Disease Proof

Hey, I told you, DiseaseProof is picking up some serious steam! Thanks to Sally Squires of The Washington Post. Check out her article Need Encouragement to Shed Some Pounds? Blogs May Help. Here's a bit:

After college, Gerry Pugliese, 27, of Somerville, N.J., landed a stressful job with long hours that proved to be a bad fit. Short on time, Pugliese stopped exercising and found relief in food. He soon added 60 pounds to his 5-foot-5 frame. "I kind of collapsed inward," he says. "All my healthy habits went out the window."

Then he landed a job writing about health, diet and fitness for a blog publisher. The company teamed him with physician Joel Fuhrman to produce a blog on health, including a mostly vegetarian diet. When the company was acquired by another firm, Pugliese and Fuhrman continued their blog, DiseaseProof, on their own.

Pugliese says his diet epiphany came while writing a blog on healthful eating and noshing on fried Chinese takeout. That's when he started following the tips that Furhman espoused: eating a mostly vegetable-based diet and getting plenty of exercise. Since he started the regimen in 2007, he has lost 60 pounds and now does yoga, lifts weights and trains for 5K runs. "I'm your average guy," Pugliese says. "And I can make it work."

It was great talking to Sally. Thanks again Sally! Oh, and I “started the regimen” in 2006, not 2007. For more on my weight-loss story, check out: Healthy, with a Vengeance!

Sherene had Rheumatoid Arthritis, but now she’s doing just fine. Here’s her story:

Dear Dr. Fuhrman,

Last August I had a telephone consult with you for my RA with a follow up 6 weeks later. I've been following the plan you gave me religiously since then. I've even come to enjoy the watercress in my morning smoothie and the daily juiced cruciferous greens.

My RA is in complete remission, all blood tests are normal and I have no joint pain at all. A great side effect is that my asthma has gone. I have not used any asthma meds since November and despite this being peak allergy season for me, my lung function tests are perfect.

I can't thank you enough for the changes to my health that your advice has made possible. This is the first time in my adult life that I have no systemic inflammation. No active RA, no iritis, no corneal rejection and no asthma. I didn't realize that a body could feel so good.

Many thanks for changing my life.

Sherene

Ali Hale of Diet Blog wants to know, Could Writing a Blog Help You Lose Weight? Here’re five reasons why it could:

1. Community support from other dieters: The "dieting blogosphere" contains some of the most supportive and friendly people you'll meet online.
2. Making yourself accountable to others: Have you noticed how much harder you work at the gym if an instructor or personal trainer is watching?
3. Seeing how far you've come: Once you've been blogging for a couple of months, look back at your earliest entries.
4. Helping your readers to lose weight: The challenge that you've successfully managed to overcome is almost certainly something that others are still struggling with.
5. Fame and fortune: If you write well and consistently, and have a great story to tell, you just might get lucky and join the elite group bloggers who've won book deals.

I’m not sure about the fame. You won’t find my butt on Oprah anytime soon, but blogging might help you drop the pounds. Check out Full of Veggies:

Keep it up Nicole!

Hey guys, head over to Diet Blog for a familiar surprise…

Big thanks to Jim Foster of Diet Blog for the opportunity. Keep up the great work Jim!

Yup, the post just got picked up be Reuters too!

I’d like to extend a big CONGRATULATIONS to Scott Cutshall who went from 501 pounds to 232 in under three years thanks to Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live. The Minneapolis Star Tribune tells his tale:

The rebirth of Scott Cutshall began Thanksgiving day 2005, a bowl of vegetable soup for breakfast kicking off a new life where nothing would be the same. Cutshall, living in Jersey City at the time, weighed 501 pounds. He was having breakfast. And then he was getting ready to go on a bike ride…

… Back up to 2004. Cutshall, a freelance jazz drummer, husband and father, 38 years old, was not sure if he'd live to see 40. He wore size XXXXXXXXXXL pants and could not tie his own shoes. He could walk only nine steps at a time. Breathing was sometimes difficult. A doctor said he would be dead in six months without stomach-reduction surgery and heavy medication…

…He ate essentially the same thing every day, three base meals developed off research from the book "Eat to Live" by Dr. Joel Fuhrman, a New Jersey physician. The food equaled a daily dose of about 1,200 calories and provided all the nutrients, protein and vitamins essential for good health, though nothing more, Cutshall said…

…Cutshall emphasizes that this meal plan is not a diet. In fact, don't even say that word around him. After years of trying fad diets to lose weight, the D-word no longer exists in the Cutshall nomenclature. "It takes a total lifestyle change, with food being one part of a larger picture," he said.

But as they say, the proof is in the veggie-based pudding. Here’s Scott before:

Now get a load of Scott after:

Hey Scott, from one Jersey guy to another—great job dude! Here’s to your newfound health and happiness! Keep it up and enjoy every bike ride.

Hi, I’m Gerald…

So, there I am. Look at me…all of me. Too bad the Sopranos ended. I could have been Gerry Bacala! I’m short, fat, out of shape, and I hardly feeling good about myself. Look at me! I’m a mess. I’m not ashamed to say it. What the hell happened to me? Let me explain.

In December of 2005 I was hired to write for DiseaseProof and that’s exactly how I looked at the time. Hard to believe I was going to be a HEALTH-blogger! When at that time I was eating nothing but pizza, boxed rice, cheese, Chinese food, cookies, bread, candy, butter, and a lot, lot more!

Quite the paradox—to say the least! By day I’m extolling the benefits of the healthiest diet on earth and at night I’m gorging myself on the standard American diet. As someone who prides himself on honesty and integrity, I was hardly living up to my DiseaseProof mantra, but that wasn’t all.

I was also sick and had been for many years. I was plagued by some mysterious illness that landed me in the hospital once or twice a year with agonizing stomach pains. It’d been happening since was thirteen with no end or diagnosis in sight. It was a mystery, and, it was about to get a whole lot worse.

A few weeks after I was hired for DiseaseProof, I again landed in the Emergency Room with severe stomach pains and nausea. There I was, in one of those drafty hospital gowns, hurting, and looking and feeling pathetic. All I could do was sit and absorb the heavy doses of intravenous morphine. I hated it, I hated myself.

My health had hit an all time low, but this time it was different, a diagnosis—AT LAST! A physician’s assistant determined I had gastritis—basically a chronic inflammation of the stomach lining—which wasn’t exactly being helped by my crappy diet. I felt so ashamed. What was I doing with my life?

I’d always eaten healthier than my peers, I was in good shape in college, but there I was being discharged from the ER with a lifetime prescription for Protonix, Zofran, and Sucralfate. The guy who hated taking pills was now being permanently shackled to the pharmacy. I was defeated and depressed.

The depression tore me apart, for over a year I did nothing to improve my health. I stayed fat, took my pills, ate poorly, and didn’t exercise. I kept dragging myself deeper and deeper into my own personal hell. Life sucked! The spunky college kid was gone. I was now…a lump.

But one day I just said ENOUGH! I can’t live like this. Everyday on DiseaseProof I was blogging about healthy eating and living. So why was I killing myself behind the scenes? I couldn’t do it anymore. “Gerry,” I said to myself, “Its time to kick some ass…my ass!”

So, I joined a gym and I started going everyday; running, lifting, and sweating my way to a new me. I also began changing my diet; each day I was inching closer and closer to Dr. Fuhrman’s Eat to Live. Within months I was hell bent on not only losing weight and restoring my health, but going above and beyond the fitness prowess of my college years. Soon, my health and fitness revolution was firing on all cylinders!

Now, many months later, I’m reborn. I’m a total gym rat. I eat tons of fruits, veggies, nuts, seeds, and legumes. I don’t eat any meat or dairy. I cut my hair, shaved my beard, pierced my ear, burned my fat clothes, and changed my look. Just take a look at me now…

That’s the guy I’ve always wanted to be—next to Batman of course—that’s the guy who was frantically trying to claw himself out of the fat-suit I’d eaten myself into. Ultimately that’s the guy who kept pushing me every time I wanted to quit…and stills does today.

