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[Jerry B <liberty AT kaballero.com>]

Akka,

Genes, virus, bacteria?  More likely fried pies. The oils and refined 
carbohydrates and the resultant poisons produced by high heat are known 
to limit and change immune systems, even telomeres and genes. Most of 
these viruses and bacteria are prevalent everywhere, and within every 
body. It is the increased susceptibility to them that causes the 
problem, such as with stomach ulcers.  Stress and inadequate nutrition 
makes some persons susceptible to the virus. Same with infection in 
arteries and veins which is now known to cause plaque build-ups.

I simply do not believe as you do about 'cure'.  Another 'therapy' I 
have studied closely and have concluded is valid is the Max Gerson 
Cancer therapy which continues to have great results "curing" almost all 
forms of cancer, and all types with the same dietary program ... huge 
quantities of vegetable juices and a radically restricted diet, at least 
until healing occurs. The medical genius Albert Schweitzer  refers to 
what Gerson's method did for both him and his wife as "cures".  There 
are many well documented cases of persons who were brought to treatment 
centers with 'incurable' cancers, even on stretchers, with a prognosis 
of a few days at the most. After following the treatment plan they 
recovered and lived full lives thereafter, like twenty or thirty years.  
The bonus was that such diseases as arthritis, both rheumatoid and 
osteoporosus types, heart problems and many other diseases went into 
"remission" as well, and never returned. I don't imagine it was very 
important to such persons whether their new found heath was defined as 
'cure' or 'remission'.

BTW, my wife and I were living in Pennsylvania at the time, not far from 
Princeton, New Jersey where Dr Furhman has his practice. He told my wife 
that if she chose to, she could enter the fasting clinic, but 
recommended trying the dietary measures first.

As I said, health is a very personal matter and choice. I am presently 
having to chose not to bring home bread, pasta, and even Bryer's Vanilla 
ice cream because of my high triglyceride levels... foods I still love 
and find hard to resist if they are before my eyes.  I have 
unquestionably, to me, linked my bouts of atrial fibrillation to what I 
am eating daily, even though my elderly heart specialist snickers about 
it. I figure my health is my own responsibility, and luckily, I think we 
are so made that the body can indeed *cure* itself given what nature 
used to create it.   Jerry B

