Chapter 7 — A Return To Life
At the far end of the depot I could see my father, my four-year-old son, and my wife. I was half walking and half running until I finally reached them. Corinne and my son, Irwin, stared at me for a few seconds and then we all embraced. It was good to be home.
I felt Corinne studying me and she could hardly believe the amazing physical transformation that had taken place. So it was for this reason, right here in the train station, that my wife made a vow to change our way of living. We would follow Natural Hygiene in all of its tenets and we would raise our two boys as vegetarians.
During the drive home, Corinne told me my mother was staying with our other son, Darryl, who was 11 months old. Looking out the car window, I saw a sunny Saturday and was grateful for the weekend I'd spend at home before jumping right back into my normal routine on Monday. Irwin continued to look at me as we drove, and Corinne whispered to me that he was waiting for me to tell him how big he had grown since I went away. I suppose I didn't make enough fuss over him at the depot, so I acknowledged the fact that he had grown so tall, and he beamed satisfactorily.
After arriving home, we talked of my experiences for hours, of the people I met, and some of their amazing cases of recovery under natural living-many of whom were given up by their doctors, as in my case. Corinne still couldn't believe the way I looked. She said it was as if I had been reborn; and the truth of the matter is that I really felt reborn. This was probably the motivating force in her strong determination to change our way of life as soon as possible to one that would assure the attainment of health.
Corinne was already formulating plans to depart from our so-called "normal" or "conventional" way of living. Since Natural Hygiene requires a certain degree of self discipline, some sacrifice, if you will, and almost seems to go against most things we've been led to believe are correct or true, many people can't make this change overnight and require a gradual transition period. But Corinne was able to do this at once because she accepted the fact and knew that it was right. She began by eliminating all meat from our home. Then she went through the cupboards and threw out the items that were harmful to the body or had no place in proper nutrition, such as canned foods, processed foods, anything containing food additives, coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, salt, white sugar and its products, white flour and any of its products, chocolate, soda pop, candy, potato chips, and all other junk foods.
This cleaning accomplished, we went to the market and purchased enough fresh produce to stock our two refrigerators. There was an abundance of raw, fresh fruits and vegetables. We went to a health food store and purchased a variety of raw nuts (peanuts, cashews, pecans, almonds, filberts, Brazil nuts), seeds ( pumpkin and sunflower) and such dried fruits as raisins, figs, and dates. The reason we used the health food store was that the nuts and seeds ( our source of concentrated protein) are raw, unsalted, and unadulterated; the dried fruits are sun-dried, unsprayed, unsulfured, and poison-free.
By Monday morning, our family was ready to begin its adventure into Natural Hygiene (natural living). Breakfast for Corinne, Irwin, and me consisted of fresh grapefruit, oranges, and nuts, while little Darryl had to be maintained on an infant-type diet, although he was alternated on raw, unpasteurized goat milk, fresh fruit and vegetable juices, and pureed fruits and vegetables. You could call it baby food, but it wasn't commercially adulterated. We made it fresh and pure each meal. The goat milk had been used after Corinne stopped nursing Darryl. If possible, every mother has an obligation to nurse her child to give it a proper start in life and I feel it negligent if she does not nurse for reasons of vanity. Nursing is as natural as breathing and gives the infant marvelous benefits that cannot be gotten from chemical formulas, which do .not supply the infant's needs of life or allow it to attain optimum health. Today's pasteurized cows' milk is no better and really has no place in the human diet after the teeth have erupted. Only the human continues to drink milk after weaning.
My family loved their breakfast and was looking forward to lunch, which was a fresh fruit plate with a variety of fruits to select, such as apples, bananas, berries, melons, pears, grapes, dates, and peaches (which were still available). Supper was also anticipated, which consisted of a huge raw vegetable salad (romaine lettuce, celery, carrots, cucumber, green pepper, cabbage, and cauliflower). The salad was pureed for Darryl. We also had a steamed vegetable (green beans) and a brown rice casserole. The meals were very simple and I've never seen my wife and children enjoy eating as much as they did on that first day. However, the meals were only a sample of how and what we eat and are not to be construed as the be-all and end-all of our existence. A later chapter will cover, in more detail, the how, what, and why of the vegetarian diet and its rationale.
