Gotta see this one-The Gerson Cure-Juicing

HeartofSoul said:

this is a post from the EC
this is a post from the EC board from member ColeenB on Aug 6 on Thread "Dr Gerson"
or see thread under the same EC board titled "Shelly~Haven't heard~wouldn't waste my $~Sorry no such luck" dated June 27 3:53am by a very respected member.

Its amazing how facts get in the way of exuberent disillusionment such as 90% cure rates, just read below


wikipedia
A good source for me is to use wikipedia and then follow up anything on there with their footnotes. You can read the original source documents... if you want to...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Gerson

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 (NCI), it was found that Gerson's records lacked the basic information necessary to systematically evaluate his claims. The NCI concluded that Gerson's data showed no benefit from his treatment.[1] The therapy is considered scientifically unsupported and potentially hazardous.[2][3]

Gerson Therapy

Gerson's therapy required the patient to consume a raw plant based diet and to drink an 8-ounce glass of fresh organic juices every waking hour. Coffee and castor oil enemas were among several types of prescribed enemas, and some patients were given hydrogen peroxide orally and rectally. Rectal ozone was also applied. Dietary supplements include vitamin C and iodine. The diet prohibited the drinking of water and consumption of berries and nuts, as well as use of aluminium vessels or utensils.[5]
Initially, patients were required to drink several glasses of raw calf liver extract daily. Following an outbreak of Campylobacter infection linked to the Gerson clinic's extract, which sickened and killed several of the clinic's patients,[6] carrot juice was substituted.
Animal products and fats and oils were excluded (except for the raw calf liver extract and flax-seed oil), as were supposed sources of toxicity, including tobacco, salt, alcohol, fluorides, pesticides, food additives, and pharmaceuticals. Foods were to be fresh, organically grown and unprocessed. The therapy claimed to reverse any ill effects of exposure to environmental toxins over the course of 6–18 months, and Gerson believed it would be effective against most chronic diseases including tuberculosis, fibromyalgia, most forms of advanced cancer, arthritis (both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), and diabetes.
Gerson's claims of success attracted some high-profile patients, as well as other alternative medicine practitioners. Gerson's daughter, Charlotte Gerson, continued to promote the therapy, founding the "Gerson Institute" in 1977.

Evidence
Gerson's therapy has not been independently tested or subjected to randomized controlled trials, and thus is illegal to market in the United States.[1] The Gerson Institute claims that Gerson's observational studies and case reports are anecdotal evidence of the efficacy of the treatment.[7] In his book, Gerson cites the "Results of 50 Cases"; however, the U.S. National Cancer Institute reviewed these 50 cases and was unable to find any evidence that Gerson's claims were accurate.[3] Gerson Institute staff published a case series in the alternative medical literature; however, the series suffered from significant methodological flaws, and no independent entity has been able to reproduce the Gerson Institute's claims.[3]

Independent anecdotal evidence suggests that the Gerson Therapy is not effective against cancer. When a group of 13 patients sickened by elements of the Gerson Therapy were evaluated in hospitals in San Diego in the early 1980s, all of them were found to still have active cancer.[6] The Gerson Institute's claimed "cure rates" have been questioned; an investigation by Quackwatch found that the Institute's claims of cure were based not on actual documentation of survival, but on "a combination of the doctor's estimate that the departing patient has a 'reasonable chance of surviving,' plus feelings that the Institute staff have about the status of people who call in."[8] In 1994, a study published in the alternative medical literature described 18 patients treated for cancer with the Gerson Therapy. Their median survival from treatment was 9 months. Five years after receiving the Gerson treatment, 17 of the 18 patients had died of their cancer, while the one surviving patient had active non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[9]
The American Cancer Society reports that "[t]here is no reliable scientific evidence that Gerson therapy is effective in treating cancer, and the principles behind it are not widely accepted by the medical community. It is not approved for use in the United States."[2] In 1947, the National Cancer Institute reviewed 10 "cures" submitted by Gerson; however, all of the patients were receiving standard anticancer treatment simultaneously, making it impossible to determine what effect, if any, was due to Gerson's therapy.[10] A review of the Gerson Therapy by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center concluded: "If proponents of such therapies wish them to be evaluated scientifically and considered valid adjuvant treatments, they must provide extensive records (more than simple survival rates) and conduct controlled, prospective studies as evidence."[3]

Safety concerns
Coffee enemas have contributed to the deaths of at least three people in the United States. Coffee enemas "can cause colitis (inflammation of the bowel), fluid and electrolyte imbalances, and in some cases septicaemia."[11] The recommended diet may not be nutritionally adequate.[12] The diet has been blamed for the deaths of patients who substituted it for standard medical care.[13]

I just want to add a simple
I just want to add a simple WOW....so much information. THANK YOU ALL!
I'm always so interested in what therapies people are choosing. I'm stage IV anal cancer. Have made changes, but I know not near enough. When I read these posts it reminds me to get back to the juicing, etc. Not a fan of chemo...did it once, and have had surgeries since with no chemo. I have acupuncture, shiatsu massage, tons of supplements, no sugar, and try to limit many other foods. So much more I could/should be doing....but so far so good!
Thanks all and Happy Healthy New Year to you all!

HeartofSoul said:

this is a post from the EC
this is a post from the EC board from member ColeenB on Aug 6 on Thread "Dr Gerson"
or see thread under the same EC board titled "Shelly~Haven't heard~wouldn't waste my $~Sorry no such luck" dated June 27 3:53am by a very respected member.

