Testimonials

Julie Disser
Vitality Coach
Art of Living Well

It's amazing how things can change in such a short time! When I was 26 years old, I felt like I was falling apart. I had a bladder infection that had me in the bathroom every 20 – 30 minutes that my medical doctor could not get to go away, despite repeated prescriptions for antibiotics over 2 years. I was working out 1.5 hours a day, but I could not lose that last 10 pounds, and none of my clothes fit anymore. I had not slept through the night in over 2.5 years. Although I would go to bed at 10 PM and get up at 9 AM, I was always exhausted. In addition, I had almost constant headaches and troublesome acne. I had even passed out on 4 separate occasions. None of the doctors I went to could find anything wrong with me. Probably the hardest thing for me to deal with during this time was the constant struggle against anxiety and depression. I had tried the homeopathic route for almost a year. Some of my symptomologies decreased, but I was spending a fortune and I still didn't feel much better.

In the spring of 2000, I was introduced to the work of Dr. Young, and a few weeks later to Dr. Young himself. He teaches that the body is healthiest if the pH is slightly alkaline and will be sick if it gets too acidic. I changed my diet to focus on foods that keep the body alkaline, like raw vegetables and low sugar fruits, and avoided foods that were acidic. I also used the Innerlight products that Dr. Young developed.

I started with a 10 day cleanse. I ate raw vegetable soups and vegetable juices for 4 days and then incorporated some salads in for the remaining 6 days. The results were amazing! I went from 134 pounds with 26% body fat to 127 pounds with 21% body fat…in just 10 days! I lost 2 inches around my waist, 2 inches around my hips and 1.5 inches around each thigh. I went from a size 8 to a 4. My face cleared up; I started sleeping soundly and waking up rested; my headaches disappeared. All of the physical challenges I had been struggling with were gone. Even more dramatic than that, I was not fearful anymore. It was as if someone had flipped a switch. The depression was gone, and I was looking forward to each day, which I had not been able to do in years.

Over the next couple of years, I added a few things like salmon and steamed veggies back into my diet. I felt so much better, but I found myself binging on “comfort foods” like pizza and ice cream - even though every time I did I got sick. During that time I started hearing more and more about raw food. I felt better than I had in years, but was constantly battling cravings. I wondered if raw food was the answer. So I did what I had done when I first met Dr. Young. I said to myself, “I’ll try this for 6 weeks and see how I feel. If it works, I’ll stick with it, and if it doesn’t, then I’ll continue on with the way I’ve been eating.” Well, the 6 week test was telling. I had even more energy and less cravings. I lost a couple of more pounds and achieved what I believe is my ideal weight. It’s sometimes hard to believe that I’m the same person who just a few years ago felt so hopeless. It never ceases to amaze me how connected the physical body is to our emotions. I am so thankful for everyone who has helped me get to the point where I am today!

Donna Tritt
Tampa, FL

I still can not believe how much my life has changed in the last 4 months! I just turned 47 years old a week ago and I feel better today than I can ever remember. I have always been very healthy but at 267 lbs., and only 5’1, how healthy is that? Actually, it was all my fat that kept me healthy, it stored all the toxins and acid so my body could function and stay well. I have tried all my life to lose weight. I tried everything from group meetings and weekly weight-ins to weekly shots, pills, herbal shakes, protein diets & exercise! You name it and I have absolutely tried it. I even walked a 13.5 mile marathon at Disney World. Sure I lost a few pounds but nothing major and I gained it all back in no time.
Nothing worked for very long and it was a daily battle I just accepted.

In October of 2002, I started questioning one of the guys I work with about his diet. He always brought his lunch and always had a cucumber that he ate like most people eat an apple. This man has the most beautiful skin and being a woman that has always been important to me. He radiates perfect health. We talked and he shared some things with me about eating raw vegetables and getting my body PH balanced! My idea of a vegetable is a french fry! I listened and started reading books that he recommended. I never expected to change my diet to this extreme and to me it was definitely the extreme.

