A Remarkable Health Program Combining Ancient Wisdom with Groundbreaking Clinical Research

"Jordan was diagnosed at age 19 with Crohn's-Colitis, an "incurable" inflammatory disease of the bowel. His weight plummeted from 180 lbs to 104 lbs at a height of 6'1" and he was bedridden for almost two years. As in most chronic conditions, Jordan's immune system began to fail. He suffered from intestinal parasites, severe candida, extreme anemia, food allergies, diabetes, excruciating abdominal pain, chronic diarrhea, poor circulation, liver problems, chemical sensitivities, chronic fatigue, arthritis, insomnia, hair loss, intestinal dysbiosis, prostate and bladder infections, irregular heartbeat, eye inflammation and chronic depression. Jordan sought the help of approximately 70 health professionals from seven countries and tried more than 200 different alternative supplements. His illness did not respond to standard medicine or alternative medical approaches. He was forced to drop out of college and was bedridden for almost two years.
After standard medicine failed he was on a desperate search for alternatives. He was treated by Naturopaths, Homeopaths, Herbalists, Nutritionists, Immunologists, Acupuncturists and private clinics all over the world. Finally, after trying everything else with no improvement, his chiropractor father sent him some information on soil bacteria. In 1996, Jordan began taking a product that contained HSOs, Primal Defense. He started taking it and for a few weeks felt slightly worse. After 30 days he felt a sudden surge of energy and his digestive problems began to disappear. Within three months he gained his weight back. Within four months his body began to heal itself. "
This History is taken from Crohns.net. (A site which appears to be funded or supported by Jordan's books.) Yet as several readers have mentioned, how could someone that was ill from age 19 (1995 if he is 28 today), and began his own healing journey in 1996, have written 3 books, Obtained a Ph.D., a N.M.D., founded a company (which sells all the products marketed in his books), done all this vast intensive research, and healed himself from Chrons Disease. All this was done in 8 years? Maybe Jordan should write a book on time management. I have read two of his books, and most of the theories and information is just a hodge podge of many different diets and supplemental recommendations made for years by many different officianodos within the Natural Health Community woven together in his books to sell product. Most of the ideas and concepts will be helpful for most people, but there are far better products on the market for less money, that will achieve the same results as Garden Of Life Products. Please do your own research before totally subscribing to this kind of Marketing. There are many other great reference books that are truly dedicated to helping people heal thyself without price gouging and playing to peoples desperation. In Short, Go buy some really good Pro-Biotic Supplements, A really good greens formula, each raw vegetables (organic), moderate you carbs, get enough protein, and drink Aloe Vera Juice. These products any many more that are helpful for such conditions are also available, at a far more reasonanle cost, than Jordan's Garden Of Life products sell for; and are just as effective. But if your are having sucess with the Garden Of Life Products, great, stay with it, Healing yourself is the key, but if it is becoming more than your pocket book can stand, try checking the shelves at your Health Food Store and read the labels for similar products. I think you will find some very comprehensive products for less money, that are just as effective.

The recommendations and supplements in this book are an excellent way to improving your overall health, and in some circumstances may even lessen dependence on maintenence drugs for Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. The diet as well as some of the supplements are extremely helpful to those with Irritable Bowel Syndrome. However, Crohn's diease and ulcerative colitis are very serious chronic, degenerative diseases that are completely different than IBS.

I have worked closely with my doctor and personally have greatly benefited from incorporating Jordan's suggestions and supplements (Primal Defense, Omegazyme) into my diet and lifestyle. In addition, I regularly and consistantly take the matienence medication my docotor has prescribed. I have been in remission for 1 year and I believe that the suggestions in this book have supported the treatment I am receiving.

However, it did not cure me, nor will it cure anyone else with an autoimmune disease. Remission is not the same as being cured. Crohn's, ulcerative Colitis, and other similar diseases start with an hyperactive immune response to the digestive tract as well as the joints and therefore cannot be cured with diet alone. Medication is necessary to control and regulate the body's overactive immune response, allowing Jordan's diet and supplements to support the body in healing itself.

