New to Crohn's, which of these books do you recommend?

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ALI_101

ALI_101

Joined
Feb 18, 2011
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I'm new to Crohn's and feel i need to do a bit of reading up on the disease. I would ideally like to try and avoid any works that focus heavily on the medical side highlighting all the possible operations that may be in the pipeline for me etc, no thanks! (out of site, out of mind lol). I am interested in reading a general overview of the disease and getting some pointers that will prove useful for me on how to cope with Crohn's. I am most interested in learning about the dietry side of Crohn's and how to eat well. I have mild but constant abdominal pains that seem to be progressing towards moderate as the weeks pass by. I feel absolutely clueless right now and feel that anything i am putting in my mouth could potentially be harmful to me.

I am going to buy one, or possibly two books. Some of those i am considering are:

*Beat Crohn's!: Getting to Remission With Enteral Nutrition by Margaret A. Oppenheimer

*Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The essential guide to controlling Crohn's Disease, Colitis and Other IBDs by Dr John Hunter

*Crohn's & Colitis Diet Guide: Includes 150 Recipes by Hillary Steinhart

*Living with Crohn's Diseases (Overcoming Common Problems) by Joan Gome

*Probiotics for Crohn's and Colitis by Peter Cartwright

*The New Eating Right for a Bad Gut: The Complete Nutritional Guide for Ileitis, Colitis, Crohn's Disease and Inflammatory Bowel Disease by James Scala


There are a few others i could add. With so many to choose from i am not sure where to start. I am sure some of you on here will be familiar with some of these books, therefore would like to ask for opinions.

Thanks

Regards
Ali
 
I have the Crohn's & Colitis Diet Guide: Includes 150 Recipes by Hillary Steinhart and I like it. Buy on Amazon or half.com, much cheaper. Now the recipes are going to be hit or miss depending on what you can tolerate. I like it because it's very informative about IBD, very technical, with illustrations. I also have a book called Living With Crohn's and Colitis by Jessica Black, N.D., and Dede Cummings. It's more of a naturopathic guide that I've enjoyed reading. I also ordered the other Mount Sinai Hospital book simply called Crohn's and Colitis, but I haven't gotten it yet. I'll let you know :) HTH
 
I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a book,my fave is Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis by: Fred Saibil MD, has alot of info and easy to read and a good book for your family to read and understand. I still use it for reference.
 
I am just finishing up The New Eating Right for a Bad Gut and really like it. It really breaks down in detail the science behind what kind of diet you should adopt. Though, I find, if you have any sort of problem with strictures, your diet may be somewhat differnt as far as the "allowed" foods. I think his book is targeting Crohn's patients with non-stricturing Crohn's.

Another book I liked was "What to Eat With IBD" by Tracie Dalessandro. Now her advice on allowed and non-allowed foods conflicts with what Scala's book says, but I feel like there must be a bit of trial and error regardless to see what foods you can and can't tolerate. She does include a lot of easy recipes that you can make lo-res too, if you are on that diet. I modeled my vitamin supplement regiment based on Dalessandro's recommendations. Scala's diet plan, I would say, would be more for maintaining your health once it's more stabilized. But, then again, that was my experience as I had stricturing Crohn's and had to be more specific and careful with the things I could eat.
 
Another good book I liked was "Why doesn't my Doctor know this? written by David Dahlman DC. covers all IBD and other sides from it. pretty interesting and diets too.
 
I really like the book written by Jill Sklar and her Uncle who is an MD. I think the title is, "A Patients Guide to Crohn's and Colitis." I wish I still had that book. The book covers pretty much everything, and Jill shares her own experiences with CD in the book. I think I'll pick up another copy of it.
 
Hi, I'm new to this forum. My partner has Crohn's. Has anyone read the book "No More Crohn's Disease", by Cathy Rubert? She claims her system cures Crohn's. Sounds almost too good to be true.
 
