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Gaps Or Scd? Opinions & Advice Please!

erikamarie87

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erikamarie87 Newbie
erikamarie87
Posted

Ok I seem to be Extremely confused on this subject..What diet do I go with GAPS or SCD?? From what I'm understanding is GAPS was established on the basis of the SCD. My question though is How do you know which one to go by? I've been reading a lot of success stories with people following the SCD but also finding people who found that SCD didn't work and went on the GAPS vise verca...??? I've been doing a TON of research on the SCD but seem to come out empty handed when it comes to all my questions about the specifics of the diet? It seems as though GAPS is wayyyy easier to find information on as the SCD is not. Does it boil down to one's symptoms? I'm finding that SCD is always mentioned when it comes to Chrohn's, Colitis, etc. I understand that SCD is from the finding's of Dr. Hass for Celiac Disease and that is what's intrigued me to dig deeper on the subject as I am fighting SOOO many underlying problems that going Gluten Free alone has not helped with. Maybe for better understanding of my situation somebody can give me hopefully some Helpful advice with clear understanding.

So let me begin,

3 Years ago my twin sister brought to my attention that she seemed to be suffering from Celiac, well at that point I was 93 lbs and was Extremely sick all the time. Without question I went Gluten Free Instantly as she recommended. I found relief within a few days and after a week I realized I hadn't had the throwing up or gastro problems. I felt A LOT Better.

Well now after 3 years of being Gluten Free I'm no longer suffering the diarrhea, throwing up, acid reflux, etc (unless glutened) although ALL of my other symptoms/problems have not improved what so ever!!!

I'm 24 and on Disability due to the inability to hold down a job. Emberrassing enough to say those words I want and NEED Help More NOW than ever!!! I suffer from a wide range of symptoms, my diagnosis's are: Bipolar II (mainly severe depression), Anxiety/Panic Disorder, ADD, OCD, Borderline Personality, CHRONIC FATIGUE!!! (My Main Concern!), as well as self diagnosed Celiac. Now these are my "Diagnosis's".

The symptoms and theories I have are as follows: Candidiasis (which I believe is more severe than any doctor could see) If I eat sugar I wake up drenched in sweat, get Extremely irritable, Lethargic, and many many more reasons. Also I KNOW I have more food intolerance's but am in the process of trying to figure them out?...

The last 4 days or so my eyes are soo swollen I have to ice them often and put vaseline on my eyelids because they itch so bad and are flaking from being so dry! I'm congested every morning when I wake up, as if I all of a sudden caught a severe cold. My throat feels swollen most of the time, having a hard time swallowing things often. I ache all over, some days are better than others. I'm soooo Extremely lethargic and drained of ANY energy what so ever all I can do is try and stay awake by taking my Adderral as prescribed and drink caffeine just to get through the day.

The thing that's scaring me the most is my Brain!!! I'm totally not with it! I feel daized and confused, very slowed down, slurred speech at times, Very Foggy! I can't remember anything anymore and I constantly feel like I'm not in "reality" almost like an out of body experience...?? It's sooo hard to explain I'm hoping somebody can relate to me on some level :( Also my eyesight use to be perfect vision and now I'm in reading glasses, bifocals, and now going to Eye Therapy b/c of Convergence Insufficiency.

With all this being said, I'm just hoping somebody can steer me in the right direction as far as if GAPS would be better than doing the SCD or SCD better than GAPS or maybe combining them (if that's possible)??? I just really feel as though my gut is soooo messed up I need to heal it to start to even try to figure out what I'm intolerant to or anything else...???

Can Somebody please HELP with answers!!! I would very much appreciate ANY help I could get! Thank You!!

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Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

I would go GAPS with all the mental symptoms. You probably need to do GAPS introduction which has a really intensive gut-healing phase. Malabsorption and nutrient deficiency can do really bad things to your mind.