Coincidental as it may seem, my older son Irwin, who had been living "conventionally," had developed so-called allergies over the past six months or so. He was sneezing, coughing, wheezing, and his nose and eyes were ever "running" and itching terribly. He was just under four years old, but we saw personality changes taking place due to his constant irritation and suffering. The doctor who examined him, just before I went away, said Irwin was suffering from allergies and would need some 150 patch tests made on his back (which we wouldn't allow) and then he would be required to take drugs perhaps the rest of his life to "control" the symptoms. We were also instructed to get rid of the wool blankets, the feather pillows, the dust on the floor, and, last but not least, our two cats which had been in our household for years. Nothing was mentioned about diet by the doctor, who considered it vaguely relevant to health.
Within several weeks on the vegetarian program, eating most of the foods raw or unfired and avoiding the items mentioned a few pages back, all of Irwin's symptoms began lessening until they had completely disappeared two or three months later. (It is 12 years later as of this writing and we still have cats, wool, feather pillows and dust-forgive me, Corinne-however, Irwin has had no recurrence.)
We have watched both our boys grow and thrive on a properly handled vegetarian diet with periodic short fasts. Their physical and mental development has been a beautiful thing to watch. (In this year of 1976; Irwin will be 16 years old and Darryl will be 13 years old.) We have raised them virtually free of disease. Irwin was almost four years old when we entered Natural Hygiene, so he did have a vaccination, but has had no inoculations since. Darryl has had one vaccination. Both boys, early in our transitional stage, did contract one of the childhood diseases. But up to the present time, they have had no childhood diseases, as their natural resistance and immunity has been built to function at a peak as a result of nourishing their bodies with live foods.
Neither boy has any dental caries (cavities ) and they don't drink fluoridated water or use fluoridated toothpaste. Oh yes, we've been told by many people that heredity plays a big role. Well, if heredity played such a big role, both our boys would have cavities in every tooth in their mouths. Proper diet! Yes, proper diet is the key, particularly begun right from birth and even ideally begun in the prospective parents.
This reminds me of an incident that occurred with my dentist. Over the years, as my mouth became a silver mine, he remarked about my poor dental health. There was much tartar and plaque deposited on the teeth, while the gums were an unhealthy dark red and bled quite easily and freely at the slightest touch of a toothbrush. However, several months after returning from my first fast, I went in for a check-up and the dentist was amazed at the remarkable changes that had taken place. (He talks about it to this day.) Tartar and plaque were completely gone and the gums exhibited a healthy pink color and did not bleed easily, a fact I demonstrated by scraping a dry bristle toothbrush across my gums.
Six months after my return home, I decided to pay a visit to Dr. Kale. My weight had leveled off at about 160 pounds, my blood pressure had stabilized at between 115/75 to 120/80 (where it has remained all these years) and I must say I looked great. Upon entering Dr. Kales's reception room, I was warmly greeted and ushered into his private office by the nurse. A short time later, Dr. Kale entered and we shook hands as he volunteered how marvelous I looked. He sat down, propped up his feet and asked me to tell him "all about it." He listened attentively as I related the entire experience. When I finished, he sat back, glanced up at the ceiling, and with a slight air of medical haughtiness, told me it was psychological, that I was probably going to have a remission anyway, and that mentally I knew something was being done so I got better. He just couldn't conceive of the idea that the body has a tremendous capacity to heal itself when given the proper circumstances. (Animals have been fasting since they have inhabited our planet.) So I posed a question to Dr. Kale. I asked him to recall the time when he hospitalized me for five weeks. He remembered. I told him that all the while I was in the hospital being "treated," I knew something was being done. So why did I get worse? I am still waiting for the answer.