---------------


Akka Homestead wrote:
> Gene, this is long, so just go ahead and delete it.
>
> First, I want to respond to Lynn's comments..
> I don't know about the word 'cured', but I do believe that poor diets
> cause genetic switches to activate positively or negatively.  Sometimes
> that might be reversible, sometimes not.  In general, though, I think
> diet is very important to healthy living; eating healthy prevents
> problems for both adults and children.  Oh, and Lynn, the latest thing I
> read was that RA and other AI diseases might be caused by a virus or
> bacteria-I believe it was a strep strain, can't remember..  Viruses are
> like diets in that they, too, can flip genetic switches, perhaps
> bacteria do as well.
>
> Now, to Jerry,
>
>   
> > Several years ago now, my wife "suddenly" began having excruciating 
> > joint attacts that two different doctors, after tests, diagnosed as 
> > rheumatoid arthritis.  She  became bed-ridden for days at a time.
> >     
>
> There are a lot of different types of RA based on what allele you have
> and whether or not you are RF+ or RF-, etc. etc..  Saying you have RA is
> kind of like saying you have cancer, the prognosis is different
> depending on what you have, so is the treatment.
>
> These
>   
> > specialists considered the condition 'incurable' but possible to live
> >   with using steroids which they prescribed.
> >     
>
> All RA is incurable.  Steroids are the second tier treatment after
> NSAIDS.  It is horrible and archaic(IMO).  I hated prednisone, with is
> what they usually prescribe.  They did nothing for me, except make me
> gain weight which actually made my _osteo_arthritis flare up.  I hate
> oral steroids.
>
>
> Instead, after reading his
>   
> > book, my wife and I drove to New Jersy to see a Dr. Joel Furhman, a
> > MD who we have since learned is a mentor to Dr. Oz of Oprah Winfrey
> > fame. He has made a name and practice for himself curing rheumatoid
> > arthritis and other systematic conditions such as diabetis and severe
> > heart problems.
> >     
>
> I've read the book _Fasting and Eating for Health_, by Fuhrman.  To be
> clear, he is not talking about a cure.  There is no cure.  He is talking
> about remission.  For some types of RA, remission is possible and diet
> plays a bit part, for sure.  His method of fasting is a jump start, and
> the water is extremely important to flush the body and lubricate
> connective tissue.  I believe he calls it something like 'resetting the
> immune response' or something.  But even Fuhrman says that diet cannot
> always reverse RA or the damage RA causes.  His methods work best as a
> preventative or at the latest when the disease first rears it's head,
> but there is no guarantee.
> Generally, though, I think he is on the right track.  I know that I
> crave blueberries and other high anti-oxidant foods and juices (cherry
> juice is wonderful) and when I eat those foods, I do feel better, less
> achey, more mentally clear.  Whenever I eat a lot of dairy products, and
> I do love my cheese, sour cream, and milk, I have to admit that I can
> tell a difference as to the inflammation in my fingers and toes.
> I'm impressed that you actually went to see this guy.
>
>
>   
> > My wife followed closely the diet he wrote out for her, and took a
> > few supplements.  Within a very few weeks, all symptoms were gone.
> > Actually they have never returned, which I attribute to the fact that
> > we still pretty much loosely follow his recomendations.  In the
> > treatment stage it required being more strict to overcome the effects
> > of many years of other ways of eating and practice. The results for
> > my wife however began almost immediately.
> >     
>
> I'm guessing that she fasted first..
> I'm really glad that your wife's disease is in remission and that
> dietary changes worked well for her.  RA is no picnic.   Some folks just
> have a little stiffness that goes away after a few hours or with a
> little exercise, hot shower, etc., and then some people have serious
> organ complications.  Since the mid 70's I had wanted RK/then Lasik
> surgery to correct my extreme nearsightedness.  When I finally got the
> money to do it a few years ago, I learned that I was no longer a
> candidate.  I have RA generated scleritis.
>
>
>   
> > Our next door neighbor also takes Enbrel, which has made his greatly
> >   deformed hands bearable over the years he has used it.
> >     
>
> Once RA creates a deformity, there is no going back.  The deformity is
> what happens when RA goes untreated, rather, unmodified.  Steroids,
> gold, methotrexate, none of that stuff stops the disease..it only treats
> the inflammation and maybe reduces the pain.  Biologics like Enbrel,
> Remicade, Kineret, etc. actually modify the disease and send it into
> remission.  In just a few month's time, my pinky finger deformed. I
> still have nodules in my elbows, knees, feet, and godonlyknows where
> else, but I am in remission and I am good.  I try to eat healthy because
> I have a reduced immune system from the drug, and as long as I stay well
> and don't get the flu or some kind of infection, I do well.
>
>
>  I think the
>   
> > treatment costs are in the thousands of dollars each time it is 
> > administered.  He is insured.
> >     
>
> It is very expensive.  I personally think it is being over-prescribed
> now.  When I first started taking it, I was the only 'prescribee' at my
> pharmacy-they had to special order it for me.  Now, according to the
> pharmacist, he has about 25 customers on it.  Of course, now, it is used
> for more than RA...it is being used for psoriasis, and most recently I
> heard that it improves Alzheimers.
> It is not without risk.  I have a higher rate of contracting cancer from
> being on it.  You probably think it is stupid, but after smoking for 27
> years, increasing my cancer rate by a drug that allows me to walk and be
> productive-improves my quality of life, is a no-brainer.
>
> We gave him the book which he said he
>   
> > read, and returned practically without comment. Being a retired
> > manager and butcher for the local supermarket, and pretty
> > conservative in his view of things, it came as no surprise to us.
> > Health and diet are among those very personal touchy subjects, but
> > sometimes in empathy with others, I do share what has worked for us.
> >     
>
> That's true.  Perhaps he felt that his disease had passed the point of
> being helped by diet.  I'm not sure that is possible, but maybe that is
> what he thought.
>
> Stay tuned...I'm working on my health questionnaire post.  I think you
> will find it interesting.
>
>
>
>
>       
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