Full GAPS (what you eventually transition to from GAPS intro) and SCD are pretty much the same. GAPS has more emphasis on bone broth is all. Also you can do GAPS dairy-free because the probiotic can be homemade sauerkraut rather than SCD 24-hour yogurt. Make sure you are tolerating the sauerkraut. I am sensitive to tyramine and I do better taking a probiotic pill.

You also need to have your thyroid function tested. Your problems could be partly due to hypothyroidism.

I'd also recommend you look into a supplement for mental illness. I found EMPowerPlus from Open Original Shared Link to be life-changing for my bipolar and anxiety. I take it every day with some fish oil.

erikamarie87 Newbie
erikamarie87
Posted
  • Author

I would go GAPS with all the mental symptoms. You probably need to do GAPS introduction which has a really intensive gut-healing phase. Malabsorption and nutrient deficiency can do really bad things to your mind.

Full GAPS (what you eventually transition to from GAPS intro) and SCD are pretty much the same. GAPS has more emphasis on bone broth is all. Also you can do GAPS dairy-free because the probiotic can be homemade sauerkraut rather than SCD 24-hour yogurt. Make sure you are tolerating the sauerkraut. I am sensitive to tyramine and I do better taking a probiotic pill.

You also need to have your thyroid function tested. Your problems could be partly due to hypothyroidism.

I'd also recommend you look into a supplement for mental illness. I found EMPowerPlus from Open Original Shared Link to be life-changing for my bipolar and anxiety. I take it every day with some fish oil.

Girl you're a Godsend! Really! I appreciate all your help. :) I was reading your profile some and can relate to you with a lot of what you've experienced. I was actually going to ask you about the EMPowerPlus. :) I react so differently to meds than anyone. MY doctors can't understand why...I get ALL the side effects from everyone of them and have never truly found any that work that well. I've learned to just go day by day...:/ I am SOOOO Interested in this product! What would you recommend as far as where to start with coming off my meds and trying this product?...I have many more questions but I won't overwhelm you with them! lol Sorry If I already have. I have a hard time figuring out where to start with anything. The docs say my brain is wired from top down unlike most who think bottom up... :(

On to the other part of my problems... :blink: I'm wanting to start the diet soon and am doing all I can to get prepared..?? :unsure:

You say the GAPS "can" be dairy free but I thought that fermenting the yogurt for the 24 hrs made it so it was basically dairy free from the fermentation it took all the lactose out?...I don't think I'll be able to stomach sauerkraut! :huh: It's one of those things I can't even smell, I've just never liked it. So I'll probably have to take some probiotics...

My doc tested my TSH level in January and the results were 0.88 mIU/L, normal range being 0.34-5.60..?? Is there a different test I can ask for?

Skylark Collaborator
Skylark
Posted

If you're thinking of EMPowerPlus I'd highly recommend you speak to someone in their call center. They're not doctors but they help people transition from meds to EMPowerPlus all the time so they have quite a bit of experience. They're really sweet and supportive too and most of the people in the call center are on EMPowerPlus themselves. It can be a bit of an interesting road becasue you can feel really weird starting the EMPowerPlus. They say it's "detox" but I think it's the unaccustomed flood of vitamins and minerals changing your mental chemistry. Whatever it is, it seems to amplify med side effects so you have to cross-taper your meds and the EMPowerPlus. TrueHope has a lot of tricks and supplements like amino acids that can get you through any trouble you have with the transition and the call center will help you with a protocol.

It took me about three months to do the changeover from meds to EMPowerPlus, a month of cross-taper and two months of feeling really odd. After three months the clouds parted and the bipolar was gone almost like magic. My shrink couldn't believe it. :lol: The only mood swings I've had in the last 5 1/2 years since I started EMPowerPlus were thyroid-related.

As for the diets, dairy-free and lactose-free are not the same. Yogurt is still dairy and it has whey and casein (milk proteins) you can react to.

That TSH is very good so it's probably not thyroid. I'd look more at the food intolerance and I bet GAPS helps.

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