***(Below is an email I received over the weekend, this kind doctor was my contact several years ago when I was sending in my poop samples via airmail for part of the study, super pumped that he sent this update, and I hope some of you find it interesting and informative as well. – Adam )***
Greetings,
I hope this email finds you well.
My name is Samir Kakodkar, MD, and I am currently a gastroenterology fellow in Illinois.
I am contacting you because a few years ago you had expressed interest in updates regarding the research I was doing on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet when I was at Rush University Medical Center. I have published a few abstracts over the years showing that the the bacterial microbiome of IBD patients following the SCD is different and more biodiverse than IBD patients following a standard diet. I will attach the most recent one abstract to this email (it is located on page S552 and is abstract number 1828).
However, I am also very excited to inform you that I just published the largest case series of 50 IBD patients in remission following the SCD in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. This can be found on the current issue of their journal (http://www.andjrnl.org/current) and I will also attach it to this email. We arranged for this to be open access so everyone can read it for free. If you are curious regarding the details of how others are successfully implementing the diet, this paper is a worthy read.
Again I wanted to thank those of you who participated and sent in the surveys a few years ago to make this possible. I am a fellow SCD follower and I hope this is a launch pad to randomized controlled trials to prove this diet can be used in clinical practice.
I am no longer at Rush, but I know another paper is in the works to determine the microbiome of people on SCD. For those of you who submitted stool samples, Rush is still trying to secure funding to analyze all of them and the hope is that final paper will lead to getting a grant. If you have any questions about that, I would direct those to Rush directly. Thank you.
Samir Kakodkar, MD
Gastroenterology Fellow
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital
**** If any of you freaks:) are interested in checking out a picture of me holding up my poop in front of the FED Ex shop…well, here’s a link to that story from 2011.. Mailing Poop Story – click here
I started site shortly after being diagnosed in October of 2008 with severe pancolitis (when my whole colon was inflamed).
For me, it was a very rough start with severe symptoms. Getting bounced from medication to medication was not easy or too helpful. But, I did meet another UC’er, changes several parts of my diet, and of course the rest is history.
Leave a comment, ask a question, take advantage of our past experiences here, use the search boxes, they are your friends to0:)
I’ve written 2 different ulcerative colitis ebooks, you can check them out here.
And, the Free eNewsletter, which has important updates can be joined here.
AWESOME! And about time too!
Cheers, and let’s give the researchers a round of applause, and maybe even a round of toilet paper:!!)
BRILLIANT!!
Thank you for sharing your journey – this research is so useful to share with our GI’s our families n those who may not be so encouraging or understanding of the imperative of following the diet to the T! This diet is sure working for me – can’t believe how good I feel inside n out!
Cheers!
SCD works . I did it back in 2009 (for 6 months) and have been in remission since . I’m so surprised how many people haven’t tried it who really should do . The reliance on pharmaceuticals to “cure” things is ridiculous when all they are doing is making people sicker … my Gastro guy pooh-poohed (pun intended) the idea when I told him I intended to do the diet and wanted me to continue with 6MP ,which was making me sicker with all it’s side-effects, and was taken aback when next I saw him and he declared me in remission. Spread the word – it works !
It is about time and long overdue that the conservative medical community listens to those of us who know our bodies and know what works.
Traditionally the American Dietetic Association, now called the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics would NEVER have allowed such a study to be printed in it’s journal. So happy they are rising to the occasion.
Thank you Adam and thank you Samir Kakodkar
Been waiting to see the article. Heard that the results were good a while ago and tried to tell my doctor
Thanks for posting.
THIS IS one of the responses I received by one person after I posted the story for others to read she poses a good question why no scopes have been done and the fact people are still on medications so how can we determine if the drugs worked or the SCD diet just a thought.
**”I am sceptical since there are no scopes done and some patients are on medications”**
seems though that its most effective if at all, for crohns disease.
I wish it would work for me.
Cool Adam…great to finally see some data. All yours and others mailings paid off! I’m sure there are some jokes here! :-) thanks for your contributions!! We really are Guinea pigs…all in the name of science.
Oh and to let you and others know…CCFA also conducts surveys and studies. I have been doing this for many years and now they have definitely entered into stool, blood and saliva samples.
Good health all, Shelly
SCD is working for me. I tried it out of desperation while waiting for the insurance company to eventually approve a prescription. The difference was obvious after 1 week. Went from 13 bathroom trips a day down to 4 before ever taking any medication. 2 months later, I am down to a normal 1-2 bms a day and feeling a lot better. At first it was tough giving up all the carbs and sugar but hardly miss them now. I eat plenty of vegetables, fruits, cheese, peanut butter, homemade yogurt and most meats (as long as they are not processed). My body is slowly but surely healing. I can confidently go anywhere now without worries of needing to run to the bathroom, It will be interesting to see what the doc has to say next month when I see him.
I have to echo what Fred’s experience has been, SCD is working for me. I was diagnosed about four months ago, and was in a pretty bad flare. Tried asacol with little results, and some side effects so I had to stop. Found Adam’s website and researched SCD. Figured I had nothing to lose by trying it and being super strict with it. First couple of weeks a little up and down but a noticeable difference from 15+ bathroom trips down to about 4, 12 weeks later now and I am totally symptom free. It’s not always easy and it may not work for everybody but for me it has and hopefully it will continue. Doc was skeptical and wanted me to go on Humira but I decided to try this first and it worked. As a nice side effect I lost 15 pounds without trying to and definitely without restricting how much I was eating, just what I was eating. Plenty of veggies, meats, fruits, nuts and seeds. On no other meds, just diet and some probiotics.
Thanks Adam for this amazing website!