Specific Carbohydrate Diet: A Personal Story

I became very sick after the birth of my first child. My childhood asthma and allergies came back with a vengeance. I did over two years of weekly allergy shots with little improvement. I developed chronic sinus infections. I did course after course of antibiotics only to become sick again with new infections. I was taking very high doses of corticosteriods daily without much improvement in my condition. All these new medications I added to my anti-convulsion medication for epilepsy. I started having problems with yeast infections. The doctors said this sometimes happens taking corticosteriods. So, I had to decide which was more important, breathing or itching. More drugs were needed.

Dr Darlene Hammell, my family doctor, told me that if I lost some weight my asthma would likely get better. I joined Weight Watchers and lost over 40 pounds. I did so well on the program, I became a leader, and worked for Weight Watchers for a year. Everyone thought I looked great. My doctor even gave me a big hug after losing all that weight. But I was still on all the medications, coughing all night long, tired all day long, and starting to wonder if I would be alive to see my children become adults.

My family made the painful decision to leave Victoria, BC for a dryer climate. We sold our house and started looking for another place to live. During this time of desperation, I paid to see a doctor who specialized in peak performance, Dr Kevin Worry. He talked to me for about three hours, ordered a ton of blood tests, and offered me a book to read. The book was Breaking the Vicious Cycle by Elaine Gottschall. I read the book that night. Something written in the book resonated with me on a very deep level. I started the diet, and within three days was feeling better. It was like a fog lifting from my mind. I didn’t even know my thinking was foggy before changing my diet.

In the first 18 months on the diet I had stopped all allergy and asthma medication. I do not have asthma or allergies any more. I stopped the yeast infections by using probiotics and doing a low-carbohydrate version of the SCD. I blended the WAPF nutrient dense foods with the SCD for a great result. I found going high fat was the final piece of the puzzle, something I would have never done in my Weight Watchers days. (I found my personal carbohydrate tolerance is about 40-60gm per day.) My dragging fatigue became a thing of the past.

About a year ago, even though I was really scared, I stopped my anti-convulsion medication for epilepsy. After nearly twenty years on anti-convulsion medication, I am now free of this drug. I was told I would likely have to take the drug for the rest of my life. I have now been drug and seizure free for a year.

The sinus infections were the hardest problem to solve. I found that taking high doses of serrapeptase if I got sick finally stopped the cycle of antibiotics and recurring infections. I had one cold this winter and I did not get an infection.

I started on the SCD about three years ago. I am now completely drug free. I have energy to work a normal job and care for my family. The diet saved my life or at least my quality of life.

Update October 2, 2009: I have been thinking about why I lost 40 pounds on the Weight Watchers program, when so many other motivated people could not. I was different from most women on the program because I was breastfeeding at the time. I am starting to learn a lot about human metabolism from watching livestock. It is a well known fact that “a cow will milk herself skinny” in about three months feeding a calf. This may have been the reason why I had such good results on the Weight Watchers program.

Updated June 20, 2013: Just an update on serrapeptase. The company I got it from has moved from tablets to capsules. Unfortunately, they use rice flour for a flow agent in the capsules. I react to the tiny amounts of rice flour in the supplement so now the supplement does not work for me. I have found another solution, ionic silver. I used the nasal spray if I felt a bit stuffy over this last winter. I didn?t get sick or develop a sinus infection this winter. This is the product I used but any ionic silver product will likely work.