All of your dedication and knowledge is a great gift to humanity. You surely are the best food doctor that the world could ever know.
Strengthening Health Institute
Denny suggested I take the Intensive program to jump-start my program and refresh [my former macrobiotic practice]. My first macrobiotic meal at the Strengthening Health Institute made me feel like I was home. Three days into the Intensive program, I got up in the morning and, for the first time in months, was able to walk without pain! My Achilles Tendonitis was gone and has never returned! Within 20 days, I lost 23 pounds! By the time I had three months under my belt, I was 118 pounds my hair had stopped falling out, my hip and knees were fine and my breath was better. I was literally transformed into a new person!I signed up for the year-long CCP [now Master Your Health] program. The CCP was informative, energizing and life changing. Being with others, focusing on topics, eating the food and experiencing the energy is not anything you can get from books. I drove eight hours each way to attend the classes once per month.
Upon graduating I was hungry for more! So, I signed up for another year at the program. I still have a hectic schedule and little support, but I know I will never go back to my old ways. My practice is far from perfect, but when I am ‘off’ I am able to get back on track by myself. I owe that to SHI!
Practicing macrobiotics makes me feel calm, happy, in control, grateful and appreciative. It has also brought me closer to my Higher Power! Studying macrobiotics at SHI is a life-altering experience. It’s one of the best things you can do for yourself!
I began to study with Denny Waxman as soon as I began counseling with him. I completed the two-year Macrobiotic Counselor Training Program at the Strengthening Health Institute and continued with the Graduate Studies Program. Every time I sit in his classes, I continue to be overwhelmed with inspiration and joy. I can say from my vast experience that Denny is an educator, counselor and motivator par excellence. With his keen intuition and his mastery of macrobiotic theory, he offers amazingly effective solutions and recommendations. He clearly explains how macrobiotics is a way of understanding the universal laws of nature, so we can make better choices about how to direct our lives. These macrobiotic principles can be applied to all spheres of life, including diet, activity and lifestyle, in order to achieve harmony and balance. His teachings extend far beyond individual self-healing however. He teaches how this universal macrobiotic understanding can also be used to create practical approaches to healing environmental, societal and global ills.Denny Waxman is a serious thinker and true visionary with a large world-view, working to promote personal and planetary health. He is the kind of inspirational leader of which the world is in short supply. He is uniquely poised to lead us through these troubled times, by showing us how we can rediscover our common sense and intuition to live to our full potential and create a more peaceful and joyous world.
THYROID
For years, I had numerous problems with my digestive tract … I also experienced bouts of depression, anxiety, and numerous upper respiratory infections. I went through life in constant acceleration mode. My doctor used to call me a racehorse.As I grew older the problems became more severe and more chronic. I developed acid reflux, worsened depression and anxiety, constant fatigue, and insomnia. I was given many different medications. Five years ago, one medication I was prescribed tore up my stomach and left me with gastroparesis; a condition where what little food you eat takes forever to digest causing much pain, and nausea.
Eventually, I found a wise endocrinologist who discovered I had an autoimmune disease called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis disease, which he explained was likely the underlying cause of my many health issues. My stomach remained a disaster despite the new thyroid medication. In June 2007, I had a jejunum tube installed that allowed my body to by-pass my stomach and receive liquid nutrition.
Regardless, I still felt lousy and tired. I was a mess; my thyroid remained out of control, my hair fell out, my body ached …
I found Denny Waxman … “Your problem is with your pancreas and lungs. This is what is causing your stomach problems” … He said the food I had been eating my whole life was the problem. He also explained how I lost my relationship with food from living off of a feeding tube for two years.
He insisted that my body would gradually heal itself with whole foods and acupuncture. He then smiled and said, “You’re going to feel so much better.”
