Woman’s Courage Leads to Years of Vibrant Health
Years of painful urinary tract infections disappear after making dietary changes.

By Joel Fuhrman, M.D.

It is always a special pleasure to see longtime patients who have been with me since my medical practice began thirteen years ago. The vibrant health of these patients is a tribute to their ongoing efforts and to the powerful healing capacity that resides in all of us.

A dramatic recovery

I remember the first time I saw Alicia. She came to me complaining of recurrent urinary tract infections. Her episodes were painful. She had been taking antibiotics every two to three months for years and had experienced no permanent relief.She was fed up with the continual infections and urinary burning and was concerned about taking antibiotics so frequently. She wanted to know if there was anything she could do to stop the infections without having to keep taking the antibiotics.

I explained the role of the immune system and how it can protect us against infections and suggested to Alicia that if she followed my high-nutrient diet and eliminated all processed carbohydrates, she might be able to rid herself of this recurrent problem. As you would expect from someone who had suffered for so long, she had numerous concerns, doubts, and fears that I tried to allay. I spent time during those early visits describing the nutritional foundation of most of the illnesses that plague Americans.

Breaking the cycle

In order to break the cycle, Alicia agreed to take cranberry tablets (two to three times daily) the instant she felt any symptoms coming on. I also asked her to call me immediately to describe her symptoms, so that we could determine if she should begin a water-only fast at that time.

The goal was to see if we could provoke a heightened immune response from her body that would break the cycle. Once her nutritional status became strong enough, I knew we could overcome the bacteria with a powerful immune response. Once that was accomplished, her immune system’s reaction to the bacterial antigens would be stronger in the future and more
likely to prevent recurrences.

Alicia made a radical change in her diet. She included an assortment of seeds—flax,sunflower,and sesame—and ate her daily one pound requirement of green vegetables. Like clockwork, four weeks into the plan she developed a severe infection. She phoned me, complaining of burning with urination. The discomfort was severe enough to make her want to resume her antibiotics.

Alicia’s courage

I asked Alicia to wait and see if two or three days of water-only fasting would help stimulate a more powerful immune response—one that would result in a more long-term remission. She bravely agreed. By the end of the second day, the symptoms lessened, and on the third day they completely resolved. For the first time, she resolved her infection without taking any antibiotics. That was thirteen years ago, and she has not had another urinary tract infection since.

Additional successes

Over the years, Alicia resolved other health problems, too. Beginning in her teenage years and continuing into her twenties, Alicia had experienced very irregular menstrual cycles.
Sometimes she went without a period for six months. Her gynecologist did some blood work and diagnosed Alicia with a form of polycystic ovary syndrome. He told her that she might have trouble having children, but not to worry because fertility drugs could help take care of that. She was not reassured.

Fortunately, after a few years of following my nutritional recommendations, Alicia’s periods became more regular. She became pregnant four times (never needing medication to
induce ovulation) and has four beautiful children. Her follow-up visits with her gynecologist have confirmed that she no longer has polycystic ovary syndrome.

A powerful tool

Superior nutrition is a powerful tool, one that patients and their physicians would be wise to use more regularly. I routinely see people recover from the so-called chronic illnesses that medical science only partially understands. And it always is a pleasure.