On November 5th, 2002, one of the girls I work with and I went over and met with my healthy co-worker and his wife Julie. They both spent several hours with us and answered all of our questions about food and what it does to our body. As a hospital and Hospice volunteer I knew that I did not ever want to be sick. Everything they shared with us made sense. I wanted to make these changes immediately so that I could be as healthy as possible. I wasn’t even thinking about a diet and losing weight, all I wanted was to be healthy and have beautiful skin. I wanted the glow. The light just came on for me right then and there.
I went home that night and cleaned out my refrigerator, my pantry and everything. I went to the store and bought all fresh vegetables and everything I needed to begin the next day and I did! It’s been four months now and I’ve lost 56 pounds, over 23 inches, 3 whole sizes and my skin is beautiful. The whites of my eyes are so bright and I feel so good. I get compliments every day but that is not what keeps me going. I have changed my lifestyle and I love it! I’m not on a diet! I have not gone back to my old habits one time and I don’t even have the cravings. It’s not worth it, I feel so good and the pounds are melting away the right way. I know that my body will find its perfect weight and stay there.

I am so grateful to have Julie and her husband in my life and the difference they have helped me create is awesome. I am the best I have ever been over all.

Nicole Hanni
St. Petersburg, FL

Around 2.5 years ago my body began to let me know how unhealthy it was. It all started about 6 months after I got married. My husband let me know that during ‘that time of the month’ I was unbearable to live with. I went to my OBGYN about this problem and she diagnosed me with PMDD (Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder).

What is premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)?
A much more severe form of the collective symptoms known as premenstrual syndrome (PMS), premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) affects approximately 5 percent of women of reproductive age and is considered a severe and chronic medical condition that requires attention and treatment.

My OBGYN prescribed 50 milligrams of Zoloft once a day. I began to take the Zoloft and within a month the symptoms subsided.

Six months later I began to have severe stomach problems. I dealt with this for a few months before finally going to see my doctor. My doctor thought I had IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) and sent me to a Gastroentologist who scheduled me for a Colonoscopy. The Colonoscopy showed that I did not have IBS. I went back to my doctor who began to ask me several questions. One of the questions he asked was if I had chronic joint pain. I thought about it for a minute and I realized that I definitely had this problem. My problems consisted of severe pain in my hands, hips, knees and back. I wasn’t sleeping at night because of the pain and was waking up in the morning tired and in pain. He ran several blood tests and diagnosed me with RA (Rheumatoid Arthritis). He explained to me that one of the symptoms of RA is IBS so this diagnosis would explain both problems that I was having. He sent me to a Rheumatologist. The Rheumatologist immediately told me that I did not have RA. She explained that not only am I too young (I was 23 at the time) but I had no swelling in my joints therefore could not possibly have RA. I did some research online and discovered that the factor in your blood, which suggest that a person has RA, can be present if your diet consists of unhealthy foods. I gave up on doctors and decided I would just have to figure this one out on my own.
I then talked with Julie and got a little advice from her. I began to cut things out of my diet that I knew upset my stomach. I first cut out ground beef, pasta and ice cream. I began to feel a little better but by no means great. I went on to cut out fast food and white bread. Julie began to have her classes so I signed up for them. After attending four of the classes I stopped taking my Zoloft (one of the side effects can be upset stomach) and I have cut out all of the above plus chicken, red meat, candy and white rice. I am also eating less dairy and smaller portions. My next goal in the cut pork out of my diet and have fish as my only meat.

I am feeling better than I ever have. I’m no longer having stomach problems or joint pain. I can work out again and am sleeping through the night. I also no longer show symptoms of PMDD. I also feel great throughout my day. These changes have made all the difference in my life. Thanks Julie!

Christopher
Tampa Bay, FL

Hi Julie,

I really want to commend you for staying with me and guiding me through what I've been through. I have tried sooooo many different things and while some have helped me for a while, there never has been a definate terminating solution to my type II diabetes.

My eating has been a problem in itself...never knowing really what to eat...Atkins, grains, carbs, no carbs, juicing... you name it and I've tried it. They all seem to contradict each other. And I'm on the road 5 days a week every week, which made it difficult to establish consistently healthy habits...Until now where I feel I know I have the right path.

You came along and my life changed. You made it simple. It's easy...and it's cheap. And now when I eat I know that my choices are both delicious and correct.

I started this whole diet with just taking drops (Prime pH from Innerlight) in my water...I felt better immediately. Then I made the dietary changes you suggested, concentrating on a variety of raw vegetables. I also eat a lot of raw almonds. This system has made my body relax. My sugar levels have come down to below 100 count daily..... Every day!!!!! With that I feel that I am on the right track to totally handling my glucose intolerance...I know this will happen.

