Although Juice Plus+® is not a cure or treatment for any sickness or disease - nothing is, except for a drug approved by the FDA, according to LAW - it can be helpful to the health of the body. And why not, it is fruit and vegetable nutrients, and most people are not getting enough good nutrition in their diet each day. Here is an amazing testimonial (name withheld, but on file) from an individual who decided that Juice Plus+® would provide benefit to her health, just on the basis that she knew she wasn't eating enough fruits and vegetables and getting enough proper nutrients in her diet. Read this one woman's amazing story --
Dear Health Conscious Friends:
My name is (withheld) and I was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in the fall of 2003. I have mild relapsing-remitting MS and I am currently 39 years old.
My first symptom was a numb spot on the left side of my face that didn’t go away. An MRI showed that I had several small lesions on my brain. The neurologist said it looked like MS but it was too soon to tell.
Over the next year my health progressively deteriorated. The numbness went into my left arm and left leg within 2 weeks. Soon after, a “burning” sensation developed in my arm and hand. My symptoms presented themselves primarily on the left side of my body. During this year as symptoms progressed, I consistently began to experience being off balance, became extremely fatigued, my hearing would go out intermittently and/or I heard a high pitch sound, I experienced sleep disturbances, I felt the extremely painful sensation of having needles shoved up the bottom of my feet, I suffered from cognitive issues, and developed extreme sensitivity to heat and changes in the weather. All in all come any afternoon I was pretty much done with participating with life. Upon coming home from work, my husband had to pick me up off of the couch and carry me up the stairs to our room. We were making plans to sell our two story house because I could no longer walk up the stairs due to the pain. I was no longer able to be with my family for fun activities sitting on the sideline, telling my kids not to touch me because it hurt too much. After almost a year, I was diagnosed by my neurologist and was scheduled to go on interjection therapy. We went to the Mayo Clinic for a second opinion and were told I had MS. My neurologist said it was ok if I didn’t go on injection therapy right away. I was being a baby so opted out of giving myself a shot everyday. I did steroid IVs and a heavy dose of a drug for nerve pain and an anti-depressant to help me sleep. Many people were affected by my disease. I had friends and family helping with my three young children, preparing meals, and cleaning my home. The magnitude of not being able to be the wife and mom I desired to be was truly crushing.
Being very discouraged, I began asking my doctors what I could do to stop this disease. The reply was- “Nothing, just keep your body in as good of shape as possible.” As depression set in, both neurologists recommended I see a psychologist to figure out how to cope with my MS diagnosis. Realizing that we were coming to the end of what the neurologists could do for me, we set out to find alternatives.
I had many people offer up advice of this, that and the other which overwhelmed us since there were a lot of things out there to consider. My husband and I started doing our own research and were amazed at the number of alternative options we found.
We decided to try 3 different natural options over the course of a year based on recommendations of others who had success managing MS. Nothing worked for me, but in my research I was beginning to understand more and more that my diet played a huge role in my health status. Wow -my diet- who would have thought? and this was something I could change. My neurologist kept asking me if I had MS in my family, but I didn’t. I had cancer, heart disease, Parkinson’s and on and on, but not MS. So I couldn’t even blame it on my genes.
During this year we were slowly making many dietary changes like eliminating transfats, cutting back significantly on refined sugars, grains and pastas, eliminating high fructose corn syrup, MSG, artificial sweeteners, and reducing the amount of animal protein which included dairy. (highlighted and italicized to increase the importance of how a healthy diet can aid in the prevention and HELP of all conditions and diseases!)
My dad talked to an RN about my condition and she asked if he had ever heard of Juice Plus+®. My dad hadn’t, but after talking to her he understood it was fruits and vegetables in a capsule and it had been researched all over the world by independent institutions like Yale University, University of Maryland, University of Milan, along with 20 other institutions. He was persistent always encouraging me pursue more information.
I of course was resistant after spending hundreds of dollars on the other supplements in the previous year. Every time my dad called, he asked if I had called the RN, and of course I kept blowing it off. Finally I called not because I wanted to learn about another “supplement,” but because I wanted to honor my dad and not have him ask me about it anymore. Of course I knew he cared about me and wanted the best for me.
I called the RN and told her I wasn’t interested but was honoring my dad. She proceeded to tell why I should be interested. Juice Plus+ was simply 17 fruits, vegetables and grains plus 9 berries in capsule, chewable or gummi form. I had been juicing and understood the benefits of fruits and vegetables to some extent, but I really did not fully understand that fruits and vegetables were the foundation, not an accessory to good health.
My husband was the skeptic in our family and he said, "We are not eating the recommended 5-9 servings (NOW 7-13 servings) of fresh, raw fruits and vegetables every day, and it’s just fruits and vegetables. The research was carried out at major universities and institutions so we are starting our whole family on Juice Plus+." When I looked at the research behind Juice Plus+, I was so encouraged. There were 3 studies on the immune system that really got my attention. They showed that Juice Plus+ helped put the immune system back into balance. (People with autoimmune disorders have an immune system that is out of balance which creates havoc in the body in some way). Also, several studies on DNA and 9 bioavailability studies showed that Juice Plus+ gets in your cells protecting the DNA making the body more resistant to disease. I really liked all of this research because it was conducted at major Universities and not by the company.
