# SCD / GAPS Contradict IBS Safe diet?



## flitwit (Oct 3, 2013)

Seems that the acceptable foods on these diets would be impossible for those of us suffering from severe IBS. I can't imagine eating red meat, or any of those listed vegetables. Chili pepper, Chipotle powder, Peppers??? Are you kidding? Eggs, dairy, red meat... the majority of safe foods are mostly triggers for IBS. I want to follow one of these diets, because I'm convinced I suffer from SIBO (not my main issue, but very much what's causing issues atop it all). But how can someone like me, who suffers greatly with ANY form of trace fats, nuts, eggs, dairy, etc, ever start? I'd starve even more than I'm starving now. My meals currently revolve around grains. Rice in one form or another is my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I had white potatoes for the first time in about 3 or so years, and I thought they were fantastic, and I thought I was doing good changing it up, but apparently they're not to be eaten either.

Any advice, or explanation as to how this could be considered a diet for IBS suffers when all of the safe foods are triggers for most?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

SCD was not designed for IBS, it is based on a different theory about a different illness. Not sure about GAPS off the top of my head.

Every person is differnet so there is no universal diet that will be always safe for all people, and expecting diets put together for very different reasons to all agree is unlikely to happen. They include and exclude foods for wildly different reasons and may not have had IBS in mind (or even understood any of the dietary issues of IBSers) when decided.

Even with the low FODMAP diet which is the most geared for people with IBS people will have to adapt it based on their IBS. Some people are very sensitive to fat and the low FODMAP diet does not directly address that. There isn't just one dietary trigger for IBS so if you want a diet that excludes every single thing that may bother any IBSer ever you need to figure out if there are any breatharians that are not frauds and really lived for decades without drinking any water or eating any food of any kind at all.

Is there any reason the low FODMAP diet isn't going to remove the fermentable compounds most people with SIBO are worried about? And how about following the diet in Dr. Pimental's book since he is the guru of SIBO?


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi flitwit,

Kathleen is correct. The SCD was designed with IBDs in mind, based on a diet that had been developed for patients with Celiac Disease. However, that doesn't mean that it doesn't work for IBS, it's helped many with IBS (like me!). The idea is that the gut lining is damaged, which can be just as true for people with IBS as it is for people with an IBD, and that the diet will allow the gut lining to heal.

A couple of important points about the Specific Carbohydrate Diet:


Not only is it okay to customize the SCD, it is *imperative* that it be customized. Different people have different sensitivities, allergies, etc. There are many people in the Yahoo! group that I belong to that's dedicated to the SCD that cannot tolerate dairy products; there are many others that cannot tolerate eggs; there are many others that cannot tolerate fermented foods (like yogurt); and there are many who cannot tolerate several of these items. One of the group moderators has posted that when she started the diet, she could not tolerate carrots, which are usually one of the early staple foods on the diet. It is very important to find what works for you, and even more important to find what *doesn't* work for you and avoid it.
Although at a rudimentary level foods are considered either SCD-legal or SCD-illegal, at a more refined level foods are considered more basic or more advanced. Nobody who's familiar with the diet would recommend that someone starting out should include chili peppers or chipotle powder; for the first month or so my list of vegetables was carrots, green beans, butternut squash, and zucchini, and I didn't use much more than salt and pepper for seasoning. After four months, I seem to still have difficulty with peanuts and tree nuts, so I'll have to hold off before introducing them again. Many people have trouble with foods with seeds, so while strawberries and raspberries are legal, they're not recommended before several months on the diet. It's a really good idea when starting the diet to get a lot of input from people who have been on it for a long time to get a handle on what's considered advanced and what's not.

I'm a little surprised that you included red meat in your list of common trigger foods, I haven't heard of that as a common trigger.

If you have trouble with fats, have you been tested for pancreatic insufficiency with a pancreatic elastase stool test? Just curious.

