Step-by-Step and other Questions

[Guest guest]

>

> I'd like to see a clear set of step-by-step instructions (advice) that

> one should take prior to starting the SCDiet for a child with Autism.

> The book BTVC does not seem to address this. The list should include

> many if not all of the items noted here:

BTVC was not originally targeted at autism but was for gastric issues. About six

years ago

it was reported on the Long Island SCD listserv that there was succeess with an

autistic

child (possibly more than one, as I am not sure).. It was brought to Elaine

Gottschall's

attention and those with autistic children worked with her to clarify several

small

differences between what we use and the adult protocols. One prime example is

the use of

goat's milk instead of cow's milk for making yogurt.

Testing is optional and in many cases very costly and not always useful.

>

> (1) Testing prior to starting the diet.

> (a) types of test and what we are looking for

> ( who conducts the tests

> © costs or if covered by health insurance

> (d) any baseline measurments for blood, etc. we should note?

>

> (2) Doctor/Dietician/Psych (etc) that support SCD in NJ (Pg 64 of BTVC

> breifly mentions discussing the diet with a physician mainly in

> regards to reducing medications). Is there a list? If not, is there a

> way to find someone who will help?

There is a list of legal and illegal supplements etc. at:

http://www.pecanbread.com/supplements.html

Let us know where you live as " Grammy " Gay bauer has a list resources in various

areas of

the U.S. and Canada.

>

> (3) Cold Turkey vs. Gradual Transition. As our child is 16 and his

> diet is very much habit for him, I don't want to make any more trips

> to the emergency room to have my wife treated for injuries sustained

> during one of our sons violent outburts. Going " cold turkey " onto the

> SCDiet is an invitation for 1 or more such trips as he is prone to

> violence. Has anyone had experience with a gradual transition onto the

> SCDiet where " legal " foods are introduced slowly and " illegal " foods

> are removed gradually?

You have the option to move into SCD gradually and start by reducing consumption

of

foods that are starchy like grain, rice, pasta and potatoes and things

containing sugar and

cxorn syrup.

>

> Unrelated to the above question I ask the following:

>

> (4) Since Elaine G. is no longer with us, has someone else stepped

> forward to be the " guru " of the diet?

We have no single guru, but since Elaine researched for nearly half a century we

have

veterans from the diet and her very strong science to rely on.

I've seen several contradictory

> things on many of the web sites and wonder if there is a new source

> for answers.

> (a) for example: how much is " virtually none " (see page 62 in

> reference to making yogurt)? Seems to me this is a violation of the

> rule that you shouldn't eat anything lactose.

Enough lactose is consumed in the incubation process to render it harmless

except in the

case of those with a genuine allergy to milk protein. Dair IS NOT mandatory on

SCD but

the yogurt has proven exteremly helpful and effective towards healing because of

all the

friendly bacteria it contains.

So, is there an

> allowable percentage? How do I know if my " production " method of

> making yogurt is leaving me with 1% lactose or .01%? Is .0x% " safe " ?

> If it is safe in yogurt can it also be ok with other things? Say

> you're taking a pill with plant starch as a binding agent, but in

> reality the amout of starch in one pill is less then .1 gram, is it

> ok? What if it is less than .01 or even .001 grams? (I know that this

> is a slippery-slope argument but humor me here. Questioning authority

> can be a good thing.)

Elaine allowed medications with a small amount of starch if the meds were really

effective.

Many medicines can be compounded excluding illegals by a skilled pharmacist.

Elaine did

not advise " dropping " your medication but cited the possibility that dosage

could be

lowered as healing progressed and down the line many no longer require the

medication.

> ( on Elaine's site there are some spices where she says are

> illegal, but she clearly posted two peoples opinions where one says

> it's OK and the other says it isn't. Elaine says " I would eliminate

> it. " and give NO explaination to support her conclusion (see =

> http://www.breakingtheviciouscycle.info/knowledge_base/kb/tamarind.htm)

> So who is the person to arbitrate such things with Elaine gone?

Please list the above or give a page refernce so we can try to clarify..

Elaine did this because she would always rather have been safe than sorry. .

There is no

single successor to Elaine but thank goodness she lived long

enough to provide us with excellent protoocols. Elaine never claimed to know

everything

there is to know about diet and autism. We will always be learning. As things

stand, in my

opinion, SCD has proved to be a wonderful, wholesome and nutritous diet. I have

followed

it for six years, always without regret or any feeling of deprivation.Many, many

parents on

this list have positive things to say about SCD.

I would suggest you suspend any " objections " temporarily and try SCD for at

least one

month. You will continue to learn as you practice it and can count on support

from us..