At my heaviest I weighed over 240 pounds and as of this morning, I’m a very hunky 178. Ladies and gentlemen, that’s a 62 pound weight-loss! And 12 pounds lighter than my “fit” college weight of 190. Not to mention my flexibility, speed, endurance, stamina, and strength are through the roof. Speaking of strength! All my exercising has definitely helped me pack on some new muscle—pretty cool, right?

In addition to my gym regimen—which includes running, elliptical machines, weightlifting, and lots of abdominal and back work—I’ve also been doing Yoga for over five months now. I LOVE it! Yoga has really helped change my life, both physically and spiritually. Check me out…

Yes, it’s not exactly easy holding yourself in those positions on a brisk and windy November day, especially while your father fumphers with his “new-fangled” digital camera. Yoga pants and a sleeveless shirt do not a warm Gerry make. Speaking of clothes!

Okay, at my worst my pants size was fast approaching a 40 waist. At 5’5 and with a pants length of 30—that’s INSANE! Any fatter and my jeans would’ve been square. But now, I’m swimming in a 33 waist, and, I wear fitted jeans, no more “relaxed-fit” for me!

As for shirts, I used to wear large, but now I fit comfortably into form-fitting medium. Which—and not to toot my own horn—is great because I’ve got a decent build and don’t mind showing it off a bit. Ding, Ding, Ding! Dinner’s ready. Come and get it ladies! Growl!

Clearly, my self esteem is also much improved. Honestly, I feel like I could conquer the world. My smart-alecky wit is super-charged, my natural intensity and grittiness is back, and my zest for life and challenge has been renewed! In fact, this past Thanksgiving I ran my first 5K, that’s 3.1 miles. Here’s a picture of me in the runners pack:

Sorry it’s so tiny, but I’m short—unfortunately a nutrient-dense diet can’t fix that! Now, my goal for the race was to finish around 25 minutes; maybe a little more, maybe a little less. In the end, I completed the course in 27 minutes and 17 seconds and I never stopped once. Mission accomplished!

Honestly, I’m shocked enough that I’m doing Yoga, but running? Running has never been my strength. I’m dense, built like a tank—me run? Please! No, seriously. Its piece of cake! I’m a running machine. On and off the treadmill I run about 12-15 miles every week.

As for my diet, I’m now a card-carrying Eat to Liver. I eat my fruits and veggies. I only consume a little low-contamination fish each month. Hardly eat any salt, sweets, bread, rice, or pasta. I avoid dairy like the plague and eating this way is delicious and I NEVER go hungry.

And the best part of all…I’m still losing weight. I’m not sure where I’ll level off, but I’m eager to find out. Although having to buy new pants every few months is a drag, but as much as I hate shopping. It’s a problem I’m happy to have. In fact, very soon I’ll be a size 32 waist, my smallest ever!

Now, a big part of my learning to Eat to Live comes from doing Eating to Live on the Outside. If you follow the series from start until present, you’ll see my diet sensibilities have changed. I went from a casual healthy-eater to downright anal about it—I can be very intense.

But to be honest, that’s the fun part. Learning to eat greatly has helped me discover lots of healthy restaurants; like Just Salads, The Natural Café, Counter, Down to Earth, and my favorite hotspot, Sacred Chow. Feast your eyes on this…

I told you, I really do eat at the places I review—being a guinea pig is underrated—and that’s why I do it folks. My hope is that in some small way I’m doing my part to inspire all of you to stay healthy and encourage others to Eat to Live!

Granted, Dr. Fuhrman—or Joel as I call him—is my boss. It’s his agenda I’m paid to promote, but I’m no mercenary. Just like all of you, I’ve been exposed to all kinds of diets and gimmicks and as coincidence would have it. Dr. Fuhrman’s approach makes the most sense to me.

Sure, you can take that with a grain of salt and I doubt I’ll ever convince the skeptics, but I’ll tell you something about me. My biggest flaw is I’m honest to a fault—just ask all my ex-girlfriends—I wear my heart on my sleeve. When I say something I mean it. I’m no shill. I’m just me, Gerry.

And Gerry is not afraid to put himself out there. Again, being a guinea pig can be a lot of fun. Now, about a week ago Dr. Fuhrman took my blood and ordered some tests. Sadly, I didn’t think about doing my “success story” beforehand, so we don't have any old results to compare them to, but nevertheless, Dr. Fuhrman suggested I flaunt my cholesterol numbers. Here they are…

Dr. Fuhrman was more than pleased with all of my results, but especially these. And I’ve got to be honest. I am really proud of myself. I’m healthy as a horse, feeling physically fit, and mentally rejuvenated, but as I just explained, I wasn’t always like this. Just ask my friend and mentor Henry Abbott of ESPN TrueHoop fame. Take it away Henry…

Oh man. When I first met Gerry, he was a smart guy. He was a hard-working guy. And he was a friendly guy. But was not what you'd call an "athletic" guy.

But man, things have changed. He's so skinny and buff and all that that it's almost hard to remember that he didn't always go for a run, or to the gym, for fun.

You might remember Henry. He was actually DiseaseProof’s first blogger and he’s the dude who hired me to write for blog. So if you don’t like my stuff you’ve got him to blame. Just kidding Henry! Thanks for your ongoing support and infinite wisdom.

Now, at first I thought it’d be cliché to ask Dr. Fuhrman to comment on my newfound health, but, I slept on it and figured what the hell. So, with out any further ado, here’s Dr. Fuhrman pulling no punches and boy does he let me have it…

Okay, so Henry introduces me to this overweight comedian who is going to write for me. Yeah right, I'm thinking to myself, he'd be more in his element writing for Pizza King or Burger Hut. Reminds me of all those cardiologists and other specialists who say to me, "Yeah, that might work for you, but none of my patients would ever do that."

I'm thinking, just because you don't see the tremendous personal benefits and enhanced enjoyment in life from eating healthy, you assume none of your patients would want to forgo bypass surgery, dialysis and dementia and learn about a great tasting disease-protective, disease-reversing, life extending diet-style.

Yet, I did almost the same thing with Gerry. I figured, about one chance in a hundred I am going to convince this junk-food addicted guy that healthful eating is worth the benefits, I thought to myself. Was I wrong! You can never sum people up and assume anything; they all deserve your best shot.

Let me point out. I actually asked Dr. Fuhrman to be very snarky in his comment. I figured the sappy success story thing was too played out—so this was perfect! This is exactly the kind of tough-talk a guy like me thrives on. Thanks Joel. As I always say, you da’ man!

Alright, its one thing when a friend and a boss tell you you’ve done good, but its something special when it comes from your mother. I mean come on! I’m an Italian guy from Jersey, oh course I’m a mama’s boy! Here’s what my mom had to say about me now…

The first words that come to mind when I look at you now is, happy and confident.

This from the women who used to scold me with a wooden spoon and then seconds later would tearfully apologize for doing it. Love you mom! But seriously, happy and confident? At my most unhealthy I was neither one of those things—far from it in fact. Those words are great to hear and they’re doubly sweet coming from my mom. Thanks mommy.

Don’t worry folks. I won’t close on a sappy note, but I will say this. When you’re feeling down and out, when it feels like life is chewing you up and spitting you out. You got to show teeth. Don’t go quietly. Don’t give in. Don’t let the standard American diet or anything else ruin your life. Don’t be another sad statistic.

Knuckle up! Put your nose to the grindstone and kick some ass. That’s what I did. Whether I’m running a 5k, attempting a difficult Yoga pose, or scanning an unfriendly restaurant menu for SOMETHING Fuhrman-friendly, I know I’ve got what it takes to live healthfully, and so do you! Keep Eating to Live my friends and thanks for letting me share my story.

