Professor Haim Gamliel: "The Rambam Discovered the Healing Secrets of Turmeric 800 Years Ago"

For thousands of years, mankind, aware of the healing powers surrounding and within him, has sought cures for various ailments. Throughout history, methods that claimed long-term healing efficacy emerged like mushrooms after rain, only to vanish over time.

What is the secret of the healing method of the greatest physician of all times - the Rambam (Rabbi Moses ben Maimon) - whose writings, composed between 1138-1204, have been translated into numerous languages including Latin, English, German, French, and Hebrew?

On the shelves of conventional and alternative medicine today, you’ll find dozens (if not hundreds) of books, methods, and practitioners claiming to "represent" the way of the Rambam. They all surely had good intentions, but not all truly understood his words or intentions.

"In the quest to understand Rambam’s philosophy, various topics he discussed have received different and contradictory interpretations, resulting in more confusion than truth, with many completely misunderstanding his main intent," explains Prof. Haim Gamliel – author of the new bestseller 'The Medicine of Rambam in the Test of Contemporary Science', and head of the ROTEM Institutes (Preventive Medicine and Nutrition) for research.

One example Prof. Gamliel provides to illustrate such misinterpretation is of a certain individual in Israel claiming to be a 'Rambam medicine expert.' "His claim that the Rambam opposed consumption of animal products like meat, fish, and dairy products is fundamentally incorrect. Anyone seriously studying Rambam’s writings understands that in the entry 'dairy,' for example, Rambam mentioned dairy products at least a hundred times and praised them greatly every time, without a single word against their consumption.

"The same applies to meat, fish, eggs, cheese. This expert trying to depict Rambam as vegan is simply wrong and misleading. Likewise, with 'experts' claiming they prepare concoctions and medicines according to Rambam’s methods – a quick check will reveal that many ingredients they use never served Rambam in his time and indeed contradict his advice not to use concoctions with too many ingredients."

A Brief Pamphlet on Rambam’s Teachings Leads to a Major Life's Work

From everything he saw and heard, he decided to take up the challenge and embarked on research and study lasting more than three (!) decades. The findings from this extensive and enlightening study were immortalized in a book that passed the scrutiny of rabbis and experts in Rambam’s writings, and received widespread acclaim from different audiences in Israel and abroad. To such an extent that certain experts even dubbed it the ‘Rambam Medicine Bible’, claiming it is a 'pioneering book', as they define it.

How does your book differ from others written about Rambam’s teachings, and why is it considered groundbreaking?

"There are many reasons. One of them is that even in a seemingly trivial area like Rambam’s biography, versions and errors abound. The first chapter alone is a breakthrough in this respect, presenting a chronological table detailing events in Rambam’s life, figures who influenced him, exact publication dates of his halakhic, philosophical, and medical books, and more.

"This chronological arrangement, especially aligned to Rambam’s age, allows me and other researchers to assess his immense talent in halakha, philosophy, medicine, and science. From this table, for example, we deduced that Rambam composed his halakhic writings in his twenties to forties, his philosophical writings mainly in his thirties to fifties, and his medical writings from his forties onwards, until his death."

According to Prof. Gamliel, the second chapter is also groundbreaking and has been well received by those studying human mental powers mentioned in Rambam’s writings. "In this section, I focused on explaining Rambam’s doctrine of the five mental powers and compared it to Howard Gardner's 'Multiple Intelligences' theory. The third part of my book provides an accurate encyclopedia of terms in Rambam’s medicine, enabling an incontrovertible determination of his views on basic medical and nutritional concepts. The fourth chapter is detailed on Rambam’s Laws of Beliefs, interpreted in light of current scientific knowledge, making it groundbreaking as Rambam’s statements are being scientifically evaluated for the first time."

And what is its practical relevance?

"Many who approached me after reading the chapter gained a clearer understanding between Rambam’s dietary recommendations still advisable today and those he intended should be re-evaluated by current scientists."

