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It is very important for all fluids that are placed in the rectum to be sterile. Use boiled water only! Be sure you allow fluids to cool to body temperature before placing in rectum. (For further information, see pp. 247-248, A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases)
This recipe is used full strength: do not dilute!
Boil 3 minutes uncovered to drive off oils; then cover, lower heat and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Strain and allow to cool. Add distilled water to make a full quart. Use at body temperature.
Boil 3 minutes uncovered. Cover, lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Strain into 1 quart jar, allowing grounds to drain well. Add distilled water to make a full quart. For convenience: Mark the jar indicating 1 Cup increments. Diluting: This recipe makes enough concentrate for 4 enemas (1 cup concentrate plus 3 Cups boiled/distilled water) Storage: This concentrate will keep in a refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Note: The physicians recommend that coffee concentrate be used only as an alternative to the above recipe for convenience when traveling.
Apply enema following instructions on page 191 of A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases, or see next pages in this handbook.
Use full strength and according to your doctor's advice. Retain the tea enema for about five minutes. After release, immediately start the coffee enema. In severe problems, chamomile concentrate can be added to all coffee enemas.
Use when cooled to body temperature.
Simmer 10 minutes in covered saucepan. Strain and press chamomile flowers to extrude fluid. If some has boiled away, add distilled water to make 1 pint. Storage: Keep in covered glass bottle no longer than 3 days. To Use: Pour 4 oz. concentrate into enema bucket and fill with distilled water. Recipe makes enough concentrate for 4 enemas.
NOTE: Some confusion has existed because of an apparent contradiction between chamomile enema instructions on page 194 and page 248 of Gerson's A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases. Actually, the recipes are consistent. Page 194 includes instructions for use of a chamomile concentrate as well as directions for preparation of a single dose. Page 248 contains instructions for both preparation and use of chamomile concentrate. In both cases, the ratio of chamomile flowers (in tablespoons) to total ounces of water will be the same: 4 Tbsp. / 32 oz. enema.
Please understand that the concentrate is prepared by using 1 Tbsp. of chamomile flowers for each ounce of water: one cup (16 Tbsp.) chamomile flowers boiled in 1 pint (16 oz) water makes four doses. Gerson's "glass" equals 8 oz, just as with your juices. One half glass equals 4 oz.
An enema by definition, is the introduction of solutions into the rectum and colon in order to stimulate bowel activity and to cause emptying of the lower intestine.
Coffee enemas should be administered by having the patient lie on the right side.
To connect bucket, tube and connector:
The enema bucket comes with a clear plastic hose which has a hole at the front and one on the side. You cut off the tip to eliminate the side opening.
You order a small plastic connector plus a soft rubber tube (catheter) both available from STAT. S.A. Put one end of the connector onto the cut end of the plastic enema tube: the other end into the wide opening of the rubber catheter.
Some patients find it difficult to retain 32 oz. of the liquid, you may want to start with 24 oz. and later, slowly increase the amount of fluid.
Before you start your coffee enema, eat a small piece of fruit to activate the gastric tract If enema is taken on an empty stomach, some people may experience problems.
Note: More information on enemas is available in A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases on pages 191 and 247 and in Gerson Healing Newsletter Vol. 10, No. 4, pg. 6, and Gerson Healing Newsletter #13, pg. 1.
These frequently painful symptoms are caused by strong irritation to the intestinal tract and lead to problems with the enemas. It becomes difficult to instill the full 32 oz. of coffee solution, difficult to hold the enema the full 12-15 minutes or, on the other hand, the enema becomes trapped and cannot be released. Following is a list of possible remedies which have proved useful to patients:
Be sure that the tip of the enema tube is inserted five to eight inches past the anal sphincter. Do not try to force the tube into the colon. The temperature of the enema solution must be body temperature. Don't raise the enema bucket too high. If the flow is too rapid it can set up spasms. About eighteen to twenty-four inches is the correct bucket height. Even at that height, spasms can occur. If so, immediately lower the bucket to allow the flow to back up a few inches into the tube to relieve the pressure. After 20 to 30 seconds slowly start raising the bucket toward the original level. The flow can also be controlled by pinching the tube with your fingers or adjusting the plastic ring to a partially closed position. It may take some time to get the enema completely instilled, but this is acceptable.