I’ll be around all day to answer your questions and respond to comments. Please don’t hold back. Anything you want to know, just ask. Oh! And don’t worry. Tomorrow DiseaseProof will be back to normal; with all the news, tips, and smart-alecky remarks you can handle. Peace.

A new study claims aerobic exercise helps kids control their asthma. Megan Rauscher of Reuters is on it:

In the study of children with appropriately-treated asthma, supervised aerobic exercise training improved aerobic fitness and curbed feelings of breathlessness induced by physical activity.

Moreover, daily doses of inhaled steroids were reduced by 52 percent in children who participated in the exercise training, while the doses remained unchanged or increased for children in a comparison "control" group who did not exercise.

"Physical conditioning in asthmatic children receiving appropriate medical treatment also improved health-related quality of life, especially their asthma symptoms and exercise capacity," study author Dr. Celso R. F. Carvalho, at the University of Sao Paulo, told Reuters Health.

Sure, exercise is important, but did you know asthma can be controlled with proper nutrition? Just check out these success stories:

• Success for Twin Asthmatic Children
• Battling Asthma, Allergies, Psoriasis, and Headaches

Headaches are just awful. They can ruin your day before it even gets started. One of the pluses of Eating to Live is you hardly ever get a headache. At least I don’t. How about you? And here’s a good reason to stay headache-free. Apparently migraines are being linked to brain damage. Maggie Fox of Reuters reports:

People with migraines also may be suffering from some brain damage as brain cells swell and become starved of oxygen -- a finding that may help explain why migraine sufferers have a higher risk of stroke, researchers reported on Sunday.

Similar brain damage can occur with concussions and after strokes, the researchers said in this week's issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience.

They said their findings suggest that migraine sufferers should not simply get pain relief but should take drugs that prevent the migraine, which is often preceded by "aura" -- a series of visual disturbances that can include flashes of light or black spots.

Now, for years I thought headaches were just one of those things. Don’t know what causes them, just got to deal with them. Not so, according to Dr. Fuhrman. He’ll tell you, nutrition excellence knocks headaches and migraines right out of the box. From Eat to Live:

Recurrent headaches are not much different. They are almost always the result of nutritional folly and, like other reasons that keep doctors' offices busy, are completely avoidable.

The relationship between food triggers and migraines has been the subject of much debate, with varying results from medical researchers. Headache specialists such as Seymour Diamond, director of the Diamond Headache Clinic of Columbus Hospital, report that about 30 percent of patients can identify food triggers.1

My experience in treating migraine and severe-headache patients with a more comprehensive nutritional approach has shown that 90 to 95 percent of patients are able to remain headache-free after the first three-month period. These patients avoid common migraine triggers, but also in the healing phase they adhere to a strict natural-food vegan diet of primarily fruits and vegetables rich in natural starches like potatoes and brown rice. These patients must avoid all packaged and processed foods, which are notorious for containing hidden food additives, even though they are not disclosed on the labels. They also avoid all added salt.

I don’t know about you, but, I’d rather eat lots wholesome natural food instead of popping handfuls of high-dose ibuprofens any day of the week. Now, Dr. Fuhrman has had a lot of success treating headache and migraine suffers with nutritional excellence. Here are couple stories:

• Renee Puts a Headlock on Her Headaches
• Battling Migraine Headaches with Diet

Still want to know more? Back in January Dr. Fuhrman discussed banishing your headaches on his radio show Nutritional Wisdom. Here’s the show summary:

You can travel to one headache specialist after another and try a hundred different remedies. But if you want to understand why you get headaches and how to beat them forever listen in to this fascinating show! Dr. Fuhrman explains how eating a high-nutrient diet can alleviate headaches, which are usually associated with other health-related problems.

Continue Reading

Here’s some great news. Most Americans would prefer to treat diabetes with healthy diet and not medication. The Diabetes Blog is all over it:

According to a survey of 1,022 adults (515 women and 507 men), 69% of Americans would prefer to try a dietary approach, whereas only 21% preferred treating diabetes with medicines. The survey reinforces results from clinical research on diabetes, which has consistently found that people with diabetes adapt well to low-fat vegetarian diets and gain important health benefits. A dietary approach to diabetes based on scientific research shows that a low-fat vegan diet can lower high blood sugar levels three times more effectively than oral medications.

Well gee, I don’t know, would it work? Consider these success stories:

• Reversing Diabetes: Harnessing the Power Within Ourselves
• The Diet That Defeats Diabetes
• Frederick Conroy's Story

From the January 2003 edition of Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times:

It is always a special pleasure to see longtime patients who have been with me since my medical practice began thirteen years ago. The vibrant health of these patients is a tribute to their ongoing efforts and to the powerful healing capacity that resides in all of us.

A dramatic recovery
I remember the first time I saw Alicia. She came to me complaining of recurrent urinary tract infections. Her episodes were painful. She had been taking antibiotics every two to three months for years and had experienced no permanent relief. She was fed up with the continual infections and urinary burning and was concerned about taking antibiotics so frequently. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to stop the infections without having to keep taking the antibiotics.

I explained the role of the immune system and how it can protect us against infections and suggested to Alicia that if she followed my high-nutrient diet and eliminated all processed carbohydrates, she might be able to rid herself of this recurrent problem. As you would expect from someone who had suffered for so long, she had numerous concerns, doubts, and fears that I tried to allay. I spent time during those early visits describing the nutritional foundation of most of the illnesses that plague Americans.

Breaking the cycle
In order to break the cycle, Alicia agreed to take cranberry tablets (two to three times daily) the instant she felt any symptoms coming on. I also asked her to call me immediately to describe her symptoms, so that we could determine if she should begin a water-only fast at that time.

The goal was to see if we could provoke a heightened immune response from her body that would break the cycle. Once her nutritional status became strong enough, I knew we could overcome the bacteria with a powerful immune response. Once that was accomplished, her immune system's reaction to the bacterial antigens would be stronger in the future and more likely to prevent recurrences.

Alicia made a radical change in her diet. She included an assortment of seeds—flax, sunflower, and sesame—and ate her daily one-pound requirement of green vegetables. Like clockwork, four weeks into the plan she developed a severe infection. She phoned me, complaining of burning with urination. The discomfort was severe enough to make her want to resume her antibiotics.

Alicia's courage
I asked Alicia to wait and see if two or three days of water-only fasting would help stimulate a more powerful immune response—one that would result in a more long-term remission. She bravely agreed. By the end of the second day, the symptoms lessened, and on the third day they completely resolved. For the first time, she resolved her infection without taking any antibiotics. That was thirteen years ago, and she has not had another urinary tract infection since.

Additional successes
Over the years, Alicia resolved other health problems, too. Beginning in her teenage years and continuing into her twenties, Alicia had experienced very irregular menstrual cycles. Sometimes she went without a period for six months. Her gynecologist did some blood work and diagnosed Alicia with a form of polycystic ovary syndrome. He told her that she might have trouble having children, but not to worry because fertility drugs could help take care of that. She was not reassured.

Fortunately, after a few years of following my nutritional recommendations, Alicia's periods became more regular. She became pregnant four times (never needing medication to induce ovulation) and has four beautiful children. Her follow-up visits with her gynecologist have confirmed that she no longer has polycystic ovary syndrome.

A powerful tool
Superior nutrition is a powerful tool, one that patients and their physicians would be wise to use more regularly. I routinely see people recover from the so-called chronic illnesses that medical science only partially understands. And it always is a pleasure.

Frederick Conroy of Colorado shares his success on the Eat to Live diet:

If life is a journey, and we stop along the way to meet and dance and share knowledge and experience, the road I have been on is a search to learn how to eat properly.

