Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Allergies and Ulcerative Colitis? My findings!!
I had food and environmental allergy testing done (skin prick test), and found out that I have no food allergies, however, I am allergic to a variety of molds. My allergiest suggested a mold elimination diet. After searching the internet a little I stumble across "Feast without Yeast" by Bruce Semon, M.D., Ph.D. and Lori Kornblum. It is basically like the mold elimination diet but a little stricter (as yeast is a type of mold). The book is wonderful, full of great info. and tons of recipes and grocery lists. The author wrote the book because his son has autism and after years of trial and error with his diet realized how a yeast-free diet improved his condition. Not only has it helped his son's autism but other patients in his medical practice with other illnesses. So how about my colitis? After 2 weeks on the diet I saw dramatic improvement, very little blood and mucus and going to the bathroom only once a day. I have been on the diet about a month now and am very impressed!! I know it is the diet that is helping because if I have slide off the diet too much (like eating a bunch of Halloween candy..oopps) I start to see my symptoms come back. I have prednisone as a back-up and have used it a few days when I know I have strayed from the diet, and I am fine. Not only is this diet good for my condition but it is a healthy diet as well. I would suggest anyone check it out....even if it does not work for everyone, at the very least you will have a lot of new recipes and cooking tips. I'll post again if anything changes with my condition. If you have any experience with this diet or allergies or any type and your colitis/chron's I am sure readers would be interested to hear. ...oh by the way I am off Remicade now...it just stopped working. Thanks, and God Bless.
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I'm with you on the no yeast diet. I need to check out that book. I've had ulcerative proctitis 3 years now and have had to be on a enima medicine (despite an elimination diet I tried 2 years ago that didn't work). Finally in August I stopped eating yeast...now I only have to take my med's when I choose (yeah, when I decide a piece of pizza is worth it :). It's been amazing! I have been hurting the last week, but I figured it must have something to do with all the candy I've been making...
ReplyDeleteThanks for the blog!
Awesome! Glad to hear you have found relief too. Yeah, you'll have to try that book, its great. Do you know if you have mold allergies? I have also heard of people with candida (yeast) over-growth in their gut that this diet would help. I am just interested in whether this diet would only work for some of us, or a large population of Chron's/Colitis sufferers.
ReplyDeleteYeah I have been doing great the past few months on this diet. Even going off it a little has not bothered me; if I go off it a lot with all the holiday food I just take 10mg prednisone that night and I am fine. At such a low dosage I don't need to taper off either.
I've found a ton of stuff in the medical journals on yeast, ASCA (which is short for an allergy to Bakers Yeast) and Candida and it's relation to bowel diseases. The mainstream medical community really needs to start paying attention. If I do eat any yeast on accident, my throat ulcers flare with a vengeance (Crohn's). Most people just think of it as being in bread, but autolyzed yeast and yeast extract is in so many things: canned soupls and broths, gravy mixes, marinades, frozen foods, etc.
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