This can be applied by a heating pad. Mild heat has a calming effect on the irritated, hyperactive intestinal tract.
Potassium compound solution helps relieve spasms by supplying potassium to the depleted intestinal tract. It can also help to promote bile flow when given rectally. This solution is the same as that used in the juices. The dosage is two Tbsp. in each enema. Procedure should be discontinued after 10 days to 2 weeks.
This can be accomplished by either using less coffee concentrate in each enema, or by using only part of a prepared enema. Please consult with physician.
When the first enema is "clutched" and the abdomen congested, a second enema may be taken "back to back" with the first. Potassium compound solution (see above) may be added to the second enema to promote effectiveness. Another potentially valuable aid is hydrogen peroxide (1-2 tsp. of 3%) added to the second enema. Chamomile concentrate may be added to counter the irritating effects of either peroxide or potassium taken by rectum.
CAUTION: If you run into chronic problems, please do not resort to a long series of consecutive enemas (use no more than 2 back to back). At least four hours must be allowed between back to back enemas in most cases. Please be in touch with your physician.
Castor oil enema may also be used in some cases if a back to back enema is "clutched. " Castor oil enemas are extremely pushy and should be used cautiously - generally only one in a 24 hour period. Consult your physician.
There is quite a serious problem presently in the general population, consisting of depressed immune systems. We are seeing a constant increase in infections that were virtually unknown two decades ago: AIDS, `chronic fatigue syndrome' (CFS, or Epstein-Barr), genital herpes, hepatitis of all kinds and Candida (yeast infections). Other infectious diseases that once seemed to have almost disappeared, such as tuberculosis, and even syphilis, are making a threatening comeback.
It must be assumed that our poor general nutrition, together with excess consumption of fats, proteins and salt, has caused this health problem. Obviously, patients suffering from cancer have a seriously weakened immune system - since a fully functioning immune response is capable of protecting the body from ever developing cancer. So, we know that in all cancer patients, we have a problem if they `catch' cold or develop a flu. Even after a few months on the Gerson Therapy, which among other things restores the immune system, the former cancer patient does not yet have a good defense against cold and flu viruses. For that reason, much care has to be taken to protect the recovering patient from visitors, children or other household members who have colds. They should be completely segregated from the patient. Friends or visitors with colds should be urgently requested not to visit, or, if they have come into the house, the patient should quietly, even unsociably disappear behind his/her bedroom door.
If a recovering patient does develop a cold or flu, at the very first signs, he should take penicillin (other antibiotics if he is allergic to penicillin) together with the `triad' (one Aspirin, one 50 mg. Niacin, one 500 mg. Vitamin C), at least once every six hours for as long as symptoms are present, plus one day. It is also wise to gargle with chamomile tea in which you use 1/2 ounce of a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide, at least three times a day. A very warm bath with at least 4 pints of 3% hydrogen peroxide twice a day is extremely helpful. Be sure that the patient is not chilled upon leaving the bath and immediately goes into a warm bed. A cold should be treated with great respect since it can cause recurrence of tumors. If you report to your Gerson consulting doctor with possible regrowth of tumors, be sure you mention whether or not you had a cold or flu in the recent past, and whether you have overcome it.
Because of the seriousness of possible colds, it is suggested on the list of medications to take home, that you take penicillin with you. If, at the very first symptoms of a cold, you first have to go to a doctor for a prescription, or ask for penicillin to be mailed to you - it will be much too late to take it. It is mainly used to avoid opportunistic germs from aggravating the virus infection - but you need to have it on hand in case of need. Do not use it for any other reason.
Dr. Gerson felt very strongly that a cancer patient just starting on the therapy, urgently needs rest. He even had patients who were not particularly debilitated, stay in bed for a full six weeks! The Gerson Therapy itself speeds up the metabolism, and that requires energy. This extra energy requirement often causes patients starting the treatment to be tired. This is an urgent message from the body to rest! Do not force exercise when you are tired. It will not `build you up' at all; on the contrary, it will slow down or stop the healing process if you waste your energy.
