The Specific Carbohydrate Diet

Frequently Asked Questions


Flares

Elaine writes:
I will address some of your questions but I do believe the following information was taken from a website and is something I wrote:
<< Another concern that is sort of related is that bacteria can go dormant if they sense they are in a nutrient limiting environment. So if someone goes SCD, they attempt to starve out the bacteria. The bacteria would then attempt to go dormant in such an environment (that ones that weren't killed off initially). The flares might follow a cycle where some bacteria might try to re-emerge.particularly if new foods were introduced. If bacteria go dormant, that means you would really not totally eradicate them and they would be a persistent threat. You would have to stay SCD™just to break even.>>

This was my supposition when I wrote the above and still is but only G knows! Furthermore, the bacteria that go dormant most often form spores which, to which you allude, are not killed by most antibiotics.

Since hundreds of SCD™successes have remained well for many years - over ten years as I I have been keeping score - as time goes on and people watch their diet as I advise them in my book, it has been TOTALLY PROVEN that eventually the microflora return to a harmonious balance. We both know that what I mean by "watch their diet" is that they do not return to french fries and ketchup or another rendition of the standard American diet.

There is one exception to this long term symptom-free recovery and I have noted this a few times and this has to do with Clostridium difficile raising its ugly head. I have followed two patients carefully and am now observing another. When they are given vancomysin/or flagyl, they get rid of the Clostridium and go on for years as healthy, cured people.

I will quote you a bit from Dr. Haas's textbook which anyone interested in this subject should acquire from used books on the internet:

"Our hypothesis is that there is some mechanism in the intestinal tract of celiac suffers which converts polysaccharides into substances that are irritating to the intestinal tract. These irritants cause such rapid motility of the gut that absroption is interferred with an malnutrition results. We base this view on facts which we have observed in treating over
600 cases of celiac disease. When all carbohydrates except those that are found in fruits, vegetables and protein milk (yogurt) are withdrawn from the diet, the diarrhea disappears and nutrition improves. If, however, during the period of normal intestinal activity and nutrition that follows soon after the institution of the proper diet, the patient INGESTS A SMALL AMOUNT OF BREAD, COOKIE, CAKE, CANDY, SUGAR, PLAIN MILK, POTATO, OR ANY OTHER FOOD CONTAINING POLYSACCHARIDES, a loose or watery stool will occur within from 6 - 18 hours. The patient will return to normalcy in intestinal activity and nutrition if no more of the offending foods are fed. We have observed, furthermore, tha tthis cycle may be repeated many times in the same
individuals, although if DONE FREQUENTLY AND PERSISTENLY ENOUGH IT WILL
RESULT in a more prolonged period of diarrhea until intestinal activity and nutrition can be restored to normalcy by the use of "carbohydrate specific" diet."

Back to SCD Frequently Asked Questions - Table of Contents


"We must never forget that what the patient takes beyond his ability to digest does harm."
    Dr. Samuel Gee

Back to PecanBread