Carol F.

SCD 6 years, celiac

>

> I'll stop here with the questions. I eagerly await any and all

> responses.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Dear ,

After what we have been through I truly can understand your frustrations.

I can share with you our experience strength and hope. In hopes that it can

help your son too.

We started this diet as a family. We have many problems that are outlined in

the BTVC book and realized that we all needed the help that it could possibly

give us. The biggest reason we started the SCDiet was for our celiac daughter

was vanishing into autism. Her deliriums where last up to 45 minutes. I feared

that she would never come back to us. No one could help us. No dietician, No

doctor no tests. God knows we are debt because of all of it!

We WASTED so much money trying this road. I REGRET ALL OF IT! The medical

community including most GI specialist and DAN! doctors DO NOT UNDERSTAND HOW

SCD WORKS! Worse they suggest things that could have ruined our SCD success.

Bottom line...after healing the SCD way....any tests that showed any problems

have began to vanish! SCD heals the intestines and the entire body. It

detoxes, it helps the body to get rid of toxins and heavy metals, and it brings

the gut back into balance. For us in this last eight months...nock on

wood...nothing else has been needed.

My son was also clearly suffering from what appeared to be Celiac Disease, mild

ASD, ADHD and rage attacks. My husband and I both diagnosed with classical

Celiac Disease that was not responding to the GF diet. WE too had psychological

issues. We where not a happy family.

The only thing that has helped us is Elaine, this list serve and reading her

book until I have memorized it.

Yes, the die off and withdrawal is significant in some. I truly feel that a

rehabilitation center like one for addiction could be very helpful for some of

us. But this does not exist...so you are on your own. I wish that I can tell

you that this will be easy. But I can not. In the beginning we too had rages,

and horrible regression in behavior.

Yet, this is what we did. Not so much because it was planed...but because it is

our testimony. Call it a coincidence that you can do something like it on

purpose! Because it obviously worked for us.

We first took out all gluten out of our diet in Dec 2004....realizing that this

was not enough we took out casein that following spring. Both times we had

significant withdrawal. With significant behavior set backs. Not much

different than breaking the vicious cycle of alcoholism or opiod addiction.

Very similar for us.

As you may know gluten and casein can have a opiod/exorphine reaction in those

with ASD and intestinal disease. Making the person very addicted to certain

foods. Realizing that this was not enough....that summer 2005 we took out all

GRAIN..... We all became sick without knowing why. This was the first time that

we experience " die off " . We had more success...but still very sick with ASD

behaviors. This is when I read BTVC book...and realized that it was ALL STARCH

and ALL SUGARS. Feb 2006 we went all the way ....saying good bye to even more

food choices.

AGAIN....we had die off. We learned to trust the goat yogurt...and after this

" die off " this is when we saw significant improvement and personally experienced

the miracle that people talk about who have had SCD success.

Our daughter started to emerge from the cave of autism. Our son's rage attacks

vanished. Both my husband and I also " behaved " better. I wanted to shout from

the roof tops. I was getting my family back!

Yet, at three months (just like the book warned) we had a set back...we have

also made errors and these too caused set backs. But on the most part we have

had remarkable success. Today we are stable again...but don't doubt that die

off could revisit again. Elaine said two years for CD...and never said how long

for ASD...but we will never be going back to the SADiet (Standard American Diet)

after feeling this good......so it doesn't matter. The best things is that our

cravings and addiction to foods are now completely gone.

I don't think I would suggest that you would take years to do this transition

into the SCDiet. " Cold Turkey " is what most do. They do just fine. But if

your son is prone to rage attacks...and violent outbursts it could be helpful to

take gluten and then the casein out of his diet first. Let him heal from the

affects of this break in his addiction for at least 30 days. Help him to

understand addiction during this time. Just like any addiction this is not

going to be easy for any of you.

Then go 100% SCD. No cheating, sticking with the book....starting for a minimum

of two days with introductory foods. Making certain that everything that he

ingests is legal. This will work the best if you use the yogurt.

If we had had to deal with this break in addiction at the same time as die off,

I truly do not think we would be writing this today. It is one thing to deal

with a single person during this transition. Another to deal with five, all at

the same time. Since no rehab exists to deal with such transitions....and no ER

or doctor understands.....to make things a little less intense, this is an

option for you too. I can relate to the fears that you are having. If you are

like us, things will get better for all of you. This is why I share this with

you. To give you hope.

You are welcome to contact me off serve if you wish. But a word of warning...I

am now an Elaine Fanatic! lol!

I hope this helps, Antoinette and (CD) and three kids (cd, ibs, colitis,

adhd, asd and more) SCD 2/06