Archived from Charlotte Gerson's book

Story

Here is a patient's own story, titled "Seven Years of Fibromyalgia":

   "At the age of 16, I felt as if I were 90. I went from being a gymnast,
musician and honor student, to a lethargic medical mess. After a weeklong
hospital stay for an abscessed tonsil, I did not feel well again for
seven years. I began to ache and drag, always waiting to regain the corporal
vigor I once enjoyed.

   "After frequent complaints to my mother of how my body felt sore,
achy, tired and weak, she took me to see our family doctor. He referred
me to a pediatric rheumatologist at Lorna Linda Children's Hospital in
Loma Linda, California. I remember being quite optimistic and confident
that the doctors there would be able to help me relieve my pain.

   "I showed them where it hurt and explained what it felt like. I was
tested for various diseases and a diagnosis was given. What causes this
fibromyalgia, and how do I get rid of it? These are the obvious next
questions after one is diagnosed with any illness.

   "My trusted physician, Dr. Roberts, explained that this was a 'new'
condition, that it was unusual but not unheard of in a person of my age,
and that there was intense research being done, but there is no cure. He
said I could grow out of it, that it was not a degenerative disease, some
get better, some get worse. I was crushed by the thought of trudging
through life in pain, pretending as if all was well. It became necessary to
pretend I felt better than I did. I couldn't bear to watch my mother cry
anymore because she felt so helpless. She felt my pain as did the rest of
my family.

   "When was this nightmare going to end? I don't remember the first
drug I was prescribed, or the fifth, but I do remember the last. My
appointments consisted of a few questions about how I was feeling, and
if the prescribed medication was doing the trick. The answer was always
no and the treatment was adjusted accordingly. Different drug or different
doses, I was allowed to choose. I chose to stop taking liver-toxic,
mind-numbing drugs.

   "This decision was made after I got into the car in my pink fuzzy slippers,
driving around, not knowing where or why I was going. I was taking
Elivel, an antidepressant. Antidepressants in certain doses are often
given to patients suffering from fibromyalgia. After I informed Dr. Roberts
that I would no longer be testing any more chemical concoctions,
he told me I was depressed. I began to cry in the doctor's office and he
asked my mother to leave the room. He asked if there was something I
wanted to say in confidence to him.

   "I told him I was not depressed; I was just in constant pain. I was
always tired and sluggish. I had to literally roll out of bed and drag
myself to school, achy and miserable.

   "'What can I do?' I asked him. 'If you cannot help me, then who
can? '"

   "I left that day frustrated and longing for answers. That doctor never
once asked about what I was eating or what my bowel movements were
like. I knew it would be my responsibility to take my health into my own
hands, stomach and every other part I owned. I decided to experiment
on myself and pay close attention to what I ate and how I felt afterwards.
I vowed to finish medical school, my lifelong dream, and find a
cure for the ever-present fibromyalgia. I initially eliminated fast food
and soda. I did feel better but still not well.

   "After trudging through college and work, in agony for seven years, I
was able to heal, thanks to Dr. Max Gerson. My older sister called one
day to ask if I needed a job. The timing was perfect. I did need a job, and
Gerson.

   "All I knew at first about my sister's job was that she made juice for
some guy. A whole new world of living: fresh, organic, nutritious foods
came to my attention. The kitchen was regarded as the nurse's station
and the food as medicine. My boss, Tim, encouraged me to drink juice,
eat the living food, and even sent me on my maiden voyage (with coffee?)
to the "healing room" (also known as the bathroom).

   "The almost immediate change in my physical health was astounding.
For the first time, I had no pain. After seven years of feeling awful, this
was a foreign concept. My skin, which had become riddled with acne,
began to clear. Even the old scars started to fade. My mental clarity,
energy and mood returned.

   "There was and is a cure for fibromyalgia and every other chronic
degenerative disease. As an individual who has always been fascinated
with the human body's infinitely intricate inner workings, I am forever
grateful to Dr. Max Gerson for his genius and courage. I am forever
grateful to Charlotte Gerson and all others who perpetuate his message.

   "The basic components of all things are essentially the same. Electrically
charged atoms bump into one another, combining, repelling and
making up not only our bodies but every other substance in the entire
universe. The body is constructed from the simplest of elements and
arranged into endlessly complex systems that must be nurtured and not
just fed. Each individual must claim responsibility for their own construction
or demise.

   "I am just one living example of the potent effectiveness of respecting
the intimate relationship between our internal and external metabolism.
Organic juice, food and coffee enemas saved my life. I am so happy to be
alive."