Don't bother buying No More Crohn's Disease. I just spent $30 on an eDownload and it doesn't offer anything that any of us don't already know (it basically suggests peppermint tea, slippery elm, boswellia). It also suggests avoiding prune juice and seeds, among other things. Duh! I feel like a fool.
 
tbag said:
Don't bother buying No More Crohn's Disease. I just spent $30 on an eDownload and it doesn't offer anything that any of us don't already know (it basically suggests peppermint tea, slippery elm, boswellia). It also suggests avoiding prune juice and seeds, among other things. Duh! I feel like a fool.
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Hi tbag

I've never seen that book, but i have seen others of a similar type and must admit i too am drawn in with curiousity to find out the so called secret they proclaim to reveal behind the cover, but my pesimistic side has so far held me back.

Here's a few of this type from Amazon:

How I Cured My Crohn's Disease by Ashley Lloyd Shaw

Self Healing Colitis & Crohn's: The Complete Wholistic Guide to Healing the Gut & Staying Well by David, PH.D. Klein

Healing Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The Cause And Cure Of Crohn's Disease And Ulcerative Colitis by Paul Nison


Anyone have any experience of these titles? I'm inclined to think they are just regurgitating information with the aim of making a quick buck, but for some reason, i'm still intreagued to read them!
 
Pen said:
I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a book,my fave is Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis by: Fred Saibil MD, has alot of info and easy to read and a good book for your family to read and understand. I still use it for reference.
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Hiya, we bought this book because of Pen's recommondation. It is really informative.:ysmile:
 
I agree wiith Twilight about What to Eat with IBD by Tracy Dallessanndro. We really thought it was GREAT when my daughter was originally diagnosed and so ill. The author is a dietician with IBD.

Now once Claire reached remission, she has returned to a "normal" diet. There are a couple of foods she avoids because in her words, "they hurt my stomach" but for the most part, the diet is a non-issue for us.

Good luck!
 
AZMOM said:
I agree wiith Twilight about What to Eat with IBD by Tracy Dallessanndro. We really thought it was GREAT when my daughter was originally diagnosed and so ill. The author is a dietician with IBD.

Now once Claire reached remission, she has returned to a "normal" diet. There are a couple of foods she avoids because in her words, "they hurt my stomach" but for the most part, the diet is a non-issue for us.

Good luck!
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I have to avoid dairy and sugar for the most part, nothing fried, low-fiber. Would you recommend this cookbook for me? I've found a few of them are riddled with cheesy buttery type recipes.
 
Hi DanaDeadPetals!

When I bought this book I was on a super lo-res diet and found many of these recipes helpful. Most of her recipes, if not all, use a dairy alternative or give the option of using dairy alternatives. You'll find a lot of the recipes in here involve fruits and veggies cooked in a way that should be easier to digest (seeds and skins removed, pureed, steamed until super soft). Of course, you know if there are certain fruits and veggies that you may or may not tolerate no matter what, so be wary of those. I altered many of these recipes so they would have veggies I could tolerate and leave out the ones I wasn't ready to try (or couldn't). I don't see a lot of cheese in the recipes. The dessert-type recipes of course have sugar in the recipe. But there are no fried foods. She emphasizes protein and vitamin-rich meals. I bought my book from Amazon for about $5, so if you are still uncertain, I would at least recommend buying it from there and not spending a lot of money on it. :) Good luck!
 
dreamintwilight said:
Hi DanaDeadPetals!

When I bought this book I was on a super lo-res diet and found many of these recipes helpful. Most of her recipes, if not all, use a dairy alternative or give the option of using dairy alternatives. You'll find a lot of the recipes in here involve fruits and veggies cooked in a way that should be easier to digest (seeds and skins removed, pureed, steamed until super soft). Of course, you know if there are certain fruits and veggies that you may or may not tolerate no matter what, so be wary of those. I altered many of these recipes so they would have veggies I could tolerate and leave out the ones I wasn't ready to try (or couldn't). I don't see a lot of cheese in the recipes. The dessert-type recipes of course have sugar in the recipe. But there are no fried foods. She emphasizes protein and vitamin-rich meals. I bought my book from Amazon for about $5, so if you are still uncertain, I would at least recommend buying it from there and not spending a lot of money on it. :) Good luck!
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Thanks so much! I'll check it out :)
 
Diets?

