Irritable Bowel Syndrome Message Boards | if you're not finding symptom relief, here's something to consider

I mean absolutely no disrespect to Heather or the Eating for IBS diet, both which have helped countless people manage their symptoms. But, seeing as this is a message board meant to help people dealing with IBS, I feel strongly that I have something worth sharing.

A quick background on me: I've had IBS and tummy issues pretty much my whole life. My worst symptoms were bloating, gas, and constipation (alternating with diarrhea). In August 2009, I was desperate for relief, so I committed myself to the EFI diet completely. I followed it for four months without a cheat and unfortunately, I didn't find relief. I decided to give up on controlling my IBS with diet, instead pursuing therapy to deal with my emotional issues that seemed to perpetuate my gut problems. Despite all my hard work, my symptoms persisted.

September 2010 my husband was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. After trying multiple drugs, his bloody diarrhea persisted, and his doctor prescribed steroids and immune-suppressors. Nasty stuff. After much deliberation, we decided to try the Specific Carbohydrate Diet together, to see if it would help his colitis and my IBS.

The SCD is the antithesis of the EFI diet. It requires complete abstinence from grains, starches, and table sugar. Natural sugar from fruit and honey is allowed, as well as most veggies (except potatoes), nuts, seeds, beans, lactose-free dairy, and meats. In short, it requires a higher amount of insoluble fiber and fat than many IBS people think they can tolerate, including myself.

I'll be honest. I was scared. In the past when I've tried to increase my consumption of vegetables and fruits, I ended up doubled over in pain. But I wanted to help my husband be successful and I wanted to try to erase any beliefs I had about food, and start again.

We've been on the SCD for a month now, and I can honestly say that it has made a difference. For my husband, it has completely turned around his UC symptoms, medication free. Although I am not symptom free like my husband, I have found a 95% reduction of bloating and gas compared to pre-SCD. My bowel movements are more stable now, not varying from constipation to diarrhea from one day to the next. All this, and I've increased my consumption of insoluble fiber and fats considerably.

SCD is based on the idea of eliminating polysaccharide carbohydrates. These are the kind that ferment in the gut and feed the bad bacteria that cause gas, bloating, cramping, and diarrhea. On SCD, you also focus on repopulating the gut with good bacteria through eating homemade yogurt (fermented for 24 hours so there is no lactose).

IBS is definitely not all about the food, so I don't believe any diet will get rid of 100% of the symptoms. However, I wanted to share my story in hopes of helping those of you out there who are not finding relief with the EFI diet. Again, I don't mean this to any way disrespect Heather's diet, because she's helped many people manage symptoms. But if it isn't for you, please look into the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and the related GAPS diet. Both are extremely nutritious, albeit difficult to follow strictly. But the results are worth it.

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