Fasting Journal : Fasting Center International

AN EX-COLLEGE WRESTLER & SURGEON, 48, AFTER HIS 75-DAY PROGRAM: "YOU HAVE TRULY SAVED MY LIFE, AND PROBABLY MY SOUL!"

      [FCI NOTE: Here in the U.S.A., we grow up looking at physicians as role-models in many ways, especially regarding health and wealth, since we make them some of the most highly-paid professionals on Earth, while treating them with a deference we extend to few fellow humans, perhaps only the clergy.
      Essentially, we grow up trusting allopaths with our health, sharing with them our suffering--physiologically, psychologically and sometimes even spiritually--in hopes they can help us achieve wellness and wholeness. Only as we grow older and wiser, however, do we come to realize the unfortunate limitation of that small slice of the healing pie known as Allopathic Medicine--addressing only symptoms with either drugs or surgery, versus the far more intelligent and compassionate option of addressing the actual causes of our suffering. This knowledge not only has driven Americans, for example, over the past decade, to spend more of their own money on alternative healing modalities than on conventional treatment, but also has driven physicians, themselves, to unimagined suffering, resulting in the highest levels of alcohol abuse, drug abuse, divorce and suicide among all professionals in the U.S.
      David Bracken, M.D., 48, of Chicago, IL, had long realized these limitations, and was honest enough to admit them when he contacted FCI, after having watched a 30-year friend from Indianapolis, IN, complete our 70-day Program and turn his life around in the process. Having long been a competitive high-achiever, wrestling at the college level before going on to become an orthopedic surgeon, he called FCI with the following, candid admission:
      "I've seen the astounding turnaround in my longtime friend, and feel I need to make these same changes in myself. . .for my survival. Even though I've long been professionally successful--other than having lost a ton of money in the stock market crash, along with everyone else, which has caused me some depression--I feel physically terrible. And, as I walk through my hospital each day, I realize that most of the patients there feel terrible, as well, not to mention a majority of my colleagues, and I'm still an athlete, which most of them aren't. At 5' 11", 225 lbs., I still work out regularly, but I'm a compulsive eater, including M&M's by the bag, if you can believe that. Just as my friend did, I want to lose 45 unnecessary lbs., along with the anticholesterol drug I'm now forced to take, Zocor."
      One month after completing his 75-day Total Detoxification Program--with only 65 days of actual juice-fasting--Dr. David Bracken wrote FCI the following]:
      "Dear Dennis: My fasting experience was simply amazing! Everything you stated or predicted about the fast, became a reality. The transitioning-in phase made starting the fast relatively easy. The fast, itself (65 days), was never difficult or unbearable. There were times when I felt uncomfortable, but these times never lasted long. In the beginning, I experienced periods of feeling poorly, to feeling euphoric. These two extreme feelings lasted about the same length of time, initially, but as the fast progressed, the good and euphoric feelings lasted longer and longer. By about fasting day 50, I was euphoric most of the time.
      "You counseled numerous times that each fasting experience is individualized or unique and, indeed, I found this to be the case for me. In the beginning, I did find it hard, at times, to focus, and there were times I was short with people (when you explained my mind was detoxifying right along with my body, so not to project that onto innocent others). However, near the end of my fast, I was the most focused I'd ever been, and I appreciated life much more fully than I ever have.
      " It may have taken me longer to achieve the constant state of heightened clarity, but even one month after the transitioning-out phase ended, I still feel more alive and spiritual than I ever have. In fact, my wife and I have just finished a wonderful, 10-day vacation. Did we go to Florida, Las Vegas, Monte Carlo or take a cruise? No! We simply visited family and friends in the State next door.
      "Every minute of our vacation and visits were at a higher level than anything I've ever experienced. I enjoyed the simple things that, until this fast, had eluded me. Every simple encounter was a gift. Every hour and day was a pleasure. Even rainy days were fun, and we discovered numerous ways to enjoy ourselves. We visited and stayed with five different sets of friends and family. Every visit was extremely enjoyable. I didn't want to leave, and look forward with great anticipation to our next visits.
      "I know, for a fact, that without this fasting experience, this vacation would not have occurred. I have never enjoyed life, people or good health as much as I have now. I have never been more spiritual or social, and I truly enjoy people. My relationships with God, family and friends have been renewed, and are much more rewarding. My practice is much more enjoyable, and the hassles of medicine are easier to deal with. The fast is a great antidepressant!
      " While on the fast, my cholesterol level went from 325 to 140! I found incredible energy and focus, while on the fast. Now, even off the fast, I do more in a day than I used to do in a week. That's no exaggeration. I lost 56 pounds on the fast, and I presently weigh what I weighed in high school while on the wrestling team. The weight loss and good physical shape are a plus, but the spiritual and emotional gains are even larger. I've never felt so good, and I really didn't want the fast to end. However, post-fast, I still feel great, and know that I will fast again and again in the future.
      "Dennis, you and FCI have truly saved my life, and probably my soul. I feel like the renewed 'Scrooge' in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. I feel much more connected to God and the world. 'Thank you' does not seem adequate, but I want you to know that I'm extremely grateful for this experience. You were with me every step of the way on this marvelous journey, and your recommendations for a post-fasting lifestyle and diet are 'right on!'
      "Again, I can't thank you enough, and I will stay in contact. By the way, this fasting experience would be cheap at 10 times the price of your program. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Sincerely, David Bracken, M.D.

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Any questions, email or phone FCI. Email: FastMaster@fasting.com; phone: 818-590-2536 (know that the best time to catch Founder/Director Dennis Paulson, himself, with the least interruption, is between 10-4, California time). For the Fasting Center International home page, click here: www.fasting.com