…I began to feel much, much, better. Better than I had ever felt in my life. My mind cleared up—foggy thinking vanished. My internist … noticed my weight steadily dropping … I felt “in sync.” … My energy seemed boundless. Sure enough, less than a year later I was able to discontinue the tube feeding entirely…
In 2011, I attended the Strengthening Health Institute for their four day Intensive program. The food was so delicious, and I learned a great deal about a wonderful spiritual way of life. Two years ago I replaced acupuncture with Shiatsu massage which I have done twice a month and find it even more helpful. I no longer take any medications…
I’m 73 years old now and I feel decades younger. Through the macrobiotic diet, daily walks outside every day, exercise and meditation, today I have a full and happy life.
I discovered macrobiotics while seeking a better, healthier way of eating. Two years prior, I was diagnosed with a thyroid disorder called Hashimoto thyroiditis and also struggled with seasonal asthma. … After seeing Denny Waxman the first time, my asthma symptoms went away immediately. My thyroid symptoms have improved greatly as well. Denny got me on track with food and home remedies that helped combat my health issues, and made me feel and look 100% better.After going to Denny a few times, I decided to join the Certification program to gain a better understanding of macrobiotic cooking, ‘macro-food 101’, philosophy, and shiatsu. These were the tools I needed to balance myself so that I could balance my family and teach them better food choices so they would have a healthier future.
Taking the Certificate course has changed my life for the better. Macrobiotics has made me live more mindfully, think more mindfully, and has given me a new look at life through the word “energy”. I am now feeling so much better health-wise, thanks to Denny and his knowledge. I will continue to share the knowledge Denny and Susan have given me. I will also continue to spread the word of macrobiotics and how helpful Denny Waxman has been to my family and to me. Thank you.
HEALTHY CHILDREN
I had a severe case of atopic dermatitis for 7 months from head to toe that nothing could heal.
My sister introduced me to Denny and I was given a 2 month diet/lifestyle to follow. A month into the routine, I now have a clear face, neck, and upper body. Overall, the redness, itchiness, swelling, bleeding and yellow fluid subsided, and my skin continues to heal back to its soft skin. I could not believe the results.
No medicine can do this and I intend to continue eating this way even after I completely heal!
…my son, who was four at the time, had speech delay and a number of other vague global delay symptoms that were deemed either extremely serious or totally transitory, depending on which professional gave what opinion. My son and I both went to see Denny, and in both our cases we were helped enormously by making just the basic changes: vegetables and whole grains with most meals, no dairy, meat, or sugar. My son improved overnight! Although his speech delay is only now pretty much resolved, the other symptoms disappeared literally with weeks and months.
My son had some minor bouts of acne while he was in high school. We didn’t think much about it until on his recent break from college, I noticed his back chest and upper arms were covered with active acne and scars. The pustules and papules completely covered his back from his waistline to his shoulders and across his chest to his breastbone. At home my son grew up eating a vegetarian diet. Once he went away to college his diet expanded to include meat chicken and eggs.
After noticing his severe acne I contacted Denny. He told me the problem most likely was eggs, cheese and butter none of which he ate growing up. These foods became his favorite foods while at college. He especially loved eggs and when he came home was eating 3 eggs a day.
After five weeks of following Denny’s recommendations the acne completely cleared and the many scars are beginning to fade. This is an unbelievable change in such a short time. These lesions were itchy painful and widespread and could have been more than just acne. The lesions were severe.I am thrilled and thankful to see them gone and I know he is too.
WARTS
I had several warts growing on my hand. I had gone to see a doctor who gave me a topical treatment. It worked temporarily, but they grew right back. When I finally consulted Denny over the phone he gave recommendations that not only cleared them up, but they have never grown back.
CHRONIC FATIGUE
Macrobiotics saved my life.18 years ago, I was incapacitated with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, from which I had been suffering for 14 years. I had lost hope of ever recovering. Then I discovered macrobiotics and Denny Waxman, and my fortunes began to change. Denny gave me a clear direction of how I could recover my health and guided me every step of the way. He showed me that my diet and lifestyle contributed to my illness and how, by reversing these factors, I could heal myself. For me, it was a miracle. With a lot of hard work, I was able to reclaim my health and my life.