Cheers,

Rich


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## flitwit (Oct 3, 2013)

Kathleen M. said:


> SCD was not designed for IBS, it is based on a different theory about a different illness. Not sure about GAPS off the top of my head.
> 
> Every person is differnet so there is no universal diet that will be always safe for all people, and expecting diets put together for very different reasons to all agree is unlikely to happen. They include and exclude foods for wildly different reasons and may not have had IBS in mind (or even understood any of the dietary issues of IBSers) when decided.
> 
> ...


No, I understand there isn't one list of foods that all IBSers can and cannot tolerate, but what's on the main triggers list of most of them agree with my own.

I think a better question for me to have asked is, what can I do to treat SIBO when the SCD or GAPS diet wouldn't be possible. These two seemed the most geared toward "curing" SIBO.



rmiller1985 said:


> Hi flitwit,
> 
> Kathleen is correct. The SCD was designed with IBDs in mind, based on a diet that had been developed for patients with Celiac Disease. However, that doesn't mean that it doesn't work for IBS, it's helped many with IBS (like me!). The idea is that the gut lining is damaged, which can be just as true for people with IBS as it is for people with an IBD, and that the diet will allow the gut lining to heal.
> 
> ...


From the list of safe foods, it seems I would only be able to eat Tilapia (fish), green beans SOMETIMES, and banana SOMETIMES... even carrots have been giving me problems lately. I will be trying zucchini soon, but then that leaves me with Tilapia and an occasional side of green beans, carrots, zucchini... it's just not sustainable for me. No one could live on that diet. The carbohydrates are pretty much the only thing keeping me alive at this point, as I've already lost half of my body weight, from 183lbs to 95ish lbs.

I have had a stool test, however, I'm not sure what it tested... I'll have to try to get a copy of my medical records, which will take quite a long time.

Here's a list of IBS triggers, which falls in line with what I've experienced... http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/trigger2.asp.

Red meat is high in fat, low in fiber, so it would make sense for me to avoid, since fat is a trigger for me. One of the absolute worst episodes I had was when eating Salmon. Plain, mind you... it was agony.

Since I can no longer work (and don't receive disability or any aid), it's difficult for me to pay for these tests, but I'm going to try to have them done at my expense.


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

I wouldn't think a diet that did not consider SIBO at all when being developed (because when SCD was developed they hadn't even connected SIBO to IBS and it isn't connected to IBD's (unless you had surgery to cut out so much of the intestines it messes it up real bad)).

I'd use Dr Pimental's book where he did a diet thinking about what SIBO does and what would work or not work rather than hope a diet designed for something else happens to work for SIBO in addition to what it was really designed for.

It is also really impossible to know if you have SIBO based on symptoms alone. Most of the people who previous to Dr. Pimental did a lot of SIBO testing (for the other things that cause it) say that no matter how certain they were from the symptoms it really was random which ones had it and which ones didnt', they couldn't accurately predict.

You can probably get his book through interlibary loan. I'm not sure if it has been put on a web-page as much as some other diets.

And if all the diets are just terrible for you it may be the act of eating more than what food you eat. When my IBS was bad every diet of every kind was equally horrible for me. So I decided to eat in way that supported my health in other ways and just live with the pain.

FWIW, Heather's diet is based on a completely different theory of diet and IBS from all the others so pretty much it will not agree on anything that the "carbs are the problem" diets tend to come up with. If fat is your problem (as fatty meals activate the gut differently than lean meals) then a no carbs or very limited carb diet probably won't work as you have to replace the fat with carbs or carbs with fat to get enough food to eat to keep you alive.


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## flitwit (Oct 3, 2013)

Kathleen M. said:


> I wouldn't think a diet that did not consider SIBO at all when being developed (because when SCD was developed they hadn't even connected SIBO to IBS and it isn't connected to IBD's (unless you had surgery to cut out so much of the intestines it messes it up real bad)).
> 
> I'd use Dr Pimental's book where he did a diet thinking about what SIBO does and what would work or not work rather than hope a diet designed for something else happens to work for SIBO in addition to what it was really designed for.
> 
> ...