Where are you all hearing about these diets? I am on a diet, but it is nothing like the ones I think your doctors are recommending. Have you heard of the Specific Carbohydrate diet? Its pretty much the cure. PM me if you are curious about it or go read the testimonials from the amazon for sale site for "breaking the vicious cycle"
 
I can't comment on any of them, as not read them.

I suggest:

"Self Healing Colitis & Crohn's" by David Klein

I buy most of my books second-hand on Amazon, as it works out much cheaper that way.
 
ALI_101 said:
Anyone have any experience of these titles? I'm inclined to think they are just regurgitating information with the aim of making a quick buck, but for some reason, i'm still intreagued to read them!
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If you are stressed about people "making a quick buck", I suggest you try to download the books for free from one of the torrent sites. Either that or hire them from a library for free. I don’t see these people as out to make a quick buck, I see it as earning a living. Especially in the case of David Klein, as his whole life and career is dedicated towards his healing centre located in Hawaii.

I know that both David Klein and Paul Nison had the disease themselves and cured themselves. So they wrote books to share their program. Writing books takes time, and so authors are entitled to be paid for that information, just like anyone else offering their time and a service (i.e.) plumber, mechanic, dentist, taxi driver and so on.

I have not read the Paul Nison book but I have seen a DVD with him on it. But I own and have thoroughly read the David Klein book. I am not following the David Klein book to the letter, but I am following many of his suggestions. My ulcerative colitis has improved ten thousand fold since I started incorporating his ideas and suggestions into my daily life.

I am actually following a combination of David Klein and Dr Joel Furman. The results have been out of this world. Brilliant beyond belief. If you are interested, I suggest you join the free mailing list at:

http://www.drfuhrman.com

Once you have joined the mailing list, you will be sent the following message in an email: “As a Thank You for joining our mailing list, we would like to send you a free copy of Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times Newsletter”.

Open that newsletter link and search for the following edition: Newsletter No 36, March 2008. It contains some excellent information on a diet and supplement regime for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

I signed up late last year, and I am having fantastic results with his diet and supplement suggestions. No constipation, no diarrhea, no mucus, no blood, no pain, no bloating. Just normal bowel movements, and energy levels are improving every day.

Sometimes I even forget that I actually have UC, given the improvement in just a few short months has been that dramatic.

It is a stict diet and I have to take supplements every day. But it is drug-free and working, and so I am fully commited to it.

If you don't want to fully follow their plan, you may still get some good ideas from it. And again, the Dr. Fuhrman newletter is totally free. However, I have chosen to be under the supervised guiding care of a naturopath whilst following it, so I do pay to visit naturopath every six weeks for check ups.

Hope you find something that helps you too.
 
Thanks everyone. I just bought two books from Amazon:

*Inflammatory Bowel Disease: The essential guide to controlling Crohn's Disease, Colitis and Other IBDs by Dr John Hunter

*Probiotics for Crohn's and Colitis by Peter Cartwright

Once i've had a good read of them i will give some feedback here.

Regards
Ali
 
Miss Spencer said:
If you don't want to fully follow their plan, you may still get some good ideas from it. And again, the Dr. Fuhrman newletter is totally free. However, I have chosen to be under the supervised guiding care of a naturopath whilst following it, so I do pay to visit naturopath every six weeks for check ups.

Hope you find something that helps you too.
Click to expand...
I just tried to access it and it seems to be charging a monthly subscription? Or am I being daft? :)
 
David said:
I just tried to access it and it seems to be charging a monthly subscription? Or am I being daft? :)
Click to expand...

Yep - you are being daft. :wink:

There is a member center that you can join and you will be charged a monthly subscription. This seems mainly to be for people following their weight loss program. Since we don't want to do that, there is no need to become a member or pay a subscription fee.

Go to the website: http://www.drfuhrman.com

On the right hand side of the page you will see a box that says:

"Join Our Mailing List - Get a FREE Healthy Times newsletter - Receive weekly emails on current health news, events, & product specials - Confidentiality is assured, we do not release or sell names or email addresses"

Enter your name and email address and press submit. You will then receive a welcome email that says: “As a Thank You for joining our mailing list, we would like to send you a free copy of Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times Newsletter”.

You open the link they provide and you will find a whole host of past newsletters.