Dr. Kale then tried to convince me I was living abnormally. So I told him I was thriving on the very foods he said I could never eat and I asked him if he ate vegetables. He said he did and I told him he probably eats most of them cooked or canned. Then I asked him if he ate fruit and he said he did. I told him he probably doesn't eat an abundance and that much of it is canned. Finally I asked if he ate nuts and seeds and he said yes, but I told him that what he ate were salted and roasted (dead-cremated, if you will), so all-in-all I was living not too differently. But he disagreed and stated that most people would rather have the operation ( cutting out the large bowel and rectum, with the portable toilet opening out of the abdomen) so they could live "normally," eat whatever they desired, and enjoy life. Enjoy life? How? He completely missed the point, the rationale, and the purpose of a way of life that not only allows the body the chance to recuperate-regardless of what disease it has-but allows the body to evolve such a vital health that disease is virtually prevented. It cannot be refuted that it is better to prevent than to try to~ cure.
I left Dr. Kale's office quite disappointed, but I remembered my own situation not too long ago when I also closed my mind to this because it didn't jibe with my medical training. The mind is like a parachute-it only functions when open.
(Over the years, I've asked hundreds of people that if they were confronted with the two choices of doing what I have done and living as I am now or having that radical and drastic surgery so they could live "normally," what would be their choice? I have yet to hear anyone state they would have the surgery first before giving Natural Hygiene a try.)
For the next six months, I was busy returning to the normal activities of my life. I was practicing podiatry full time, although my practice had to be built up again. (In fact, it became frustrating for me to build up my practice each time I went away for these long fasts, but it was necessary and I just made up my mind to hang in and the hell with anything else.) Our family life became enjoyable and what made for an even closer relationship was our common bond-the attainment of superior health. Our social life took bloom and it was nice to be with people again. We even joined the Detroit chapter of the American Natural Hygiene Society and attended meetings so we could further our knowledge, and, in addition, support this worthy organization. I became active in sports again: tennis, swimming, ice skating, and particularly my greatest love, baseball.
I looked back and assessed the past year. It was not an easy one. I was not "cured." At least not the way I would like to be. There were many ruts along the road to recovery, but I could see enough improvement to know that subsequent fasts and an adherence to this new way of life would be stepping stones that would put me on higher levels of health each year. I tried not to become discouraged or depressed, but it was difficult because I had been so sick for so long that the slightest deviation from what I considered normal at this point threw me into deep depressions. I guess it could be called a conditioned response from past years. It was tough to learn patience, but this is one virtue, which pays dividends after it is learned.
This first year passed so quickly it just didn't seem possible the date was fast approaching for me to leave my home, family, and practice again for another fast. As much as I subconsciously rationalized about prolonging my departure, deep down I knew I had to go and wanted to go. I settled whatever business necessary and my good friend Newt (Dr. Karp) agreed to work my office again two days a week, which was one big load off my mind because there had to be an income source for my family.
I left for Hyde Park, New York, on August 4, 1965. It was the same time and the same train, but no sadness this time, only anticipation of great things to come. I didn't even bring along the "last supper" as I did last year. The trip was uneventful and I arrived at Pawling Manor more alive than last year, checked in, and began what was to be a four-week fast under the supervision of Dr. Gross.
Since I had been fasting one or two days a week the past year; the internal environment of my body was fairly clean. So, as much work as fasting is, this was an easier fast because of my being "cleaner." However, this fast, as well as future fasts, were very "productive." In other words, my body got right into it, my weight loss was more rapid, elimination of the toxic load began almost immediately, my tongue became heavily coated, breath and taste extremely foul much sooner, and my blood pressure lowered more rapidly. Actually, as one takes these long fasts and lives "hygienically" in between, then only shorter fasts are needed to accomplish what the earlier longer fasts did. (Now, 12 years later, I can take a one-, two-, or three-week fast and it would be about the equivalent of double its length.)