Early on in the treatment, it is a good practice to do some trampolining. A little `rebounder' is quite inexpensive, and can be very helpful. In the beginning, use it only by lifting your heel and bending your knees - don't jump. Also, it is best to use it for only 30 seconds at a time, but several times a day - as often as 5-6 times. This very mild exercise stimulates lymphatic circulation and also helps to overcome pain, especially bone pain. But, again, don't overdo or exhaust yourself.
When patients first return home, they usually feel much better, but not yet strong. It is extremely important that they do not immediately jump into their jobs or housework - since the Therapy with all the foods and juices is very labor intensive. The patient needs continued rest and HELP. Usually, after about three months, energy returns. That, too, can be a period of danger: when the patient is recovering and feels energy again, he/she may well begin strenuous activities - overexerting himself, and stopping the healing. Do not overdo. As your energy returns, you can begin some very mild exercise: a five minute walk (not in extreme heat or cold). This can soon be extended to 8-10 minutes, but, if the patient is very tired, stop, and go back to the last amount of walking that didn't exhaust you. Increase the time for a walk very slowly if you can easily handle it. More strenuous exercise (tennis, squash) must be avoided for a year or so. Try to avoid walking on or near a golf course, as the grass is heavily sprayed with toxic chemicals. Swimming is a problem: all chlorinated pools must be completely avoided and ocean water is too salty for the patient. So what remains? A clean mountain stream or lake. "Clean" means that there are no factories that drain chemicals into the water above the place where you. swim. And, of course, the weather must be mild or warm, so the patient is not chilled. One of our recovered breast cancer patients in Carmel, California, after two years on the therapy and total recovery, won several tennis tournaments. Just be patient and heal first!
Notes from a lecture by Dr. Dan Rogers, M.D.
Definition of Flare-up/Reaction: A response by the body in general, and the immune system in particular, causing an increase in detoxification and healing processes.
Causes: The causes can be many; the body's attempt to rid itself of dead and diseased tissue and cells, eliminate toxins of all types, and rebuild healthy cells and tissues.
Flare-ups may include any of the following symptoms:
General aches and pains, sore muscles and joints, or an "achy all over feeling" are fairly common in most patients. The duration of these symptoms is usually 24-48 hours. Usually self-limited, but may require mild definitive treatment.
Rx: Treat symptomatically including clay/castor oil packs, pain triad, hydrotherapy, and/or bed rest.
This reaction may be intense, lasting for several days. Usually self-limited.
Rx: Treat symptomatically. Increase intake of peppermint tea and oatmeal. May need to decrease oral solid intake or exchange it for raw grated apples, apple-sauce, raw grated carrots, mashed banana, water-melon, etc. Also, change juice composition by adding up to 50% gruel per juice. May also give gruel straight.
Does not occur in most cases. If it does occur it usually lasts 24 hours or less. Some cases can be intense and of longer duration, requiring definitive treatment, especially when complicated by other body fluid loss (such as diarrhea), or in a patient with reduced body mass (i.e. child, cachexia, etc.).
Rx: Increase peppermint tea intake to as much as 1 gallon or more and substitute oatmeal for regular meals when needed. May need to decrease oral solid intake or exchange it for raw grated apples, apple-sauce, raw grated carrots, mashed banana, water-melon, etc. Also change juice composition by adding up to 50% gruel per juice. May also give gruel straight. Juices not taken orally can be given rectally as a retention enema. If emesis lasts longer than 24 hours, or if severe, definitive treatment may be required including antiemetics (oral, I.M., or I.V.), and I.V. fluids. Serum electrolyte and acid/base levels need to be carefully monitored. If vomiting bile (green, bitter) reduce coffee enemas to 1 or 2 a day and take chamomile enemas between coffee enemas.
Frequent passage of unformed, watery bowel movements. If it occurs it is usually self-limiting, lasting 24-48 hours. If it persists any longer, definitive treatment may be required, especially when complicated by other body fluid loss such as vomiting, or in a patient with reduced body mass (i.e.: child, cachexia, etc.)
Rx: Treat symptomatically. As an initial measure, combine 1/8 tsp. potassium gluconate and 1/4 tsp. clay in peppermint tea, to be taken every 2-4 hours. If particularly severe or lasting longer than 24-48 hours, antispasmotics (i.e.: polvo mixto, lomotil, etc.) may be needed. Also, routinely do lab testing, e.g. ova and parasites, stool culture and sensitivity, serum electrolytes, etc. I.V. fluids may be necessary, especially if diarrhea is complicated by increased loss of other body fluids.
