I first came across the Specific Carbohydrate Diet (SCD) about five years back when my husband was hospitalized for a major ulcerative colitis flare.  He had lost a disturbing amount of weight and his digestive tract was so ravaged that he wasn’t even allowed to gnaw on ice chips.  It took four days on IV steroids to calm his immune system and restore some order to his colon, and colon removal surgery was narrowly avoided.