The Gerson Therapy

It's no better or worse than other diets - meaning it helps a few people to lose weight temporarily. However, don't believe any claims for this diet's ability to cure cancer. Any success is purely anecdotal.

My heart goes out to the many people who have inoperable tumors and search for cures. Gerson is not that cure, sorry to report this.

The following comes from Wikipedia:

"Max Gerson (18 October 1881"8 March 1959) was a German physician who developed the Gerson Therapy, an alternative dietary therapy which he claimed could cure cancer and most chronic, degenerative diseases. Gerson described his approach in the book A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases.

However, when Gerson's claims were independently evaluated by the National Cancer Institute, it was found that Gerson's records lacked the basic information necessary to systematically evaluate his claims, and the patients who were "cured" by his treatment were also receiving standard, effective medical treatment simultaneously.[1] The therapy is considered scientifically unsupported and potentially hazardous,[2][3] and has been blamed for the deaths of patients who substituted it for standard medical care."

Here's a further info and a hyperlink:

http://www.bccancer.bc.ca/PPI/UnconventionalTherapies/GersonTherapy.htm

My late mother-in-law died of inoperable cancer in 1991. My ex-wife was a registered nurse who followed alternative medicine. She tried to help her mother and she was administered coffee enemas and some of the other dietary herbs. End result was that she died with no relief from a single symptom.

Furthermore, from same source as previously written:

"Toxicity/ Risks

"Patients may suffer flu-like feelings, loss of appetite, perspiration with strong odor, weakness, dizziness, cold sores, and fever blisters" while receiving the treatment. "Tumor masses may become painful, and patients may experience high fever, intestinal cramping, diarrhea, and vomiting." (CA)

"Continued use of enemas, for example, will cause the colon's normal function to weaken, worsening problems with constipation. Coffee enemas remove potassium from the body and could cause potentially fatal electrolyte imbalances." (Cassileth)

"Serious infections and deaths from electrolyte imbalance due to the use of coffee enemas have been reported." (CA) (Ontario)

"Dr. Gerson himself reported some deaths due to liver damage." (Hafner)

The use of raw calf liver juice "has led to infections with Campylobacter fetus, an organism living in the intestinal tract of cattle and sheep. Several such infections have proved fatal." (Hafner)

"Between 1980 and 1986, at least 13 patients treated with the Gerson therapy were admitted to San Diego-area hospitals with Campylobacter fetus sepsis, which was believed to be caused by the liver injections. None of the patients was cancer free, and one died of his malignancy within a week. Five were comatose due to low serum sodium." (CA) (Barrett)

Costs

"The therapy costs approximately $4,000 U.S. per week plus $200 U.S. or more per week for laboratory testing." A companion is recommended to accompany the patient for additional $330 U.S. per week. (Ontario, 1994)

The all-inclusive cost to receive therapy at the Gerson Institute in Tijuana is $4,500 U.S. per week. (Fink, 1997)

References

Barrett S, Cassileth BR, editors. Dubious cancer treatment. Tampa, Florida: American Cancer Society, Florida Division, 1991:58-59.

CA (Anonymous). Questionable methods of cancer management: 'Nutritional' therapies. CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1993 Sept/Oct;43(5):309-319.

Cassileth BR. Alternative medicine handbook: the complete reference guide to alternative and complementary therapies. New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1998:186-188.

Diamond WJ, et al. An alternative medicine definitive guide to cancer. Tiburon, California: Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., 1997:772.

Fink JM. Third Opinion - An international directory to alternative therapy centers for the treatment and prevention of cancer & other degenerative diseases. Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group, 1997:79-80.

Hafner AW, editor. Reader's guide to alternative health methods. Milwaukee, Wisconsin: American Medical Association, 1993:296-299.

National Cancer Institute. Gerson Therapy. Cancer Facts 1990 Mar 30.

Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project. Guide to unconventional cancer therapies. 1st ed. Toronto: Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project, 1994:101-104.

Reed A, James N, Sikora, K. Mexico: juices, coffee enemas, and cancer. Lancet 1990 Sept 15;336(8716):677-678.

Spencer JW, Joseph JJ. Complementary/alternative medicine: an evidence based approach. Toronto: Mosby, 1999:142.

Weitzman S. Alternative nutritional cancer therapies. Int J Cancer 1998;11(Suppl):69-72.

Revised February 2000"

thank ragman for the replies, i will like to ask you what do you know about The Breuss Cancer Therapy

No two persons necessarily respond exactly the same for a given treatment. The trick is to experiment with as many treatment options as possible. Don't stick with one if it is obvious it is not helping. There are many choices available.

do you have any treatments to sagest ?

You're very welcome.

Please be aware, like the majority of us on Able2Know site, that I'm just a (non-medical) layman with a small bit of info with some experience with researching resources on the Internet.

Personally, I know nothing of Breuss cancer therapy, but I can provide some hyperlinks.

I have made use of various approaches to alternative treatment. Currently, I am a regular customer of this company: http://www.altcancer.com/
Other approaches I found helpful were:
Two Feathers healing formula, which you can search.
Food grade hydrogen peroxide program, which you can search.
I have not followed Hulda Clark's program faithfully, but I did the parasite cleanse, followed with the kidney and liver cleanse they offer.
Johanna Buddwig's cancer diet.
Laetril is highly recommended by many. But, search out a viable approach. Some mistakenly think that eating apricot kernals is sufficent to test it, but it is rather complex.
I don't have links to all this offhand, but you can use the key words and search it all.
Then Dr Bzrezinski has a high rate of cures. He has his own alternate programs, but also will resort to conventional therapy if he deems it proper. Just search his name.

Hi there,

Yes, I have done it and am now on maintenace therapy.
If you would like to know more, let me know.

Regards,
Miko-chan