In the first six days of this fast I lost 10 to 14 pounds - then it tapered down and only small amounts of weight were lost each day. There was varied bowel activity during the first two weeks of the fast, ranging from one to four occurrences a day, but nowhere near the problem it was last year. During the last two weeks, there were almost no B.M.s except for an occasional spasm or two. There were a few times I felt so low that Dr. Gross gave me a few sips of diluted orange juice to bring my blood sugar level up a bit and then I was able to go on.
Similar changes took place as in my first fast last year: visual acuity increased; hearing, smell, and other senses sharpened; increase in mental clarity; but above all a great feeling of well-being and an inner strength. I knew that more healing had taken place. I could feel it, yet I didn't want to become overconfident lest I lose everything I had fought so hard to attain; but there was no chance of that now.
At the end of four weeks, Dr. Gross broke my fast as carefully as last year, with the exception that, since I had been conditioned to a basically raw vegetarian diet, the raw, whole vegetables, fruits, and nuts were instituted much earlier after the first few critical days of breaking the fast. (There is always a thrill and nervous excitement when breaking a fast, no matter how often one fasts. I experienced these sensations on every fast.) The food, simple as it is, has the most indescribable, fantastic, unbelievable taste immediately following a fast.
I spent two weeks more at Pawling, until the end of September 1965, building strength and weight, while Dr. Gross observed how I was handling my vegetarian diet. When he was satisfied that I was ready to return home and blend back into my practice and home life,He discharged me from his care and gave me advice-as a father might give a son-on how to live in the ensuing years, physically, mentally, and emotional)
Corinne was waiting in the depot for me as my train arrived. It was different from last year. There was no fanfare, no heavy emotion or crying. We just embraced and went home. This was part of our way of life now for a while and we accepted these absences from each other because we both knew the ultimate goal.
Irwin and Darryl were so happy to see me. Even our two cats, who were participating part time in the vegetarian diet, demonstrated an outward show of affection. We spent hours talking about this latest experience, the things I saw and did, the recipes from Pawling, and the many people I met with so many health problems who were helped. This made me recall the many times I tried to thank Dr. Gross for helping me and he would always say, "I didn't do a thing but supervise your fast. You did it all yourself."
There was a little more improvement after this fast, which did much for my psyche. Again, I wasn't "cured" at this point but the handwriting was on the wall. I knew I could only go in one direction and that was forward. I had my ups and downs in this year and my discouraging moments, but they were to become fewer and fewer. The B.M.s were more or less formed now and their frequency would vary from two to six times a day. This was a far cry from the days of my medical treatment, and I have not taken any drugs thus far and I feel wonderful. Oh, there were still times when the "urge" came on strong and little accidents occurred, but they also became fewer.
Over the next three years (1966, 167, and 1968), I undertook successive fasts of fiver, four-, and fi4--weeks' duration. The 1966 and 1967s were to en a Pawling while the 1968 fast was undertaken at my home and supervised by me, although I did call Dr. Gross once a week to report my progress and receive guidance if needed. Each of these three fasts put me on higher plateaus of health, until I would estimate I was functioning about 75 to 80 percent of normal.
The five-week fast I took at home was not the best experience. I not only don't recommend a long fast at home, but I would discourage anyone from trying it only because the environment is not conducive to a proper fast. There are too many disturbing and enervating influences that actually detract from the beneficial effects: well~meaning friends and relatives intimating you're a little crazy; neighborhood noise from loud cars, motorcycles, and children; the smell of pollution from the city, from auto exhausts, and from people walking by the house smoking; plus a hundred and one other disturbances. You see, during a fast you become very sensitive to everything and are annoyed by the slightest irritation which ordinarily might not bother you if you were not fasting. This upsets the entire system and can cause the fast to be detrimental. The ideal and safest way is to have the long fasts supervised by professionals at a hygienic institution.
