>For a medical condition, especially a chronic degenerative
>condition or cancer, a short-term raw vegan program is
>exactly what is needed because of its excellent cleansing/
>detoxing ability.

In the short term *any* change or improvement in diet may
have a dramatic, positive effect. Note all of the "fringe"
diets that have made similar claims: macrobiotic, grape
cure, juice fasting, fasting, etc. Is it the "diet" that
does it? Or is it the removal of toxins/allergens that does
it? Or something else entirely?

Any "diet" may be beneficial, or at least not too detrimental,
in the *short term*. The problem with the HG/raw vegen/HD
proponents is that they are not pushing their dietary
philospohies for the short term - but rather for the long
term. A lifestyle that many on this list can attest to as
being somewhat less than "healthy".

I applaud your health improvements. But I also wonder -
could you have received the same improvements by simply
switching to the paleo regimen in the first place.

>the Hallelujah Diet, with the exception of eliminating
>the cooked starches / grains and with the addition
>of raw animal foods and some cooked fish and wild
>game, which would make me 100% paleo....

Ummm, I think there's a contradiction here somewhere... :)

>There is ample, real testimony from real people who healed
>themselves following these diets, with my own testimony
>included in that.

Same with the other "fringe" diets. Tons of stories form the
macrobiotics about cures of just about anything. I've also
read claims from people who experienced dramatic cures from
"meat fasting" (or more accurately "fat fasting"). Lots of
"faith healing" claims out there as well. I even read a
number of articles years ago about a guy who was curing
people all over the place with a special tea (a "secret"
recipe which he, of course, kept to himself :). And then
there's all those "vitamin cures" we keep hearing about.
Ooops, almost forgot - spontaneous remissions.

I'm not trying to belittle your success. But testimonials
come cheap, and they *always* have to be taken with a
grain of salt.

>Longevity is not the real issue. Quality of life is the real issue.
>So people are living longer...with the extra time spent laying
>in bed, half dead or hooked up to machines.

Hmmm. My father is in his 80's and in not-so-good health.
However, I think if you asked him he would much rather have
lived the past 20 years in less than perfect health than died
in his 60's in perfect health.