May be prodromal (i.e.: signaling a flare-up) starting as much as 48-72 hours prior to reaction. Usually self-limiting. Duration up to 72 hours post reaction. May require definitive Rx.
Rx: Treat symptomatically. Use increased enemas, clay/castor oil packs and pain triad as first treatment of choice. Laetrile (Amigdalin) is a good Rx alternative especially with bony metastases. Hydrotherapy works well with many types of pain. Acupuncture, Neural therapy with lidocaine also works well. May need triad (1 Aspirin, 1 Niacin 50 mg, 1 Vitamin C 500 mg), etc., depending upon the type of pain and location.
May last 24-48 hours, usually self-limited. For the most part should be treated with physical means. Areas of precaution include high fevers (greater than 104o F.) for a period greater than 2 hours, and patients with reduced body mass (i.e.: child, cachexia, etc.).
Rx: For chills, use physical means as first treatment of choice. Put the patient to bed, warm patient with blankets, pajamas, etc. May also enjoy warm bath, hot herb tea, etc. Bed rest is required.
For fever, also use physical means as first treatment of choice. Reduce amount of constrictive clothing, remove most blankets, but maintain normal environmental temperatures. Use vinegar/alcohol rub down, cool water rub down, damp cloth on neck/forehead, etc. Bed rest is necessary. If the patient's temperature continues to rise, cool chamomile tea/coffee/water enemas may be needed. Also, cool baths with up to full body immersion may be used. If fever is still rising, the pain triad, with emphasis on aspirin, may be employed. Try to avoid the use of any stronger antipyretic agents, except for very unusual circumstances. Careful monitoring of the patient is ESSENTIAL if physical means are to be successful in controlling fever, especially if body temperature remains at 104o F or more. If physical means plus aspirin and careful monitoring do not control fever at a manageable level, definitive treatment must be employed.
This general category includes breath, body odor, smelly enemas, etc. At least one of these symptoms is fairly common in patients during their first reactions. They are self-limiting, lasting the duration of the reaction, and up to 48 hours post reaction. No special pre-cautions need to be taken, except for the comfort of the patient and any visitors.
Rx: Breath: brush teeth several times per day. Eat garlic. Drink extra juice/tea. Body Odor: bathe and change clothes often. Vinegar/alcohol rubdown. Drink extra juice/tea. Enema odor: increase number of enemas, including castor oil (check with your physician). Instruct everyone to leave the room at enema time and open the bathroom windows, even in the winter. May need to repaint the room.
This symptom is very common to many patients, especially during the first several reactions. It is due in part to the toxins released into the blood, reacting in the brain and effecting its functions. It may be a prodromal sign of an upcoming reaction, occurring as much as 72 hours before the reaction starts. It worsens as the reaction occurs, and may last up to 72 hours following the flare-up. It is usually self-limiting. The patient especially needs as much extra TLC (tender loving care) as possible at this time.
Rx: Treat symptomatically. Lots of support, TLC, encouragement, companion and family support are especially critical here.
Duration usually limited to 48 hours, post flare-up. Rx: No definitive treatment. Increase juices and enemas.
Note: Remember flare-ups can consist of one or more of the above symptoms, and perhaps all of them.
Almost any lab value is susceptible to change during flare-ups. Especially sensitive to change are serum values such as electrolytes, Alkaline Phosphatase, GGT, GGP, SGOT, etc. A complete blood count and differential may show a relatively higher number of leukocytes and an increase in the lymphocyte count if it was low before the flare-up began, or a decrease in the lymphocyte count if it was high before the reaction started. Also, urinalysis shows trace amounts of albumin and a greater amount of sodium excretion. If your blood/urinalysis tests were done within 3 days of a reaction, be sure to tell your doctor. Your doctor may otherwise misinterpret the results.
