Meet Dr. Alan Goldhamer
Taking the life-saving message of Natural Hygiene
into the 21st century!
Alan Goldhamer, D.C., is the president of the International Association of Hygienic Physicians. He is also the director of the TrueNorth Health Center. The Center, which is located in Penngrove, Calif., specializes in fasting supervision, and is one of only two in-patient facilities in the world that trains and certifies physicians in that specialty.
Dr. Goldhamer completed his chiropractic studies at Western
States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon, and completed his internship
in fasting supervision at the Arcadia Health Center in Australia, under the
direction of Dr.
Dr. Goldhamer is the author of The Health Promoting Cookbook, co-author of The Pleasure Trap, and he recently participated in the production of two new videos on vegan cuisine and fasting.
How did you first
become interested in Natural Hygiene?
In 1976, after reading several of Dr. Herbert Shelton's books, I met Dr. Gerald Benesh of Escondido, Calif., who, along with Dr. Shelton, was one of the founders of the American Natural Hygiene Society. I was very impressed with the health philosophy of Natural Hygiene. Dr. Benesh told me that a doctor who used Hygiene-the science of health-as the basis of his or her practice had the best job in the world. He said, "That's because the body does all of the healing, the patient does all of the work, and the doctor gets all of the credit." I decided then and there that that was the job for me.
What is involved in becoming a Hygienic physician?
Any licensed primary care physician [medical doctor, chiropractor, osteopath, or naturopath] is eligible to undertake an internship in fasting supervision under the auspices of the International Association of Hygienic Physicians. Successful completion leads to certification in fasting supervision.
What is a fasting
internship like?
Mine was an exciting and enriching experience. I worked very hard and was continually amazed at how effective fasting was-in even the sickest of patients. I remember saying to myself, "If this patient gets well, I'll really be convinced." I must have said that two dozen times during my internship. I am grateful to Drs. Alec and Nejla Burton for the opportunity to learn from them how to help sick people get well.
When did you open the Center for Conservative Therapy?
My wife,
Dr.
Is the Center involved
in conducting scientific research?
Yes, with
the help of Dr. Lisle, our new director of research, we just completed a major
retrospective analysis of the use of fasting and a health promoting diet in the
treatment of hypertension (high blood pressure). We worked with Dr. T. Colin
Campbell at
What are the biggest health challenges that people face?
We live in a world that does not promote health, and despite an abundance of credible scientific evidence that points the way, most people seem more interested in pursuing short-term, pleasure-seeking, self-indulgent behavior. Even people who are convinced about what to do find it difficult to "stray too far from the social norm." Pressure from family, plus the difficulty of breaking bad habits, can hold people back.
For many people, the most effective way to make the dietary and lifestyle changes necessary to recover and maintain health often occurs in conjunction with a properly supervised fasting and feeding program at a residential health education facility such as the Center. They get started right, and get new patterns established in a supportive environment.
As Printed in HEALTH SCIENCE • SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 1998 updated 2005
For more information visit WWW.healthpromoting.com