“No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated with any other means.”
—Maimonides
“He who has health has hope, and he who has hope has everything.”
—Arabic Proverb
FACTS AND LESSONS LEARNED FROM GUIDING DR. ANTHONY SATTILARO TO HEALTH FROM TERMINAL PROSTATE CANCER.
Dr. Anthony Sattilaro was the president of Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia. In May 1978, he was diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer that had spread to his whole body. In August 1979, the cancer was gone. After further medical tests in 1981, his doctors declared him to be in complete remission.
My first client, Mona Schwartz, was at my house when Dr. Sattilaro came for a consultation with me. He had found out about me by accident after picking up some hitchhikers who were cooks at my summer camp. When he left, Mona urged me to look after Dr. Sattilaro the same way that I had looked after her. I invited Dr. Sattilaro to eat at my house every day and guided him with food recommendations: more of this, less of that, focus here, etc. I helped him to develop the skill to make decisions that support health.
He attended lectures and seminars about macrobiotic eating and never missed a cooking class. The macrobiotic community in Philadelphia at the time also fully supported and encouraged him throughout the recovery process. I introduced him to Michio Kushi, who also became a part of his recovery.
Dr. Sattilaro documented his recovery at every step. His story was published first by the Saturday Evening Post and Life magazines and later in his book Recalled by Life, which became an international best seller. The articles are available to read on my website.
I learned many lessons about what it meant to me to be a counselor through guiding Dr. Sattilaro. I gained a deep confidence in my own ability to help people create lasting health, especially when I had the ability to guide them closely. Terminal illness means modern medicine does not have the understanding or the technology to help or reverse it. I have personally observed hundreds of people reverse terminal illness. My life’s work has evolved into doing what medicine can’t. Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine, recommended diet and lifestyle practices as the best medicine.
Macrobiotics is about the cultivation of spiritual, mental, and physical health. Even in sickness, the emphasis is still on the cultivation of health. As we increase health, sickness naturally diminishes in our life. “Recovery” in macrobiotics is a spiritual revolution in which we learn how to guide and create our own health and life.
Active participants in their own recovery always do better. They take the time to find out what to do and get involved with creating their own health. The journey toward health is an energizing adventure, and education is a very important part of the process.
Proper support is vital for any recovery; support is more than approval, it is a collaboration. Real support means “let’s do this together” and moves us toward our goal of health.
In my experience, there are three common points that lead to recovery. The first is finding good guidance. The second is education through books and seminars. The third is putting together a good support team. People who make recovery their number one priority are the ones who recover.
The following testimonials are from some of my clients. People accomplished seemingly miraculous transformations after accurately and vigorously applying the principles in this book. Some people have chosen to combine these principles with traditional medical treatments while others have used them alone. In either case, please consult with your medical professional before making these dietary and lifestyle modifications. It is also important to find a medical professional who will support you in your healing journey. I am sure you will be inspired from these experiences. Our bodies have amazing healing abilities when we treat them with love, care, and respect.
“Each patient carries his own doctor inside him.”
—Norman Cousins
THE STORY OF JOHN AND TOINI WILLIAMS, SENIOR MAINTENANCE REPAIR
Four days after our wedding, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer. In support of my desire to try a natural healing approach, my wife Toini got some books on macrobiotics. We discovered Denny Waxman through Recalled by Life by Dr. Anthony Sattilaro. We went to see Denny and began a journey that transformed our lives and how we view health.
I strictly followed Denny’s dietary recommendations for two years. The tumor shrank, and the pain went away. I felt so good, I went off the diet and the cancer spread fast and suddenly. Cat scans and other tests revealed that I had stage 3 testicular seminoma. To my great fortune, two doctors on staff at Methodist Hospital in Philadelphia (where Dr. Sattilaro worked) were macrobiotic themselves and were a great encouragement to me as I underwent the chemo and radiation that was to follow. Once the chemo and radiation halted the cancer, I was told that any more chemo would kill me. After surgery, I decided to seriously return to the diet to heal. One huge side effect of all the treatment was that I would not be able to father children.
When we told Denny about it, he assured us that within two years of following his dietary and lifestyle recommendations, I could eliminate all the toxins and reverse the effect of the chemo and radiation. In just a little over two years' time, our first son was born on Christmas morning. Another son and two daughters were to follow, our youngest born to us when we were forty-four years old.
At a newborn-baby checkup with our third child, the doctor asked about my medical history. When I told him about my bout with stage 3 testicular cancer and the treatments, he looked confused. He thought I had undergone treatment AFTER my wife was pregnant, and when he found out he was amazed. He stated that men who go through the treatments for this cancer cannot father children.
Although healing from cancer and fathering children when I was told I wouldn’t be able to are dramatic aspects to this story, the everyday benefits are what make up a life of transformation.
Denny’s intuition and recommendations, even over the phone, are invaluable for health crises. It is uncanny how he can recommend a drink or dish that will eliminate physical problems. Our seventeen-year-old daughter recently said she feels confident she can deal with most everyday illnesses herself using her knowledge of the diet. I feel truly blessed to know Denny Waxman, and grateful that he dedicated his life to the study of macrobiotics and strengthening health.