From 1969 to the present (1976), I fasted one or two days a week. Several times a year I'll put together a three or four-day fast. The vegetarian diet (with the foods properly combined, as will be explained later) has been strictly adhered to over these years and meat has literally become repugnant to me. Through the proper use of all the principles of Natural Hygiene, I feel I have just about reached the top of the plateau, though I continue to notice minute changes in the improvement of my general physical, mental, and emotional health. I would say to date, 1976, I am functioning about 95 percent or moreof normal and one day I may even surpass that. The 5 percent or less is due to damage (adhesions) in the colon from the prolonged debility which occurred during the six years under medical care. I feel I'm damn lucky to have been able to recuperate to this point and it's quite possible these adhesions can be reduced even further because the magnificent power of the human body cannot be underestimated. The body is self-constructing, self-defending, self- repairing, and self-regulating. It is so sad when people use Natural Hygiene as an eleventh hour measure, as I did, but are beyond their recuperative capabilities and cannot save their organs or their lives. Natural Hygiene is lived, not so much for the recuperation from illness, but for its most important asset-the evolution of vigorous health and the prevention of disease.
I've watched my wife blossom into a new woman, her natural beauty being enhanced by a youthful look that surprises people who assume she is thirtyish and then discover she is past 42. It is the sum total of all our experiences over these past years-1958 to 1976-from the inception of my illness until the present that has made us totally committed to Natural Hygiene and to its perpetuation.
Corinne and I eventually became officers in the Detroit chapter of the American Natural Hygiene Society and have built it into the largest, most active chapter in the country. We then became involved in the national organization- The American Natural Hygiene Society-and eventually were elected to the board of directors. I currently have the honor of being the president and official representative of the American Natural Hygiene Society.
I willingly give up time from my practice, sometimes more time than I can afford, to lecture and do radio and television shows all over the United States and Canada. This has allowed me to come in contact with, and have a profound influence on, many thousands of people and their lives. I think this has been the most gratifying experience for me, to be able to play a part in altering and bettering peoples' lives.
Life with Natural Hygiene has afforded me countless unusual experiences, some humorous and some pathetic, of which I'd like to share just a few. There was the time I was making plans to move into a new office building and I dropped in on the workmen one morning to go over some of my electrical and plumbing needs, etc. .I was offered coffee and doughnuts, which I refused, and one thing led to another and before I knew it there was a discussion of why I refused these morning goodies, the virtues of natural living, and the vegetarian diet. The men seemed fascinated by the discussion and obviously one of them had never come in contact with a vegetarian before, because when I was preparing to leave, one of the men approached me, shook my hand and said, "I've enjoyed listening to you and it was a pleasure to meet you because I've never met a `vegetable man' before."
It seems most people are of the opinion that ill health is the normal sequence in the pattern of their lives. They have come to accept disease, if they live long enough, as the norm because "most everyone gets sick." It is good health that is normal to the body. I run across many examples, in my office, of people who have these warped opinions of health and disease. But I'll always remember this patient from whom I was obtaining a history. This is a classic. In questioning her about her medical history, she said, as she lit up a cigarette, "I have arthritis, high blood pressure, psoriasis, asthma and emphysema, but other than that, I'm in good health." Need I say more?
This incident occurred at the University of Windsor, Windsor, Ontario, Canada (1974). It was the American Natural Hygiene Society's annual conference on natural living. I had just delivered a lecture entitled "My Six Week Fast," which was the basic story in this book. A gentleman approached me, shook my hand, complimented me on my lecture, and introduced himself as Dr. (I cannot use his name), a medical doctor from Kansas. ( There are many medical doctors as well as other medical practitioners who attend our conferences.) He said he had attended other conferences of the A.N.H.S. and this was the third time he had heard my lecture and he just wanted to tell me that "your story is a classic example of the abuses the human body is subjected to by the medical profession."
A rather disgusting situation arose recently when I entered a branch office of the Michigan Cancer Foundation to pick up a projector, a movie film, and literature pertaining to smoking and lung cancer. Once inside, I did everything but choke from the heavy curtain of cigarette smoke that hung like a thick fog. I observed four women workers. Three of them were smoking and there were four packs of cigarettes on the table, assuring them they wouldn't run short before the day was over. One of the women gave me the projector, the smoking and cancer film, and a stack of anti-smoking literature, while a burning cigarette dangled from her lips. They laughed when I questioned the stupidity of what they were doing, but I couldn't pursue it any further because by this time my eyes and lungs were burning and I had to get out of there. I did report the incident to the Michigan Cancer Foundation and was told this does happen, but they would look into it. So guess what? Right! They're still smoking and passing out information on lung cancer.
