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Follow-up of water-only fasting and an exclusively plant food diet in the management of stage IIIa, low-grade follicular lymphoma

Submitted on February 8, 2023 - 2:25pm

Here we present a 3-year follow-up report of a case that was originally published in BMJ Case Reports in December 2015.1 Briefly, a 42-year-old woman presented to her primary physician with a palpa

British Medical Journal Publishes Report from TNH on the Successful Treatment of Lymphoma Cancer with Fasting and a Vegan, SOS-free Diet

Submitted on December 14, 2015 - 8:07pm

This article originally appeared in BMJ Case Reports 2015; doi:10.1136/bcr-2015-211582

Authors: Alan Goldhamer, D.C., Michael Klaper, M.D., Afsoon Foorohar, D.O., and Toshia R Myers, Ph.D.

Summary: Follicular lymphoma (FL), the second most common non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), is well characterised by a classic histological appearance and an indolent course. Current treatment protocols for FL range from close observation to immunotherapy, chemotherapy and/or radiotherapies. We report the case of a 42-year-old woman diagnosed by excisional biopsy with stage IIIa, grade 1 FL. In addition to close observation, the patient underwent a medically supervised, 21-day water-only fast after which enlarged lymph nodes were substantially reduced in size. The patient then consumed a diet of minimally processed plant foods free of added sugar, oil and salt (SOS), and has remained on the diet since leaving the residential facility. At 6 and 9-month follow-up visits, the patient's lymph nodes were non-palpable and she remained asymptomatic. This case establishes a basis for further studies evaluating water-only fasting and a plant foods, SOS-free diet as a treatment protocol for FL.

To read this article in its entirety, please click here.

Fasting: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Applications

Submitted on December 15, 2014 - 9:46am

This article originally appeared in the journal Cell Metabolism 19, February 4, 2014

Authors: Valter D. Longo and Mark P. Mattson

Fasting has been practiced for millennia, but, only recently, studies have shed light on its role in adaptive cellular responses that reduce oxidative damage and inflammation, optimize energy metabolism, and bolster cellular protection. In lower eukaryotes, chronic fasting extends longevity, in part, by reprogramming metabolic and stress resistance pathways. In rodents intermittent or periodic fasting protects against diabetes, cancers, heart disease, and neurodegeneration, while in humans it helps reduce obesity, hypertension, asthma, and rheumatoid arthritis. Thus, fasting has the potential to delay aging and help prevent and treat diseases while minimizing the side effects caused by chronic dietary interventions.

Introduction
In humans, fasting is achieved by ingesting no or minimal amounts of food and caloric beverages for periods that typically range from 12 hr to 3 weeks. Many religious groups incorporate periods of fasting into their rituals including Muslims, who fast from dawn until dusk during the month of Ramadan, and Christians, Jews, Buddhists, and Hindus, who traditionally fast on designated days of the week or calendar year. In many clinics, patients are now monitored by physicians while undergoing water only or very low calorie (less than 200 kcal/day) fasting periods lasting from 1 week or longer for weight management and for disease prevention and treatment.

To read the article in its entirety (9 pages), please click here or on the attachment below.

Jami Dulaney, MD interviews Dr. Goldhamer (podcast)

Submitted on October 22, 2014 - 10:47am

In this October 2014 audio podcast, Dr. Jami Dulaney and Dr. Alan Goldhamer discuss the benefits of water fasting to break the addiction of sugar, salt and oil as a means to transform into a lifelong nutrition plan of a plant based diet free of sugar, salt and oil. The message of this podcast is that people can take back their health and get off medications or avoid common diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease.

Click here to listen to the podcast.

Please Help Us Learn About Fasting and Vegan Diet

Submitted on September 5, 2011 - 5:03pm

Bastyr University & TrueNorth Health

 

Fasting and Alternatives to Standard Therapeutics (FAST): Determining the Molecular and
Physiological Mechanisms Responsible for Adult Hypertension and Obesity

 

Please Help Us Learn About

Fasting and Vegan Diet

 

Is medically supervised water-only fasting an effective treatment for High Blood Pressure?

Vegan, Low Salt and Low Fat Diets, are shown to be an effective lifestyle therapy to reduce blood pressure and promote weight loss. Another potentially effective therapy to reduce blood pressure and promote weight loss is Short-Term, Medically Supervised, Water Only Fasting.  Safe and effective alternatives for the treatment of high blood pressure and obesity are increasingly needed.  This study aims to find out whether short-term fasting, combined with dietary modification, is more effective at reducing blood pressure and increasing weight loss than dietary modification alone.

 

If you have High Blood Pressure and are Obese and between the ages of 21 and 65, you may be eligible to participate in a research study about fasting and diet.

Study participants will be asked to get a baseline screening and get periodic blood work in addition to your normal health care.  Participants with a normal physical exam and blood work who also have greater than 140/90 mmHg and are Obese at the initial screening will be eligible to participate in the study.

If a screening visit and blood work results show you are eligible, you will be able to undergo the vegan diet and the fasting treatment as a part of this research study. At the end of the 6-week study, you will also be asked to attend one more study visit after 6 months to obtain additional blood work and physical measures.

Before participating, we will need to have your Personal Information and Medical History forms completed. Click here to apply for the study.

Call us at (707) 586-5555.


for more information

Call TrueNorth Health
Center (TNHC)
at 707-586-5555

Meat Linked to Diabetes Risk

Submitted on July 6, 2011 - 2:37pm

Type 2 Diabetes Associated with Increased Intake of Animal Foods.

The effects of diet and lifestyle on health are notoriously difficult to ascertain. In order to begin to tease out patterns, researchers measure many variables in order to account for confounding variables (ie, factors that also correlate to the thing being studied).

To further make research more difficult, huge numbers of people must be tracked in order to get enough data to make meaningful analyses.  The Health Professionals Follow-Up Study has followed 51,529 middle-aged (age 40–75 y at baseline) male health professionals. That’s more people than live in my hometown! Using data from the Health Professionals study, the researchers from Harvard University found a strong, positive association between a low carbohydrate diet high in animal protein and fat and incidence of type 2 diabetes.1

The study used data from 40,475 participants who were free of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, or cancer at the time they entered the study. Every four years, the biannual questionnaire mailed to the participants included a section that assessed dietary habits. Based on the responses in the questionnaires over 20 years, the participant’s diets were scored on their carbohydrate, fat and protein content.  The study also measured differences in protein and fat sources - whether they were of vegetable or animal origin.

After accounting for variables such as smoking status, family history, and body mass index that might also be associated with incidence of type 2 diabetes, the scientists found an increased risk of type 2 diabetes with a low carbohydrate diet high in animal protein and fat. However, a low carbohydrate diet high in vegetable protein and fat was not associated with onset of type 2 diabetes.

1Am J Clin Nutr 2011 93: 4 844-850

Psychiatrist Slows Down For Fasting

Submitted on June 27, 2011 - 6:10pm

Fasting is like a reboot for your system, not just physically, but mentally and spiritually as well. Dr. Walter Jacobson echoed this sentiment in what he recently wrote about his experience fasting:

"Although it was a physically and emotionally draining experience, it made me consider a number of things that I hadn’t thought much about prior to my fasting. It made me appreciate my willpower, that there is much I can accomplish if I apply similar tenacity and determination in other areas."

Dr. Jacobson, board-certified psychiatrist, author, and speaker, was motivated to try fasting after reading Dr. Joel Fuhrman's Fasting and Eating for Health.

What's your experience fasting? We're collecting stories from people who have fasted at TrueNorth Health Center. Share yours by clicking here.