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Gordon Gamble
 


Among the most awarded people using "The Diet To Stop Arthritis" is Gordon Gamble, Morristown, NJ.  Among the first Dieters, he recovered from a severely crippled left knee and back in the late 1970's, then hiked the Appalachian Trail from Georgia to Maine (2106 miles, above) at 66 years of age, and in the early 1980's he biked across the USA from west coast Oregon to Yorktown Victory Monument, east coast USA (4255 miles) in 96 days following the Transamerica Trail (below).  At 85 years, as of January 1998, still in good health with he and his wife continuing to travel, keeping busy giving lectures, and assisting five local volunteer groups.




Note: This man, Gordon L. Gamble of Morristown, N.J., started the Diet in November 1977 a few years before his final report.  Presented here are his initial casing of his situation and progress reports.  His case is well documented and reason for presenting it in full.  Dr. Childers presented the case history of Mr. Gordon Gamble to The American Academy of Neurological and Orthopaedic Surgeons in September of 1994.

"I am 64 yrs, 125 lbs, had my problems for 5 and 18 years: knees, shoulders, and back are bothersome, have been eating as many as 21 lbs of potatoes a week and relatively little of the other nightshades and I do not smoke.  I have some digestive discomfort at times, no skin rashes, no heart problem or cancer but do have pre-cancers on the face, and an assortment of moles on my back and many liver spots.  My right knee muscles tire easily for I have been jogging 2-5x/week since my teens.  I had osteomeylitis just above the join when 12 yrs of age.  My left knee has had osteoarthritis since 1960, or 18 years.  X-rays showed calcium accumulation and ordinary walking ok but I cannot jog consecutive days.  My back X-rays shows spurs since 1960's also cause of abdominal and groin surface sensations.  Back pain was partially relieved with a heel lift (1970).  Both shoulders are bothered, "frozen shoulders", restricted movement, soreness which was partially relieved by the Dong/Banks Diet.  My digestive tract discomfort has been helped some by a high fiber diet.  I am a regular listener of Dr. Carleton Fredericks' Program on WOR New York, and he told about your work in November and I went on this diet with the symptoms described above.  Following is my progress:

"As of 6 months after starting the Childers' Diet, it is working!  There is no doubt in my mind that the nightshades are the culprit- possibly the only one, mainly potato for me.
Report Intervals and Methods: In my case, much as you predicted, improvement is slow.  Hence the intervals between reports is long.  At the time I entered your cooperative test, I had been on the Diet for over two months.  I kept a diary and criteria.  The diary I keep is in the form of a chart with approximately 12 entries for each date.  Up-date is made about twice a month.  Criteria are both subjective and objective.  Objective criteria, preferable of course, has been difficult for me to formulate and as you will see applicable only in the case of my shoulders.

Right and Left Shoulders:  Slowly, my "frozen shoulders," a condition dating back to 1973, are "thawing":
Subjective Criteria:
1. Shoulders permit sleeping on back only.
2. Shoulders permit sleeping on right or left side after initial period of sleep.
3. Shoulders permit sleeping on on side only, initially.
4. Shoulders permit sleeping on either side, initially.
5. No shoulder pain detectable in bed regardless of movement.

"Since November at the start, I have progressed from about 2 plus to about 4 plus on the subjective scale.

Objective Criteria:
1. Distance fingers of one hand can be made to extend over and back of opposite shoulder.
2. Height arm behind back can be raised relative to opposite hip.
3. Height to which hands can be extended above head.

"While all three showed progress in joint mobility, #2 and #3 were most sensitive to joint condition.  Criterion #3, in particular showed a constant and marked improvement.  A further subjective indication of improvement is the fact that I can now do push-up exercises- something I have not been able to do for 5 years.

Back:
Subjective indications only.
Since starting to use a heel lift, I have not been bothered by the usual variety of back pain caused by muscle spasm induced by "pinched nerves."  Recent manifestations have been in the form of tight and/or burning abdominal sensations; also surface sensations of the abdominal and groin areas.  I was told by a doctor that the groin area discomfort originated from arthritis of the coccyx.  The spinal and coccyx arthritis induced pains have not been chronic.  Recently, they have been experienced 4 or 5 times a year and are triggered by either of two identified activities:  certain stretching movements or sitting-up exercises.  I have not had a recurrence for approximately 6 months.  I also have observed that the stretching movements which in the past caused an attack, no longer do so.  I am also finding that I can take sitting-up exercises without triggering an attack.

