This week we talked to Nicole Kittleson! Nicole's daughter Addy was diagnosed with Crohn's disease when she was 8 years old but that diagnosis wasn't easy to get to. Addy wasn't growing or gaining weight, her eyes became dull and her hair started falling out. Nicole brought her concerns to her daughter's pediatrician but they just encouraged her to feed her more calories but Nicole knew something more was going on. When her daughter started experiencing skin inflammation and complaining about blood in her stool and Nicole finally demanded that her daughter get the tests she needed to get a definitive diagnosis of Crohn's. We talked to her about Addy's unusual and severe symptoms of a flare and their decision to use the Specific Carbohydrate diet to treat her disease for several years. We talked about the ramifications of using this diet including the cost, the time, and the impact that it had on family traditions and culture. We talked about how Nicole, Addy, and the rest of the family incorporated the SCD and these changes and needs into their daily routine and how they coped as a family. Finally we talked about how parents can also experience medical trauma as part of the process of their child having a chronic illness and about how parents can care of themselves while also caring for their child with IBD. In Nicole's case her own diagnosis of an autoimmune condition- Lupus- forced her to understand her need to care for herself as well as her family.

We had a deep and impactful conversation with our friend Nicole as well as some laughs. We know that you'll be inspired by her and her daughter Addy too.

Please keep in mind that the views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and should not be considered medical or legal advice. Please consult with your healthcare team on any changes to your disease, diet, or treatment. We want you to stay safe and healthy! ;)

Links:

• Nutritional Therapy for IBD- great source of info in diets and IBD
• Info on the Specific Carbohydrate Diet- Nutritional Therapy for IBD
• Diet info from the Crohn's & Colitis Foundation- USA
• Info on Camp Oasis- camp for kids with IBD- Crohn's & Colitis Foundation USA
• Community & Support programs- Crohn's & Colitis Foundation- USA
• IBDesis- South Asian IBD Alliance's support program
• Info on Toxic Megacolon- Stanford Children's Hospital

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This week we met Victorien Madsen! Victorien lives in The Netherlands and was diagnosed with UC after the birth of her 2nd child. We talked to her about navigating this new disease while parenting young children. Trying to find the right treatment option and finally finding the Specific Carbohydrate Diet before the internet was really even a thing. We talked to her about how she incorporated that diets into her life and her family's routine. We talked to her about modifying recipes and how she learned to create delicious foods for herself. We discussed how she started volunteering to run a support group for people with IBD who are interested in using diet to complement their treatment and finally how all of that led her to start volunteering with Nutritional Therapy for IBD.

Please keep in mind that the views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and should not be considered medical or legal advice. Please consult with your healthcare team on any changes to your disease, diet, or treatment. We want you to stay safe and healthy! ;)
Links:

• Nutritional Therapy for IBD
• An article about Victorien and her diet journey- in Dutch!
• Curing Food- Victorien's website- in Dutch!
• Victorien's pecan waffle recipe
• Nutritional Therapy for IBD's Diet comparison chart

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This week we had such a great conversation with Kate Scarlata, MPH, RD! Kate is a Boston-based registered dietitian and New York Times best selling author with 30+ years of digestive health experience. Kate is a world-renowned low FODMAP diet expert and invited speaker on the role of food intolerance in GI disorders at numerous international and national gastrointestinal health conferences from Harvard Medical School to Monash University. She specializes in digestive health including treatment for: IBS, celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease, mast cell activation syndrome and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO).

We talked to her about so many things! We discussed patients that have co-occurring IBD and IBS- how frequent that is and how to best treat them. We talked about food intolerances, intolerance testing, and elimination diets. We discussed medical equity and her efforts to highlight the lack of medical diet-friendly- like for celiac- food offered in food pantries. We talked about common myths surrounding gut health that she asks her guests on her podcast called The Gut Health podcast to discuss. Finally we discussed her new book that she co-authored with Dr. Megan Riehl called "Mind Your Gut: The Science-Based, Whole-Body Guide to Living Well with IBD."

Please keep in mind that the views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and should not be considered medical or legal advice. Please consult with your healthcare team on any changes to your disease, diet, or treatment. We want you to stay safe and healthy! ;)

Links:

• Kate's Blog that she mentions
• Kate and Megan's book
• Dr. Megan Riehl's episode
• Kate and Megan's podcast -The Gut Health Podcast

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