reattach the small intestine in order to avoid having to use a bag for the rest of my life. The doctors told me to concentrate on white bread, pasta and rice, plus other low residue foods to try to minimize symptoms, but they did emphasize that diet made absolutely no difference in the course of the disease. I had been inhaling Prednisone for my asthma for years and already had serious side effects from it. The high dose IV Prednisone that took me four months from which to taper permanently damaged my vocal cords, and I'm still fighting some of the effects of the drug. I would not have survived much longer if I'd kept taking Prednisone, as my immune system, always very weak, didn't seem to function at all while I was on it. And many of the side effects were so unbearable that survival, even for someone who loves life as much as I, didn't seem quite as desirable if Prednisone would be a constant feature of my life. Miraculously, a couple months after I got out of the hospital, I heard Elaine Gottschall talking about her book on Dr. Ronald Hoffman's radio show. Therefore, instead of going further downhill from drugs with such serious side effects, and continuing to suffer as my doctors had predicted, I started on the road to recovery. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet may be difficult to follow at first, especially for people who have not been used to cooking. However, it is a miracle for those with IBD (or other intestinal problems), and has even helped people with conditions that would not seem, on the face of it, to be related to the gut. To say it's worth the effort to follow this diet would be a vast understatement. Giving up some foods in exchange for a life free of drugs, surgery and debilitating illness seems like more than a fair exchange to me. In fact, this is not a diet of deprivation, as the allowed foods are delicious and the diet is extremely nutritious. There are wonderful recipes in the book (and in *Lucy's Specific Carbohydrate Diet Cookbook* by Lucy Rosset), and many conventional recipes can be altered to be SCD legal. For those who need more information, there is an excellent, official BreakingTheViciousCycle site, with help for those starting out, an excellent FAQ, and more. Finding Elaine Gottschall's book was a miracle, and it has saved my life. Thank you, Elaine!
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Summary: Coping With Colitis
Review: I have had UC for 7 years. I was on high doses of Prednisone for 4 years before I found this diet. Doctors were suggesting surgery. I stayed on the diet for 4-5 months before I started cheating a little. I am proud to say that the past 7 months have been pred free.
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Summary: SCD works!
Review: I've been on SCD for more than two years, it really works! Even living a busy life as a mother and business owner in NYC I find this diet easy to follow. SCD is much easier then being sick! While strictly following SCD I have been able to travel on many occasions. I've been to Europe twice without problems. When I'm either traveling or at home I always eat out in fine restaurants without difficulties. I order my favorite foods, grilled steak, fish, lobster, shrimp, or chicken. Ordered with fresh vegetables, salads, and fruit & cheese for desert never makes me feel different then my dining companions. I can even drink wine. One is only limited by their imagination on this diet. I love to cook so I easily find all types of recipes to convert into a version to fit the SCD. The SCD has given me my life back from years of drugs, flare ups and constantly dashing off to find a bathroom! I was desperately searching for a way to get off drugs when I found the scdiet.org website. I gave it an honest try and it worked. Finally got off the drugs and never looked back! Elaine Gottshall I don't know where I'd be without your book and the SCD. I only wish my doctor had given me the choice to start following a diet like this when I was first diagnosed with colitis.
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Summary: IBD Sufferers Look No Further!
Review: I have had ulcerative colitis for 8 years and used to eat a primarily vegetarian diet. So when I initially encountered this book through my doctor, I was skeptical of dramatically changing my diet to exclude the whole grains that were my staple. I'm so glad I reconsidered! The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is the answer to any IBD sufferer's prayers. I've been on the diet for 10 months and feel better than I have in years and am symptom-free. Elaine Gottschall explains the science behind the diet very clearly and provides a wonderful collection of recipes to introduce us to this style of eating. The recipes in the book are meant as an introduction and teaching tool to adapt everyday recipes to meet the diet's guidelines. This style of eating does take preparation and time, but the food is wonderful and nutritious and anyone who is suffering and wants to be well should have no problem doing the maintenance work involved. It's a tiny price to pay to have your health and your life back. Please give the diet a chance. It's nothing short of a miracle! Thank you Elaine!
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Summary: A Serious Diet for a Serious Disease
Review: This is a serious book meant for those who suffer with serious disease and meant to be followed precisely. The book dictates a meticulous diet which in my experience produces good results among those who follow it faithfully. Those who merely thumb through, give it a glance, and fail to follow its instruction will invariably fail, while those who read it, study and follow it closely have a better than good chance of improving their condition. Of course it must be used in conjunction with good medical advice, proper medication and aggressive follow up by a trained physician.
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Summary: renewed hope
Review: Our son was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis when he was 10 years old, 7 years ago. We were sure that he was dying during the worst of this disease. This is the "gospel" of Elaine Gottschall and Dr. Haas. Gospel, of course, meaning "good news". Elaine's own daughter brought the disease under control by use of the guidelines outlined in this book. This book is written pretty much in layman's terms by an author who, because of her dedication and commitment to spreading this "gospel", makes herself accessible to her readers and has a continuing conversation with them via e-mail on the SCD website. If you are looking for profound literature, this isn't the book for you. If, on the other hand, you are yourself, or know someone who suffers from UC, Crohn's, IBS, IBD, or any other gastrointestinal disorder (even as simple as excess flatulence) for that matter, this book can help and uses scientific evidence and illustrations, thanks to the author's educational background. With a firm dedication to follow the guidelines set forth in this book, you can find renewed hope, faith, and help for these debilitating and gruesome illnesses. My son has his life back thanks to God, this book, and a couple of "disciples" who won't give up!
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Summary: Breaking the Vicious Cycle
Review: I bought this book because the standard celiac diet was not working for me. The book presents a well-researched and presented theory for the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, which makes far more sense to me than the standard gluten intolerance premise ever did. Getting started on SCD required a major commitment of time and energy, but it has been worth every bit of effort. I feel fabulously healthy. People even comment on how much better my skin looks. Once you get used to the diet, it doesn't feel restrictive at all because baked goods made with nuts and the home made yogurt are so sensationally delicious. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wishes to improve their intestinal health, boost their immune system, and maybe even turn back the clock. Best of all, I have remained symptom free since the first week on this diet (which I started four months ago).
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