Breaking the Vicious Cycle: Intestinal Health Through Diet

by Elaine Gottschall

Book Overview

NOTE: Publisher reprints with same ISBN so there is not a guarantee of which printing will be received. The Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) has helped thousands of people worldwide who suffer from the debilitating effects of intestinal disease such as Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, diverticulitis, celiac disease, cystic fibrosis of the pancreas and other forms of chronic diarrhea. The book explains the science behind the disease process and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0969276818
• ISBN13: 9780969276814
• Release Date: January 1994
• Publisher: Kirkton Press
• Length: 205 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 5.8" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Great book, but not exactly the updated print as shown in the picture

I was expecting to receive the book in the picture. That is not the case it’s the same book but it’s a much older print. The cover is completely different and I’m not sure if the newer print will have updated information. That’s why I was wanting it. Not the older one.

Not the same book I ordered.

I ordered the book printed in 2020 and received the book printed in 2010. It’s not even the same cover.

This is the OG.

Pre- trendy elimination diets, I believe this book is the OG, the genesis of the movement toward a marriage of holistic health and modern medicine, tradition and common sense. I love the no-nonsense writing style and sense of community you get learning about how the movement, if you will, evolved just as the internet was becoming integral to modern life. Unfortunately, some of the online resources in the book are now defunct, but their direct offshoots and successors can still be found relatively easily, and there are a handful of communities on social media to join for support, and the book's main, eponymous website is still going strong. The principles in this book are applicable to anyone suffering from or coping with digestive issues.

I feel deceived

Product information on the page showed a release date of May 2020 along with a colorful cover. What I received was a very dated looking cover, a pricetag from some other sales avenue that was less than half of what I paid for it, and the book was copywrited 1994 and the version I received is the fourth printing which occurred in 1996. While I haven't had time to fully read through it, and the information and science probably has not changed very much, I was hoping for this updated new version on the chance that if something HAS changed, I would have access to that latest information.

nothing short of a miracle

With a great deal of skeptisizm, I read this book over five years ago. Ulcerative colitis was bleeding me to death, not that I had a life much worth living at the time. My world revolved around pain and I could be no further than 30 seconds from a bathroom. Ms. Gottschall, her book, and the diet completely vanquished all my symptoms of UC, saved my life and restored my intestinal health. I've just finished reading the reveiws of Courtney Lewis and a reader from Conneticut, who were both put off by the amount of work involved in maintaining this diet. Perhaps their symptoms were not as crippling as mine. Perhaps they have success with medication and have no problem with staying on it for the rest of their lives. I wish them well and hope they do not eventually require the surgery that many of us with this disease must face. I am concerned however, that their reveiws might prevent even one person from reading the book, which is why I am writing about my own experience. After 6 months on this diet I went for my yearly colonoscopy and my doctor declared my colon to appear "like that of a healthy 18 year old's". I have been off of all medication for over 4 years. I currently facilitate a listserver of almost 400 participents, most of who are on the diet. If anyone is interested in joining it, write me at rturet@optonline.com

Proof positive - the SCD works!

I have been on this regimen for three years. During this time I have been drug and symptom free. A year and half ago I posted the following review, which is even more dramatic proof now: After a year and a half on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, I finally followed my gastroenterologist's request to get a colonoscopy. After all, it had been over four years since the last time anyone had given me any sort of exam of the gut, and 18 years with Crohns. My doc said "We got all the way to the cecum. No evidence at all of Crohns. No scars. No inflammation. Nothing. You look completely normal." This dietary modification is far better than a drug-induced remission for me because even in past drug-induced 'remissions' my past exams have showed indication of disease. Now there are no drugs, no side effects. I believe this diet is a superior way to bring on a controlled remission.This book guides the patient through the process of understanding their illness, describing the research that contributed to creating the diet, how to start the diet, what foods can be added and when. The book also contains valuable a list of links to "SCDiet" resources and online support groups that are available over the Internet.