This is my tale. It begins in the row houses of suburbia, with long green lawns kept up with Scott's fertilizer and new paint jobs every eight years. It is the computer age, the age of pollution and throwaways, a time when man was learning to live in natural harmony and rhythm with his world.

Have you ever woken up feeling disoriented, in the doldrums, without any energy or direction in your life? This is the state I found myself in until I met Dr. Fuhrman and I changed my lifestyle to conform to his system of natural health.

Since my twenties I had read in magazines or seen on the TV stories of people whose lives have been changed simply by the food they eat. Whether it was the nutritional advice of Adelle Davis, with her advice on whole grains or vegetables; or William Dufty in Sugar Blues, warning about the dangers of sugar and diabetes; or Frances Moore Lappe whose Diet for a Small Planet warned of the dangers of an overpopulated world of hungry malnourished people, if we continue our dependence on a national diet based on the standards of the cattlemen and dairy industries. I was interested and attracted to the logic and reasoning of the arguments made by the proponents of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, beans and other natural foods because of 1—the direct link between good nutrition and health and 2—the negative effects of fast foods, junk food.

My family history also played a key role in the decision-making process I made about my health in my adult life. My father grew up in a blue-collar Irish community in New Jersey. His family lived and worked in one of the most developed and industrialized cities in the world. Smokestacks, railroads, yards of thrown away tires and automobiles, rivers with debris which became polluted with chemicals and undrinkable. Growing up in the 1930s and 1940s they made every mistake possible. My father and his peers smoked filterless Camel cigarettes, drank alcohol, and in his youth my father pumped gas. Success was measured not by your health and living in a countryside of beauty and peace, but cars, apartments, drinking and lack of inhibition. Economics certainly do play a role in our medical hygiene and history. After World War II my father and most of his peers pulled themselves up by their bootstraps to a middle class lifestyle, moving from the blue collar homes to the suburbs.

My mother's family was a mix of German and English roots. She grew up in a New Jersey of lawn parties, canoe clubs, golf, and private schools, and even during the depression her father worked. My mother had marked good eating habits, did not smoke and drank in moderation. She was well educated. She also was active physically, and encouraged all of her offspring to exercise daily, whether it was skiing, bicycles, tennis, or marathon running.

As a result of their ecology, my father and two of my uncles died young of cancer. Today diabetes runs rampant through my remaining family, and they have serious problems with obesity and heart disease.

I was on my own trying to learn how to eat correctly. There are so many negative influences out in the world, whether it is peer influence to use alcohol, to be a couch potato, the cafeteria food we were served in high school and in universities, or the mess hall food in the Army, high in calories, low in essential fresh whole foods-—a diet centered on meat, flour, oil and sugar; not vegetables and fresh fruit. There is also the negative influence of media, television and billboards promoting fast food, soda, cookies and candies for instant gratification.

When I reached my mid-forties I had a wake up call and all of this caught up with me I developed bloody diarrhea. I got so nervous I checked myself into the Strang Cancer Center in NYC, and I thought I might die. The symptoms really frightened me. I was told I needed medications to stop the bleeding.

I was at a dead end. I was frightened and lost. I tried changing my diet and symptoms only intensified. I then did a very interesting thing which changed my life forever. I went to the book shop, and I was browsing books on medical care. Then I saw Dr Fuhrman's book, Fasting and Eating For Health. I thought awesome; it remains one of the best books I have read in my life. What could be in this? Was it a traditional Indian method of healing? Had this tradition ever been successful with people in the culture I had grown up in? It sounded like tough talk, that only a strong person would be successful at this. Yet, I was attracted to the logic of Dr. Fuhrman's arguments.

I bought the book and I began the road to recovery, immediately my symptoms disappeared. More importantly, there were no scars—or residual problems that continue after this experience.

Now ,after reading Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live, I am hooked for life. I knew this was what I needed. I think I read the entire book in about four days, it was so interesting. It remains one of the most influential and best written books of my life. Because of Dr. Fuhrman my faith in self-healing has developed to a much deeper and mature level. I believe I was guided to Dr. Fuhrman by some inner compass some sixth sense that is divine inside me. I have tried to deepen my understanding why I reached this particular conclusion, and perhaps it is because I believe in the experience of déjà vu. Maybe I have been here before.

As my health came back to me, I began to run long distances, and gradually became involved in running several half marathons and longer distances. Sometimes I feel like my life is similar to that of Diogenes, the Greek who went in search of an honest man, by carrying a lamp in broad daylight throughout Athens. From the beginning everything was right here. If I had not failed, not suffered, I would never have discovered the answer to all my health questions and the healthiest way to live and eat. I have found that when things are their worst, if we believe and sincerely search, there is an answer, a light.

On another level, I am also a little wiser now for the disinformation which was the reason that I came to this point. I believe that we should have a mature education system in this country where true information on nutrition and diet and health are available to people who want to change. This information should and would be in the hands of the media; we would blitzed by information on whole foods and vegetables; and their effect on our lives—physically, mentally, psychologically, and spiritually. This information would be on the radio, computer, TV and billboards. There would not be the need for hospitals that we have today, nor would we rely on surgery and drugs in order to correct problems which primarily arise from the foods we eat. We would learn to eat correctly as the first step to recovery, as the basic building block to a healthy world.

Even though it's only a few months old, DiseaseProof has already accumulated a pretty big library posts and podcasts on various health topics. If you ever feel like searching through those archives (either by clicking on a topic at the left and then scrolling through relevant results, or better yet typing a keyword in the search box at the upper left) you'll see there's all kinds of interesting stuff.

Here's a rundown of some of the more popular posts from our first few months:

• Ten Reasons to Keep Eating Healthy Foods Despite Today's Headlines offers important perspective, echoed by countless other nutrition experts, on a recent study that appeared to cast doubt on the benefit of a low-fat diet.
• This authoratative post features more than a dozen important studies demonstrating the link between certain foods and health. Use it as a resource.
• We have mentioned the toxin mercury in fish repeatedly, and this post has plenty fish eaters should know about.
• Parents who are trying to get their children to eat healthy food should really listen to the first episode of the DiseaseProof podcast. Dr. Fuhrman has four kids of his own, and he'll tell you practical stories about how to get your children to eat well without driving you or them crazy. There's another episode of the podcast about vitamins and supplements for kids.
• All of the success stories are inspiring and amazing. Julisa's story of defeating lupus is truly a must-read.
• The New York Times published an article questioning the role diet plays in preventing cancer. There's plenty more to the story however. Dr. Fuhrman responds. (Also, an overview of his thoughts on cancer treatments.)
• Dr. Fuhrman's article on preventing osteoperosis is full of practical advice.
• This post and its follow up have Dr. Fuhrman's thoughts about avian influenza.
• This feast included some very popular recipes. (And don't forget the magical green soup!)
• A thoughtful discussion examining the benefits of organic food.
• An overview of the diet Dr. Fuhrman recommends, with a diagram you can print out and put on your fridge!

The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study claiming that two popular arthritis supplements don't work. Gina Kolata of The New York Times reports that despite the $734 million Americans spent on glucosamine and chondroitin in 2004, trials revealed few results.

In the member section of his website, Dr. Fuhrman has said "I think glucosamine and chondroitin are safe and have some clinical evidence to show they are mildly helpful. So if they are helping you, great."

He is more interested in looking at the bigger picture. He says that poor diets can cause rheumatoid arthritis and similar conditions. Adopting a nutrient rich vegetable based diet offers you the chance to eradicate it. This is from Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat to Live:

Some people, especially other physicians, may be skeptical. There are so many exaggerated and false claims made in health field, especially by those selling so-called natural remedies. Nevertheless, it is wrong to underestimate the results obtainable through appropriate nutritional intervention. Even many of my patients with autoimmune illnesses (such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, asthma, and hyperthyrodism) are able to recover and throw away their medications.

