1912-1999

Brosious earned a Bachelor of Science in chemistry and biology from Lebanon Valley College in Annville, Pennsylvania. He initially pursued further studies at an osteopathic college but soon realized that this path did not align with his principles. In 1942, he enrolled at the National College of Chiropractic in Chicago, where he found a like-minded community committed to Natural Hygiene principles.

Brosious observed that the academic rigor of chiropractic school was on par with that of medical colleges. He noted only one significant difference among chiropractic, osteopathic, and medical schools: while medical and osteopathic programs included extensive coursework in pharmacology, materia medica, and surgery, chiropractic education replaced those subjects with training in chiropractic techniques. Aside from this distinction, he emphasized that the foundational sciences taught across all three disciplines were identical.

At chiropractic school, medical professionals authored nearly all the textbooks, whether on physiology, bacteriology, or immunology. Brosious explained that students must study these subjects thoroughly, particularly to meet basic science requirements in certain states. However, he noted a significant gap in the curriculum: his professors had no knowledge of Natural Hygiene or the therapeutic use of fasting. In fact, they taught that it was impossible for a person to survive on water alone for 30 days. Brosious recalled that, during one such lecture, several students who were already practicing Hygienists—and who had themselves completed fasts exceeding 30 days—raised their hands to challenge that claim.

Among the Hygienic students Brosious met was Blaze Bonanza, who introduced him to the writings of Dr. Herbert Shelton. One book in particular, The Hygienic Care of Children, stood out. Bonanza told him that this book might hold the key to saving his child’s life—at the time, he had a two-year-old baby. Intrigued, Brosious began reading it and quickly realized that it contained the answers he had been searching for.

He graduated from the National College of Chiropractic in 1945, but knew his true calling lay in Natural Hygiene. Shortly after graduation, he connected with Dr. Christopher Gian-Cursio of Castle Health in Rochester, New York, where he completed a several-month internship.

After completing his internship, he established his first Natural Hygiene fasting institution in Pennsylvania, which he named Kahagon. There, he served organic fruits and vegetables and provided a healing environment rooted in the principles of Natural Hygiene.

In the early days of his practice, Dr. Brosious was fortunate to operate in Pennsylvania, where he was granted a license to open a chiropractic institution. The facility, licensed by the state, allowed him to legally administer fasting, chiropractic care, physiotherapy, and maintain a vegetarian institution. However, once the licensing board realized they had approved what they viewed as an unorthodox model, they began to push back.

At the time, Pennsylvania law required a medical or osteopathic signature for admission to any nursing home, and entry into hospitals was also restricted to patients under medical supervision. Yet at Dr. Brosious’s sanatorium, he had the legal authority to admit patients independently, which soon became a point of contention with the authorities. Over the next ten years, the state imposed increasingly restrictive requirements to curtail his operations.

Eventually, the legislature passed a law invalidating the licensure of chiropractic institutions, mandating that all patients entering such facilities must be admitted under a medical or osteopathic signature. Dr. Brosious recognized that it would be virtually impossible to find a single physician each year willing to sign off on a fast or a vegetarian regimen. Faced with these insurmountable restrictions, he made the decision to relocate to a state more aligned with his values and professional approach.

In 1961, he moved to St. Petersburg, where he and his wife established the Bay N’ Gulf Hygienic Home. There, numerous individuals underwent supervised fasting and experienced significant health recoveries under his care.”

After the birth of their second child, his wife, Dorothy,  developed mastitis—an inflammatory breast abscess that caused significant swelling, redness, and pain. Concerned, he contacted Dr. Barnes, a female gynecologist at the osteopathic college, and explained her condition. Dr. Barnes urged him to bring her in immediately, warning that the infection could potentially lead to cancer. The proposed treatment included penicillin and minor surgery to drain the abscess. However, recognizing that this approach did not align with their natural healing path, he chose an alternative route. He guided her through a supervised fast, which lasted 29 days. During the fast, three abscesses formed in her breast and began to drain thick mucus. Remarkably, this drainage continued for six months until the abscesses fully healed. The fast, however, clearly initiated the healing process. From that point,  she had no further issues with her breasts, despite the initial fear and belief that cancer would develop.

He shared that the most challenging aspect of being a Natural Hygiene practitioner was the harassment. Practitioners in this field often face harassment, persecution, and even prosecution to some degree. Every Hygienic institution, at some point, has had patients pass away—not due to fasting itself, but because many arrived in a state of advanced, desperate illness. In the autopsies that followed, fasting was never found to be the cause of death.

Looking back later in life, he reflected on the early days of his practice and the kinds of cases he accepted. Many of his patients were gravely ill, and taking them in required tremendous courage. At that time, the nature of conventional treatment made things even more complicated. Unlike today, there were fewer hormonal drugs affecting organ function and endocrine balance. The leading pharmaceutical concern back then was insulin.

