> Health and Disease > Gastrointestinal > Crohn’s disease

In 1994, 19-year-old Jordan Rubin was suffering from the ravages of Crohn’s disease. Once healthy and vibrant, Jordan became a mere shadow of his former self as his immune system faltered and his weight plummeted from 180 to 104 pounds. His legs couldn’t support his six-foot, one-inch frame and he was bedridden for nearly two years.

The young Floridian was also afflicted with a host of serious disease conditions, including diabetes, liver dysfunction, intestinal parasites, candida, anemia, intestinal dysbiosis, prostate and bladder infections, and chronic fatigue and depression.

Although Jordan consulted with more than 70 health professionals and tried hundreds of alternative supplements, nothing worked and his condition continued to deteriorate. Two years of pain and ill health continued to take its toll and it was apparent that Jordan was running out of time.

In 1996, Jordan uncovered information on soil bacteria that would not only change the way he managed his serious illnesses; it would eventually reverse his chronic condition. Jordan learned that in 1909, Dr. Elie Metchnikoff, a Russian bacteriologist, had discovered people could live longer if they maintained a healthy balance of micro-organisms within their stomachs. Eating live, fermented foods containing lactic-acid bacteria (B. acidophilus) encouraged this healthy balance of micro-organisms.

Armed with his newfound knowledge and an intense desire to be free from disease and pain, Jordan began consuming homeostatic soil organisms, which are completely natural compounds. Gradually, his energy level improved and his digestive troubles began to wane. Two months later, Jordan noticed slight weight gain.

Something miraculous was happening - his body was rejecting the toxins and disease and had embarked on the long road to recovery.

Today, almost 10 years later, Jordan is strong and healthy and shows no signs of the symptoms that nearly took his life.

Fully recovered, Jordan was determined to share his knowledge and experiences with the millions who suffer from a variety of diseases related to gastrointestinal and immune system disorders. Jordan was determined to create products that reflected the diets of our ancestors who weren’t subjected to our overly refined, additive-laden, processed foods that permeate our modern diets.

Jordan founded Garden of Life in 2000 as a means to empower people to achieve and maintain extraordinary health. He co-developed a proprietary probiotic fermentation process, which became the cornerstone of Garden of Life’s formulations. The products of Garden of Life are designed to combine nature’s most powerful whole foods and ingredients, offering the ultimate in digestible and absorbable nutrition for the human body. Products from Garden of Life are thoroughly tested and confirmed by scientific methods.

A naturopathic physician with a PhD in Nutrition, Jordan is also a prolific author who has written Patient Heal Thyself (Freedom Press, 2002), Restoring Your Digestive Health (Kensington Publishing, 2003), and the recently released The Maker’s Diet (Siloam, 2004).

Offering a balanced, holistic approach to health, The Maker’s Diet guides people through a 40-day health experience and incorporates the four essential cornerstones of health: physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional.

Jordan Rubin is on a mission to empower people with the information to obtain, maintain, and celebrate exceptional health. Truly, he is an inspirational man with a miraculous past.

Maxwell Morgan is a Langley writer who is particularly interested in natural health and fitness.

Source: alive #259, May 2004