“Hodgkin’s Lymphoma made me the perfect student”

By: Katherine Scott

One of the most liberating pieces of knowledge I have learned is that the human body has the ability to heal itself. It has the power to heal any ailment or disease. Changing the diet is the ticket. If we continue to feed our bodies the same foods that made us sick in the first place (the typical dead American diet), then the body will not have the vitality it needs to heal. Changing to a vegan, living food diet provides the vitality for each cell in the body to detox and heal. This information is the hidden treasure that has been buried and most of us never find it, but “when the student is ready the teacher appears.” I WAS READY!

Nine months of chemical onslaught from conventional treatment for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma made me the perfect student. I was ready to soak up everything I needed to know to get out from under the grip of fear. The fear of the cancer reoccurring was with me every moment of every day. I held a negative vision of a dire prognosis during my first check-up scan after I had finished treatment. I thought to myself, “I can’t live like this, fearing the worst.”

I wanted a day without fear. Ann Wigmore did more than that. She opened the door for me to the knowledge of green juices, living foods, and a way of eating that restores the body’s ability to heal itself. The information that is contained in her book, The Wheatgrass Book, inspired me so much that I immediately followed the instructions on how to grow wheatgrass. I don’t recall it being difficult. I obtained trays, organic soil, organic seeds, and a set of shelves, and set them up in my kitchen. I was living in London at the time and had no problem growing it. I took delight in seeing how quickly the grass grew.

The juice didn’t taste all that great, but I knew it was powerful stuff. There were times when just the smell of the grass juice would make me feel nauseated. I remedied that by holding my nose as I drank it! Because I knew it was good for me I religiously consumed 2 ounces of juice every morning. That wasn’t too hard to do for my health and peace of mind. That was way back in 1996, and I am thankful to say I have not needed the service of a physician since that time.

Giving up meat was not a big problem for me, even though I loved the taste and texture of meat. I had read Fit for Life by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond about 30 years ago. Their philosophy was that it takes 7 to 10 hours to digest meat whereas a properly combined meal of carbohydrates and vegetables takes from 3 to 4 hours. As I love to eat, this information made me less interested in meat and more interested in a properly combined meal. So my initial motive for leaving out the meat from my diet was to find the most efficient way to consume food and fewer restrictions on the timing of my meals. I still adhere to these principles to this day, only now I leave out the meat and other animal foods to abide by a higher set of laws.

As a blessing for given up meat, I became aware of the admonition in the Word of Wisdom to eat meat sparingly, only in times of winter or of cold or famine. On further investigation I found another scripture that throws light on what God asks of us regarding the consumption of meat. It says in Doctrine and Covenants 49:21,

And wo be unto the man that sheddeth blood or that wasteth flesh and hath no need.

And the Joseph Smith translation of Genesis 9:11 tells us,

And surely, blood shall not be shed, only for meat, to save your lives; and the blood of every beast will I require at your hands.

My understanding of those scriptures is that we can eat meat to stay alive when there is no other food available. My friend, KK Fowlkes, in her book “The Gate,” brought home to me the extreme torture animals suffer their entire lives in tiny holding cubicles with very little room to move, waiting for a cruel end to their lives so we can eat their flesh for which we have no need. We are programmed to believe that meat is the only source of protein. The truth is green leafy vegetables are a better source.

I have not experienced any difficulty with family and friends in living this way. Most people are aware of different eating styles nowadays. I still get the odd person that will ask where I get my protein. I usually say, where does the cow get its protein or the horse or the elephant? My family is pretty good when it comes to festival dinners together. There are alternative substitutes to meat and dairy-free desserts that taste good and work well for the occasional get together.

Wherever I have lived, I have encountered others who were progressing to a raw, living foods diet. This has been a great support to me as it is not mainstream and the one or two raw recipe books that were available back then have now blossomed into the hundreds . . . and still growing.

I thank God every day for the knowledge of how to restore and regenerate my body. I am thankful to God for the Word of Wisdom. God created us. He knows best how to keep us healthy!

Katherine Scott is 62 years old and lives in Springville, Utah. She loves dancing, especially social ballroom, which keeps her fit, mentally and physically. She also enjoys gardening, especially permaculture (not much digging involved) and would love to have more time to spend outdoors in the garden. She loves keeping up with current affairs in the world and seeking out the truth behind the headlines. She also enjoys researching the latest in nutritional breakthroughs and helping people with health challenges. 

Katherine shares all that she has learned and continues to learn, including recipe demonstrations, at a bi-weekly class at Beehive Health Essentials in Spanish Fork, Utah. She is also available for one-on-one coaching. Her website is www.healthyeatersclub.com where you will find a sample of her recipes.