Of all the many other experiences I could continue with, this final example is probably the most relevant and had the most profound impact on Corinne and me. It started with a newspaper article I saw in the Detroit News in 1972 concerning the National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis. The ideals, purpose, and goals were presented. The address of the president was given, which was in New York. I located his telephone number, called him, and explained my interest in helping people and what my new simple way of life held as a potential, not only for helping those afflicted, but as a means of preventing these problems. He stated he couldn't do much and that I should contact a certain medical doctor at the University of Colorado Medical Center in Denver, which I did by phone. I was instructed to write a letter, which I also did, requesting to speak at a conference he was chairing. He wrote back and said it was impossible for me to participate in the conference and casually mentioned how interesting my case seemed and that he would pass along this information to his colleagues "because such information is of value in enhancing our knowledge." Needless to say, the information was not passed along and needless to say that this attitude is what I continually run up against when I confront medical men with this simple, logical, and physiologically sound alternative to their current and frustrating methods of treatment. You would think that sine the welfare of the human being is the only purpose for the existence of doctors that they would leave no doors unopened if there was any way possible that their fellow man (or woman) could be helped. But they won't listen. It seems the biggest concern of the Foundation is to collect money for research and cures. Cures? No cure can ever better the body's own innate capability to heal itself.
It was this knowledge of the Foundation that made Corinne and me aware of a meeting to be held at a major hospital for the purpose of organizing a Detroit chapter of the National Foundation for Ileitis and Colitis. We attended that meeting in May of 1975. There were hundreds of sick people packed into the auditorium. Some were in early stages of "treatment," some had been under "treatment" for many years, while others had already been subjected to that drastic surgery. There were young children, elderly people, and all the ages in between. They were all sick and they were all there to learn about the advances (?) made in the treatment of digestive diseases. A faint cloud of smoke floated lazily in the room because at least one-fourth of the people were smoking.
The distinguished panel of five doctors was introduced. Dr. Kale was among this group. Each spoke of his experiences and discussed the rationale of various "treatments." The use of the high-protein diet was advocated to build up the patient. However, many of these patients did not have the capacity to properly absorb and assimilate food (convert the nutriment into living tissue), especially a high-protein diet which puts an extra tax on the kidneys, liver, and body in general since it requires much more energy for its digestion. And one thing the sick body does not have is energy. What energy it does have should be conserved and directed toward recuperation. Why is a broken arm put in a cast? So it may rest and thereby heal. How then can a diseased intestine, particularly in ulcerative colitis, be expected to heal when all this food is being forced into it? The intestine is never given a chance to rest.
Another item brought up by one of the panel was, "We have to wait for better drugs to come along." What are these drugs supposed to do? How is disease to be cured by any drug? I have yet to have a question answered that I have been asking for years: "How does a drug cure?" The panelist did concede that `any drug we ever give has risks to it)' It can be stated that all drugs are dangerous.
Surgery was also discussed. This is drastic and traumatic, as I've already mentioned. The surgeon stated, "There is a high recurrence rate after surgical treatment. Many times, multiple surgery in a patient follows." The Foundation states that there are about 25 to 45 percent recurrences following surgery. They also state that "for all practical purposes, ulcerative colitis can be cured by removing the entire colon and establishing an ileostomy. Even this removal of the colon and establishing an ileostomy does not invariably prevent spread of the disease to higher segments of the bowel." For all practical purposes, headaches can be cured by cutting off the head, however, this does cure the headache. The excision of the entire colon removes only the end result of a pathological process-it does not remove cause. This can apply to disease in general. Unless cause is removed, the disease cannot be considered as "cured." By the same token, when a disease is suppressed, as with drugs, the cause has not been eliminated and therefore the body may break out in another disease eventually.