I have so much energy that I can work a full day of hard, stressful and physical work without feeling dead at the end of it. I have not felt like that since I was a teenager. The only reason my problems are not completely gone yet is because I have not yet stopped smoking and drinking coffee. But so much has happened even though I still partake of those.

If anyone wants to talk to someone who has truly improved their health on your program, have them please phone me anytime. I know I am getting better and better and I can share with them things they can relate to that I have to go through on my journey.

Christopher
Lindsay Eberts
Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

I had suffered from severe back back since the age of 12. Thirteen years later I had two slipped discs, 4 pinched nerves (shooting pain down both arms into my hands, and both legs..), arthrosis (degeneration of the bones in my neck), muscle spasms, tendonitis in my hips. So I was dealing with an enormous amount of pain on a daily basis. I barely got through University and had to stop working becasue of the intense pain. On top of all this I had suffered from a 2 and a half year bout of severe depression. At one time I had tried 3 different depression medications (Zoloft, Welbutrin, and Paxil) all to no avail whatsoever. In fact, the meds just added other problems. I had to take big doses of Advil and Hydromorphone just to be able to get up to go to the bathroom by myself. Quality of life was very low and my depression and fatigue got worse and worse. This summer, I had to quit working again, and was at the end of my rope. My chiropractor couldn't understand why I wasn't healing, and why I kept injuring myself doing nothing. Of course the lack of energy and mobility with the depression I was also gaining more and more weight and becoming more and more fatigued. The energy work and psychospiritual counseling I was doing was helping me come out of the depression, but I was still in great amounts of pain everyday. At the end of my rope, a friend of my mum's suggested I go to the Ann Wigmore Clinic in Puerto Rico and do a nutritional cleanse - I thought that my structural problems couldn't be affected my my high acidity, and that I was born with these weaknesses. It completely changed my life. I only spent three weeks there, and I came back with unbelievable results. I have the occasional, very mild tension in my neck, but other than that my back pain is GONE. I have so much energy and CONFIDENCE! I have clarity, focus, and motivation. I have effortlessly changed my eating habits. (As a bonus I lost 15lbs in Puerto Rico and have lost another 15lbs since I've been back - 5 weeks!) The way I feel after I eat well is now my addiction! This healing method is so incredibly powerful - My Naturopath and I are now teaching classes on this lifestyle and I am so glad to be back working...Taking responsibility for my own health used to be scary and overwhelming, now it's empowering and successful. Anyone out there reading this - Just try it.


June Connell
Clearwater, Florida

Two years ago, I had a significant change in my bowels and was either constipated or, when I took a laxative, had severe cramps and diarrhea. I also had terrible cramps and gas after eating certain foods, but couldn't always pinpoint the food that was causing the trouble. (I can remember standing at my son's bus stop, doubled over in pain.) After a colonoscopy, a diagnosis of "irritable bowel syndrome," a prescription for Zelnorm, which didn't work, numerous changes in my diet, added walking and biking, I saw few or no changes to my bowels. So, after saying, "no" to the previous eight months of Julie's potlucks because of scheduling conflicts, I decided to go and see what it was all about. That night, I ate the most tasteful, delicious food, and filld myself up. To my delight and surprise, there was no gas, no pain, no discomfort. I got home and announced to my husband that, "I was hooked."

During the first 10 days of eating "raw til dinner," I had seven bowel movements, which was more than I would have had in a typical month over the previous two years, and all of them were without laxatives of any kind. In the first few weeks, I bought a VitaMix and a dehydrator and started learning about raw food preparation. With a little planning, I was able to stick to it, and share new foods with my family. My 4-and 9-year olds now eat more raw foods, too, just plain raw fruits and vegetables, with almost every meal. It's made a difference in their digestive systems, too.

Even with some "regressing" to old, less healthful eating habits over the past few weeks, I'm still eating far more raw food than I used to and so the digestive problems are still much improved from where they were. I plan to take Julie's course this fall to give me new ideas and support for these incredible changes in my life. I really believe it was no coincidence at all that I met Julie in front of the VitaMix demo counter at last year's Home Show in St. Pete!