You need to then search for the following edition: Newsletter No 36, March 2008. It contains some excellent information on a diet and supplement regime for Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

It is all completely free.
 
Hi Ali

I've just read Inflammatory Bowel Disease (The Essential Guide to controlling Crohn's Disease, Colitis and other IBD's) by Professor John Hunter. It's very comprehensive, I think it's a great book to help you understand the disease. I would recommend it to anyone with IBD.

The National Association for Crohns & Colitis is a great website for info and leaflets too

http://www.nacc.org.uk/content/home.asp

Happy reading :)

Paula
x
 
AndiGirl said:
I really like the book written by Jill Sklar and her Uncle who is an MD. I think the title is, "A Patients Guide to Crohn's and Colitis." I wish I still had that book. The book covers pretty much everything, and Jill shares her own experiences with CD in the book. I think I'll pick up another copy of it.
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This is this first and only book I have purchased so far. I am newly diagnosed, and it was very informative and helpful. The title is The First Year: Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed.
 
Best Book

I agree with the comments about The First Year: Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed, by Jill Sklar. It really hit home, and the advice in the book is very good. I'm only two months out from my diagnosis, and just finished the book. It was priceless.
 
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toml99 said:
I agree with the comments about The First Year: Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed, by Jill Sklar. It really hit home, and the advice in the book is very good. I'm only two months out from my diagnosis, and just finished the book. It was priceless.
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This book was great for me too! It really is trial and error. The books I most enjoyed were ones that informed you about what is happening in your body and shared patient experiences. I don't buy into any particular diet or natural healing. I know some days I can eat a salad...other days it is out of the question. I just have to listen to my body and keep a food diary. Oh and keep my stress and anxiety under control. Getting enough sleep is also essential.
 
DanaDeadPetals said:
I have the Crohn's & Colitis Diet Guide: Includes 150 Recipes by Hillary Steinhart and I like it. Buy on Amazon or half.com, much cheaper. Now the recipes are going to be hit or miss depending on what you can tolerate. I like it because it's very informative about IBD, very technical, with illustrations. I also have a book called Living With Crohn's and Colitis by Jessica Black, N.D., and Dede Cummings. It's more of a naturopathic guide that I've enjoyed reading. I also ordered the other Mount Sinai Hospital book simply called Crohn's and Colitis, but I haven't gotten it yet. I'll let you know :) HTH
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Hi Dana, Thanks for mentioning my book! It is nice to see that people are reading it, and it is helping them. Sometimes Iget emails from people, and they tell me that it has helped. I just joined this forum, and it is excellent!
 
Hi Dede,

Welcome to the community! How did you go about developing the plan that you outline in your book? I haven't read it but you might be able to spark my curiosity :)
 
Hey David, first of all. This a forum is amazing...I keep reading the stories! Also, I don't know how you keep up with it... It looks like a really good site for people with Crohn's—I wish I had known about it earlier. But, I am still getting tons of info as I read. I have a book blog that I can barely keep up with.

Anyway, I "met" Jessica Black, a naturopath from Portland, OR, when I bought her Anti-Inflammation cookbook, and she and I developed the outline and plan, together via email. I would love to send you a book! Are you in Naples, FL? :thumleft:

I had done the SCD (I am sure you are familiar with it!), and read James Scala's book two times, as I searched for some alternatives to 6MP and Remicade, which were what my GI perscribed for me ten years ago. I went to a naturopath, and she really got things straightened out: food allergy testing, poop sample tests revealed an overgrowth of a very bad bacteria, then I was treated with Cipro (that really helped, but didn't last long enough). After my surgery, I really got serious and structured a modified version of the SCD, and introduced all kinds of alternative therapies into my plan: probiotics, flax, supplements, yoga, meditation, exercise, sleep...all outlined in my book, along with acupuncture, massage, etc. and it is really working! I keep inflammation and stress to a minimum (the stress part is hard 'cause of life intervening! ....like a fight with my husnpband or something!) and I am a rare success story at my IBD clinic at Dartmouth. One of my mantras and practices is "Eat Food With One Ingredient," seriously ;) and I think it would make a good book title!