Three years later, Denny guided me through a natural and healthy pregnancy and childbirth. Afterwards, he counseled me in raising my child according to the macrobiotic lifestyle. My son, now nearly 15 years old, is incredibly healthy, happy and vibrant!
ALZHEIMERS
At age 57, Steve was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. For years Steve’s basic diet consisted of steak sandwiches, pizza, pasta, bagels, cheerios, bananas, ice cream and donuts. We chose macrobiotics for treatment instead of anti-depressants, anti-psychotics, or any other medicines usually prescribed for Steve’s condition.
The first change I noticed was that his breath became pleasant and clean-smelling. Next, chronic dandruff cleared up. Then his high cholesterol normalized and never went back up. He calmed down, but kept his energy and enthusiasm. He also gradually and effortlessly lost 50 pounds, balancing out at 160, his ideal weight.As he lost weight and continued the diet, I noticed that Steve engaged in activities with more confidence and clarity. He confided that he was proud of how he felt, moved and looked. He began to enjoy the food more and more.
Denny Waxman’s counseling during those years was crucial to both Steve and myself. I credit Denny’s guidance and the diet for bringing stability and a sense of confidence and well-being into Steve’s life. Denny gave us purpose, direction, clarity and hope. His support carried both of us through a very difficult time.
Up until his mid-eighties, my father enjoyed relatively excellent health. Active and athletic, he played tennis, went hiking with his labrador, and lived independently. He suffered from minor arthritis in his knees and lower back. Over a period of a few years, the arthritis in his back worsened and he found it difficult to walk without pain. During this time he had no other concerning health problems or cognitive deficits. In June of 2000, he underwent a spinal surgery to correct stenosis in three of his lumbar vertebrae. During the surgery he sustained a brain injury that seems to have been due to his brain’s vulnerability to prolonged exposure to anesthesia. Although he had barely evidenced mild memory loss prior to the surgery, he was confused, disoriented, agitated, and suffered severe short term memory loss after the surgery. After several months of rehabilitation, he had barely regained his cognitive losses. Over the months following his surgery, his doctors tested him and diagnosed him with the brain injury and vascular dementia. Although my father does not have the plaque formation coincident with Alzheimer’s Disease, many of his symptoms and cognitive deficits at the time were identical or similar to the pattern of cognitive degeneration occurring in Alzheimer’s patients.During this period, I began preparing all of my father’s meals. Following guidelines I had learned from Denny Waxman, I reoriented my father’s diet and lifestyle in a macrobiotic direction. My father showed significant benefits in that he became calmer, and episodes of anxiety, agitation and severe disorientation diminished by more than 50%. He stopped all wandering behavior.
Over the last 11 years, my father has maintained exceptionally high verbal functions, recognition of newer acquaintances, reading ability, and above-average comprehension and vocabulary. He has a high level of engagement with others, maintaining eye contact and emotional responsiveness. He enjoys music and films, bird watching, and visiting with neighbors and their pets. Given the poor prognosis for recovery and the strong prognosis of accelerated decline following his diagnosis, the cognitive functions that have remained in tact have been a blessing to our family. I have been able to fulfill my father’s wish to remain in his own home throughout this time.
Quite by accident I have been able to see a contrast between the effects of elements of his old diet and his macrobiotic diet. Well-meaning friends would drop by a plate of sugar cookies or bring ice cream on holidays, or here and there a caregiver offered him roast beef or a scrambled egg. When he ate foods containing large amounts of dairy and sugar, he became quickly much more confused, anxious and talkative in the circular, persistent way characteristic of dementia. When he ate well cooked eggs or beef, he became agitated, aggressive, and insistent upon wandering outside. Using simple food-based home remedies and adjustments in his meals, these more troublesome behaviors quickly disappeared.
Over the past decade numerous doctors who have treated my father have remarked upon his high level of functioning, and the excellent health of his weight, skin, bones and blood for a man his age (he is now 94 years old). After visiting us at home and observing his orderly schedule and our natural lifestyle, geriatric care managers routinely express surprise to learn how nutritious my father’s diet is compared with most elders they manage with dementia. I attribute this all to our macrobiotic way of life and eating.
