Helpful Reading: Becoming an Expert

***Note: Most of the book links here go to Amazon, just because it was easy. I don't earn commission (or any money for that matter) from anything on this blog.***

I say it over and over..."Become an expert about your own body."

The majority of IBD treatments, either allopathic (traditional medicine) or naturopathic (natural healing methods), require a large degree of self-management. Becoming an expert is the best way to ensure you're getting the most appropriate treatment for your body.

Below is my book-based reading list (there is a ton of good material in the peer-review journals if you have access, and lots of good reading in the gray literature, though you should treat the gray literature with a reasonable dose of skepticism).

I only post books that I've read, books that have proved themselves valuable to me in treating my Colitis, books that I felt I could give a positive review. I will update this post as I read more, so come back frequently to this post for new books!

Breaking the Vicious Cycle, by Elaine Gottschall
This book outlines the Specific Carbohydrate Diet, one of the most credible and successful natural treatments for IBD I've found. It's been my treatment textbook since I started the SCD in the Summer of 2009. This diet has helped me to have a medication-free, energetic existence. Four days after I started this diet, I recorded a measurable, positive change in my symptoms. Yea!

What to Eat with Ibd: A Comprehensive Nutrition and Recipe Guide for Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis, by Tracie Dalessandro
I recommend reading a few books on diet and nutrition for people with IBD. Even though some of the food recommendations will clash with the SCD (you'll have to filter with any book--stick with SCD foods), this book taught me about vitamins (deficiencies associated with IBD, taking supplements, in food, absorption issues, etc.). This book also gave me this breakthrough tidbit of information: Cook your veggies. People with IBD often can't break down the fiber matrix in veggies, so steaming them helps break down that fiber matrix and makes them easier on the digestive system. This little factoid allowed me to eat vegetables again while I was really sick (I couldn't tolerate them raw)! After about 7 months on the SCD, I could eat raw veggies just fine...

The New Eating Right for a Bad Gut : The Complete Nutritional Guide to Ileitis, Colitis, Crohn's Disease, and Inflammatory Bowel Disease, by James Scala, PhD.
My mom got me this book. The title embarrassed me so much that I wouldn't be seen reading it in public. If I did read it when people were around, I'd cover the cover. There is significant overlap between this book and What to Eat..., but it's worth mentioning because it is well written and I learned from it. I also like getting more than one perspective on any single topic. If I had to choose between this and What to Eat... above, I'd choose What to Eat...

The First Year: Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: An Essential Guide for the Newly Diagnosed, by Jill Sklar.
This was the first book I read after I was diagnosed. And it should be required reading during your first year after diagnosis. Reading it was like having a cup of hot chocolate on a cold day. It was the first time I'd encountered anyone I could identify with, who knew what I was going through, and who could lay out for me what I could expect. Both my wife and I read it. That said, I have one note of caution: Jill will present to you the traditional, allopathic treatment pathway for people with IBD. However, I consider this book essential reading because it will educate you about your digestive system, some of the thoughts on the eitology (genesis) of IBD, and it will educate you about the options open to you and your doctor through allopathic, intervention-based medicine. Even after all I've learned about natural healing for IBD, this book will never leave my shelf. Read it, and you'll understand why.

Future reading. Reviews to come...

Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: Everything You Need to Know
Nutrition and Gastrointestinal Disease (Clinical Gastroenterology)
IBD Self-Management: The AGA Guide to Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis
2000 Minocha's Guide to Digestive Diseases
Challenges in Inflammatory Bowel Disease