Thank you, I'll have a look at that book... looks like it's available as a Kindle edition on Amazon. I also plan on reading Fast Tract Digestion by Norman Robillard, and IBS-Free at Last by Patsy Catsos.

In the meantime, I've been taking probiotics and enzymes... though, I've been having a reaction to one or the other, or both, where it's making me incredibly drowsy and lethargic. Perhaps my body is fighting the new intruders. I called into the probiotics company, I actually appreciated the response. I was told that it was a Herxheimer reaction... that most people would say it was just "die off" and tell me to stick with it, but that I should listen to my body and hold back a few days, and take it slowly. So, for the past 3 days I've been alternating between taking a very small dose of the probiotic blend, and S. boulardii capsule. I plan to also start L-Glutamine... just have to see if it's worthwhile at this stage, or whether I should first try to fix the overgrowth beforehand. I'm not as well read on the subject, so I still need to do my research.


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## Freud (Mar 22, 2012)

flitwit said:


> Seems that the acceptable foods on these diets would be impossible for those of us suffering from severe IBS. I can't imagine eating red meat, or any of those listed vegetables. Chili pepper, Chipotle powder, Peppers??? Are you kidding? Eggs, dairy, red meat... the majority of safe foods are mostly triggers for IBS. I want to follow one of these diets, because I'm convinced I suffer from SIBO (not my main issue, but very much what's causing issues atop it all). But how can someone like me, who suffers greatly with ANY form of trace fats, nuts, eggs, dairy, etc, ever start? I'd starve even more than I'm starving now. My meals currently revolve around grains. Rice in one form or another is my breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I had white potatoes for the first time in about 3 or so years, and I thought they were fantastic, and I thought I was doing good changing it up, but apparently they're not to be eaten either.
> 
> Any advice, or explanation as to how this could be considered a diet for IBS suffers when all of the safe foods are triggers for most?


If you suffer from SIBO you shouldn't have problem with the SCD or GAPS. It's like I read on some SIBO blog - If you can easily digest fiber, I've got news for you - you probably don't have SIBO. But maybe there's not much fiber to talk about in white rice and potatoes? I'd though say the same but replace fiber with carbohydrates. Bacteria and fungus feed of carbohydrates. And also, when people say they don't tolerate a low carbohydrate diet they rarely have actually tried to go strict for at least one or two weeks. And when I say strict I mean strict. No cheats. No dairy to start with. Just chicken, eggs, kind veggies like cucumber, broccoli (works for some), lettuce. There's a big difference in eating fat or proteins together with carbohydrates than to eat a low carbohydrate diet with proteins, fat and veggies.

About dairy. When I first started with the diet and antibacterials I ate some yoghurt and almost fainted, got explosive diarrhea, threw up, you name it. But I was stubborn and kept eating yoghurt and got those reactions a couple of times. Now I eat half of a bucket a day (crazy I know, need to cut down, but I love it) and feel fine like a king. It have to be almost sugar free though. Max 5 grams sugar. I think maybe the good bacteria caused me to have die-off. If you react on strong food like chili and have SIBO maybe it's rather die-off than a bad reaction. It's hard to tell if you're not familiar with the feeling of the herxheimer reaction (die-off).

What are your experience with low carbohydrate diets?


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## Kathleen M. (Nov 16, 1999)

While their isn't a load of fiber in the more processed carbs, the fiber that is in them tends to be kind to some IBSers (soluble fiber).


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## flitwit (Oct 3, 2013)

Freud said:


> If you suffer from SIBO you shouldn't have problem with the SCD or GAPS. It's like I read on some SIBO blog - If you can easily digest fiber, I've got news for you - you probably don't have SIBO. But maybe there's not much fiber to talk about in white rice and potatoes? I'd though say the same but replace fiber with carbohydrates. Bacteria and fungus feed of carbohydrates. And also, when people say they don't tolerate a low carbohydrate diet they rarely have actually tried to go strict for at least one or two weeks. And when I say strict I mean strict. No cheats. No dairy to start with. Just chicken, eggs, kind veggies like cucumber, broccoli (works for some), lettuce. There's a big difference in eating fat or proteins together with carbohydrates than to eat a low carbohydrate diet with proteins, fat and veggies.
> 
> About dairy. When I first started with the diet and antibacterials I ate some yoghurt and almost fainted, got explosive diarrhea, threw up, you name it. But I was stubborn and kept eating yoghurt and got those reactions a couple of times. Now I eat half of a bucket a day (crazy I know, need to cut down, but I love it) and feel fine like a king. It have to be almost sugar free though. Max 5 grams sugar. I think maybe the good bacteria caused me to have die-off. If you react on strong food like chili and have SIBO maybe it's rather die-off than a bad reaction. It's hard to tell if you're not familiar with the feeling of the herxheimer reaction (die-off).
> 
> What are your experience with low carbohydrate diets?


I'm not sure I can easily digest anything... I've literally been eating only rice and tilapia for the past 3 or so years... still with problems, but it's more tolerable than when I attempt to try anything else. If I had chili I think my insides would explode, it wouldn't be "die off." lol But I hear what you're saying about being stubborn and eating the foods anyway... I've tried however. With cauliflower and broccoli for example. They made me ill, but I kept having them regardless, until it became unbearable.

I have no experience with any particular diet, but I do know for a fact that even small amounts of fat cause a real upset. I've only just begun to finally take an alternative approach to fixing my issues. I started the probiotics and enzymes, and I've been researching the various tests I need to perform, such as to determine if it's malabsorption of fructose, ph imbalance of stomach acid, I want to test for parasites and yeast, etc.etc. I don't have a doctor I can just go to, so it'll take some time.


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## Freud (Mar 22, 2012)

flitwit said:


> I'm not sure I can easily digest anything... I've literally been eating only rice and tilapia for the past 3 or so years... still with problems, but it's more tolerable than when I attempt to try anything else. If I had chili I think my insides would explode, it wouldn't be "die off." lol But I hear what you're saying about being stubborn and eating the foods anyway... I've tried however. With cauliflower and broccoli for example. They made me ill, but I kept having them regardless, until it became unbearable.
> 
> I have no experience with any particular diet, but I do know for a fact that even small amounts of fat cause a real upset. I've only just begun to finally take an alternative approach to fixing my issues. I started the probiotics and enzymes, and I've been researching the various tests I need to perform, such as to determine if it's malabsorption of fructose, ph imbalance of stomach acid, I want to test for parasites and yeast, etc.etc. I don't have a doctor I can just go to, so it'll take some time.


If you have SIBO or candida it's not strange that rice still gives you symptoms since it feeds both yeast and bacteria. I'm not saying SIBO or candida is your issue though. But if it is, there's usually a problem with starches. Die-off is much like exploding. But I can't speak for your body since I'm not in it.

Do you have problems with your gallbladder? I think it's common that IBSers who have gallbladder issues find it hard to digest fat. If you can find the strength. Try a low fat and low carb diet for one or two weeks. Just chicken and veggies. Be careful how you cook them though. It must be as clean as possible. You can't even fry it in normal butter (but you probably don't do that anyway since you got an issue with fat). This is of course only a suggestion from a fellow sufferer I'm not a doctor. Also, be careful with the probiotics. If you have SIBO they can make your problems worse.

And I was unclear about the yoghurt thing. This is only specific for yoghurt because of the good bacteria that can populate your gut. For any other food I think you first must address the underlying issue before you can add the food in again. You won't have any luck with eating food you can't tolerate before you, as said, address the real issue. But if you can't tolerate fat at all this is probably also the case with yoghurt. Don't eat things you react to for starters. Cauliflower for example gives people without IBS diarrhea and gas. I don't do well on it either.

I wish you good luck with finding someone who can help you!