Dr. Kale, in his presentation, stated that, "The disease can be removed surgically." Can it? He also stated that, "Diet has nothing to do with the history of the disease in any way." One cannot isolate the colon from any other part of the body, just as one cannot isolate any part from the whole. The body functions as a unit and when one part suffers or malfunctions or becomes diseased, then the whole body is affected. The improper and debilitated foods people eat today can hardly allow them to evolve good general health. This is one of the keys. Just as one improves on a fast, feels marvelous when it's over, and puts in his body "live" foods that will allow the evolution of a high degree of health, so this person will find if he returns to his "normal" way of eating (if he wants to live that dangerously) that eventually he will have lost all he had gained and is back in the same rut as before.
When the discussions ended, questions were taken from the audience on 3 X 5 cards and given to the panel. While the cards were being collected, I turned to Corinne and we both agreed that in the 18 years since I first became ill, nothing had changed. Time had stood still. The same principles of treatment, the same search for cures and new drugs, and the same closed minds, amazingly, but not surprisingly, still existed. The many cards were screened by the panel and then they began reading and answering the questions. We had sent in a question concerning fasting, which was selected by Dr. Kale. He so completely misled and misinformed the audience, especially since his experience with- fasting could probably be put on the head of a pin, that Corinne could not take any more of it, She stood up and wanted to be heard, even though no oral questions were being taken. She told the panel and the audience that the answer was misleading and too quickly pushed aside. She wanted the panel and the audience to at least listen to what we had to say about our experience (which is also the experience of untold thousands of others), to at least become aware that there is a way to be helped. She was immediately put down by the moderator, which angered her even more. Corinne then strongly accused him of suppressing information from these people, many of whom were desperate. He still put her down, but she was adamant and again accused him of suppression. There began a scattered applause from the audience with a few voices ringing out such things as, "Let them speak," "Let's hear what they have to say," etc. The moderator was finally pressured into inviting us up to the front of the auditorium; but our little victory was to be short-lived. As we approached the front, I could see the panel quickly huddling for the final blow. They were not to be outdone. Before we could open our mouths, the moderator emphatically called the meeting to an end and summoned help from the security guard. Amazing! Corinne and I created all that fear and danger by ourselves.
What followed next, I had seen in newsreels and newspapers but never imagined it would happen to us. The security guard arrived (without bugles and fanfare) and grabbed, quite firmly, those two dangerous people (us). For lack of a more dignified description, the guard "threw us out," much to the dissatisfaction of the many people who followed us outside to seek more information.
It wasn't ten minutes later that the security guard returned and invited us back in at the request of one of the doctors (who probably thought we were harmless-but we carry a strong message). The doctor briefly and superficially discussed fasting with me. I later asked him if he was interested in the evolvement of good general health in his patients, rather than just the condition of their intestines. He said he was; so I asked why such a large number of the sick people here tonight, most of whom were patients of his and of the other members of the panel, were permitted to smoke. He pondered a moment and then hesitatingly said it was a good point. How unaware can one be?
Then, as Corinne and I were getting ready to leave, Dr. Kale walked by and we shook hands. He told me that this fasting and the entire plan of natural living was a "religion." What do you say to one who has studied the human body, yet has so little awareness of its needs?
It is the culmination of many such confrontations that has taught me to mistake not authority for truth, but rather to make truth my authority.
It is this latter type of experience that not only disappoints me, but keeps me continually frustrated because, generally speaking, doctors don't want to listen-at least not with an omen mind.-But I’ll tell you who will listen, and this is where the education should be directed: to the people-the everyday person like you or your neighbor. After all, that's what it's all about-helping people!
This brings the story of a very personal part of my life to a conclusion, although in reality it is merely a continuation of the beginning, since my life goes on from here. I am thankful I have life; but I am even more thankful that I can share this life of bountiful and unequivocal "good health."