Furthermore, malpractice litigation was virtually unheard of when he began his career. In contrast, modern physicians must carry insurance to protect against such claims. Remarkably, Dr. Brosius practiced for decades without ever facing a malpractice lawsuit.

Over the years of his practice, he observed a troubling trend: the health of younger generations was steadily declining. He became increasingly convinced that with each new generation, overall health was deteriorating. Through both his clinical experience and medical literature, he discovered alarming patterns, such as young children being diagnosed with cancer, something virtually unheard of when he first began practicing. Even more shocking, he witnessed infants as young as five or six months showing signs of arthritis—tiny babies exhibiting symptoms once thought to be limited to the elderly. To him, there was no doubt: the state of human health, as we know and understand it, is in decline.

One of the most challenging misconceptions he encountered in teaching Hygienic principles was the belief that adopting this lifestyle would make you immune to illness, or even allow you to live forever. He recounted a conversation with a woman who said, “My brother is sixty-six and has been a committed Hygienist for many years. He ate mostly raw foods, practiced fasting regularly, and yet, he recently developed high blood pressure. He feels awful—emotionally and mentally devastated.”

There was an unspoken belief in her mind, and likely her brother’s as well: If I live the Hygienic life, I shouldn’t get sick. She asked, “What is he doing wrong?”

Brosius’s response reflected a deeper truth: “You can’t always pinpoint a single cause.” Conditions like high blood pressure are multifactorial. They can result from heredity, environmental pollution, the declining quality of our food supply, and other unseen influences. Given these realities, he believed those who live into their 70s, 80s, or beyond with relatively good health are fortunate. He emphasized that the goal of Hygienic living isn’t immortality—it’s to enhance the quality of life, not to guarantee perfect health forever.

Throughout his career, he often questioned how physicians could continue believing they had discovered a truly “safe” drug. Just look at any advertisement in a medical journal, he’d say—half the page is devoted to listing adverse effects, contraindications, warnings, and precautions. Every drug affects multiple systems in the body in some way, yet many practitioners seem blind to the broader consequences.

Still, he believed that the more insightful physicians do recognize the truth. “A person smart enough to graduate from medical school,” he said, “cannot practice for more than eight or nine years without realizing they’re causing harm to many people.” While most patients may recover, a conscientious doctor must see that many are also being harmed, subtly or significantly, by the treatments meant to help them.

When Dr. Brosius was asked how people can find inspiration to live the disciplined life that Natural Hygiene demands, he explained that it’s a process of growth that unfolds over time. Many people stumble along the way. He often heard, “I did really well for two months, then completely fell off track. Now I’m trying again.” His response was always encouraging: “Stick with it. Eventually, it will come together. We all stumble and fall. None of us is perfect. The path is uphill—it’s like swimming against the current.”

He believed that with persistence, people reach a higher plateau, gradually upgrading their habits and mindset. Over time, the food choices become second nature. Even short fasts can help reset the body and mind, making it easier to release old, unhealthy habits, sometimes without effort or craving.

However, he also acknowledged that Natural Hygiene is not easy. It’s a disciplined science and philosophy, so few will embrace it. Most people, he said, don’t want that level of responsibility. “They’d rather buy health—pay a doctor and say, ‘You be responsible for my body.’” In contrast, Natural Hygiene demands personal ownership, commitment, and steady inner work.

Dr. Jolin Brosious passed away at his home in St. Petersburg, Florida, in April 1999. He was a respected elder statesman of the American Natural Hygiene Society (ANHS) and a founding member of the International Association of Hygienic Physicians. Alongside his wife, Dorothy, who previously served as Treasurer of the ANHS, he also served on the Board of Directors of the American Natural Hygiene Association (ANHA). In addition to his contributions to the field of Natural Hygiene, Dr. Brosious was an active board member of the Pinellas County Chiropractic Association and the Florida Chiropractic Association.

At Dr. Brosious’s memorial service, former ANHS Executive Director James Michael Lennon reflected, “Dr. Brosious never sought acclaim—he found fulfillment in the simple joy of helping others and easing their suffering. He dedicated his life to making the world a better place, and through his work as a doctor and a teacher, he truly succeeded.”

The NHA wishes to remind the readers that nothing in this or other publications is intended to constitute medical treatment or advice. Readers should be aware that some previous publications do not reflect the NHA’s current health teachings or approach to health in several areas.

Our Mission

The mission of the National Health Association is to educate and empower individuals to understand that health results from healthy living. We recognize the integration of all aspects of health: personal, environmental, and social.

We communicate the benefits of a plant-based diet, exercise and rest, a healthy environment, psychological well-being, and when indicated, the use of fasting.