LOS ANGELES TIMES AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY BESTSELLER • The powerful memoir of a young doctor and former college athlete diagnosed with a rare disease who spearheaded the search for a cure—and became a champion for a new approach to medical research. “A wonderful and moving chronicle of a doctor’s relentless pursuit, this book serves both patients and physicians in demystifying the science that lies behind medicine.”—Siddhartha Mukherjee, New York Times bestselling author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Gene David Fajgenbaum, a former Georgetown quarterback, was nicknamed the Beast in medical school, where he was also known for his unmatched mental stamina. But things changed dramatically when he began suffering from inexplicable fatigue. In a matter of weeks, his organs were failing and he was read his last rites. Doctors were baffled by his condition, which they had yet to even diagnose. Floating in and out of consciousness, Fajgenbaum prayed for a second chance, the equivalent of a dramatic play to second the game into overtime. Miraculously, Fajgenbaum survived—only to endure repeated near-death relapses from what would eventually be identified as a form of Castleman disease, an extremely deadly and rare condition that acts like a cross between cancer and an autoimmune disorder. When he relapsed while on the only drug in development and realized that the medical community was unlikely to make progress in time to save his life, Fajgenbaum turned his desperate hope for a cure into concrete action: Between hospitalizations he studied his own charts and tested his own blood samples, looking for clues that could unlock a new treatment. With the help of family, friends, and mentors, he also reached out to other Castleman disease patients and physicians, and eventually came up with an ambitious plan to crowdsource the most promising research questions and recruit world-class researchers to tackle them. Instead of waiting for the scientific stars to align, he would attempt to align them himself. More than five years later and now married to his college sweetheart, Fajgenbaum has seen his hard work pay off: A treatment he identified has induced a tentative remission and his novel approach to collaborative scientific inquiry has become a blueprint for advancing rare disease research. His incredible story demonstrates the potency of hope, and what can happen when the forces of determination, love, family, faith, and serendipity collide. Praise for Chasing My Cure “A page-turning chronicle of living, nearly dying, and discovering what it really means to be invincible in hope.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit “[A] remarkable memoir . . . Fajgenbaum writes lucidly and movingly . . . Fajgenbaum’s stirring account of his illness will inspire readers.”—Publishers Weekly
This book explains in simple terms everything you need to know about endometriosis and outlines the steps that need to be taken to cure it long term. Many women think there is no hope of really curing this serious disease or falling pregnant once diagnosed with this condition. With the information in this book, which you can implement in your own life, there is an excellent chance, not only of a positive outcome, but a complete cure. Endometriosis is like a weed - it tends to grow back or recur. Holistic medicine aims to cure this disease and therefore it is recommended that it is used with other treatments. The information in this book will reduce the need for repetitive laparoscopies, which increase the risk of scar tissue building up in the pelvis and abdomen. Scar tissue can be permanent and increases the risk of infertility, bowel obstructions, constipation and ongoing chronic abdominal or pelvic pain. Surgery and drugs can remove endometrial implants and cysts but they only treat the end results of the disease; they do nothing to treat the cause or prevent recurrences. If your immune system is weak and/or your hormones are out of balance, the endometriosis will most likely recur, just like the weeds in your garden; they demand constant vigilance. The good news is that natural progesterone therapy can often alleviate the symptoms and shrink endometriosis in women of all ages. But natural progesterone is one of medicineís best kept secrets! Learn how to use it in this book! Case history of a young teenager with endometriosis Charlotte was only 14 years of age when she began to have very heavy and painful periods. She was missing a lot of school and her mother was worried about the amount of pain killers Charlotte required to control her period pain. 2 months after starting Dr Cabotís program, Charlotteís period pains had reduced by over 80% and she was able to cope easily with her menstrual bleeding. Yes, this simple program really works and is wonderful for young women who are too young to take strong hormonal drugs or the contraceptive pill. Case history of a 35 year old woman with endometriosis Matilde was a delightful 35 year old woman who had been trying to have a baby for 5 years. In her twenties she had been diagnosed with endometriosis. Her menstrual bleeding was heavy and painful and lasted for 7 days. Matilde had tried IVF on 3 occasions and 2 of these attempts had resulted in early miscarriage and the last attempt had failed to produce a pregnancy. Matilde desired two things ñ to have a healthy baby naturally and to be rid of her endometriosis. After considerable tests it became obvious that this woman needed a program to reduce the autoimmune inflammation that was wreaking havoc in her gut and her reproductive tract. Nine months later Matilde came to see me for a pregnancy test ñ guess what? - It was positive! She was so excited and so was her sister, as she also not surprisingly had fertility problems. Matilde had a healthy full term pregnancy resulting in a beautiful baby boy. Case history of Claire Claire was a 24 year old woman who had been experiencing severe period pains for 6 years and had been diagnosed with endometriosis growing on her ovaries and in the pouch of Douglas behind her uterus. She had already had two laparoscopic surgeries to remove the endometrial deposits but the relief on each occasion had lasted less than a year. When I first saw Claire it was obvious to me that she had hormonal issues that needed to be addressed if we were going to get this problem under control. I explained to Claire that good health begins in the digestive tract and we had to work on cleaning up her intestines and large bowel. After 12 months of my program Claire was cured of her endometriosis and no longer had to take any pain killers or anti-inflammatory drugs. Her cycle was regular and her period pains were quite bearable. She absolutely loved the natural progesterone, as it had made her moods much better and she had found her old happy self again. Learn about the holistic treatment for endometriosis The correct diet to fight endometriosis Recipes and Juices Nutritional Supplements to fight endometriosis Essential strategies to improve your immune system Herbal medicines to fight endometriosis Detox your liver and bowels to control it Natural progesterone creams and troches Learn the outstanding and life saving tools to give the best chance of cure Early diagnosis and treatment is vital ñ donít put up with long term symptoms and suffering or being fobbed off by a doctor who does not recognize that you have endometriosis. Do not rely upon surgery and/or drugs alone, as the disease will often come back to bite you. Understand that endometriosis is like a weed ñ it will come back if you donít look after yourself. Use holistic medicine to keep your immune system, your liver and your gut healthy ñ you will not only cure endometriosis you will greatly reduce your risk of cancer and chronic diseases. Be assertive ñ if you need natural progesterone, make sure you see a doctor who understands it. This book is of great value in your battle against the unpleasant and potentially severe disease of endometriosis. If you have any questions feel free to contact my professional and friendly naturopaths contact details for whom are found in the book