As a Crohn's and ulcerative Colitis patient for 15 years, I am disturbed by Jordan's completely unsubstantiated claim to have been "cured" of Crohn's. This is irresponsible, and even potentially dangerous to those who have autoimmune dieases and may quit taking their medications.

The diseases his methods claim to cure by their very nature have periods of fare-ups followed by periods of remission. It is important to understand that there is a significant percentage of people who will have the first flare up of Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis, become critically ill, only to suddenly and inexplicably go into remission, with or without treatment.

Jordan's lack of symptoms prove nothing about the state of his health. His experience mirrors many patients first onset of the disease, including my own.

This book is no substitution for a competant, resourceful gastrointerologist and effective medications. Jordan's diet and supplements, as well as the other suggestions in this book complement, rather than replace, medication.

Patient Heal Thyself: A Remarkable Health Program Combining Ancient Wisdom With Groundbreaking Clinical Research
People who have stomach issues will greatly be helped by this book I feel. I have given it to a couple of people so that can help themselves.

This book is an easy to read and understand format in a complex world of digestive health. Dr. J. does a fantastic job and it is easy to see how he himself has benefitted from what he preaches. My wife and I and all my clients are learning to use his products, and I know from my own experience that the ones I use work. A MUST READ!

Waaaay too much sales hype. Several have mentioned that they got the book for free. Well, DUH. It's sole purpose is to advertise Rubin's expensive products. If that were not the case, he would've been honest, and told everyone what "soil-based organism" product he took in order to regain his health, BEFORE he formulated the Primal Defense product that he says he "needed" to create to help other people.

Why didn't he just tell folks the name of the product or formula he took that helped him restore his health? It wasn't Primal Defense -- that product didn't exist until AFTER he was well. Instead he shamelessly chose to market his own product, for his own benefit.

It should also be noted that several pages of his book are copied directly from information (for example, the parts where he discusses how to balance the immune system) found on websites that were published several years before Dr. Rubin "wrote" his book. I think that's called plagarism?

The two stars are for the overall common sense advice in parts of his book. As for his many extremely expensive products (which last about 10 days at his recommended high dosages), in my humble opinion, they're not worth it. You can find the same benefits in less expensive products.

My husband bought this book and is in the process of reading it now. He says its been great so far, very informative. He is a Crohn's patient and is considering trying these methods in order to reduce his daily steroid intake.
Would recommend this book. Received shipment quickly.

This book is a science-free, anecdotes-only printed infomercial for the author's line of exceptionally expensive health care products masquerading as a book. I almost paid for it but the heath store clerk said that that the manufacturer sent them out to the stores for free so she would just give it to me.
The author contends that some nifty (and of course, now commercially available from his company at a per-ounce price approximately equal to gold) soil-based microorganisms cured his horrendous case of Crohn's disease.
Dr. Barry Sears asserts that Irritable Bowel Disease (same as Crohn's but not quite so wide spread in the intestine) is simply a deficiency disease due to lack of Omega-3 essential fatty acids compounded by a lack of sufficient dietary fiber. After completely clearing up my own IBD using Sears' techniques, I agree with Sears.
Rubin does not talk at all about celiac disease damaging one's intestines. Rubin does not talk about ELISA testing for food allergies that can significantly damage the intestinal linings. Rubin does not discuss either Omega-3 EFA or fiber as contributors to curing Crohn's.
Nearly 1/3 the book is a dictionary of ailments with Rubin's recommendations for treatment. Every ailment is to be treated using the almost the exact same list of Rubin's extremely expensive products from the author's company (oh, surprise, surprise). No science presented that these treatments actually work, or that they work better than anything else. The treatments will, however, significantly inflate the author's bank account.
This book was worth exactly what I paid for it (zero). Don't bother. Reading this book was a complete waste of my time.