All substances which go on the skin, at best clog pores, keeping the skin from breathing and eliminating toxins. At worst, these materials are absorbed into the blood stream and damage the patient. While on the intensive therapy, the patient should refrain from using any skin lotions, creams, and ointments whatsoever. Especially, women need to refrain from using lipstick which is regularly licked off the lips and therefore ingested. Sometimes, women complain that their lips are dry or raw if they do not use lipstick. This is often due to the lipstick. If the patient refrains from its use for a few days, and instead uses a little vaseline, the lips `heal' and will feel normal.
We feel very strongly about any underarm anti-perspirant or deodorant. All these are harmful, even if purchased in a `health food store.' Many contain aluminum, and other chemicals which should never go to block lymph passages underarm. They not only block but are absorbed and toxic. The passages should be clear and open for elimination of toxic perspiration. If sweat is smelly, wash frequently and keep the lymph passages open. To block them is to force the toxic materials back into the lymph passages, causing new harm. Once the body is well detoxified, it will not have any unpleasant smell.
Nail polish keeps the nails from breathing. Do not use it while on the Gerson Therapy; nor any artificial nails. If you are wearing it at the hospital, a nurse will provide you with nail polish remover.
We need not mention permanents or hair dyes, since these are mentioned on the list of forbidden items in A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases, p. 238. However, hair sprays, lacquers with acetone solvents, are also very harmful and have to be avoided. On the therapy, your hair will become healthier and have natural `body'. You will not need some of the toxic cosmetics.
Dr. Gerson did not want patients to be exposed to sun, nor to sunbathe. During the last few years, it has become fashionable to recommend `sunscreen' because many doctors claim sunlight can cause skin cancer. Dr. Gerson's reason for recommending patients avoid sunlight is that it is radiation, it is wearying and irritating; so the patient must avoid it. Sunscreen is not the answer. On the contrary: the latest information has it, the sunscreen which people are supposed to use and put on their children's skin becomes a carcinogen (cancer causing agent) when exposed to the sun! If you are going out, wear a long-sleeved shirt, preferably white cotton, or a blouse. Use a hat with a wide brim or visor to protect your face. You need not stay indoors altogether when the weather is sunny. Just don't expose yourself without clothes, to `sunbathe'. It is always suggested that you take in fresh air, in the shade, under a tree or umbrella. If you are using the sun `to warm you', rather use extra covers, sweaters, coats or blankets, but stay in the shade.
Extremely Important: Never use toothpaste with fluoride or baking soda!
A very important consideration for success on the Gerson Therapy is the need to clear any possible dental root abscess. Sometimes, these abscesses cause no symptoms and the patient is not aware of them. Also some patients are overly concerned about X-rays, to the point that they even refuse the small amount of radiation used to diagnose possible dental problems. That is a mistake. The amount of radiation is not harmful; but the possible existence of dental root canal infections or abscesses will negate the effectiveness of the Gerson Therapy. Sometimes seriously damaged or infected teeth have to be removed in order to eliminate the constant re-infection caused by these toxins in the mouth. Please check your teeth and make sure that there are no dental problems as you start on the Therapy.
Many of our patients and readers are informed about the dangers of silver-amalgam fillings. These consist of a mixture of metals that can contain up to 50% mercury. The problem, of course, is that mercury is a highly toxic heavy metal, with a powerful effect on the central nervous system. Over the course of 20 years, it has been shown that up to 95% of the mercury can leach out of the fillings into the system and into circulation. Some people are a great deal more sensitive to this circulating mercury than others. It has been shown to cause Multiple Sclerosis in some patients. When the silver amalgam fillings were removed, the patients recovered. Other people have had silver fillings in their teeth for many years with no apparent problems.
Your dentist can cause you considerable trouble if he recommends that you brush your teeth with baking soda. The chemical name for baking soda is sodium bicarbonate. Sodium is readily absorbed through the mucus membranes in the mouth and quickly enters the blood stream. A patient who came to us with colon cancer was completely cleared of cancer after about ten months on the therapy. She continued the therapy faithfully, as she had been instructed. Nevertheless, after another six months or so, she had a new malignant lesion in her colon. When she returned to the Gerson Therapy hospital, upon intensive questioning, it turned out her dentist had suggested she brush her teeth with baking soda. She did - and her tumor returned. When she stopped this practice, she healed again!
