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无碳水化合物饮食法原来是针对肠道疾病的一种饮食疗法,近来,国外专家用到自闭孩子身上,发生了很多明显进步,包括对禁食无效的孩子。
我也听说国内有几个家长在采用,效果很好。
希望感兴趣的家长发表体会,交流经验。
毕竟全世界没有治疗自闭的确切疗法,大家都在探索,可我们没法等,毕竟我们的孩子在一天天长大。
下面是Miriam Jang M.D.的一个邮件,她的问答放到了另一篇里。
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Hi!
You may recall that I was looking into the Specific Carbohydrate diet. I
sent out a general question to my Autism Support Group as well as to Dr
Stephanie Cave, Dr Jackie McCandless as well as to Dr Sid Baker. Here are
the responses as well as info about the specific Carbo Diet in attachment
form as well as printed out form.
I will leave the decision up to you as far as what you want to do! As for
myself, I will be starting my son on this diet next week! Please give me
feed-back if you do try it and good luck!
From one parent:
"My son, Zack is 7 yrs. old and autistic. I have had him GFCF since he was
2 1/2 yrs. old. In June I switched to the Specific Carb. Diet and the
change is remarkable. My son was king of yeast infections. We did a 10
round of Spornox almost daily and a daily 1/2 dose of Lamisil to keep the
yeast at bay when on the GFCF diet. When Dr. Kartzinel told me to go
without french fries for two weeks, we noticed no difference in Zack. I now
realize that I didn't see a difference when I removed the fries because he
was still getting 2 muffins a day from Kinnickinnic and a 5-6 of their
chocolate chip cookies. Both of these products are based on potato flour.
I thought we would crumble without our french fries, choc. chip cookies and
muffins. We had two hard days. I gave away about $250 of GFCF food because
I needed it out of my house. The SC Diet muffins are excellent. He ate
them when he had no other choice. He loves the cinnamon cookies as much as
he loved the choc. chip muffins. As for the fries...we just bit the bullet
and stopped cold turkey. I told myself they were as bad for him as milk and
other gluten/casein loaded foods. And you know what... we have not been on
lamisil or spornox since June. ALL of my sons hyper-activity is 100% gone.
He is learning more and live is sooooo much better on this diet. He still
gets all his meat/steak/chicken dishes that he loved. He gets a very
watered down diet coke once a week. If we eat out, I take a cooked chicken
or tri-tip for him to eat and we don't eat at places that he associates with
fries or potato chips. My son was soooo picky, and still is, at eating.
But since being on the new diet he is now drinking smoothies daily. I make
him a 4-6 ounce smoothie daily and put in 3 fruits with crushed ice. So far
I have used strawberries, pineapple, bananas, blueberries, raspberries,
papaya, oranges and apples. He won't eat these fruit, but he will drink
them! In the muffins I am adding, bananas, carrots, cinnamon, blueberries,
strawberries, pineapples, persimmons, raisins and cranberries. He is now
eating a scrambled egg once a week. All new foods for him. His sleep is
much better. On the GFCF diet he slept from 9 pm to 5:30 am. Now he sleeps
from 9pm to 7 or 7:30 am. This diet makes so much since. The only sugar he
gets is from honey. The only carbs is from the nuts. You can't grow yeast
if their is nothing for it to live on. I reduced my monthly allowance for
him by not buying antibiotics. He is not hyper and therefore I can now have
him sit with us in church and take him places. I 100% recommend this diet.
I use Ghee butter in all the recipes and I do the dairy free version of the
diet. The first month, I gave him cheese and the yogurt and he was fine but
in 4 weeks I started seeing things I didn't like so I pulled the dairy.
This diet is working. Hope this helps for you to promote it!"
From Dr Sid Baker:
Dear Miriam;
I am just beginning to get some experience with the SC Diet. I heard about
it from my friend Leo Galland years ago but developed a blind spot on it
until recently when it became the flavor of the month among web-moms. Now
that my eyes are opened to it, it does seem to me to fit our kids very well.
Leo's experience with it over the last 10 years is that it works so well
with Crohn's that it is his first priority in treatment. Considering that
autistic enteropathy is very close to Crohn's and that normalization of
flora in our kids is so difficult, it seems to me that the SCD should be
just the thing. Testimonials from reliable sources (Karen Seroussi) are very
convincing and some of the kids in my practice who have gone on SCD make it
look very good so far - including one of my toughest of all kids whose
initial reaction was 3 weeks of horrendous diarrhea and wall climbing, but
who then (so far) has settled down with normal poops and better behavior..
