most rewarding patient interaction I experience on close to a daily basis
because these patients typically recover very quickly. A couple of examples will
suffice, as there is not much to say about headache case histories, except that
if the patients do what I tell them to do, their headaches quickly disappear. So
often, before the patients have been referred to me, they have seen a
neurologist or other physician, who besides treating them with the typical drugs
has ordered or recommended an MRI scan of the brain. I typically tell patients
to hold off on these expensive tests for a few days while they follow my
program and, invariably, they feel well in a short period of time.
Kate was a 42-year-old woman with a 20-year history of severe and frequent
migraine headaches. When she first came to see me she was taking Fiorinal
and Repan on a regular basis as prescribed for her condition. She was also
taking Deconsal for sinusitis and allergic rhinitis.
Kate started the migraine-reversal diet, and at the next visit three weeks
later reported that her headaches as well as her chronic sinus condition had
completely cleared. She no longer needed medications. She experienced only
one further episode, the day after the first visit, and has had no further
symptoms.
Kate later told me that for the first time in her life she was able to fast during
Yom Kippur (the Jewish holiday of atonement). Prior to this year she
experienced an excruciating headache and other hypoglycemic symptoms
whenever she attempted to fast.
Nancy, a 34-year-old woman, also had recurrent migraine headaches. They
were especially troublesome and severe around her menstrual periods. Her
headaches were accompanied by nausea and a desire to vomit. She was using
Xanax, and Repan as prescribed by her former physician. Nancy started a
Phase I diet and was tapered off the medications. Her headaches quickly
disappeared, and she has not had another problem with headaches since
instigating this program. An added benefit was that her periods were no longer
painful.
These patients did not need to stay on the Phase I diet for long. Other foods
were quickly introduced, and they remained symptom-free.
Occasionally when people's symptoms are very severe and they wish to
accelerate their recovery, they can begin with a two- to three-day fast,
followed by the recommended diet. If the headaches do not resolve completely
from their lives after following the plan described here, a longer, medically
supervised fast for a more adequate detoxification must be considered.
Occasionally a patient with a severe condition may require a more prolonged
fast to clear out the retained wastes that are causing the problem. For
example, when Gordon came to see me he had already consulted with dozens
of renowned physicians for his severe headaches and facial pain. He was taking
16 Percocet tablets (a powerful narcotic) and 2 Klonopin tablets (a tranquilizer)
daily. His headache, accompanied by piercing pain, never left him for a minute.
If he did not take high doses of narcotics, the pain was unbearable and he had
no normal existence. Because of his severe problem, he was forced to leave his
job. He and his family were in financial distress. Besides unsuccessfully trying
every headache medication in the book, he had undergone facial and sinus
surgery, temporal artery bypass, and injections with nerve-blocking
medications, all without improvement to his excruciating condition.
After starting a simple plant-based diet, I slowly weaned Gordon off his
medications over a month-long period. His facial pain was very severe without
the narcotics and I placed him on a fast as soon as possible. Within a few days
of fasting all his pain resolved. So that he could more completely detoxify, I
extended his fast for an additional two weeks. He is now back working and for
the first time in 20 years is pain-free.
Our bodies try hard to keep us healthy. When disease-causing .stresses are
removed, the natural healing and self-repairing powers of the body begin to
work unhindered. This self-repair and self-cleansing occurs most efficiently in
sleep and when the body is no longer working hard or digesting food. During
these times, the system can more effectively devote its efforts to
housecleaning and the elimination of retained wastes.
No comments:
Post a Comment