When one of my patients who had a severe case of rheumatoid arthritis went back to her previous physician, a rheumatologist, and told him she was now well and did not require any medication, he replied, "It must just be that you are resting more." She said, "I'm not resting more. In fact, I am more active than ever because my pain is gone, and I stopped the drugs." He replied, "It's just a temporary remission; you'll be back soon with another crisis." She never went back.

He also includes this table of diseases that can be caused by poor diet.

Dietary-Caused Illnesses with High Prevalence

acne	allergies	angina
appendicitis	asthma	arthritis
atherosclerosis	constipation	colonic polyps
diabetes(adult)	diverticulosis	esophagitis
fibromyalgia	gallstones	gastritis
gout	headaches	hemorrhoids
high blood pressure	hypoglycemic symptoms	indigestion
irritable bowel syndrome	kidney stones	lumbar spine syndromes
macular degeneration	musculoskeletal pain	osteoperosis
sexual dysfunction	stroke	uterine fibroids

Carolee from Fairfax Virginia recently sent us an email exclaiming her and her son's excitement over starting Eat to Live:

I just purchased and quickly finished reading Eat To Live. I am on day three of the six-week program and enjoying it so far. I JUST got an email informing me that my copy of Disease-Proof Your Child is in the mail RIGHT NOW - I can hardly wait. I look forward to learning more about how I can feed the whole family the RIGHT way. In the meantime, my three-year-old son is eagerly joining me in gorging on veggies. This picture shows him eating his lunch: a whole-wheat pita smeared with roasted-red-pepper-hummus and stuffed with baby greens, shredded carrots and sliced red-pepper. He drank a glass of water and had a clementine for "dessert." He's clearly happy with it - I don't anticipate that he will have a difficult time with this transition.

THANK YOU SO MUCH for the work you have done to get these books out.

Carolee
Fairfax, VA

To follow up the migraine talk of yesterday, here's a success story from high school freshman Renee who conquered her chronic migraines with nutritional excellence.

When I first met Dr. Fuhrman in the end of April, let's just say I was skeptical. After seeing six neurologists and countless other doctors, I wasn't very optimistic. You see my life was turned upside down three and a half years ago.

March of 2001 I started to experience migraines that became so severe I was admitted to the hospital that August for a treatment. By that time, I had already seen many doctors and had been put on more medications than I could count.

That whole August I was unable to get a restful sleep. I was tired all the time and had a single migraine for five months straight.

I was re-admitted into the hospital the next March, that following September, and then that January with the treatment helping less and less each time. All of this caused me to miss out on most of my middle school years because I had to be tutored while in bed with my illness.

I then saw a chiropractor who thought I should go see Dr. Fuhrman. I was very skeptical when Dr. Fuhrman told me I would start to see improvements in my illness within a few months if I followed his nutritional advice. That month wasn't pretty as it included some of the worst migraines I had experienced, but as the month came to an end I started to feel a whole lot better. As the months went on I was able to attend summer camp this past summer and have spent more time with my friends then I had in years.

Today I take no medication and attend private high school as a freshman and have only missed two days because of migraines, which is amazing. Although my migraines occasionally return if I veer too much from Dr. Fuhrman's nutritional advice, I have learned that being sick is not just bad luck. I've had excellent health results from nutritional excellence.

From Dr. Fuhrman's book Eat to Live:

A patient came in for his yearly checkup. He was not overweight and had been following a vegetarian diet for years. I did a dietary review of what he ate regulary. He was eating "healthy" flaxseed waffles for breakfast, lots of pasta, whole-wheat bread, and vegan (no animal products) prepared frozen meals on a regular basis.

I spent about thirty minutes pointing out that he was certainly not following my dietary recommendations for excellent health and presented him with some menu suggestions and an outline of my nutritional prescription for superior health, which he agreed to follow.

Twelve weeks later, he had lost about eight pounds and I rechecked his lipid profile, because I didn't like the results we received from the blood test taken the day of his checkup.

The results speak for themselves:

2/1/2001

Cholesterol 230
Triglycerides 226
HDL 55
LDL 130
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio 4.18

5/2/2001

Cholesterol 174
Triglycerides 57
HDL 78
LDL 84
Cholesterol/HDL Ratio 2.23

Janice S. Lehet discusses how Eat to Live changed her life (This story originally appeared on Dr.Fuhrman.com):

"There is no failure, except in no longer trying; no defeat, except from within; no insurmountable barrier, except our own inherent weakness of purpose." Anonymous

Four months ago, I was grossly overweight, had triglyceride and cholesterol levels of nearly 400, and received reports that my liver function tests exceeded the normal range by 25%. Experiencing numbness in my face and foot, I checked into the emergency room at a local hospital fearing that I might have been experiencing a stroke. I don't think I had a stroke since I was released after an overnight stay, but my admittance to Hunterdon Medical Center in Flemington, New Jersey changed my life.

After ten years of knowing that I had diabetes, I had regressed to a position of taking three daily potent time release pills to manage my glucose levels in spite of my sincere efforts to manage the disease as carefully as possible. I found that as my pill intake increased so did my glucose levels. Still, my doctors continued to increase the medicine's dosage in spite of my discussions with them about articles in the New York Times and other publications revealing that the drug could potentially cause heart failure and kidney disease. One doctor dismissed the articles and touted the benefits of taking the drugs, again weighing such "benefits" against the deleterious effects of the disease.

The pills prescribed to lower my triglycerides and cholesterol levels ravaged my body with pain since I was among the small percentage of patients who cannot safely tolerate statin drugs. Still, the doctor who prescribed the drugs kept changing the prescriptions to other statins, which caused the same symptoms.

As I noted the drugs' potential side effects that I had read about on the Internet, my doctor at the time advised me, "Stay off the Internet. You need to take these or suffer the consequences." Then, he gave me several packets of Baycol. Of course, Baycol was removed from the market because of its serious side effects! Luckily, I had graciously taken the packets but never ingested them.

I don't believe that traditional doctors mean to overmedicate their patients. I believe that they do the best they can based on their training and current medical practices. Most doctors follow a specific path according to having always treated illnesses by medicating their patients. I must add in their favor that some modern medicines have prolonged the human life span even though medicines are not the "magic bullet" for all patients or all diseases.

I need to mention that I did try a nutritional approach to management throughout my bout with diabetes, and I committed myself fully to following the advice of those nutrition professionals. I now believe that I did not receive suitable or even accurate advice in both of the programs. My previous nutritionist kept telling me how "great" my diet was although my glucose average kept rising.

I believe I am an example that Type 2 diabetics can reverse their disease, but only the most courageous and innovative thinkers in the medical profession can help us free ourselves of medicine and direct us to healing our own bodies by eliminating the causes of the disease. I found such a doctor in Joel Fuhrman, M.D.!

Dr. Fuhrman, a board-certified family physician in private practice in New Jersey who specializes in preventing and reversing disease through nutritional and natural methods, had recently opened an office at the hospital's professional center, and I read about his work in reversing patients' diseases while I was waiting to leave the hospital.

In mid-June, I had my first appointment with Dr. Fuhrman who put me on a nutritional plan phasing in specific kinds of healthy foods, supplements and exercise as part of a program that worked wonders for me within a four month period. By July, I had lost 11 pounds. By August, I had lost 21 pounds and reduced my serum cholesterol to 180 and my glucose level to a thirty-day average of 110. Now, in October, my thirty-day average is 103. To date, I have lost 40 pounds and still plan to lose an additional ten since the plan is so easy to follow.

Under the guidance of this knowledgeable physician, I found that I had the power within myself to be healthy and diabetes free once again. The journey to restored good health took only four months under Dr. Fuhrman's direction.

