I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease back in the mid-'90s. I had all the symptoms: bloody diarrhea (eventually up to 2 oz. blood/day), bloating, cramps that doubled me over, going to the bathroom 20+ times a day, joint aches, nausea... the works. The gastroenterologist put me on asacol, which only exacerbated my symptoms. Each time I reported this, he increased my dosage (total of 3x). At the worst, I had lost 80 lbs. At this point, he wanted to admit me to the hospital, put me on pred, and cut out 1/3 of my bowel.

It was at this point that I put my foot down and refused any further treatment from this guy and got REAL proactive. We got online and started doing our own research and networking with other Crohn's patients and support groups. One thing we discovered is that just about every treatment for Crohn's only works on about 10% of patients, which is one reason why there are so many drugs and treatments for this disease. One of the treatments we found (that the gastroenterologist had never heard of despite its being around for decades and having an excellent proven track record) was the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD). We ordered 20 lbs. of almond flour (a staple in the early stages of the SCD) from CA, and I began following this diet religiously. Within 3 weeks, there was a 50% improvement in my symptoms. Within a year, my Crohn's had gone into complete remission, and has not returned since (except that I have some residual IBS, so I do have to be careful of a few things I eat, and I can no longer tolerate most NSAIDs without risking rectal bleeding). Other than that, I have been able to discontinue the SCD entirely (gradually phasing other foods back into my diet). I can eat all the things they told me I would never be able to eat again - salads, nuts, seeds, spicy stuff... all without any problems.

The SCD is not a panacea for IBD. From what I learned then and since, the SCD, like other therapies, works on about 10% of patients who try it. I don't know if this is inherent to the diet itself or due to the fact that it is very difficult to strictly adhere to - which is essential. The diet also has its detractors, so do your homework and come to your own conclusions/decisions, and by all means talk it over with your doctors. What I do know is that it can be done in conjunction with whatever meds patients are currently prescribed/taking, it has and does work for Crohn's, UC, and IBS, and it can't hurt to try it (barring any food allergies/sensitivities).

For more info, google: specific carbohydrate diet and/or see:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Specific_Carbohydrate_Diet
http://www.scdiet.org/

Doc