Julia, a teenage girl, developed a rash and, after consulting with several doctors, it was treated as poison ivy with topical medications. When the problem persisted Julia went to St. Joseph’s Regional Medical Center. Following many tests, including kidney DNA, she was diagnosed with stage four (end stage) lupus and placed on immunosuppressive drugs and steroids, including prednisone. These drugs created difficult side effects. Desperate for alternative treatments, Julia’s family searched the Internet for lupus information and found Jill Harrington’s book, The Lupus Recovery Diet. The book credits include Joel Fuhrman, M.D. Desperate for options, they made an appointment with Dr. Fuhrman.
Dr. Fuhrman explained the benefits of natural, balanced nutrition and prescribed a completely plant-based diet to cleanse Julia’s system. Of course, they were very skeptical that a diet could have such a drastic impact on her condition. About the same time they took Julia to a kidney specialist at New York-Presbyterian Hospital. He told us that she was facing kidney dialysis and placed Julia on the national kidney transplant list. We struggled with the options facing her and the family. On one hand, Julia would endure a weekly routine of dialysis sessions and eventually kidney failure, if a transplant wasn’t found. On the other hand she, and the family, would have to completely change eating habits -- no more pizza or cheeseburgers -- to comply with Dr. Fuhrman’s program. They weren’t sure it was going to work.
Under Dr. Fuhrman’s care, they finally decided to stop all Julia’s medications and treat her lupus with a plant-based diet. Testing seven months later revealed absolutely no trace of lupus in Julia’s system. Her kidney function improved dramatically and continued to return to full function. Julia celebrated her sweet sixteen with a healthy future and junior year in high school ahead of her.