I sincerely hope that my personal renaissance-my delivery to excellent health-will be an inspiration of hope to many other senior citizens and others who suffer from Type 11 diabetes, high triglycerides, high cholesterol, and/or potential liver or kidney failure or worse. At age 66, I am now in better health than I was twenty years ago since I no longer have diabetes, high serum cholesterol levels or high triglycerides, and I am medicine free.

At this writing, I find myself in excellent health once again. I feel great and look six dress sizes better-since I literally plummeted from a size 12 to a size 6 within the first three months under Dr. Fuhrman's care. Most important, is that I have enormous energy and can complete five miles of rigorous exercise on my tread mill within an hour with little effort each day. I feel better now than I did at age 50!

Dr. Fuhrman is one of our country's leading experts on nutrition and natural healing. I feel lucky to have discovered him. He has appeared on hundreds of radio and television shows including Good Morning America, CNN, Good Day NY, TV Food Network and many more. He has been interviewed for Esquire, Woman's World Magazine, Food and Wine, Ebony, Health Confidential, Mothering Magazine, Health Science, Bottom Line, and many others.

Dr. Fuhrman is committed to sharing his formula for successful diabetes reversal through this book, for diabetics, this is a "must own" publication. I can testify to that-by my "new" body, my flood of energy, my good health, and the knowledge I have gained that will help me control my own future health. I am a living example that Dr. Fuhrman's writings and practices are most effective!

A footnote: To those senior citizens who feel that it is too late to improve their health, I point them to Alexander Graham Bell who said,

"Sometimes we stare at a door that is closing that we see too late the one that is open."

Here's a great e-mail that recently came into Dr. Fuhrman's office:

I just wanted to tell you that I've been eating primarily a vegan diet for the last seven months, with a lot of it being raw fruits and veggies.

I have personally dropped ten pounds, and feel great. I really didn't need to lose this weight, but I am loving it! I am 5'2" and now weigh 112lbs. That being said, I workout almost everday so I am also a lot of muscle.

Recently my HDL increased substatially as well, which is truly amazing. My fiance has lost over thirty pounds, and I am so proud of him!

I also find your way of practicing medicine ideal. I am personally a pharmaceutical rep and promote a diabetic medicine. It is interesting to me the corelation between diabetes and eating. You would also be amazed at the offices I call on. When I order healthy, vegetarian lunches for offices, they complain that it's not some deep fried chicken choice! And these are the same people who are telling their patients to eat well.

It's astonishing. I am constantly being picked on in these same offices for my dietary choices too! It's weird. This is the problem with our society today. It's easier for physicians to just throw medications at patients, rather then really consult with them about diet and exercise.

That being said, those that do consult with these patients--a lot of the patients are not compliant. It's like asking an alcoholic to quit drinking. These behavioral patterns are embedded early into these patients.

I want to tell you thank you for all the good work you do. If more people followed your advice, we would find Americans would be living much healthier, productive lives. Let's face it: diabetes and cancer are expensive! Seeing the typical diabetic will be on about six medicines, if not more!

Thank you.

Tor from California shares his encouraging results: (Share your milestones)

I have been on a vegan diet for the past 13 years and just turned 40. In honor of that momentous event, I had a physical exam and blood work done and discovered that my total cholesterol was 155 and LDL was 101. After reading Dr. Fuhrman's book on cholesterol and heart disease, I realized I could do better, so I incorporated pomegranate juice into my diet (approximately 4 oz/day) and started supplementing with Dr. Fuhrman's LDL Protect formula (three times per day at meals). My latest cholesterol results are 115 for the total and 68 for the LDL, both of which are a significant improvement. Next steps include a more full implementation of the diet Dr. Fuhrman recommends in Eat to Live (ETL) - at home I eat close to an ETL diet, but I still fall prey to the siren song of restaurant food too frequently. In 2006, I hope to eat even better than I am now.

With best wishes and gratitude for your important work.

Tor

Lucille talks about her first big win with Eat to Live: (Send us your accomplishments too)

Well, my first big win on Eat to Live (ETL) is that I am LOSING weight. I had gone on a vegetarian diet so many times and always gained weight. So I said....well, I guess that's not for me. But I'm very, very pleased with the results so far - about 4 pounds in less than 2 weeks.

I notice I fall asleep faster and wake more rested. I don't crave anything. I may look in the freezer at some ice cream but then I say...nah. Today I saw a huge chocolate cake at work and I just shrugged. I won't say it wasn't tempting but the awareness of how I would FEEL in about 20 minutes stopped me cold. But also, I really didn't crave it. I can't tell you how much cake and desserts I used to eat at gatherings. I'd keep going back to stuff myself. If someone talked to me, I couldn't wait to get rid of them so I could go back to the dessert table.

I eat less at meals, too. I used to feel like a pig because I couldn't stop eating. Now I know it's because I wasn't being nourished.

Before ETL, it had gotten excruciating to walk up and down the stairs - my knees hurt bad. Now it's about 60% better. It's only been 2 weeks.

My husband is coming around, too. He stopped making French fries and he eats salad every night.

I can honestly say I've found it. It's not difficult at all to eat like this. And I love preparing the food. I made the anti-cancer soup - outrageous! I never dreamed dishes with no oil could taste that good.

I have a long way to go but I know I'll get there.

Lucille

Here's an inspiring success story from Roz: (Email us your story!)

My name is Roz and I was diagnosed 30 years ago with Crohn's disease and colitis, I also was in severe pain, throwing up and having no control over my bowels. I was told then that I would need to have a large portion of my intestine removed because of a near blockage and a fistula. I had known back then of this way of living and eating and fasting and opted to by pass the doctor's treatment and did my first fast at one of the certified fasting practitioners. My disease was put in remission and the scar tissue in the intestine had flaked away opening up the area and the blockage was no longer. The fistula closed and I was educated on eating a vegetarian diet. Since then I have fasted at many institutes throughout the United States. However I have continually had periodic inflammation in my blood, suffered from acute depression all my life, was listless and continued eating dairy products and junk foods from the health stores. I continued having a weight problem. I may have developed some serious health conditions down the road with some of these conditions if I had not had a terrible relapse a few years ago.

At that time I developed more severe pain than I had 30 years ago and the doctors said I would have to go on drugs or I would be in serious trouble. My sedimentation rate of my blood skyrocketed.

Prior to this event in my life, the depression had gotten so out of hand I was suffering on a daily basis and was not able to perform even the simplest of tasks. I contacted Dr. Fuhrman whom I had gone to and worked with occasionally when I lived closer to his office. He immediately ran some tests and put me on supplements, one of which was DHA. I had never taken any supplements in my life and the first month I did not notice a change but one day I realized how great I was functioning. From that day to this I have not experienced any depression and this is the longest ever in my life I have not. It is several years that I have felt wonderfully free from this debilitating emotional illness.

So when this crisis came about with the Crohn's and colitis I called Dr. Fuhrman for his advise. During our consult he advised me to try some fasts at home under his watchful supervision and with monitoring my blood. This began the transformation of my health and my life. I have been continuing regular fasts at home under his care and have become a vegan. Something I never dreamed I could do. With his help I have found new recipes and new ways of cooking and preparing delicious meals that are so satisfying and so healthy. He has also taught me why certain foods are beneficial which makes eating more healthful easier. This has become a lifestyle I will never give up. The pain went away. In fact one doctor who tested me prior to me working with Dr. Fuhrman actually told me I needed to have my gall bladder removed. Thank God I did not listen to that one. I feel wonderful. No pain. Have energy. Lost all my weight. My sed rate has dropped considerably although I have to be monitored on a regular basis to keep it down. I continue to take periodic fasts under Dr. Fuhrman's care and continue to see positive results on a regular basis. And then there is that wonderful forum where I get support from others who follow the Eat to Live lifestyle. I cannot say enough great things about the care and concern Dr. Fuhrman has for not only myself but for everyone he works with. I am blessed and I am grateful for I have been given and real golden opportunity to live out the rest of my life in the highest level of health possible. And I owe it all to that wonderful doctor. Dr. Joel Fuhrman.