Anyway, thanks for your interest, and hope to hear your story....I saw your diagnosis—and I hope to hear how you are doing. I don't want to come across like I am trying to "sell" my book on your site ;) so I just want you to know that—I am really into helping people, and my book has sold incredibly well and I get emails from people thanking me for my patient perspective. That brings me so much joy, really!

Best regards. Dede Cummings
 
Hiya Dede :)

Thank you for your kind words. This community is amazing for one reason, there's a ton of amazing people here. I can't keep up with what's going on here at this point which is something that I am still coming to grips with. The control freak in me wants to make sure everyone is heard and supported but luckily we have so many amazing Forum Monitors and members that it's pretty rare anyone gets lost in the shuffle.

If you'd like to send me a book, I will read and review it. However, I will say that I am not at all nice if a book sucks or is full of what I perceive to be misinformation. On the other hand, if a book is good, I will do everything I can to get it in the hands of people it will help. :)

You have a little going for you as this is what I occasionally share with new members:

- Western Medicine - Whatever your doctor prescribes you
- Dietary changes - Enteral/elemental nutrition, [wiki]paleo diet[/wiki], or [wiki]specific carbohydrate diet[/wiki]. Juicing is also growing on me a lot.
- Hydration - Dehydration and loss of electrolytes is common. Proper hydration and adding electrolytes back in can help you a lot.
- Alternative treatments - I'm a fan of Low Dose Naltrexone. Research it. Medical marijuana has been shown to help a lot as well if that's something you're comfortable with and is legally available in your area.
- Stress reduction. Do whatever it takes to reduce your stress levels. In addition, a weekly or even monthly massage if funds are tight is great. Studies have actually shown that massage can reduce inflammation. Give yourself self-massages as often as possible in between the professional ones.
- Exercise if you're able - a gentle yoga is a good one :)
- Vitamins and minerals - find out which you're deficient in and properly supplement. People with Crohn's disease are commonly deficient in vitamin B12, vitamin D, folate, and magnesium as well as a host of others. But those four first ones should definitely be checked.
- Supplements - there are a variety that help improve overall health. Check our our diet/fitness/supplements forum for ideas.
- Alternative medicine - This could be stuff like acupuncture, including a naturopath in your treatment team, etc.

Bring your doctor in on the conversation for all of this. Get their input and let them help supervise your disease state. Some doctors might need a little push on some of this stuff, but we can provide studies that showcase the efficacy of all the above.
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So I am open to a lot of what you seem to be sharing. If you present that information well and make a case for it, you're going to sell some more books. If not, well, I don't want people to waste their money and I get the feeling you understand that.

I agree wholeheartedly about eating food with just one ingredient though I take it a step further and am working to grow as much of my own foods as I can.

And I don't get the feeling you're all about trying to sell your book. We wouldn't be having this conversation if I did ;)

Again, welcome to the community. I really hope you stick around and share some of your wisdom and knowledge.
 
Hey David, I am so glad to hear from you! I had a doc in the ER tell me that I "didn't present as a Crohn's patient." I asked him what he meant, and he said, "well, many patients with Crohn's are depressed and malnourished, anxious, etc." I really challenged him on that! We are usually at our worst when admitted to the ER, too.

Anyway, to get to the book...., well, we might be on the same page! I just picked my e tire dinner from my garden, and I don't really even wash the veggies ;))) eating dirt! (I am trying to take this one step farther!)

Send me your address and I'll get that book out on Tuesday! It is pretty awesome. Lots of useful information ... I always tell people that everyone is different—our cases are all different. My disease is characterized as fibro-steno tic (scarring), yours is lymphatic (?)...not sure, but I will research it! I follow papers and research as if I were a med student. I am pretty obsessed with learning as much as I can. I had a horrible case of food poisoning in 1998, and started getting sick after that....did you see the NYT article about "an immu e disorder at the root of autism" las. Sunday? Good stuff.

Send me your address, and I can't wait to get involved in the forum. I remember when I was scared and lonely how much just an acknowledgement that someone was listening to me meant to me! I don't get preachy, believe me. Part of dealing with an Incurable disease is first accepting it, but educating yourself, and empowering yourself, and asking for help.... Again, everyone is different!

Talk soon and THANKS for being so welcoming, David!!!

Dede
 

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