THE STORY OF NANCY WOLFSON-MOCHE, NOURISHMENT EDUCATOR, COUNSELOR, AND BLOGGER
Prior to getting married, I sought help from Denny for a few different conditions that were completely resolved after following his recommendations. When I got married at forty-two, I began trying to conceive. After several months, and after learning I was not eligible for any high-tech fertility treatments due to my elevated FSH level, I went to see Denny. I worked closely with him, and over the course of a year my FSH dropped by 25 points. Soon after that, I became pregnant at age forty-four. Denny guided me through a healthy pregnancy and I worked closely with him during the first few years of my daughter’s life. He was always responsive, open, and highly professional. Over the following five years we worked closely to tweak and fine-tune my diet and lifestyle. With Denny’s guidance and support, I was able to have a second baby at the age of fifty-one.
Denny is a brilliant, generous, patient, and wise counselor, teacher, and thinker.
“The doctor of the future will no longer treat the human frame with drugs, but rather will cure and prevent disease with nutrition.”
—Thomas Edison
THE STORY OF SIGRID GEERLINGS, SENIOR ASSOCIATE FOR NEW THEME, INC.
I think I might be the medical version of an X-File, which rather thrills me. I’m referring of course to the TV show about FBI cases concerning unexplained phenomena, filed away and forgotten. Similarly, my carcinomas’ disappearance thanks to macrobiotics will not be included in any medical statistics or even written up in my personal medical file as such; it was deemed unexplainable by my surgeon. Yet the truth about the way the body can heal itself is out there.
About two years ago, I had really bad migraines. My husband had been macrobiotic twenty years earlier and told me to call Denny Waxman. When I called Denny to make an appointment I mentioned that my son, who was four at the time, had speech delay and a number of other vague global delay symptoms that were deemed either extremely serious or totally transient, depending on which professional gave what opinion. My son and I both went to see Denny, and in both our cases we were helped enormously by making just the basic changes. My son improved overnight!
Shortly after that, a mammogram and a needle biopsy showed that I had DCIS, or Ductal Carcinoma In Situ, which is a stage 0 cancer, with III grade cell necrosis. My medical treatment options ranged from a full mastectomy of both breasts, and medication for life—since I was “lucky” enough to have the right kind of cancer—to a lumpectomy with radiation. When I told one of my doctors that I wanted to try macrobiotics for six months, he allowed that for that period of time, my condition probably wouldn’t become life-threatening, so I felt quite safe to delay and hopefully avoid medical intervention. The very next day, I received a call that they had looked at the biopsy slides again and found a suspicious-looking spot that might be interpreted as an inflammatory cancer. They urged me at least to get a lumpectomy right away. I thought they tried to scare me into going the medical route. At my most cynical, I thought they wanted me on board because I would make a pretty good candidate for their HER2 clinical study, being fairly young and healthy. Instead, I went back to Denny.
I took the Strengthening Health Intensive, which changed my whole being. From that weekend on, I cooked gorgeous and delicious food, took walks, rubbed my skin, tried to meditate, and received amazing Shiatsu massages.
About four months after I took the Strengthening Health Intensive, my breast started to hurt. Denny and I suspected that the metal marker left at the site of the biopsy was causing the pain. I needed surgery to have it removed. The tissue my surgeon took out was completely clear of DCIS.
Before the surgery, my surgeon said: “Hey, if it’s gone, we’ll say macrobiotics cured it.” After the results came back, she said: “I can’t say macrobiotics cured it. Maybe the needle biopsy removed it all, maybe it went away by itself.” She Scullied me, and I’m sure the word “macrobiotics” never made it into my medical file; it’s an unexplained disappearance of cancer. I believe . . .
THE STORY OF STEVE GITTELMAN, WOODWORKER, AND SUSAN HEINEMAN, FINANCIAL EDUCATION & T’AI CHI INSTRUCTOR
My partner Steve was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s at age fifty-seven. After the diagnosis, he agreed to change his diet. We decided to explore the macrobiotic path and began counseling with Denny Waxman. Steve followed the recommendations and hoped the food would help him.
Denny Waxman’s counseling during those years was crucial for both Steve and me. I credit Denny’s guidance and the diet for bringing stability and a sense of confidence and well-being into Steve’s life. Denny gave us purpose, direction, clarity, and hope.
As a result of working with Denny Waxman, the following changes took place for Steve:
• Lowered and normalized cholesterol
• Gradual, effortless 50-pound weight loss, balancing to his ideal 160
• Stabilized blood sugar levels
• Improvement in mood, attitude, clarity of thinking, freedom of movement, overall well-being
THE STORY OF JACK SCHULTZ, CEO/PRESIDENT JERSEY SHORE STEEL: GREEN STEEL MANUFACTURER
Five years ago, I underwent a total knee replacement. My wife, Carole, is very careful concerning her diet and she suggested that I exercise the same discipline concerning mine. Under the direction of Denny Waxman, and with the help of his wife, Susan, and Carole, a healing diet was recommended.
I remained in Philadelphia for six weeks, doing my exercises and watching my diet. After the initial six weeks, my surgeon and his staff were so pleased with my progress that they felt it was unnecessary for me to return to Philadelphia for the normal twelve-week post-op checkup. When I returned to Williamsport to continue my therapy, the therapist inquired where I had had the operation since she had never seen anyone recover as quickly as I had. I attribute my quick recovery, my loss of forty pounds, and the fact that I was able to get off the pain medication so quickly, to the discipline I followed concerning my diet.