Roz

DiseaseProof recently sent out e-mail requests for success stories. (E-mail us yours!) One of the first to respond was Michael from the Bahamas:

Started reading your book (Eat to Live), 12 November 2005. Strarted the diet (new way of eating - 6 week plan) 2 December 2005. Weighed 266lbs. To date, 28th December, down to 248lbs (lost 18 lbs). Two more weeks to go. Energy through the roof. Asthma gone.

More than 1.5 million people will have a heart attack this year with about 1 million deaths due to heart disease. This amounts to another needless death every 30 seconds. In 1997 the direct medical costs attributed to heart disease came to 59 billion--more than any other medical condition. Drugs, medical procedures and surgery are the recommended approach to deal with heart disease in America. As a result, the demand for high-tech expensive, but largely ineffective, medical care is high, causing medical costs and insurance rates to skyrocket. The medical answer to heart disease is both financially devastating and futile. An entire industry has blossomed to attempt to deal with the dangers of heart-disease-causing food. It wouldn't be so bad if patients were told there was another option that was more effective and could reverse heart disease and protect their life with certainty. If good information was distributed to all patients, then they could choose which road was right for them.

If all the physicians in America gave patients this information, we would have a new major problem. The patients would get well, the doctors and hospitals would lose most of their business and the drug companies would lose billions. People would have to be re-trained for new careers as a multi-billion dollar industry would lose almost all of its customers. Not a likely scenario. Nevertheless, my goal is to recruit an army of heart-disease-proof individuals, who will be winners in the war against unnecessary heart disease deaths.

High cholesterol and resultant heart disease is a far too common problem--but it is both preventable and reversible. The risk of cardiovascular disease, resulting in a heart attack or embolic stroke, is directly related to your cholesterol level.

Today's cardiac protective recommendations are:
-LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dl
-Total cholesterol below 150 mg/dl

Unfortunately, less than 10% of adults in the United States meet this requirement and heart disease and stroke kill more people than all other causes of death combined.

Dramatic cholesterol lowering results, without drugs

In my medical practice, I have helped thousands of patients successfully lower their cholesterol levels without drugs. I recommend that my patients lower their cholesterol through natural methods whenever possible, using prescription drugs only when absolutely necessary because of their potentially serious side effects. Almost all of my patients prefer this judicious approach and it is very rare that they are not able to achieve these protective levels naturally.

Hundreds of my patients have dropped their cholesterol into the favorable range and protected themselves against heart disease, without drugs, using my methods.

Just for an example, in one day, last month I had five patients who dropped their LDL cholesterol below 100 mg/dl. Don't forget, this was just one day in my practice!

Not only did all these individuals have dangerously high cholesterols, but each patient also reported numerous health problems. Peggy suffered from chronic anemia, Eugene was tired all the time, Keith had chronic heart burn and allergies, and Maria had become severely ill from a statin drug prescribed to her by her prior physician. These four patients needed help and they realized that prescription drugs were risky and not the answer. They all returned to my office between 6 and 8 weeks after their first visit and this is what we found.

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• Kids are selling contraband junk food in schools, and one teen has an idea how to stop it.
• Tamiflu's active ingredient is an extract of the star anise plant. Thinking it might offer them protection against bird flu, people are stocking up on star anise--even though not one expert National Geographic could find thinks it will help.
• An interesting discussion of chicken pox vaccine.
• Research: Exposure to an agricultural chemical is associated with increased lung cancer risk.
• Kids need exercise, so now they have their own gyms.
• A little story about someone becoming a vejunktarian--eating a vegetarian junk food diet--and having their cholesterol go up. Dr. Fuhrman to the rescue.

Mike lived many years of his life in pain. By the time he was age 36, his back was such a problem for him that he could not sit for very long. For weeks at a time, he had to hire a driver to take him to work each day, so he could lie down in the back seat. He saw a chiropractor three times a week, and went to a rheumatologist for prescriptions for pain medications and muscle relaxants. He traveled to New York City to see specialists -- osteopaths and orthopedic surgeons -- who he thought could help him with his pain. X-rays of his back showed degenerative back disease, and, in addition to his back pain, his knees and hips bothered him, too.

By the time Mike came to see me, he was age 46. He weighed 236 lbs., his cholesterol was 245 mg/dl, and he frequently complained of burning when he urinated, the cause of which no doctor could discern. As you might imagine, he was sick of suffering ill health and disability at such a young age and hoped I could help him.

His was certainly not an unusual case. Many Americans suffer with similar complaints. What makes Mike's case atypical is that he followed my nutritional recommendations and persevered until he achieved a complete recovery. His urinary problems ended after about six weeks. After one year, he weighed 178 lbs. and his cholesterol came down to 190 mg/dl. Unfortunately, his chronic back complaints and joint aches had not yet gone away.

To his credit, Mike did not let the continual back and joint problems dissuade him from his commitment to a healthy lifestyle. He enjoyed the high-nutrient diet and lifestyle I designed for him and was firmly committed to healthful eating for the rest of his life. After two years, he weighed 168, his cholesterol was 175, he no longer had knee and hip complaints, and he had noted a definite improvement with his back problem. Over the next year, his back aches simply faded away. Now, five years after first seeing me as a patient, Mike feels terrific. His total cholesterol is down to 160, he goes to the gym, does abdominal and back exercises, and can drive around in his car without any problems.

This story originally appeared in Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times newsletter.

One of Dr. Fuhrman's patients sent in the following story a few years ago. It appeared previously in his Dr. Fuhrman's Healthy Times newsletter.:

As a graduate student in the mid-1980s, I suffered from asthma, headaches, and allergies. I took the oral medication theophylline, plus two inhaled medications for my asthma, Tylenol for my headaches, and Sudafed for my allergies. I developed bronchitis at least once each year, for which I took antibiotics and sometimes codeine. After a while, I developed recurring migraine headaches, for which I tried the standard medication.

My diet had always been fairly mainstream. I had experienced many food allergies throughout my life, and found that raw fruits and vegetables made my tongue, throat, and the inside of my mouth itchy and uncomfortable. As a result, I ate all of my vegetables cooked, except for lettuce, cucumbers, and tomatoes. I avoided fruit altogether, hoping to prevent allergic reactions. As years went by, I became more aware of the importance of healthful eating and improved my diet somewhat. But it wasn't until after my first child was born that I found out about a truly healthful approach to eating.

My son was born in 1994. By the time he was 18 months old, he was on antibiotics and suffering with his fourth ear infection. Fortunately, I was referred to Joel Fuhrman, M.D. After one consultation with Dr. Fuhrman, I changed my son's diet. He has never suffered another ear infection.

After reading a few articles and information sheets about nutrition by Dr. Fuhrman, and attending one of his lectures, I began to make small changes in my diet. For one thing, I began to eat a large salad with my lunch every day, without fail. I felt a little bit healthier, but I still wasn't committed to following all of Dr. Fuhrman's nutritional advice. The real turning point for me came when Dr. Fuhrman helped me through a severe sinus infection. Only then did I realize I had found an expert on whom I could confidently rely for tangible benefits.

I often got a cold early in the winter. My sinuses would clog up, and I would feel uncomfortable for months. Dr Fuhrman gave me a menu plan of nothing but raw fruits and vegetables, and stated that my sinuses likely would clear in three days. I pointed out that this condition had already lasted almost two months, to which he replied it might take as long as ten days. I followed his instructions exactly, and one week later my sinuses were clear. I was hooked; I use this method whenever I catch a cold and have not had bronchitis or sinusitis since. No more antibiotics for me!