Let me know what you think of it as you try it...
All the best, Sid.
From Dr Stephanie Cave:
Dear Miriam,
I have used the diet for years for inflammatory bowel disease. Complex
carbohydrates are the most indigestible foods we have. It would seem to fit
with these children since the majority seem to have inflammatory bowel
disease.
Stephanie
From Dr Jackie McCandless:
"Jury is out on the SCD - I have put a few of my patients with recalcitrant
gut disorders on it and two out of the three became extremely ill, one
regressing so badly the parents were heartbroken. We didn't know the kids
cannot have honey for quite awhile after they've been on it, or dairy either
for many of them. This diet is new for me and I am not conversant with the
details of it. The high nut flours are bad for the copper accumulators too,
so even though the diet zealots are at it like crazy, I am still circumspect
until more evidence comes in. However, many parents are reporting a healthy
stool and gut for the first time in their kids (on the list) so it is worthy
of investigation. I believe there will be a subset of kids that need this."
Info on what this diet is:
WHAT IS THE SPECIFIC CARBOHYDRATE DIET?
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is a scientific diet that is based on
chemistry, biology, and clinical studies.
The selection of foods that are allowed on the SpecificCarbohydrate Diet is
based on the chemical structure of these foods. Carbohydrates are classified
by their molecular structure. The allowed carbohydrates have a molecular
structure that is small enough to be transported across the small intestinal
surface into the bloodstream. These carbohydrates do not need to be broken
down by various processes of the digestive organs such as the pancreas or
the intestinal cells' surface enzymes.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet is biologically correct because it is species
appropriate.The allowed foods are those that early man ate before the
agricultural revolution. The diet of early man is one of meat, fish, eggs,
vegetables, nuts, low-sugar fruits, and certain oils. Starches, grains,
pasta, legumes, and breads have only been consumed for a mere 10,000 years.
Many people are not adapted to these types of foods yet.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet was clinically tested for over 50 years by Dr
Haas and biochemist Elaine Gottschall with great results.
The Specific Carbohydrate Diet was designed for patients with other
intestinal diseases but has been "found" by some of us with autistic
children, and we are also getting great results.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
When the diseased intestines are inflamed from the effects of dysbiosis,they
cannot break down the molecules that are too large to enter the holes of the
stomach. Those undigested starch/sugar molecules serve as a continual source
of food for bacteria and fungi.The premise of the Specific Carbohydrate Diet
is removal of all sources of carbohydrates whose molecular structure is too
large for entry into the holes of the intestines.
Removing starches and sugars results in a correction of dysbiosis, which
then results in a decrease in intestinal inflammation and allows the gastro
intestinal tract to heal.
Why SCD is better than GF/CF?
SCD gives you the benefits of GF/CF. SCD is completely gluten free,even more
so than GF/CF because many things that are allowed on GF/CF have some
gluten.Corn and buckwheat are examples. The children implementing Dairy-Free
SCD are completely casein free.and the children who implement goat/SCD get
casein without the harmful opioids.The 24 hour fermentation required for SCD
yogurt renders the casein harmless,moreover the casein in goat milk does not
have the harmful opioids found in cow milk.Goat milk is optional and can be
replaced by probiotics
However it is important to treat the cause of the gluten and casein
intolerance rather than just treat the symptoms.
GFCF means no gluten, no dairy. Just that, just excluding the most common
culprits. SCD looks at things from a more scientific perspective and takes
things a step further. SCD looks at the structure of the gut wall.
The gutwall is severely damaged. So why not try to repair the damage,
instead of patching up and supplementing bits and pieces? And how many
parents mention problems with corn, rice and soy?
To heal the gut you have to look at what the body is ABLE to digest. What is
food made of, what needs to be digested, how and where. Biggest trouble lies
in carbohydrates and the combination with pathogenic bacteria, yeast and
parasites.The latest research confirms this conclusion. The research of
Horvath (University of Maryland)and Buie(Harvard) found carbohydrate
malabsorption in ASD children,while the work of Shaw reports gut
microorganisms to be the culprit in ASD.
In a nutshell SCD is: remove ALL starch and sugar. That kills off the
yeast/bacterial overgrowth. Malabsorption decreases. Heal with the SCD
yogurt or probiotics. This repopulates the gut with the "good bugs".