*Symptoms of Gallbladder Problems*

Although some gallbladder problems, including gallstones, may exist without any noticeable signs, the following symptoms may be indicative of gallbladder disease:


Bloating after meals, particularly meals with a high fat content
Chronic diarrhea
Indigestion
Nausea after meals
Pain in the middle or right side of your abdomen
Gallbladder Attacks

Some gallbladder conditions announce their presence through what is commonly referred to as a "gallbladder attack," and officially known as "biliary colic." Such an attack may occur within a few hours of eating a large or fatty meal and may wake you up from sleep. You may experience pain in your upper right abdomen and this pain may also radiate to the upper back, between your shoulder blades, under your right shoulder, or behind your breastbone. Some gallbladder attacks result in nausea and vomiting. Usually these attacks only last for an hour or so. Such an attack should be reported to your doctor, even if symptoms subside.

If you are experiencing the following symptoms, you need to seek immediate medical attention:


Clay-colored stools
Fever and chills alongside nausea and vomiting
Signs of jaundice
Severe and persistent pain in your upper right abdomen

Study shows nearly all patients with irritable bowel syndrome and diarrhea (IBS-D) actually have a different condition


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## flitwit (Oct 3, 2013)

Freud said:


> If you have SIBO or candida it's not strange that rice still gives you symptoms since it feeds both yeast and bacteria. I'm not saying SIBO or candida is your issue though. But if it is, there's usually a problem with starches. Die-off is much like exploding. But I can't speak for your body since I'm not in it.
> 
> Do you have problems with your gallbladder? I think it's common that IBSers who have gallbladder issues find it hard to digest fat. If you can find the strength. Try a low fat and low carb diet for one or two weeks. Just chicken and veggies. Be careful how you cook them though. It must be as clean as possible. You can't even fry it in normal butter (but you probably don't do that anyway since you got an issue with fat). This is of course only a suggestion from a fellow sufferer I'm not a doctor. Also, be careful with the probiotics. If you have SIBO they can make your problems worse.
> 
> ...


I'm pretty sure my gallbladder is fine. When I was going to the doctor, they did a whole slew of tests. X-Ray, CT Scan, ultrasound, colonoscopy, endoscopy, numerous blood tests, stool test.... they saw some irritation in my colon, but attributed it to the frequent diarrhea and cleanse (for the colonoscopy). Otherwise, nothing.

Today I had a tiny amount of avacado, to see if I can tolerate them any better now that I've been taking the probiotics and enzymes. That was at 2pm. Right now (9pm) I'm in a bit of pain, feel uneasy, and am experiencing churning in my right side just below the rib cage... but I did also just have tilapia with cereal and rice milk at 8:20pm. I had made potatoes, but they must not have been ripe, because they felt uncooked, so I ate just a few bites, and decided to just forget it and make a bowl of cereal.

I don't know anymore.


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## Freud (Mar 22, 2012)

flitwit said:


> I'm pretty sure my gallbladder is fine. When I was going to the doctor, they did a whole slew of tests. X-Ray, CT Scan, ultrasound, colonoscopy, endoscopy, numerous blood tests, stool test.... they saw some irritation in my colon, but attributed it to the frequent diarrhea and cleanse (for the colonoscopy). Otherwise, nothing.
> 
> Today I had a tiny amount of avacado, to see if I can tolerate them any better now that I've been taking the probiotics and enzymes. That was at 2pm. Right now (9pm) I'm in a bit of pain, feel uneasy, and am experiencing churning in my right side just below the rib cage... but I did also just have tilapia with cereal and rice milk at 8:20pm. I had made potatoes, but they must not have been ripe, because they felt uncooked, so I ate just a few bites, and decided to just forget it and make a bowl of cereal.
> 
> I don't know anymore.


For me avocados are equal to stomach death. It's good to check if the vegetables you eat are FODMAP friendly. I can tolerate Cucumber, Yellow Bell pepper, Broccoli, Tomatoes, Small amout of Green Beans, Spinach tough I can't digest it at all, Rutabaga in small amounts, Zucchini, Lemon, Lettuce and I think I do OK with brussel sprouts though they can give you some gas. Jerusalem artichoke is an absolute no, no. All of the above is though not OK according to FODMAP. You need to find what works for you. It's almost impossible but after a while of try and error (it took me six months) you'll hopefully manage to figure it out.