While I have never expected a full recovery for my father, I have direct personal experience of the benefits of macrobiotics to his cognitive function, his overall health and vitality and, most importantly, to his quality of life. I would highly recommend Denny Waxman’s guidance in a macrobiotic way of eating to anyone wishing to improve the quality of life of someone suffering from any cognitive degenerative illness.
ALLERGIES
I went to Denny originally in the 1990s to work with allergies. At that time I was working in a hospital and taking a daily medicine so I wouldn’t sniffle and sneeze when I was with patients. I took medication everyday for 20 years. I had worked with an MD allergist, who gave me environmental suggestions, which helped, but they didn’t cure the allergies and I was still on a daily medication. Denny suggested I stop dairy, and within a few months I was allergy free, dairy free and medication free. Wow.
I started having skin allergies every year in late spring. It didn’t bother me much until I had an anaphylactic attack. Someone said, “Nature will always send us warnings first.” I figured that was enough … I got medical help with a fair share of doses of corticosteroids, tests, and antibiotics only to have my reaction return worse each time.I followed Denny’s advice and it has helped me get rid of skin allergies and inflammations. It has not been as easy as it sounds: get advice, follow it and get better. But Denny was always there for me along the way. I could contact him any time by phone or e-mail, and he would respond promptly to my many questions.
If you are considering counseling services with Denny Waxman, I would highly recommend it. My advice would be to prepare beforehand as many questions as you can, and to write them down, because otherwise there will always be something you forgot to ask.
EATING DISORDERS
Although I understood some things about my disorder through my studies, I did not understand that the disorder I experienced at various periods of my life was being exacerbated by my pathological interpretation of the preparation of food. After a new round of rotating anorexia and bulimia set in, I was very afraid I was going to die at age 32. After several consultations with various senior macrobiotics counselors, at 78 pounds, I was finally strongly recommended to Denny Waxman in the Autumn of 1989 at the East West center in London.The very first words that Denny spoke to me made perfect sense; he was the first person to accurately diagnose that I had hypoglycemia. That same day I began following his recommendations. On tasting the first dish of food prepared from his recommendation, I immediately started to feel better! The results of his initial and follow-up recommendations in the first year miraculously brought me slowly and carefully to a new place of health and well-being.
Since then, over the past 23 years, Denny’s wisdom and common sense suggestions continue to support, inform and help me in so many ways. I honestly believe that his initial advice helped me really understand my condition and therefore, saved my life.
I continued my education with the Strengthening Health Institute. Denny is one of the most generous people I have ever met. He has a simple, straight forward, no-nonsense way of presenting information along with some good humor. Following his recommendations to the best of your ability will surely begin to change you for the better.
CROHN’S
… The dietary and general good living advice I received from you, and later Jon Sandifer led me to lead a very full and healthy life. Crohn’s is no longer detected in my bowel. I still follow the basic principles of macrobiotics and I am forever grateful for the quality of life it has given me
MENSTRUAL
I must write and share a huge thanks for the latest macrobiotic “miracle.” I have been praying for years that I might be able to help guide my daughter to understand herself better through macrobiotics. After following Denny’s recommendations for two weeks, Cleandra has just had a migraine-free menstrual period for the first time in four years!
Even after only a few days after meeting with Denny she said to me that she was feeling really well and better than she has in years. Her skin color and texture was improved. Wed, her husband, said he had been skeptical, but upon seeing how much happier and healthier she is, he is changing his mind. Thanks so much.
KNEE REPLACEMENT RECOVERY
Five years ago, I underwent a total knee replacement. My wife, Carole, is very careful concerning her diet and she suggested that I exercise the same discipline concerning my diet as well. Under the direction of Denny Waxman, and with the help of his wife, Susan, and Carole, a healing diet was recommended.… After the initial six weeks, my surgeon and his staff were so pleased with my progress that they felt it was unnecessary for me to return to Philadelphia for the normal twelve-week post-op check-up.
