Hippocrates Health Institute

Yesterday I visited the Hippocrates Health Institute (HHI) in West Palm Beach, Florida. I signed up for a spa package, which included a body wrap and massage, use of pools, sauna, steam, and lunch. But what I enjoyed most was attending a graduation, where people spoke about their experiences at HHI. Most of the people I listened to had attended the three-week Life Transformation Program. Two things struck me about these testimonials. The first was that people had travelled from all over the world to attend. Men and women from Egypt, Switzerland, Russia, Canada, the United States, and elsewhere spoke about their commitment to take healing into their own hands. In many cases traditional medical doctors had offered treatment (drugs), but little, if any, hope for healing. The second thing that amazed me was that even though people spoke about diverse illnesses—colitis, multiple sclerosis, cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, and lupus to name a few—everyone had healed or was reversing their dis-ease by adopting a raw, vegan diet in conjunction with other holistic practices. Not everyone in the program was struggling with disease. Some had come to lose weight, others to detoxify their bodies, relax their minds, and rejuvenate their spirits.

Dr. Brian Clement, who co-directs the institute with his wife, Dr. Anna Maria Gahns-Clement, spoke about the importance of focusing on, committing to, and following through on what matters. “You have to create your new world,” he said, “You have to be a walking, talking, living example of what a human being can be.” He talked about personal health, evolution, and transformation as being the norm, not pain and disease.

As I lay in a poolside hammock gazing at palm trees and blue sky, while awaiting what I knew would be a delicious Hippocrates dinner (after the fabulous lunch, I knew I had to stay for more), I repeated the words I’d seen printed on T-shirts and canvas bags throughout the day: “It’s not the food in your life, it’s the life in your food.”

Hippocrates, a Greek physician born in 460 B.C., and known as the father of modern medicine, said, “Let food be your medicine and medicine be your food.” At HHI, this is absolutely the case. Never before have I seen such abundant bowls of organic greens, varieties of sprouts, and water coolers filled with green juice (cucumber, celery, and sprouts). The meals are served buffet style, and eating there brings new meaning to the words salad bar. You won’t find any mayonnaise-drenched potatoes here, no hard-boiled eggs or bacon bits. But you will find walnut tacos, avocado sushi rolls, veggie wraps, raw hummus, pad Thai noodles, and other vegan delicacies.

Hippocrates believed we all have a doctor living inside us, and that the natural healing force within is the greatest force in getting well. I am sure he understood that miracles happen and that there are as many ways to heal as ways to move through life. I imagine too that this wise healer knew that love also heals. Another T-shirt the Institute sells says, “The Number One Silent Healer LOVE.” This is consistent with what I learned while pursuing my masters degree in spiritual psychology, where my professors often repeated “Healing is the application of love to what hurts.”

I am a living example of the power of Dr. Clement’s words to “create your new world.” Only I had the power to do this for myself. I probably wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t developed chronic stomach problems. My illness was a blessing, a gift, and an invitation to focus on, commit to, and follow through on what mattered in my life.  These seven years have been a healing journey. The fear, discomfort, and dis-ease that once dominated my days are distant memories. It was wonderful to see during my HHI visit that nourishing myself with raw food and love has not only transformed my life, but the lives of countless others worldwide.