Here are some Australian stories. For more, see:
- amazon reviews
- scdiet.org testimonials
Matt in Canberra writes...
I've had Crohns disease for around 15 years now. If you're reading this, you would know the symptoms - diarrhea and bleeding, and at its worst, also nausea and vomiting. I still remember the shock and fear with my first flare up, and the sheer embarrasment at always rushing to the closest toilet.
My first impulse was to disguise my disease; only a few people knew about it. I just wanted it to go away. Since the start of my disease, I explored alternative treatments. I had previously experienced bad side effects using prescribed medication for another condition; I was very reluctant to use the drugs or surgery offered by gastroenterology. I tried homeopathy, acupuncture, and excluding all wheat products from my diet. I had some success with these approaches, but always relapsed.
Some years ago, I experienced my worst relapse ever. I ended up in hospital; I was very ill. For the first time, I allowed myself to use prednisolone. This upset me, but I realised I must use medication to control my symptoms. This helped me in the short term, but I was determined to find a long term approach. I researched on the internet and found details of the specific carbohydrate diet. It looked promising. I didn't want to raise my hopes, but I wanted to give it a try.
I started the diet, and I noticed some improvement. This gave me heart to continue. The results were not instantaneous; instead, I improved over 6 to 8 months, progressing two steps forward and one step back. A year after I started the diet, I travelled to Europe. I later travelled to North America. This would not have been possible before. I still need to carefully manage by illness, but I have better levels of energy and health, for which I am very grateful.
Jackie in Sydney found SCD/low-carb helpful for irritable bowel syndrome. See her Dientamoeba Fraglis & Blastocystis Hominis website for details.
Joan in Sydney found the SCD plus MSM helpful for ulcerative colitis. Read more here
Steven in Brisbane writes...
I have been mostly on the SCD for 1.5 years for an undiagnosed problem like leaky-gut/celiac/parasite/citrobacter with colitis. Initially it firmed my foul and loose stools quickly, which was a big relief from visiting the toilet after almost every meal. It also greatly reduced red skin bumps on legs/arms. However after 6 months I was still getting bloating/gas/rumblings from even small amounts of fruit. Also honey and homemade yoghurt (though I never experimented much) gave diarrhea. Raw fibre from nuts, fruit skins, and non-tender vegetables also still gave colitis.
I switched to very low-carb for next 6 months which relieved bloating/gas wonderfully. However diarrhea, previously seldom, increased: heavy fat meals gave nausea and diarrhea. Cheddar and more low-carb veggies (fibre?) reduced the diarrhea to tolerable cramps. Most of this time was low-fibre though, for the purpose of resting the colon to allow some healing from colitis inflammation/irritation.
After this my colon felt stronger with less pain. I reintroduced fruit with much less gas/bloat. I broadened my diet to be mainly peeled fruits - yellow & red pawpaw/papaya, soft rockmelon, browned bananas, pears, apples & stone fruits (raw, cooked, and canned), fish (whitefish like nile perch, & salmon), lean beef, avocado, cheddar (Farmland semi-matured, or a mild cheddar - both have less salt), and some cooked veg (carrot, swede, brocolli). I still get diarrhea from foods like butter, oils, fatty meat & eggs. Drained homemade yoghurt is now OK. Too much fruit brings gas/loose stools. Nuts still give colitis except small amounts, ground (except pine nut butter which i can eat freely). Also sometimes eat homemade cottage cheese. I also have food allergies, particularly chicken & turkey: I limit these. The SCD has my gut now fairly stable, although my range of foods is somewhat limited. My remaining problem is chronic fatigue, which persists despite my weight being normal - so I'm looking at other means to improve further. I expect the SCD will be central to whatever I do. Read more...