I'd say go carbohydrates free for some time and then see. Fasting for one day before starting a new diet is also a good idea.

Then perhaps they have checked you gallbladder too. It sounds like it.

Gallbladder problems are diagnosed through various tests. These may include:


Liver function tests (LFTs), which are blood tests that can show evidence of gallbladder disease.
A check of the blood's amylase or lipase levels to look for inflammation of the pancreas. Amylase and lipase are enzymes (digestive chemicals) produced in the pancreas.
A complete blood count (CBC), which looks at levels of different types of blood cells such as white blood cells. A high white blood cell count may indicate infection.
The use of ultrasound testing which uses sound waves to image and make a picture of the intra-abdominal organs including the gallbladder.
An abdominal X-ray, which may show evidence of gallbladder disease, such asgallstones.
A computed tomography (CT) scan constructs a detailed X-ray images of the abdominal organs.
A HIDA scan. In this test, a radioactive material called hydroxy iminodiacetic acid (HIDA) is injected into the patient. The radioactive material is taken up by the gallbladder to measure gallbladder emptying function. This test also is referred to as cholescintigraphy.
Magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography (MRCP), which uses magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to produce detailed pictures.
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP), a procedure in which a tube is placed down the patient's throat, into the stomach, then into the small intestine. Dye is injected and the ducts of the gallbladder, liver, and pancreas can be seen on X-ray.


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

flitwit said:


> Here's a list of IBS triggers, which falls in line with what I've experienced... http://www.helpforibs.com/diet/trigger2.asp.


Hi flitwit,

Well, maybe it's just me, but that list seems really goofy to me. It seems like the first half of the "laundry list" portion, after the first few main categories, shouldn't be included as, "Foods to avoid if you have IBS," it should simply be labeled, "Foods to avoid because they often cause IBS symptoms whether or not you actually have IBS." It seems like they're trying to make the argument that high-fat foods trigger IBS symptoms; but I don't think that's true, I think that high-fat foods trigger IBS symptoms in people who don't tolerate high-fat foods.

They also refer to whey as protein, which is incorrect (although there is such a thing as "whey protein," which is derived from whey), and they imply that casein causes severe digestion problems, but again, casein only causes severe digestion problems in people who are sensitive or allergic to casein. And that does not describe everyone who has IBS, not by a long-shot.

I don't know, maybe the foods listed cause IBS symptoms in a larger percentage of people with IBS than they do in the population as a whole. I've read quite a bit about IBS these past couple of years, and I've never thought of at least half of those foods as being IBS triggers for most people with IBS, but maybe I just haven't read those kinds of stats.

Regardless, I think the important point is that you seem to have found that high-fat foods are a trigger for you, and information like that is always useful. I do think that it would be possible for you to try the SCD, though it would be a bit more challenging than for some others. I don't think it would be a whole lot more challenging than it is for many, since a lot of what I'm reading about the experiences of others on the diet indicates that many people have quite a few things that they can't eat that are SCD-legal. I'm not trying to convince you to try it, it may not be right for you for any number of reasons. But I do think it would be possible, and only a bit more challenging than it is for some others.

Whatever you decide to do, good luck!

Cheers,

Rich


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## flitwit (Oct 3, 2013)

rmiller1985 said:


> Hi flitwit,
> 
> Well, maybe it's just me, but that list seems really goofy to me. It seems like the first half of the "laundry list" portion, after the first few main categories, shouldn't be included as, "Foods to avoid if you have IBS," it should simply be labeled, "Foods to avoid because they often cause IBS symptoms whether or not you actually have IBS." It seems like they're trying to make the argument that high-fat foods trigger IBS symptoms; but I don't think that's true, I think that high-fat foods trigger IBS symptoms in people who don't tolerate high-fat foods.


Hi Rich,

Thanks for replying.