Digestion normalizes. So does behavior, cognitive development, language
development, etc. It works.
Can you combine SCD with GF/CF?
SCD was originally developed as a diet for celiac disease thus SCD is
already gluten-free. Dr Haas, the doctor who pioneered SCD, spent many years
investigating which foods celiacs could tolerate. He found out that people
with celiac disease could tolerate lactose free dairy. So, certain dairy
products, such as yogurt , are allowed on the SC diet. However, most of the
parents of ASD children who are implementing the SC diet are very reluctant
to try any kind of dairy and avoid it even though the lactose free dairy is
allowed on the SC Diet. So, there are children who remain strictly GF/CF and
dairy free while being on the SCD diet and yet receive a well balanced diet
packed with needed nutrients. Fortunately it is easy to combine the 2 diets
because there is a great SCD cookbook, which is mostly dairy free.
What happened to those brave parents who gave their child goat milk yogurt?
They were surprised by their child's dramatic improvement on the yogurt. It
seems that the casein in goat yogurt is more digestigble and does not
contain opioids .Yogurt is remarkably healing food. Unlike gluten that stays
in the body for 8 months, casein stays in the body for less than 10 days
days so trying yogurt is not risky . Now that SCD parents are networking
with each other, more parents are getting brave and trying the goat yogurt.
The decision as to whether to try the yogurt or not remains with the
parents.
Can you get carbohydrates on this diet?
You can get lots of carbs on this diet.You replace rice and potato with
squash,bananas,peas,avocados, and almond flour muffins . These carbohydrates
are easier to digest and more nutritious for you.
Can my child eat delicious food on this diet?
Of course! SCD has been used by thousands of patients with GI problems.
There are already some recipes available for candies,Dairy free ice cream,
cookies, cakes, and other sweets. Others are being developed daily! The list
serve members are so clever at creating great recipes that replicate
favorite foods. Honey replaces sugar and almond flour tastes better than
either wheat or rice flour. Ther are many kinds of food on this website
www.SCDrecipe.com
Is the SC Diet a healthy diet?
It has been found that primitive people have less degenerative diseases than
modern people. One theory is that many illnesses developed after we started
using grains. The grains are harder to digest, interfering with the
absorption of needed nutrients, and, of course, the elimination of toxins.
What did primitive people eat?
Their diet consisted of fruits ,vegetables, meat, seeds, nuts and eggs. All
these foods are permitted on the SC Diet.Seeds are allowed after being 3
months on the diet.
Is there a bad initial reaction upon starting the diet?
(from Elaine) Getting back to the first week or so on SCD: it often happens
that things look a bit worse and what frightens many Moms and Dads is that
the color of the stool can become bizarre shades of green and yellow. This
color change is a good sign: bacterial metabolism is CHANGING. The change is
affecting the bile salts and, therefore, the color change.
Children just starting out on the SCD may have an unusual appetite. The
yeast in their bodies is no longer being fed with carbohydrates and sugars
so they'll be craving high carbohydrates foods initially. The initial
reaction to the diet can be frightening - a sickly, cranky, tired child. GI
problems can also worsen.
Where do I find a cookbook that is both SCD and GF/CF
There is a SCD cookbook with mostly dairy free recipes.There are more than
150 recipes in the book.The dairy recipes are in a separate section; only
about 12 recipes contain dairy. According to the rules of SCD you are
advised to wait about 3 months before eating bean products. A few of the
recipes in this book call for bean flour ;so you MUST substitute almond
flour for the bean flour. My kids love the recipes that I made from this
book. My daughter stopped complaining about the diet after I got inspired by
it.
The name of the book is:
SCD WITH TASTE AND TRADITION
www.digestivewellness.com
Tel/Fax :845 356 3504
There are dairy free recipes in this website.
Can I just give probiotics instead of doing SCD?
No, absolutely not. Using probiotics without altering diet is setting the
stage for overgrowth and intestinal dysbiosis. Probiotics are usually
bacteria that ferment carbohydrates. In order for them to have desirable
effects, we must keep the new bacterial numbers down, not give them fuel to
overgrow, as some of the pathological types have already done.
Isn't rice a super-food ?