There were more benefits to come. I had my second child in 1999, and during the pregnancy I developed psoriasis. I consulted with a dermatologist who put me on a strong steroidal ointment. When I told Dr. Fuhrman about it, he increased my intake of omega-3 by adding a tablespoon of ground flaxseed and a handful of walnuts each day, increased the amount of vegetables, and had me totally eliminate milk products. The outbreaks came less frequently, which was good, but they didn't go away completely. By the time 2002 rolled around, I was totally fed up with the psoriasis (and using steroid creams). So I went back to Dr. Fuhrman again and asked how I could really fix it. He put me on what I call my "green diet," which is essentially the same as the diet he recommends in his book Eat To Live.

These days, I eat a pound of raw veggies (mostly leafy greens) and a pound of cooked green veggies each day, with unlimited fruits and beans, and eat only a small amount of starchy vegetables and grains. I consume no extracted oils, about one half an avocado, and only a small amount of raw, unsalted nuts and seeds in addition to my flaxseed and walnuts. I include eggs and fish in my diet about once each week.

On this plan, my psoriasis has mostly disappeared, reoccurring only when I deviate from my diet and include too many starches. Even then, it is much milder. I can use the ointment for a few days and the psoriasis won't reappear for months. I feel good. Headaches, asthma, bronchitis, and severe allergies are in the past. I take no medications and breathe easily. Although I did not switch all at once to Dr. Fuhrman's recommended diet, each step I took was permanent. I have made steady improvements in my health over the course of sixteen years. This step-by-step approach has worked wonders for me.

The diagnosis and treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has skyrocketed in recent years, with a tremendous increase in the percentage of our elementary school children who are taking amphetamines and stimulants such as Ritalin, Adderall, Concerta, Cyclert, and others. These medications, with their reported adverse effects and potential dangers, were simply unnecessary for so many children whom I have seen as patients. I have witnessed consistently positive results when these children followed a comprehensive program of nutritional excellence.

One such success story involves George Grant, age eleven, the nicest and most polite boy you would ever meet. Although his parents reported an improvement in his concentration and behavior since beginning Ritalin two years prior to his appointment with me, they were unsatisfied. George had frequent headaches and stomachaches from the medication, and he had tried the other stimulant medications and found that the same problems occurred.

I enjoyed meeting George and talking to him; he was surprisingly mature and interested in his school performance, and did not want his grades to suffer. I told them that it would take about three to six months to really evaluate whether nutritional intervention would work as effectively as the Ritalin, but there was one thing I could promise them: George would feel better, sleep better, have a better appetite, and his headaches and stomachaches would go away within a few weeks with high-nutrient eating.

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Asthma is an inflammatory disorder of the lungs that has skyrocketed in incidence and mortality worldwide in recent years, doubling within the last 30 years in children. Suffering and deaths continue to rise in spite of declines in air pollution. An amazing 16 percent of children develop asthma, according to a 2001 survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I've written before about the dramatic effect a nutritional diet can have on a child's asthma. Jonathan, another patient of mine, serves as another example.

Jonathan is an eight-year-old third grader who had developed asthma when he started first grade two years earlier. He was seen by his pediatrician and given a nebulizer, and later inhaled steroids, to deal with recurrent episodes of wheezing and the inability to exercise without fatigue and breathing difficulties.

Jonathan was an excellent student and was keenly interested in learning how what he ate affected his health and his breathing problem. At the initial visit to my office, Jonathan was instructed on using a spacer with an inhaler and was taken off his three times a day nebulizer treatments. I told him his recovery hinged on the amount of green vegetables he was capable of eating. He was more than cooperative. This eight-year-old said to me, "I will eat dirt if you can fix my breathing." So I said, "How about if I give you great-tasting real food to fix your asthma. You can be a lot better within a year." Jonathan is now in fourth grade. It took about eight months until he no longer required any medication. He is now the picture of health and uses no inhalers or other asthma medications.

This anecdotal case is not the same thing as a double-blind study, but when you consider the overwhelming evidence in the scientific literature and then apply that knowledge to real kids with medical difficulties, you see lots of great kids who have made impressive recoveries from their allergies and asthma after a year or two of nutritional intervention.

The story of Jonathan (not his real name) is from Disease-Proof Your Child.

Ear infection, or otitis media, is the most common medical problem for children in the United States, and is the most common reason for prescribing antibiotics for infants and children. The typical doctor does not take care to avoid the overuse of these potentially dangerous drugs, and he does not champion nutritional excellence to prevent future infections.

When Stephanie Rogers, a typical seven-year-old girl, became my patient, her parents handed me a printout from the local pharmacy documenting the filling of 67 rounds of antibiotics at the cost of $1,643.80 by the ripe age of seven. Once the pediatric group started prescribing the antibiotics for minor complaints of fever and cough, it escalated to ear infections, sinus infections, and finally visits to the ear specialist by the age of four. She received 15 separate prescriptions of antibiotics when she was five years old. The first year she was my patient, the entire family changed its diet style. Stephanie went along for the ride and did fine. I did use an antibiotic once for her that next winter, when she had a persistent high fever and a red painful eardrum; however, that was the last time an antibiotic prescription was necessary. Luckily, Stephanie has been free of antibiotics ever since.

An international study following more than 3,000 children treated by general practitioners in nine countries showed that antibiotics did not improve the rate of recovery from ear infections. But nearly 98 percent of U.S. physicians in the survey prescribed antimicrobials routinely, the biggest percentage of all countries surveyed.

As a result of accumulating evidence documenting the dangers of antibiotics and their overuse, new guidelines for treating ear infections in children were just released from a joint effort of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics. These guidelines represent a major shift in policy and thinking by physician leadership. The guidelines encourage doctors to initially manage the pain and not prescribe antibiotics for children with ear infections and to defer antibiotic use for the sicker children who are not improving two or three days later. I hope doctors will heed this message.

The story of Stephanie Rogers (not her real name) is from the book Disease-Proof Your Child.

Here is a fun letter Dr. Fuhrman recently received from Janine Kroner--the mother of one of his patients.

Dr. Fuhrman,

I thought you might like to hear a cute story related to your vegetable soup and your carb advice you gave me for our son, who is our track star.

Back in May when you started treating our daughter, our son decided to apply proper eating toward his track program. He eats your vegetable soup, or what our kids have now renamed the "Green" soup, everyday. Well he had an amazing spring track season and we would jokingly say it was the green soup with a chuckle. His track friends/teammates found out about it and decided they wanted the soup. It is now cross country season and two of his teammates asked to come for dinner the night before yesterday's meet and have Green soup, sweet potatoes, and pasta. So the three boys ate us out of house and home, hoping the Green soup would work its magic. Well, yesterday the boys had their first meet and won. It was not even close. Not only did they win, but their times were great. When they recovered from the run, they came over to me all excited and said it was the soup. They have now decided they would like to have Green soup parties instead of pasta parties before big meets. Two other moms came to me and asked for the recipe. I found it all pretty entertaining, but hey who knows maybe we're on to something.

Actually, all three of these young men are amazing athletes who have trained hard for months and I do think they would have done well yesterday without the soup, but if it gets them to eat right let there be soup!

Very best,

Janine Kroner

Here is the version of Dr. Fuhrman's soup recipe that Janine uses:

Kale and Collards
Swiss Chard
Broccoli rabe
3 stalks leeks
Broccoli sprouts
Mushrooms diced
3 carrots, diced
3 parsnips, diced
4 zucchini
Spit peas 1/2 cup
Lentils 1/2 cup
Adzuki beans 1/2 cup
3 onions
celery juice 10 oz.
carrot juice 20 oz.
30 oz water
Vogue - Vegebase 2 tablespoons (Whole Foods will have this)

-Fill large pot with water, juices, and two tablespoons of VegeBase.
-Put peeled onions, unpeeled zucchinis, carefully cleaned leeks and beans in large pot, and simmer unt