I don't agree actually, and here's why; Before I became sick, almost 4 years ago now, I would tolerate fat very well. In fact, I was basically eating fat all day every day. Carl's Jr, Baja Fresh, french fries, chili fries, onion rings, burgers, pizza, Chinese, etc.etc.etc. I can't even handle having half an avacado, or a tiny portion of salmon now. Many people who have IBS can't tolerate fat or oils from what I've been reading across the web.



> They also refer to whey as protein, which is incorrect (although there is such a thing as "whey protein," which is derived from whey), and they imply that casein causes severe digestion problems, but again, casein only causes severe digestion problems in people who are sensitive or allergic to casein. And that does not describe everyone who has IBS, not by a long-shot.
> 
> I don't know, maybe the foods listed cause IBS symptoms in a larger percentage of people with IBS than they do in the population as a whole. I've read quite a bit about IBS these past couple of years, and I've never thought of at least half of those foods as being IBS triggers for most people with IBS, but maybe I just haven't read those kinds of stats.
> 
> ...


Our tolerances are definitely different, but I think it's because our conditions are completely different. People who have IBS because they were on antibiotics may well be able to recover by restoring the gut flora... whereas someone whose liver is damaged and isn't functioning probably won't find relief with the same treatment. The I'm sure they would benefit to some degree. I've been reading posts from people who are complaining about symptoms, who can eat foods like burgers and cheese, and spices. We're worlds apart as far as causes, conditions, and severity.

It's a little different for me, because the medication that caused it causes damage... it damages the liver, gallbladder, colon... but doctors don't really have much experience with it. I had seen so many doctors and specialists, and every one of them had no clue about the drug and its effects. But it doesn't kill bacteria... it's not an antibiotic... I think the closest thing to consider would be an overdose of vitamin A... and yet, if there were physical damage, wouldn't they have seen it? Unless the damage is where the colonoscopy or endoscopy couldn't reach. The reason I still want to consider SIBO is because of how my symptoms have changed... but I'm still not sure. It's a very complex thing.

I've been reading a lot about the SCD diet, but it doesn't look like it's at all right for me. I think it's definitely geared more towards people with milder cases. Also, the more I read, the more I'm turned off by the SCD diet, truth be told. It seems like every site or forum I visit is a sales pitch. All the positive reviews are followed by "buy the book" or "visit my blog..." when I visit the blog it turns out to be another sales pitch with something for sale.


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## rmiller1985 (Sep 13, 2011)

Hi flitwit,

I agree that the SCD might not be the best approach for you, but I definitely don't think it's geared more towards people with milder cases. In fact, it was designed by Elaine Gottschall for her daughter, who had rather aggressive ulcerative colitis. It's geared more toward IBDs, but it has definitely helped many with IBS as well.

I hope I don't sound like I've got something to sell! I do recommend that people read Elaine's book, but only because she goes into much more detail about the science behind the diet than I can in a paragraph or two. And I'm not selling anything on my blog. 

Anyway, good luck on the journey. I think the biggest lesson I've learned on my journey is that Every Body Is Different.

Cheers,

Rich


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## flitwit (Oct 3, 2013)

rmiller1985 said:


> Hi flitwit,
> 
> I agree that the SCD might not be the best approach for you, but I definitely don't think it's geared more towards people with milder cases. In fact, it was designed by Elaine Gottschall for her daughter, who had rather aggressive ulcerative colitis. It's geared more toward IBDs, but it has definitely helped many with IBS as well.
> 
> ...


Rich,

No, I see that you're offering advice in hopes of helping, I appreciate that. I've looked through your blog and posts, I see you're open to FMT and other options. It's sad that one has to be skeptical of help offered, isn't it? So many shills disregarding the suffering of others to make a few dollars.

My approach now is with a low-fodmap diet, while trying to very slowly reduce the amount of grains and starch, and to introduce one new food at a time. If I can manage that, then perhaps I can introduce the foods from the SCD or GAPS diet, and try that approach.

I'm also keeping a very close watch on the FMT front... looks very promising, if I could ever find a donor.

Thanks again.


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