There are 2 main reasons why children who have weak digestive systems or ASD
should avoid rice:
1. Rice is a grain. It contains anti-nutrients that are part of any
grain seed's system of preservation, which prevents sprouting until the
conditions are right. Anti-nutrients in whole grains include irritating
tannins, complex sugars which the body cannot break down, and enzyme
inhibitors which affect digestion and put stress on the pancreas. A weak
digestive system cannot break down complex sugars such as those in rice, nor
can it utilize them. These unused carbohydrates become food and fuel for the
intestinal pathogens, which proceed to take over, poisoning the intestinal
tract and blood stream, as well as impairing brain and nervous system
functioning.
2. Genetically engineered rice, which is fortified with iron, is now
being produced. See http://www.biotech-info.net/rice_boost.html
Reports show that too much iron is as much of a danger as other toxic metals
for ASD children (and all people except pregnant women and anemics.) There
is a yahoo group with very scientific discussions about ASD and the danger
of excessive iron. Dangers of excessive iron for all people is discussed at
www.healingcrow.org.
What is the relationship between PST, Feingold, salicylates, and SCD?
Does anyone have a child that is on the SCD and has problems with the PST
pathway? I am wondering if you have given your child any of the foods that
are high in salicylates that you avoided previously, such as apples,
tomatoes, berries, etc.? And have you had any problems with it?
Caroline writes: "Our son has always been very sensitive to the PST pathway
type foods - apples, grapes, tomatoes, chocolate and especially oranges.
About 8 months ago we cut his starch intake drastically (though not
completely) and substituted fruit instead. We are not completely SCD yet
(working towards that), but he is having very little starch. I was surprised
to find that he was able to tolerate the fruit without problems. He is
having apples, grapes, raspberries, blueberries, strawberries and oranges
maybe 2 or 3 times a day, and we have seen no red ears or cheeks. In a
typical day he will have 1 apple, a small portion of grapes, 2 or 3 little
oranges. I suspect that overall the load on his detoxification pathways have
been reduced (less starch = less yeast = less toxic byproducts = less
detoxification required) and so he is able to tolerate things which
previously would have caused behavioral problems."
A damaged digestive system causes allergies and problems with the PST
pathway. When the gut heals, these problems go away and the child is able to
eat foods that he previously was unable to tolerate. A note of precaution:
buying organic fruit is always the best option whenever possible as sprays
have been known to cause severe problems.
I am confused about choosing the right diet for my child with ASD. Which
diet should I use: GF/CF, Feingold, Ketogenic or SCD?
Gluten sensitivity (GF) and intolerance to salicylates (Feingold) are
symptoms of a damaged digestive system overrun with intestinal pathogens.
When the health of the gut is restored, these symptoms disappear. Because
SCD reaches to the root cause of these problems by restoring the health of
the digestive system, we highly recommend the Specific Carbohydrate Diet as
the optimal choice for a child with ASD. It is better to cure the underlying
cause than just try to treat the symptoms.
Both SCD and the Ketogenic diet control seizures. Which should I choose for
maximum effectiveness?
SCD is both easier and healthier. Both Dr. Karoly Horvath and his colleagues
at the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Maryland, and Dr.
Timothy Buie, a Pediatric Specialist at Harvard/Mass General Hospital, found
that carbohydrate malabsorption may be the cause of many gastrointestinal
symptoms seen in autistic children including abdominal pain, gas, bloating,
and chronic diarrhea or loose stools. The latest research on the problems of
the digestive systems of children with ASD proves the superiority of the
Specific Carbohydrate Diet as a treatment for ASD.
Why is it important to do SCD while chelating?
It is important as a supportive measure. Healing the GI tract and getting
rid of the intestinal pathogens restores and enhances the body's ability to
detoxify naturally.
SCD is also the ideal diet to do before attempting chelation, since SCD
heals Leaky Gut Syndrome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, which are
counterproductive to the process. (These conditions are present in most ASD
children.) Counterproductive because if present during chelation, a leaky
gut would allow the toxic metals to reenter the blood stream and bodily
systems, and an inflamed bowel's irritaiton level would only be worsened by
the presence of these toxic metals.
Some parents choose not to chelate, and just follow the slow, steady,
strengthening path of SCD, using Vitamin C for a more gentle detoxification
instead. The decision whether to chelate or not chelate is one to be made by
the parents.
During chelation detox, the now mobilized heavy metals can linger in the
bowel for anywhere from 6 to 24 hours, or even more, before evacuation takes
place. The bowel of a healthy person may not be prone to free radical
damage, but the damaged bowel of the toxic patient is at the very least an
area for added concern and monitoring. The use of Vitamin C will quicken the
evacuation of the toxic heavy metals from the body.