Its amazing how facts get in the way of exuberent disillusionment such as 90% cure rates, just read below


wikipedia
A good source for me is to use wikipedia and then follow up anything on there with their footnotes. You can read the original source documents... if you want to...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Gerson

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 (NCI), it was found that Gerson's records lacked the basic information necessary to systematically evaluate his claims. The NCI concluded that Gerson's data showed no benefit from his treatment.[1] The therapy is considered scientifically unsupported and potentially hazardous.[2][3]

Gerson Therapy

Gerson's therapy required the patient to consume a raw plant based diet and to drink an 8-ounce glass of fresh organic juices every waking hour. Coffee and castor oil enemas were among several types of prescribed enemas, and some patients were given hydrogen peroxide orally and rectally. Rectal ozone was also applied. Dietary supplements include vitamin C and iodine. The diet prohibited the drinking of water and consumption of berries and nuts, as well as use of aluminium vessels or utensils.[5]
Initially, patients were required to drink several glasses of raw calf liver extract daily. Following an outbreak of Campylobacter infection linked to the Gerson clinic's extract, which sickened and killed several of the clinic's patients,[6] carrot juice was substituted.
Animal products and fats and oils were excluded (except for the raw calf liver extract and flax-seed oil), as were supposed sources of toxicity, including tobacco, salt, alcohol, fluorides, pesticides, food additives, and pharmaceuticals. Foods were to be fresh, organically grown and unprocessed. The therapy claimed to reverse any ill effects of exposure to environmental toxins over the course of 6–18 months, and Gerson believed it would be effective against most chronic diseases including tuberculosis, fibromyalgia, most forms of advanced cancer, arthritis (both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis), and diabetes.
Gerson's claims of success attracted some high-profile patients, as well as other alternative medicine practitioners. Gerson's daughter, Charlotte Gerson, continued to promote the therapy, founding the "Gerson Institute" in 1977.

Evidence
Gerson's therapy has not been independently tested or subjected to randomized controlled trials, and thus is illegal to market in the United States.[1] The Gerson Institute claims that Gerson's observational studies and case reports are anecdotal evidence of the efficacy of the treatment.[7] In his book, Gerson cites the "Results of 50 Cases"; however, the U.S. National Cancer Institute reviewed these 50 cases and was unable to find any evidence that Gerson's claims were accurate.[3] Gerson Institute staff published a case series in the alternative medical literature; however, the series suffered from significant methodological flaws, and no independent entity has been able to reproduce the Gerson Institute's claims.[3]

Independent anecdotal evidence suggests that the Gerson Therapy is not effective against cancer. When a group of 13 patients sickened by elements of the Gerson Therapy were evaluated in hospitals in San Diego in the early 1980s, all of them were found to still have active cancer.[6] The Gerson Institute's claimed "cure rates" have been questioned; an investigation by Quackwatch found that the Institute's claims of cure were based not on actual documentation of survival, but on "a combination of the doctor's estimate that the departing patient has a 'reasonable chance of surviving,' plus feelings that the Institute staff have about the status of people who call in."[8] In 1994, a study published in the alternative medical literature described 18 patients treated for cancer with the Gerson Therapy. Their median survival from treatment was 9 months. Five years after receiving the Gerson treatment, 17 of the 18 patients had died of their cancer, while the one surviving patient had active non-Hodgkin lymphoma.[9]
The American Cancer Society reports that "[t]here is no reliable scientific evidence that Gerson therapy is effective in treating cancer, and the principles behind it are not widely accepted by the medical community. It is not approved for use in the United States."[2] In 1947, the National Cancer Institute reviewed 10 "cures" submitted by Gerson; however, all of the patients were receiving standard anticancer treatment simultaneously, making it impossible to determine what effect, if any, was due to Gerson's therapy.[10] A review of the Gerson Therapy by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center concluded: "If proponents of such therapies wish them to be evaluated scientifically and considered valid adjuvant treatments, they must provide extensive records (more than simple survival rates) and conduct controlled, prospective studies as evidence."[3]

Safety concerns
Coffee enemas have contributed to the deaths of at least three people in the United States. Coffee enemas "can cause colitis (inflammation of the bowel), fluid and electrolyte imbalances, and in some cases septicaemia."[11] The recommended diet may not be nutritionally adequate.[12] The diet has been blamed for the deaths of patients who substituted it for standard medical care.[13]

Wikipedia is not a reliable source. It says so itself.

Wikipedia gets hijacked by political extremists on controversial, nominally "scientific" topics with misrepresentation and biased, obsolete or out of context references. I often see this on nutrition and alternative medicine topics at wikipedia.

For instance "...nutritionally adequate.[12]" The reference [12] is an expired Australian document (stated validity 2004-2009) that in the previous sentence extolls the dangers of vitamin D, resting on a 1980s reference about the toxicity of calcitriol (the superactive metabolite) drugs, without reference to vitamin K2 levels, or D3 intake. And perhaps misrepresentation, "...substituted it for standard...[13]" that is really an efficacy argument, not safety.

Of course, many here realize that old "vitamin D toxicity" based RDA (200 iu) is likely to one day be recognized as, or more, dangerous than old JAMA ads extolling cigarettes...

Disclaimer: I think 90% would likely only apply to stage I or (true) IIa patients, we use chemo, and no one uses any coffee in my house. We found merit in some of Gerson's suggestions as part of a broader treatment plan.