The RN asked that I commit to eating Juice Plus+ for a year, and of course I didn’t want to hear that. I was looking for a quick fix, never mind that my body didn’t come into a diseased state in only months. My neurologists explained that it took several years before the first symptoms of the disease were apparent. This nurse strongly suggested I eat more JP+ than the research results were based on because my immune system was failing, and in this case, the more fruits and vegetables I could eat the better.
I started Juice Plus+ in late December of 2004 by eating the recommended 2 Orchard capsules, 2 Garden capsules and 2 Vineyard capsules, because this is what research was based on. The next month I doubled the amount to 4 capsules of each per day. You see I was already paying too much for my disease. I had a cleaning lady out of necessity and had much more significant “costs” of not being able to do what I wanted to do. The third month, I tripled my amount of Juice Plus+® taking 6 capsules of each per day. It was only food so I didn’t need to worry about overdosing like a vitamin, herb or drug. Now before you fall out of your chair, I never tell people to eat as much as I do. We just chose to invest in my health. I tell people, absolutely start with 2, 2, 2 capsules per day.
By the third and fourth month, I slowly started feeling more energy and a little less pain. During the course of that year, I gradually started feeling “normal”! My neurologist was amazed. At the outset of my disease, I had new lesions showing up on every MRI, but after improving my nutrition by adding JP+ I had no new lesions and the lesions I did have were now stable. My symptoms today consist of occasion slight numbness in my right cheek or leg when I have not managed my stress well or have lacked sleep, etc. I am pain free, have no motor or hearing problems, and have plenty of energy to get me through the day. I am able to do all of the activites I was doing before noticing symptoms, and we were able to stay in our home. I still eat 6 capsules of the Orchard Blend, Garden Blend and Berry Blend per day and I will for the rest of my life.
What I have learned from my illness is that many people with autoimmune diseases kid themselves about the seriousness of their disease, and I used to be one of them. If you have a compromised immune system, your front line defense is not working the way it should….so your body is wide open to disease. If MS runs in your family, it’s more likely due to the habits passed from generation to generation rather than a genetic issue. I’ve also learned that over 70% of the disease we experience in this country is preventable with good nutrition. Did you know that? I didn’t at the time. Nutrition has changed my disease completely.
I am always asked if JP+ might help someone else with Multiple Sclerosis, diabetes, high blood pressure or other illnesses. My response is this: Whether you have MS, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, or any other physical ailment, you are still supposed to be eat 7-13 servings of fresh, fruits and vegetables every day. Are you doing that? If you aren’t like I wasn’t, you are fooling yourself if you think your body can magically get better. Food is fuel and it will either build your body up or it will tear it down. Food is not neutral.
I continue to educate myself to make the best decisions for my entire family. Most of us don’t have an understanding of what we can do to be healthy. Today, my extreme passion is focused on sharing the message about the relationship between what we eat and how we feel and look from the inside out. Of course I’m passionate because I have my life back! Juice Plus+® is NOT a substitute for the fruits and veggies you should be eating every day. Juice Plus+ is available to bridge the gap between what we can’t, won’t or don’t eat everyday, and it is the easiest, most affordable and convenient way to get many fruits, veggies, grains, and berries into our bodies. We can be on the path to illness years before we feel a symptom. I had disease in my body for years prior and didn’t feel it. Because of this, I will no longer gamble with my family’s health waiting for a symptom to occur. You can take action to safeguard your health and be confident that although it almost seems too easy or simple, fruits and vegetables always have and will continue to have a profound positive impact on your health. If you can’t won’t or don’t eat at least 7 to 13 servings of fresh raw vine ripened fruits and vegetables every day, trust the results of research conducted at the University of Arizona, Georgetown University, MD Anderson, Brigham Young University, King’s College London, University of Sydney in Australia, UCLA and many others. Third Party research (research not carried out by the manufacturer),is proof that JP+ will go to work in your body too. Eating many fruits and vegetables and adding JP+ everyday is an insurance policy for my entire family to maintain good health. Can you think of an easier more affordable way to safeguard your health? Educate yourself and be empowered by what you can do. We don’t need to be a victim of disease, and although I don’t know what it’s going to do for your illness, I do know this: Sick or not, you need 7-13 servings of fresh, raw fruits and veggies every day as a foundation to better health.
I hope the best for you on your journey towards better health.
Comment: The important thing to note here is that a HEALTHY DIET is best for maintaining good health, and sometimes correcting poor health. And it starts with plenty of fruits and vegetables, the foundation for a healthy diet. As our 'testimonial' said, if you can't, don't, or won't eat the minimum recommended, then add Juice Plus+® until you do. It's a great "insurance" to help you be sure you are getting closer to the nutrients your body needs!
Dr. J. Patrick Havey
The Health & Wellness Institute, PC
Official Juice Plus+® Independent Distributor
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