I had Crohn's diagnosed after the removal of my colon in 2002, when I developed fistulas in my j-pouch before my iliostomy was taken down. I underwent three Remicade infusions, which did clear up the fistulas. In 2006 I developed another fistula, and have been on Cipro ever since, which healed the fistula and has kept further fistula formations at bay.

With our severely altered anatomies I would doubt that we will find a cure in a diet. Nothing will return us to full function, as if we still had our colons. Remissions can last years, but there is no cure for a missing organ.

While diet is highly important to those of us with Crohn's/colitis, stories of various diets "curing" Crohn's need to be taken as what they are . . . isolated incidents of individuals' stories of success. You must be highly aware of the signals your body gives you about the foods you eat, or else following someone else's idea of the perfect healing diet could be disaster for you. I know this because I can no longer eat whole grains, fiber, raw fruits and veggies, nuts and seeds, and many foods deemed and proven to be healthy to the majority of folks. If it did not listen to the signs my body gives me when it is having a bad reaction to some foods I eat, I could end up losing my -j-pouch, and I did not do well with an iliostomy.

Before my first surgery to remove my colon I tried all the foods, supplements and other "healthy" ways to "cure" my severely inflamed and diseased colon. I guess you could say I also followed, albeit loosely, the recommendations outlined in Rubin's "The Maker's Diet," and remarkably I took many of the same supplements Chemar described! I watched as my condition grew worse, and if I had been stubborn and stuck to the diet, I may have died. Crohn's does not have a standard course nor does it respond to the same treatment in everyone. If you have parts of your small intestine that are diseased and dying, why would you want to put off treatment? Life with an ostomy, while different, and for some of us, difficult, is better than chronic inflammation, disease, and pain.

Before I ran out and spent $20 on this diet book, or hundreds for the online version of a diet counsellor, I would investigate the pros and cons of changing how you are eating based on someone else's experience. And I am sceptical of anything put forth as a cure that is part of a money-making empire of health food, supplements and diet books anf plans. In 2004 the FDA ordered that Rubin cease making the claims he did about many of his recommended supplements. A little research and you also find that Rubin's degrees quite likely come from unaccredited and possibly non-existent schools, and at least one of his certifications is a meaningless piece of paper that costs anyone who applies for it about $50-60. http://www.quackwatch.com/11Ind/rubin.html

One question to ask oneself about this diet: If it instructs us to eat foods God created to be foods, why are Rubin's supplements even necessary? This kind of contradiction should be a red flag to anyone who investigates this diet or Rubin's claims.

I would, however, recommend another opinion regarding converting your pull-through to an ostomy, as well as the surgery that is being recommended. It is always a good idea to give yourself the benefit of concurring opinions beofre heading back to the O.R.