SCD and Motivation

You will need "smarts" and determination to follow the SCD diet to the letter. The purpose of the diet is to eliminate bad gut bacteria. Understand how destructive the enemy is. The bacteria's techniques for survival are so ingenious that you might think that we invented them to scare you. Being sick is scary enough. Getting well demands skill and knowledge.

Bacteria Have Excellent Survival Skills:

Many humans assume that since we cannot see bacteria, we can easily fight them with antibiotics or a "loose" version of SCD. Do not be fooled. The bacteria have developed brilliant survival strategies for triumphing over antibiotics and compromised versions of SCD. The bacteria cluster together in communities called biofilms. They can be compared to medieval cities with walls and moats around them Their fortress is built of sticky slime that will not allow antibiotics or our immune system to penetrate.

Bacteria living in biofilms can exchange genetic material without being parents. Imagine being able to donate your genes to friends and fellow countrymen. Bacteria can quickly adapt to make themselves survive whatever is used against them. If we waged war against a country that used such techniques, we would have difficult time if like bacteria, it could alter DNA to fit the conditions of war.

Bacteria have methods to communicate with each other and produce chemical weapons with which to fight their enemies. The bacteria from biofilms even have a strategy to sabotage "flexible" SCD that is not strict. They have developed refined techniques to survive on extremely tiny amounts of foods. Even a tiny amount may feed the bacteria for months.

A Destructive Enemy

Bacterial toxins are very destructive to our bodies. Scientific research shows that not only can they damage the gut but they can affect the brain, the kidneys, the thyroid, immune system, lungs and just about any part of our body where vulnerability exists.

There is evidence that bacterial toxins are capable of inducing many chronic conditions such as diabetes, Alzheimer's Disease and even cancer. The majority of people with GI problems are more vulnerable to these other diseases. The very same gut bugs that cause digestive havoc travel elsewhere in the body There are more bacteria in our bodies than human cells. We cannot and must not allow these parasites to take control of the body and the.mind. SCD is the best eviction notice we can send.

How infractions may sabotage the effectiveness of SCD

SCD with occasional infractions is as risky as taking antibiotics and discontinuing treatment prematurely. Doctors advise patients that stopping antibiotics too soon produces bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. It is the same with SCD. When you have followed the diet for a time, most of the weaker bacteria will starve and disappear leaving a few bacteria remaining in your gut. Those remaining need little food to survive or know how to viciously attack the other bacteria and deny them food. If you do SCD long enough, all the pathogenic bacteria may die but if you feed them before they disappear from your body, they will multiply and you will end up with stronger gut bugs that are more resistant to being starved out by SCD.

People who discontinue SCD prematurely find that SCD no longer works for them or that they need to do an even more restricted version of SCD. SCD is not like the diets for weight loss where you can eat the wrong foods one day and then make up for it the next day by exercising or eating less. Cheating with SCD is much more risky: you sacrifice your most powerful weapon against bacteria that invade your body and seek to destroy it. SCD is your best defense. Hold it in high esteem!

How to stop infractions.

Remember that the cost to your health is so much greater than the cost of lost food. Be aware of how much doctors charge and that health is wealth. If you throw out $300 worth of food that feeds the bacteria, you gain a priceless advantage in health. Most pathogenic bacteria contain a toxin named LPS, one of the most poisonous compounds on earth for humans. Toxic foods are expensive for you in more ways than one.

Remove all forbidden food from your home. Throw it out or donate it to a charity kitchen, food bank, or neighbors. If your family is not willing to cooperate and insists on access to wrong foods that may tempt you, ask them to help you overcome your cravings by locking away foods that are tempting. Various containers with locks and also locks for the refrigerators are available. Links to these products are at the bottom of this page. These items have proven helpful for both adults and children on the diet.

Bring your lunch and snacks to work. Avoid buying junk food. You may even get a friend to hold your money and credit card at lunch time. Always carry a snack in your bag or brief case so you will be less likely to commit infractions.

