Turning Back the Clock

A CBS 2 News Special Assignment

Dr. Julian Whitaker says he has helped thousands of people shed 10 years in 10 weeks by following 10 steps. CBS 2 News' Kyra Phillips went in search of the doctor to find out just how his "fountain of youth" works.

Special Assignment: Turning Back the Clock aired Wednesday, October 22, 1997 at 11 p.m.

It was Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon who searched for the legendary fountain of youth, a magical spring that would restore youth to the aged. It's a search that continues today -- only under different explorers.

For thousands on an age-loss journey, the quest for a more youthful life has led to the Whitaker Wellness Institute in Newport Beach, founded by Dr. Julian Whitaker.

"I feel better now than I did in my thirties," 51-year-old Mary Bezjak of Canada told CBS 2 News. "My family doctor was amazed."

Bezjak is one of Dr. Whitaker's patients. According to CBS 2 News, she used to weigh 210 pounds, until she took on step one of losing a decade of fat.

Over the last few years she's been closely following Dr. Whitaker's book, "Shed 10 Years in 10 Weeks." According to CBS 2 News' Kyra Phillips, some of the book's suggestions include:

• Drink eight glasses of water per day.
• Eat five to eight servings of vegetables per day.
• Discover the "joy of soy."

"People are asking me what I'm taking. They think I'm on some sort of a drug," Bezjak told Phillips. "I'll go into a room and I just radiate. I just walk in fully positive and energetic."

It's energy sparked by another step to boost your brain power, said Philips The program suggests taking natural hormones (such as DHEA), taking natural herbs (such as Gingkgo), and exercising the brain through reading, playing games and puzzles, and learning a new fact daily.

"A lot of people think (because I'm a) money manager and financial planner (that I) experience an enormous amount of stress, but I don't," said Tom Scott, another patient of Dr. Whitaker.

"We have patients that leave here and, three or for weeks later, report that they're off drugs, feel better and have more energy," Dr. Whitaker (pictured above, left) told CBS 2 News.

In one of his more popular steps, the doctor says people can revatalize their sex lives. According to Phillips, Whitaker said men can try the aphrodesiac herb Saw Palmetto berry extract or the Food and Drug Administration-approved Yohimbine. For women, Whitaker suggests progesterone.

Now patients like Tom and Mary are going off prescription drugs, said Phillips. Instead, they're turning to more natural products such as shark cartilage for cancer, malic acid for depression, beta carnitine for cholesterol and innovated skin treatments for losing a decade worth of wrinkles.

"I know nutrients that work better than drugs that are prescribed � that actually get the job done better," said Whitaker.

15,000 patients have now made the journey through Dr. Whitaker's Institute, claiming they've found their fountain of youth, reported Phillips. They're turning back on the old age of illness, and turning to a new age of wellness.

Phillips says you always want to consult your doctor before trying anything drastically new.

More Information:

• Interested in learning more? Here's the Whitaker Wellness Institute online.