I returned to Williamsport to continue my therapy. The therapist inquired where I had the operation, since she had never seen anyone recover as quickly as I had. I attribute my quick recovery, my loss of forty pounds, and the quick weaning from pain medication to the discipline I followed concerning my diet.
KNEE REPLACEMENT RECOVERY
My daughter Dana… at the time of her illness was eight years old…she started to complain about what she termed a “tummy ache” at times, and mostly while eating. … over time the pain got progressively worse in terms of the severity and duration … One thing that was really scary was her face swelling up after a meal at a restaurant … Medical intervention was quite invasive and uncomfortable for her. She actually cried during the ordeal because the methods made the pain worse. All tests, including x-rays and blood work came back showing everything to be perfectly normal. The doctor was clearly puzzled …… as I panicked, I knew what my next move would be, expert macrobiotic counseling … Mr. Waxman whom I had heard of for years … was quite professional and gracious in his manner and Dana was very comfortable with him. He looked at her for a few minutes and was able to confidently tell me exactly what was wrong. The source of the pain was her spleen. It had become tight and contracted or, in macrobiotic terms, too yang, with the associated organs of the pancreas and duodenum also being impacted. The spleen being the worst affected, which would explain why the pain was concentrated on the left side next to her stomach. Dana was happy that the session was not only pain free, but pleasant, quite unlike the medical examination she underwent. I was so relieved … we jetted back home and stuck to the prescribed program. The food was no problem for her and she loved the fact that she could have fruits and noodles
It was amazing to watch her condition gradually change from that uncomfortable state of sickness to health. And what’s more is that she didn’t even have to endure any more excruciating pain while on that journey because Mr. Waxman told me how to ease the pain…
…Well I am just too elated to announce that Dana is today, as I write this, 1 month shy of her 11th birthday, still pain free and loving it. She remembers what she went through, understands why, and has an appreciation for good food and balance.
The take away I’m hoping people get from my testimonial is the resounding truth that we have such great power in our hands to do either harm (albeit inadvertently) or good to ourselves, and to our loved ones. You see folks, often times it is by our own hands that we bring on sickness, but isn’t it interesting and reassuring to know that in a lot more instances that we think possible, those very same hands can actually bring about a reversal of that state. But, that can only happen of course with correct knowledge and understanding.
…macrobiotics… In its broader sense, is actually a way of life that is based on having respect for and an appreciation of the laws of the order of the natural world. In other words, it’s in our best interest to be living in harmony with nature.
Multiple Sclerosis (M. S.)
I have had past experience with macrobiotics for several years through my family and otherexperts. Upon my MS diagnosis over three years ago, I had embraced the diet and its practices
quite strictly, and it did help me very much. In fact macrobiotic practice helped so much that all
of my symptoms completely disappeared– only very mild issues with double vision remained
(vision more than 95% perfect).
I thought everything was great and slowly started slipping into the habit of eating and
introducing chicken (not even organic), all types of bread, dark chocolate and even normal
chocolate at times, items with sugar in the ingredients, and I did not focus on the veggies, among
several other things. My vision started giving me issues once again, and this was when I decided
to go back to the strict regiment of the macrobiotics that I knew. I was eating just a few types of
vegetables and brown rice (mainly), which did not help much. Rather, it made me tired and did
not give me the energy that I needed to go through my work and normal day as I had done
before.
I decided to contact Denny, who recommended several changes to my diet and his
recommendations made things easier! He listened to everything I had to say. Moreover,
throughout the time since I first got in touch with him, I had sent him many e-mails, to which he
replied to quickly and with answers to all my questions. All of this is not so important however,
because the most important thing was that I slowly started to feel great again, and realized that
Denny’s recommendations made things much simpler and BETTER for me (psychologically and
physically). My vision improved and now I have so much energy I literally feel like I never ever
had any illnesses, I work hard, play hard, workout and do whatever I wanna do!
I am grateful to have met Denny and having had the chance to listen to his recommendations.