Do Enzymes replace SCD?
Even Karen DeFelice who believes that enzymes can replace the GF/CF diet
realizes that enzymes cannot replace the SC diet. Here is the answer from
Karen DeFelice, author of "Enzymes for Autism":
"Enzymes can help be helpful in many situations. However, as far as a
replacement for ANY diet, it depends entirely on the diet, the enzymes, the
person, and the goal. And I don't think they can be considered as a
'replacement' for SCD. They do break down foods, but in this case, you
probably don't want to count on that. It could undermine your efforts. As
Sonya noted, they can be a helpful supplement for those who are having a
harder time digesting even the legal foods on the SCD. For one thing, there
isn't much information at all showing that enzymes plus adding in 'just a
few illegals' is even effective, even though theoretically that may happen
for some people. The gut needs to heal first, and the pathogens brought
under control.
Here are a few more thoughts I had later:
a.. there may be other things in liquid milk besides the actual lactose
that are problematic. So if you just take lactase with milk, the other
'stuff' may get through. In particular I am thinking of the casein protein
which often may not be sufficiently digested, and which an injured intestine
is not ready to cope with. Also, many commercial milks include
preservatives, which enzymes do not affect and which may cause a negative
reaction. Some of the improvement on SCD may be due to just eating a diet
without all the processing chemicals in it. For those with autism and
attention deficit conditions, this may be a significant factor. This would
be the same with other foods.
b.. I personally have no idea, nor have I seen any research showing that
enzymes can break down stuff like xanthum gum, guar gum, sucralose, and
other such things that become pathogen food directly (it might be there, but
I haven't seen it and it would take enzymes besides the commonly used ones
at that and probably at doses above what the average product contains).
(Editor?s note: Other people have written in discussions on the list about
enzymes. They have reported that in general, enzymes only break down about
40% of a food.)
a.. you might be able to wolf down enough enzymes to break down all the
food you eat but I don't have any idea what that would be...and if you find
that you need to take $5 or more worth of enzymes to eat one muffin, it
becomes highly questionable if that is the most practical course, even if
you could afford it." -Karen.
I have a terribly picky eater, will I be able to do this diet?
I have the world's pickiest eater who has been doing the diet for over a
year and is quite happy with her food choices. Sometimes kids are picky
because they are self-limiting, sometimes they are picky for sensory
reasons, sometimes they are picky for who knows what reason. My daughter was
picky for all of the above reasons. She was previously self-limited to pasta
and potatoes and refused all animal proteins and vegetables. At the time
which we transitioned her to SCD we had eliminated all sweets from her diet
in order to fight yeast (we should have been eliminating starches, but
that's another matter) and, as such, she hadn't had anything that looked
like a baked good for a really long time. Pulling out the SCD muffins
sweetened with just a touch of honey immediately distracted her from her
beloved potatoes and pasta.
To ease her into the diet, we told her that we were only going to do it for
a short time (a couple weeks, or months, something like that) to see if it
helped her poops and, if it didn't we'd go back to her old foods. Well, in
three weeks time, she was producing trophy after trophy and, you know what,
she never asked about her old foods. She has never complained about this
diet because I think she feels the difference. I should also note that, with
the absence of those starches she began eating animal protein with every
meal as if, of course, she's always liked the stuff.
To get around her not eating vegetables, I realized that it was probably a
sensory issue and that, maybe, she would drink her vegetables. We steamed a
selection of greens then pureed them with water and salt and refridgerated.
At first we required only that she drink a 1/4 glass of the stuff. She
balked, she tantrumed and, I confess, we lied: We told her the doctor said
she had to gulp it down just like she takes her vitamins. That seemed to
have an impact on her and she took the stuff. Slowly we increased the amount
and now she has a full glass with every meal and, actually, even requests it
at times.
Many parents of picky eaters report that their children become much more
adventurous after a time on SCD. As the gut heals, cravings for harmful
foods should fade and sensory issues often (but not always) improve. In the
case of my daughter, unfortunately, picky eating must also be somewhat
genetic as her NT sister and father are almost as difficult as she is.
Still, she is happy with her SCD foods. While she is somewhat repetitive
with her choices, I know that they are healthy choices that are helping her
gut to heal, so I am not very preoccupied with rotatations and variety as I
was when she was GFCFEVERYTHINGELSEF. For most meals she has chicken, a
walnut-pecan muffin, goat yogurt, and her veggie drink. Redundant, yes.