Once and For All: Yes, Dietary Changes Can Cure and Prevent Illnesses

In the seventh chapter of his book, Prof. Gamliel elucidates the topic of edible plants and spices used in medicine. Alongside mentions from Rambam’s writings of their historical applications, you’ll find scientifically proven contemporary medical activities. "For instance, turmeric is a classic example Rambam spoke of extensively 800 years ago. In his writings, Rambam lists a long line of healing properties attributed to this spice, and only in the past twenty years have Rambam’s assertions been 'validated' by science."

Prof. Gamliel worked close to ten years writing the book, during which it underwent extensive changes, originally intended to be a brief book on the main principles of Rambam’s medical teachings. However, realizing the pressing need of his students and the people who approached him, far more was necessary. "The decision for its single, extensive format was only made in the last year before publication, based on the notion that one complete book would surely be easier to reference than multiple separate volumes," explains Prof. Gamliel, noting with sadness the passing of his academic assistant, Mrs. Chaya Bar-Oz z"l, who devoted herself for years to various events in Rambam’s life research and unfortunately did not live to see the fruit of her effort due to her battle with cancer.

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Okay, we're convinced. No matter how we’ve treated our bodies so far, from now on, we make a brave decision to change: but wait... how exactly do we achieve this in an instant generation, often seeking ease and speed, not necessarily the healthy and wise?!

In response to our question about which initial steps he recommends when seeking to change (or at least desire to change) our flawed lifestyle, Prof. Gamliel answers that the most crucial dietary changes in the Western diet should stem from two of Rambam’s medical principles: Calorie reduction, and functional nutrition preventing diseases.

Sound like Greek? Everything will soon be clear. "The real issue of our time is the consumption of high-calorie foods and the challenge of limiting meal sizes and daily calorie intake," says Prof. Gamliel. "When looking to change and uproot bad habits, it is crucial to start by removing foods that are not classified under the three main macronutrients - complex carbohydrates, good fats, and complete proteins, from the daily menu."

Four Small Steps, and You're Already on the Right Path

So how do you live healthy and right, despite all the industrial temptations and dangers lurking along the way? "The root and beginning of everything is adherence to four small steps, which will bring, with Hashem's help, a significant and blessed change to your health:

1. Prefer to consume a daily serving of good oils – butter, olive oil, omega-3 oils, etc., and completely avoid trans fats, soybean oil, corn oil, and more.
2. Prefer whole and complex carbohydrates like rye, oats, and barley, over 'empty' carbohydrates and negative kind starches.
3. Increase the intake of animal foods containing complete protein suited to our body’s needs.
4. Chew every food you consume thoroughly, and heed Rambam’s warning about gross eating, which he equates to 'death poison'."

And this is what you refer to as 'functional nutrition preventing diseases'?

"Indeed. A diet that includes the correct three macronutrients daily, along with the elimination of flawed industrial foods, will result in significant improvements in preventing modern degenerative diseases, including obesity, diabetes, heart and vascular diseases, brain degenerative diseases, and even cancer. Details about this are presented in the summary pages of my book, in short, precise and unequivocal sentences, just as Rambam taught us in his golden language."

Finally, what do you think is missing in our education for proper nutrition (leading to robust health), and what rules, if we follow them, will immediately impact our health status?

"What is most missing in nutrition education is a central, scientific body that determines the most current nutrition rules. It's very frustrating to repeatedly see the archaic food pyramid from the Ministry of Health and find how glaringly flawed it is. There’s no real update, and its accompanying dietary recommendations are no longer relevant. Not only do they fail to improve our health, but they also contribute significantly to the continued disruption of our nutrition and health."

For this reason, Prof. Gamliel suggests on his website, a pyramid based on science that includes Rambam’s principles of nutrition and health - namely, caloric reduction, disease-preventive nutrition (preferring healthy grains instead of wheat grain or whole wheat flour), proper fluid consumption (not just water), increasing full protein intake (not minimal amount, as depicted in the health department’s pyramid), consumption of important types of oils, physical activity, essential nutritional supplements, and more. "In this context, it is worth quoting Rambam’s eternal words: 'Anyone who leads himself in these ways that we instructed, I guarantee he won’t encounter illness all his life until he is very old and dies. He doesn’t need a doctor, and his body remains whole and stands firm all his life (Laws of Beliefs ch. 20)'".

For inquiries about the ROTEM website: https://rotem.org.il/