We need to warn our patients not to follow such dentists' instructions. Also, please note that A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases, on p. 238, states on the list of forbidden items not to use baking soda also for gargling, etc. The above patient did not remember or check on this before following her dentist's instructions. Please also note that many brands of toothpaste presently contain baking soda - since dentists recommend it. Please do not use such toothpastes.
An entirely different situation exists when patients have been treated by their dentist with "root canal" fillings. In order to treat the root, the dentist has to drill any loose or infected material from the canal which houses the nerve. But when the nerve is dead and removed, the tooth also dies. A wonderful book called The Root Canal Cover-Up, published by Dr. George E. Meinig, DDS, F.A.C.D. in 1993 gives the extensive and detailed research done by Dr. Weston A. Price, DDS, F.A.C.D., early this century. Dr. Meinig for many years headed the group of dentists engaged in doing root canals. He also states he did many hundreds himself. However, when he became aware of the dangers inherent in this treatment, he incorporated his new findings in his practice and now spends his time and energies in making the public, as well as dentists, aware of the research.
The first indication of problems due to root canals came from a patient who was bedfast and virtually paralyzed due to rheumatoid arthritis, for some reason, her root canal filled tooth was removed, although it looked healthy, and after some months, she could walk and her health was totally restored. But Dr. Price took the extracted tooth, sterilized it thoroughly, and implanted it under the skin of a rabbit. Within 5 days, the rabbit was suffering with severe rheumatoid arthritis, and in 10 days it died of the disease.
Subsequently, many other patients had root canal filled teeth extracted: some suffering from kidney disease, others from heart disease, and many more with arthritis. In virtually all cases, the patients showed considerable improvement, to even total recovery, after the offending teeth were removed. But, again, many more times. Dr. Price implanted the teeth under the skin of rabbits. In each case. the tooth removed from the patient caused the patient's disease in the rabbit. Dr. Price went even further to try to clear the apparently infectious material from the extracted teeth: he autoclaved them (sterilized by steam pressure, usually at 250 degrees F or 121oC). This made no difference: the rabbits with the sterilized tooth implanted still developed the disease and died, usually within 10 days. Then Dr. Price implanted a healthy tooth under the skin of a rabbit. The rabbit lived without showing any signs of problems for about 15 years, its normal life span.
The underlying problem is very interesting: when the nerve is removed from a tooth, it is no longer living, nor is it supplied with nutrients. It is dead. However, the normal structure of the tooth includes tiny `canules' (similar to capillaries in every human tissue) that carry nutrients to the living tooth. Once the tooth is dead, nutrients stop circulating through these canules, instead they become infested with germs and viruses. Not only that, but the filling of the nerve canal shrinks a tiny little bit, enough for more bacteria and viruses to lodge there, too. None of this shows on X-rays. A dead tooth is thus a potent source of bacterial and viral toxins and infections that can spread throughout the system. Many people with a good immune system and powerful defenses, can live with this constant source of trouble without showing any symptoms. Careful X-rays in many cases show that with time "cavitation" (hollowing out of the surrounding jaw bone) occurs around the root canal treated tooth. As the resistant patient ages or is weakened by accidents, colds and flu, or severe stress, the ability to overcome this `focal infection' is reduced and can either cause or contribute to cause severe chronic disease.
In view of the above, it will not come as a surprise that we urgently suggest patients remove any tooth (or teeth) with root canal fillings.
A German physician. Dr. Josef Issels, heard a lecture by Dr. Gerson back in the 1950's and subsequently successfully used alternative treatments in helping many cancer patients. Dr. Issels spent some time at the Gerson Therapy Center and also pointed out the severe damage caused by root canal fillings. He further stated that he refused to treat any cancer patient who did not allow all `devitalized' (dead) teeth to be removed. He explained that he could not obtain good results without this procedure.
As this is something that is appearing more and more often in our patients, we recommend that this be discussed with your physician if you have had root canal work done in the past.
Some dentists are now claiming that newly available materials they use in the root canal are "safe." Do not allow any root canals to be performed, as it is not the dental material, but the dead tooth that causes the problem.
