The Gerson Miracle

[KelVarQ]

Hi All,

I know I don't get on much these days but I think about you all and hope you're all doing well. I'm still hanging tough with the seizures and doing the Gluten Free diet.

Anyway, I just heard about this the other day from a friend and although it talks about Cancer I suspect it can help all dis-eases. The Gerson Miracle and it just made me think about Epilepsy and all other problems we seem to be dealing with and thought I would post it for you all to view. It's 1-1/2 long but worth the watch. op:

 

[epileric]

The Gerson method was found to not work.

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

Anecdotal evidence collected outside the Gerson Institute suggests that the 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 13 were found to still have active cancer.[11]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."[13]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.[14]

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

Sadly, Even if it did work, I don't see a relation or similarity between the physiologies of cancer & epilepsy so I would have no reason to think that a cure for one would cure the other.

 

[KelVarQ]

Hi Epileric, No I don't think Cancer and E are similar by all means or the treatments that are given. However, I found the movie informative as far as potential causes for dis-eases and a lot of how we are perhaps living today. Clearly foods we're eating today are causing some to seize, myself included, and the way I see it...if certain foods are causing me to seize, what else are they causing? My guess, and no I'm no expert, but I wouldn't doubt if they're causing Cancer as well. I don't know if you watched the video but a lot of it talked about eating the proper foods to maintain good health and reach top performance and that part of the video I couldn't agree more. As far as eating proper foods I can't imagine that would be hazardous to anyone's health and that was pretty much the message for Gerson's theory. Perhaps the hazardous part is the reference to not taking medical treatments such as Chemo but I say in conjunction with a more holistic approach it certainly can't hurt. As as far as the NCI I'm not shocked and no disrespect to modern medicine and it definitely has it's place but I still think it's lacking and maybe the holistic approach in conjunction with it is the void.

 

[Brent]

I recently had a friend who is really sold on homeopathy suggest that I should see her homeopath about my epilepsy. One of the problems I have with homeopathy is that they tend to start out with some general advice that is just common sense, such as "avoid dairy products" and present this as some part of a specialized cure. Well, most people are fully aware by now that dairy is not healthy.

Dairy (and animal sources in general) are strongly coincident with several types of cancer. So, it's not rocket science that we should eliminate/reduce them, particularly if we are at risk for those sorts of cancer.

Epileric, it's not true that the Gerson diet doesn't work. It's just that its effects have been exaggerated. It works about as well as a strict Mediterranean diet works at preventing a number of health problems or reducing their severity.

I think (and this is purely speculation) that it would be possible to reduce the severity of epilepsy through diet. There are a few factors to approach. The first is essential fatty acids, which are necessary for normal neurological function. Deficiencies are known to cause a number of neurological problems, particularly in the developing brain. So, it isn't much of a stretch to suppose that there could be a link to epilepsy or epilepsy symptoms.

The second is inflammation. Inflammation is a stressor, and stressors are suspected/known to contribute to the frequency/severity of seizures. So, a low-inflammation diet could decrease frequency and/or severity. I don't think any study has been done on this, but Gerson's diet is a low-inflammation diet.

I can't speak from personal experience because I have always followed a strict vegetarian and primarily organic diet. So, I have nothing really to compare to.

 

[epileric]

Epileric, it's not true that the Gerson diet doesn't work. It's just that its effects have been exaggerated. It works about as well as a strict Mediterranean diet works at preventing a number of health problems or reducing their severity.

I'm not saying it's necessarily unhealthy but to claim it can cure cancer & every form of chronic disease (as is claimed in the movie) is quite an exaggeration!!!

I do agree with you though about how you perceive homeopathy but I do see the same thing here where they might start off with what is common sense & a healthy diet then exaggerate it to the extreme.

A lot of it is also based on detoxification and most people with medical training feel that foods we eat do not necessarily detoxify the body.

In response, alternative medicine proponents frequently cite heavy metals or pesticides as the source of toxification; however, no evidence exists that detoxification approaches have a measurable effect on these or any other chemical levels. Medical experts state that body cleansing is unnecessary as the human body is naturally capable of maintaining itself, with several organs dedicated to cleansing the blood and gut.[18]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Body_cleansing#Criticism