William H. Friedman, M.D. F.A.C.S.
Surgeon, Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, St. Louis, Missouri
Author of over 100 scientific publications
Founder, Park Central Institute, St. Louis, Missouri
Former Professor of Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons

In January 2003, Dr. Friedman and his wife, Hillary, joined friends from St. Louis who were flying to the Pritikin Longevity Center® in Florida for a one-week retreat.

It was a week that changed his life. Months later, the 64-year-old internationally acclaimed surgeon, scientist, and speaker at symposia worldwide is still in awe of his seven days at Pritikin.

“I no longer need knee replacement surgery”

By his third day at the Center, arthritic knee pain that had plagued him for years had disappeared. “That’s not to say I don’t have pain when I take a false step, but the constant pain is gone. It’s remarkable. Before Pritikin, I was seriously considering knee replacement surgery. I no longer am. I simply don’t need it.”

Indeed, the surgeon, an avid fly fisherman, just spent a week-long vacation wading the powerful waters of the Missouri River, “and with no pain whatsoever. . . it was remarkable.”

He’s also lost weight. “That really surprised me because I hadn’t realized that I needed to lose weight. At Pritikin, I learned a lot about body mass index and optimal, healthy weight ranges.”

He’s lost a total of 15 pounds, “and I’m still losing weight. I’ve trimmed three sizes in my waist, down to a size 35, and that’s without trying very hard. I still eat like a pig,” he laughs, “only now I’m eating lots of high-fiber, low-sodium, low-in-caloric-density foods like fruits and vegetables. I’ve learned new ways of reading food labels, and that’s made a huge difference.”

“I now weigh the same as I did when I was an intern”

Today, Dr. Friedman weighs the same as he did when he was an intern, “and that was 39 years ago. I feel good about that. And I really enjoy fitting into my clothing again – I’m no longer bulging at the seams. It’s a great feeling.”

“It’s not Viagra . . . It’s Pritikin!”

He’s feeling great in a number of other ways. For the first time in years, he’s sleeping through the night, and everyone’s telling him he looks much younger. “I can assure you, nobody was telling me that before I went to Pritikin. Now I’m hearing it all the time. I feel like the guy in the Viagra commercial, the one where everyone around him is whispering, ‘Wow! He looks great, what’s he on?’ It’s not Viagra, I’m telling my friends and colleagues. It’s Pritikin!”

The St. Louis cosmetic surgeon has always been mindful that plastic surgery can only do so much. In fact, many people who come to him for a face lift don’t get one. “I counsel them, ‘Yes, you have some sagging and wrinkling, but the main problem is: you’re very overweight, and you smoke. You’re not going to heal as well, and even if you do, you still won’t have a healthy glow.’”

First Pritikin, then a face lift

There’s a certain aura of a healthy person, Dr. Friedman firmly believes, that is very attractive. It also improves surgical results, “so if you can get that healthy glow before the operation, you’re way ahead of the game.”

There’s no better place to find that glow, asserts the surgeon, than Pritikin. “Frankly, I think all my patients could benefit from a trip to the Pritikin Longevity Center. If they knew of all the rewards they’d receive, they would never think of it as an expensive experience.”

“It was striking to me how much I learned about nutrition.”

“I believe all physicians would benefit by going to Pritikin, too, because the Center is not just a diet program; it’s a longevity program that provides an eye-opening education on nutrition and health – information that few physicians know about. Seldom do medical school have even adequate courses in nutrition. It was striking to me how much I learned at Pritikin about nutrition.”

Yes, he’s known more than a few physicians who have pooh-poohed the “miracles” that happen at Pritikin – the diabetics who get off insulin, the heart patients who graduate free of angina pain and are now walking five miles daily. “But the truth is: these benefits happen. I know it, just from the pain relief that I got. It was certainly worth the trip.”

“It’s so important to get doctors down to Pritikin for a week.”

“To get doctors enthusiastic, you have to show them, and that’s why it’s so important to get them down to the Pritikin Longevity Center for a week.” Many would benefit personally from the program, too. “There are an awful lot of overweight, out-of-shape physicians. They need to experience the education as well as the weight loss and better health they would feel. I cannot imagine they would not be affected.”

“I’m having a great time.”

They also need to see how doable, how thoroughly rewarding, a Pritikin lifestyle is. “I’m having a great time,” smiles Dr. Friedman. And he feels anything but deprived. On Saturday mornings, he whips up his own epicurean masterpiece – an omelette made of Egg Beaters, sautéed onions, green peppers, sprinkles of tofu “burger,” hot sauce, and garlic. “It may not be country club food, but my gosh, it’s delicious – and I don’t gain any weight!”

“When you say ‘longevity,’” concludes Dr. Friedman, “what does that mean? Many words are just PR words. Well, down at the Pritikin Longevity Center, longevity really does mean a longer, healthier, better life. I have no doubt whatsoever that if you follow the principles you learn there, you will live longer, you will live better, and you will consider it one of the best investments you have ever made.”