The Max Gerson Cancer Therapy is an alternative protocol for cancer and other diseases that advocates raw organic foods and juices as well as coffee enemas. The Gerson Therapy requires a strict diet and juice regime that is claimed to remove toxins from the body and boost the immune system, thereby removing the causative factors of cancer. The Gerson protocol is controversial and most official bodies deny its efficacy, yet it remains one of the most popular natural treatments of cancer today.
History
Max Gerson, MD, first started treating patients with tuberculosis in Germany in the 1920s. After the Nazis came to power, Gerson fled Europe for the U.S. and began treating cancer patients with his juice-based protocol. He claimed to have a cure for cancer and published his book "A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases" in 1958, a year before he died. His daughter, Charlotte Gerson, founded the Gerson Institute in San Diego, Calif., which continues to operate today.
Features
The Gerson Therapy advocates a mostly raw organic and vegan diet. Juices of fresh vegetable are consumed on the hour every waking hour of the day. A variety of supplements are also utilized in the therapy including vitamin B-12 and crude liver extract. Coffee enemas are also an integral part of Gerson's protocol and are purported to increase bile flow, and, therefore, detoxification.
Effects
According to the Gerson Therapy Institute's website, the treatment attempts to rid the body of cancer-causing pollutants and reactivate the body's ability to heal itself. The website claims that thousands of people have been cured of "incurable" diseases using the Gerson protocol. It further states that the Gerson Therapy doubles the oxygen in the body and regenerates the liver. By detoxifying the body, tumors are broken down and eliminated.
Considerations
The Gerson Cancer Therapy is not endorsed or even considered valid by most of the mainstream medical community. According to the National Cancer Institute most of the published information on the therapy is based on reviews of past cases. A review of seven documented studies of the therapy done at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center found a lack of evidence to conclude that the Gerson therapy had any effectiveness on cancer, although several studies show prolonged survival time in patients on the Gerson protocol over the control groups.
Warning
There are at least three documented cases of death that could be due to using coffee enemas, according to the National Cancer Institute.
Tags: Cancer Therapy, Gerson protocol, Gerson Cancer, Gerson Cancer Therapy, Gerson Therapy, Cancer Institute