Left Knee:
Subjective criteria only, These are:
1.  Pain when crawling or kneeling on knee.
2. Pain in walking or running up stairs.
3. Pain in jogging; frequency of jogging permitted.
4. Pain in running.

"The first three criteria activities have been indulged in both before and after going on the Childers' Diet.  They all gave trouble before, but now are nearly trouble-free.  My knee is no longer the limiting factor in jogging.  I can jog consecutive days, the distance being limited by endurance, not by knee.  For the first time in years, I can run short distances without pain.

"Additional Remarks:
While I have made a lot of progress, I have a considerable distance to go.  Shoulder/arm mobility can be considerably improved.  I still get occasional indication from knee and back that not all is completely well.  Twice, I have had general set-backs.  Both were when I had a cold or virus, which I hold responsible.  For the past two years I have been on a mega-vitamin/full spectrum mineral (except copper) regimen.  Aside from arthritis, I have felt better on this regimen.  At your suggestion, I did reduce the vitamin D intake.  Obviously, I have no indication whether the regimen has helped or hindered the arthritis program.  A long-term ambition has been that of hiking the length of the Appalachian Trail when I retire.  If I succeed completely or in part, you will have been the person who made it happen."



Note:  Twenty-two months after starting the Diet, we find that this cooperator is still rigidly on the Diet, taking thyroid pills, not smoking, and says: "Back and knee continue to improve- knee improvement is amazing.  Currently jogging 4-6 miles a day and walking another 2-3 miles.  Shoulders are on a plateau with little change in the past 12 months."
Thirty-one months after starting the Diet, he says by postcard en route:
"You may be interested that I, a former arthritic, am successfully hiking the Appalachian Trail, retired, starting in Georgia September 27 last, and now in Damascus, Virginia- a distance of 446 miles.  The Childers' No-Nightshades Diet has made this possible.  Feeling fine!  More later when I arrive in New Jersey.  G.L.G.:N.J."
Ed's Note:  Here is Mr. Gamble's philosophy about the Diet some 13 years after he started it:
"Your Editor has kept in contact with me over some 13 years.  Recently, I sent him a letter, at his request, of my philosophy of activities.  Before I retired, I tried to build a high level of health for an active retirement.  But I entered this period with a bad case of arthritis which was relieved with Dr. Childers' Diet.  I believe each of us must take responsibility for our own bodies.  This means good health and fitness.  I subscribe to health newsletters, magazines, and transcribe Dr. Bob Atkin's WOR (NYC) daily health talks (he replaced the late Dr. Carlton Fredericks).  I am careful about the health recommendations I accept.  Our bodies are not all alike so we have to gradually learn on our own.  A most important fact about me is my sensitivity to the nightshades.  I'll be forever grateful to Dr. Norman Childers for his discovery and dissemination of this information.  I believe in daily aerobic exercise.  Exercise and nutrition may not extend our lives but it does do wonders for quality of living.  We must think well of ourselves.  This state of mind is earned, not imposed.  We must feel needed, useful, and try to make a contribution.  Aside from volunteerism, I give slide lectures about my hikes and biking to about 1500 people a year.  Unusual experiences make good material for our memory bank.  Pleasant memories, or ones not so pleasant that one can laugh at, add a lot of interest to our lives.  The active life, the most daring life can be the most rewarding.  G.L.G.:N.J."

Note: We have been watching a number of arthritics and have noted that age does not seem to make much difference when they start the Diet and while badly disfigured people will show gradual improvement, obviously so, those who are not so badly effected also will show very gradual improvement as long as we have had the opportunity to watch- and that has been close to 20 years.  So we wish to be encouraging to you who may be in this condition at the start.  Stay with the Diet as rigidly as you possibly can and you should be rewarded as the months pass. This is really the first definite hope, I believe, in history that anyone could offer you.  Many arthritics are discarding canes, walkers, and wheelchairs.  N.F.C.