Balanced and nutritious, I think so.
I don't think I can do this diet because my child is already high in copper
and nuts are so high in copper. (or) I don't think I can do this diet
because almonds are so high in phenols and my child is phenol sensetive.
While it may appear that nuts, especially almonds, are an indispensable part
of the diet, many have done the diet without them. ElainesChildren
listmembers have researched this issue extensively since many ASD kids have
these problems and here is what we've learned: Most nuts do, in fact, have
copper, but they also have zinc which balances the copper. The key is
choosing nuts that balance in favor of zinc over copper. One list member
found research indicating that peanuts and pecans are favorable choices for
our high-copper kids in this regard. Another listmember also learned that
walnuts and pecans are lower in phenols than almonds.
When I started this diet I didn't know any of this. All I knew was that my
daughter had drug-addictive like behaviours for almond-flour products, and
mushy stools shortly after eating almond flour products. Through trial and
error, we learned that she could tolerate our homemade walnut-pecan flour
just fine. It's a much stronger flavor than the almonds, so it is not quite
as versatile. However, the flavor is delicious and her walnut-pecan muffins
taste almost chocolaty. And the really good news is that we learned, eleven
months into the diet, that she could tolerate limited amounts of almond
flour products without a problem.
For those who can't do any nuts, there is still lots that can be enjoyed
with meat, veggies and SCD-legal dairy. Jen Young's son Colin, who
reportedly recovered from this diet alone, couldn't do any nuts for a while
and ate, basically, meat, veggies and SCDgoat yogurt. So it can be done!
How about antifungals - can they replace SCD?
No - that would almost certainly make conditions worse - but they can
occasionally be used in conjunction with SCD and probiotics.
There are a number of problems with antifungals. For one thing, many
intestinal pathogens are becoming resistant to antifungals. When you treat
for one fungus, yeast, mold or bacteria and wipe it out, another kind of
pathogen suddenly gets a lot food and flourishes.
The intestine is like a city - on average there are 4,000 different kinds of
microorganisms in residence. We want to do our utmost to help the desirable
citizens gain the upper hand and control the most space. Strengthening them
by providing the right environment is our best approach and we can do this
most effectively with SCD. Once we have accomplished this, these beneficial
community-minded organisms will be able keep the balance on their own,
unless they are subjected to trauma, like a course of anti-biotics.
If we use anti-fungals to wipe out entire neighborhoods of pathogens, but do
not provide
a.. beneficial microorganisms to replace them, and
b.. the correct diet to support the continued presence of the beneficials
then we leave open territory for other pathogenic organisms to colonize and
grow.
For another thing, anti-fungals are hard on the liver. DAN ("Defeat Autism
Now") Dr. Jaquelyn McCandless describes these problems in her book "Children
with Starving Brains". A phenomenon known as "die-off" that accompanies use
of anti-fungals can cause quite a strain on the bodily systems and emotions.
In some stubborn cases, healing of the intestine is given a jump start when
anti-fungals are used in conjunction with probiotics. The probiotics provide
healthy intestinal bacteria to take over the empty space in the gut vacated
by the victims of the anti-fungal. However, due to the harshness of
anti-fungals, and the negative effects on the body caused by the "die-off"
of microorganisms, it is preferable to proceed without them, and rely on the
steady, reliable healing power of SCD. Following the diet will allow the
body to heal itself over time. On the whole, the positive strengthening
approach of SCD is less debilitating to the bodily systems than a course of
anti-fungals.
Some parents have found that working with herbal anti-fungals with the
guidance of a naturopath is much less traumatic to their child's system than
the stronger pharmaceutical varieties. This can allow them to gain the upper
hand against the pathogens a little more gently, if necessary. In either
case, before using anti-fungals, it is important to have your child's
intestinal flora tested to insure that the one you select will target her
particular intestinal pathogens.
Also, it is not possible, nor is it desirable in some cases, to completely
eradicate the pathogens. Candida yeast is a good example. It commonly
achieves overgrowth conditions in the body, causing many uncomfortable
symptoms - even killing people with severely weakened immune systems - and
yet without it we would die. Most intestinal microorganisms become
pathogenic only when the proper intestinal balance is upset for some reason
and they are allowed to grow out of control. Even after a person has been
healed, following the SCD diet will minimize any chance of that ever
reoccuring, as there will be no food source available to support a
pathological overgrowth.
Miriam Jang M.D.
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