Good thing I received this book for free. It was too wordy and wasn't well written. For example, under mental disorders the author forgot to define Schizophrenia as he did with the other disorders - looks sloppy. Also, the protocols for illnesses were nearly all the same; this book could have been 1/3 the size. It started off with SOME good information, although nothing new, and had a nice personal success story. Soon after that you get slapped in the face with its sales gimmick, which is difficult to get past. Why? Because it's difficult to trust informtion coming from a person who is going to benefit financially from his recommendations - 100% of the recommended supplements are from his company. As a previous reviewer wrote, why didn't Rubin give us the products he used to recover - those before he created his own? Rubin's focus on sales is too strong which makes it difficult to trust his recommendations.

I remember seeing the same person, same photograph
recommending a SBO product from a company called
LifeScience, and now he is also recommending another
company product PrimalDefence!! Which one really worked
Jordan??

His claims are far fetched and unrealistic. I have suffered from idiopathic diarrehea for 5 yrs following 2 major rounds of chemotherapy and radiation. I tried all of his recommendations, I have traveled to many clinics and had several inpatient studies. As I read his book, it was like I was reading a story about myself, but far from it as I tried to follow Jordan S. Rubin, N.M.D., Ph.D suggestions.

After browsing the book, we looked up Mr. Rubin's site to read more about him. All offers to purchase products. Oddly an offer for a "FREE" book with purchase of 100 bucks, or more. Not so free if you ask me. Looks like yet another book on diet trying to gain an edge on the market. Kind of like "Eat Right For Your Type" the other get back to your primal diet thing but atleast that guy a real Dr. Seems like nothing scarier than person who was seroiusly ill got better now thinks he holds the key to the universe. I'll pass thanks. Saw an unrelated advertisement with his pic. for drinking coconut oil to cure chrohns. That coconut oil is just horrible for the heart and cholesterol. Atleast with the Atkins diet the guru was a legitimate practitioner for years. Atkins suffered criticism then gained well earned renewed popularity later in life, before his untimely death. This Rubin seems to be going for instant infamy such as what is possible with the internet. No cred tho.

What can I say? The "true believers" and the people who are desperate will believe in anything. But I do plan to give my dog (if I didn't have only a cat) "1 caplet 3 times per day with 8 ounces of water or juice" of Jordan's Primal Defense snake oil. On the web site it states "Great for pets." If it's good enough for Fido, it's good enough for me. But does it have to cost two arms and two legs. As for the "book", read it at your own risk.

This book was a very VERY thinly veiled sales pitch for "Dr." Rubin's nutritionals, which he claims "cured" his Crohn's disease. He shows no medical evidence that his Crohn's, or anyone else's, was cured using his questionable methods. The book recommends odd nutritional practices, which might not cause a healthy body any harm, but which could potentially really hurt someone with a weakened immune system. My favorite: taking capsules of Rubin's proprietary formula "Beneficial Soil Organisms." What that means in English, folks, is "Germs We Found in The Dirt." Caveat patient.

I have nothing really against Jordan Rubin and this book. What it offers is common sense natural medicine. Nothing in this book is really a revelation or surprising. Most or if not all of the information can be found in other publications as is really nothing more than a compilation of other resources. The big issue here is Mr. Rubin's claims and other peoples claims of being "cured" or "healed" by chronic diseases. This is simply wrong, incorrect, inaccurate, and ignorant to say. Sure Mr. Rubin wants you to use his Garden Of Life products. They aren't cheap either. But to say that you will be "healed" or "cured"? These "products" just suppress the symptoms, which is great! But that should not make you stray away from seeing a medical doctor. Just because you used to have a diesase say like Diabetes does not mean it was cured. Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn Disease are the same way. They are always there. If people actually think that these diseases can be cured by Garden Of Life products they are gullible, sad, lost people. Using this system in conjunction with a doctor is the best way. I know some people despise doctors and are willing to shell out a lot of money for Garden Of Life products INSTEAD of seeing a doctor and that is just plain stupid. Wake up people.