How to deal with the following medical emergencies:

You bought the wrong food

Return it to the store or dispose of it immediately If you already opened it then dump it in a place where it cannot be retrieved. If you put it in your garbage, mix it with the other garbage. If it is crackers or chips, get it wet so it looses its appeal.

The wrong food is in your hand and you are about to eat it.

1 Stop and think. Buy some time. Get in touch with your body. The immune system's response to bacteria creates havoc. After you start out with SCD, there is peace and your body works very hard to rebuild itself from the damage. People with serious GI problems have an overactive immune system. Even tiny amounts of bacterial toxins can stimulate the immune system to overreact. You don't want to undo the hard work that your body is doing to heal! Visualize your cells, your tissues and your organs begging you to give peace a chance.

2 Visualize the food in your hand making the super gut bugs multiply. Imagine them making waste materials inside you and destroying your tissues, eating you alive. Fight back. Get rid of the wrong foods.

The wrong food is in your mouth and has not yet been swallowed.

Spit it out immediately and rinse your mouth with water several times. You might still get a setback if small amounts have leaked inside your body but the reaction will be less severe.

You have just swallowed the wrong food

Quickly take enzymes and lots of SCD yogurt. If there is regression that lasts long, go back to the intro diet and then, gradually reintroduce the foods.

A common way to deal with infractions is to give activated charcoal, lots of fluids, epsom baths, continue any probiotics (essential) and go to intro type foods for a day or two, depending on how the gut reacts to the infraction. You just want to help that junk out of the body as quickly as possible and to minimize the damage.

Using techniques that have been found effective with weight loss diets:

Try Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) as soon as you are tempted by a forbidden food.

We have no experience with the other claims of EFT but we know that it is remarkably effective for avoiding eating the wrong foods and is recommended in several books for successful weight loss diets. The effectiveness of EFT may be due to the fact that people are more likely to eat incorrectly under tension and EFT relaxes you a bit. Practice EFT in advance if you feel that you may need it. It's more powerful ammunition to add to your arsenal. Hypnosis has also been found to be very effective for self control. Buy a DVD for avoiding junk food and listen to it before going to bed. It can also help you to fall asleep. (We are planning DVDs for SCD for future development.) The more you listen the more effective it will be.

The first month is the most difficult one. After about a month the initial feeling of emptiness, constant hunger and carbohydrate cravings will recede, good diet habits will take hold, Being firm and determined is your strongest ally.

It is NOT always easy to stick to this diet, but the results are more than worth it in the long run.

Resources and Science Articles

Locks
A combination lock that uses numbers instead of keys is easier to use because you do not have to bother with hiding and finding the key.
An example of a combination luggage lock

Locks for the refrigerator
Lock for the refrigerator
You may save money and ask for a kit that does not have a padlock and use your own luggage combination lock.

Boxes
You may convert any container into a locked box by sticking the refrigerator lock on it or you may buy new boxes.
Box with both a combination lock and a key

Tool boxes with "pad lock eye", may be used. You need to buy a separate lock and insert it into the "pad lock eye". Luggage locks are a good size to fit into the "pad lock eye". Plastic tool boxes are easier to clean and are more economical. Tool boxes come in a variety of sizes and shapes but not all of them can use a lock.
An example of a large tool box with "pad lock eye".



Science

General info about biofilms
Biofilm, City of Microbes

Article about how bacteria can send each other signals
The involvement of cell-to-cell signals in the development of a bacterial biofilm.

Biofilm Bacteria Protect Themselves With Chemical Weapons
"Microorganisms are engaged in a never-ending arms race."

Article about the toxins that bacteria produce as part of their arsenal of weapons.

How microorganisms share and transform DNA
"Moreover, DNA release and transformation seem to be part of a biofilm-related life cycle and released DNA stabilises the biofilm structure. Both of these gene-transfer mechanisms may be autocatalytically promoted in biofilms, presenting new possibilities for efficient bio-enhancement strategies."

How microorganisms living in biofilms are resistant to antibiotics