There are several things to remember when it comes to dental anesthesias. On the one hand, the Gerson patient since s/he is well detoxified, has a higher threshold of pain - so average pain `doesn't hurt as much'. On the other hand, a Gerson patient is also much more sensitive to drugs and, under certain circumstances, the full average dose (2 cc) of Xylocaine (or other pain killer drug) could cause serious problems. It is important that the patient advise his dentist as follows:
After a period of about 6 weeks on the full intensive therapy, Dr. Gerson allowed cancer patients to add modified milk proteins to their diet. Your Gerson doctor may suggest a different amount of time before allowing the addition of milk products.
It is important that milk products be:
In his book, A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifiy Cases, Dr. Gerson describes these milk proteins as `buttermilk and pot cheese'. Unfortunately, at the present time, these products are not readily available as originally prescribed. Consequently, the currently available products cannot be used by patients on the Gerson Therapy. The buttermilk which Dr. Gerson prescribed was true, churned buttermilk. This was totally fat-free through the churning process, and contained no additives. This type of buttermilk is no longer available anywhere, as far as we know. On the other hand, present day buttermilk is `cultured' and is usually made from left-over milk, treated with thickeners, flavoring agents, and even salt, as shown in the list of ingredients. This is not usable for a Gerson patient and could cause harm. Unless you have your own churn, or are close to a milk farmer who churns butter and has buttermilk left from his processing, you cannot use ("cultured") buttermilk while on the Gerson Therapy.
The problem of `pot cheese' is even more complex. Dr. Gerson's patients, some 40-50 years ago, had access to a non-fat, unsalted large curd type of cottage cheese. This, too, is no longer available. Cottage cheese, on the other hand, is salted and `creamed' (cream added). You may see some which is labeled "low fat", but this contains a minimum of 2% butterfat (too much) and is quite heavily salted. The "regular" cottage cheese contains 4% butterfat plus salt. Neither is acceptable for the Gerson patient.
The only way that patients can use `cottage cheese' is if they are able to obtain skim milk and allow it to curdle (see Appendix III: Recipes, pg. 5.3.8) and pass it through several layers of cheese cloth, or preferably through some porous tea towel, to separate the curds from the whey.
We saw one lady who had originally shown exceptionally dramatic results with the Gerson Therapy, eating `cottage cheese' at home. This was a hard cheese, possibly made as part of a `cottage industry', and sold as cottage cheese. Hard cheeses are especially harmful: they usually contain up to 40% (1) butterfat, and are heavily salted. Naturally, this lady, too, experienced regrowth of tumors, until she stopped using this cheese.
We had another patient who had done very well on the Gerson Therapy and most of his tumors were gone or were reduced. When his doctor allowed him to have yogurt, he could only find "low fat" yogurt, and he decided that was okay for him. In a short time, his tumors were growing again and he came back to the Gerson Therapy Hospital to find out what the problem was. In only a few days on the full intensive therapy in Mexico, his tumors were again much smaller. Then he received the results of an analysis he had ordered of his low-fat yogurt. The result showed a fat content of this `low fat' yogurt of 3.2% butterfat - enough to start tumors growing!
Other problems occur with yogurt. It has to be non-fat and unflavored. Some patients are trying their best to do right, and look for raw, unpasteurized milk yogurt. Be careful. You will possibly find raw goat's milk yogurt, and think you have it made. Not so. Goat's milk is, by nature, homogenized, and it is difficult to remove the cream - so, it is full of fat. We lost one patient because the care-giver was not aware of the danger of raw goat's milk yogurt.
Please be careful, don't go by names, but by ingredients. Cottage cheese or yogurt should contain no added salt and no fat. Some patients have expressed doubt about their yogurt when its "contents" label showed that it contained a small amount of sodium. Please understand that all milk (and vegetables, too, by the way) naturally contain a little sodium. So, if you see sodium listed under `contents', don't worry. It should not show under `ingredients' since this would mean that salt was added.
Occasionally, you may be able to find `Farmer's Cheese', which contains no fat and no salt and would be acceptable. (Check your labels!) Also, some dairies produce "Baker's Cheese" to be used in baking pastries such as Cheese Danish. If this baker's cheese contains no salt or fat it may be used, whipped up with some non-fat yogurt and onions, garlic or chives - since it is quite lacking in flavor without additions. Also, Safeway used to produce cheese for the same purpose, called "Dry Curd." This is also free of salt and fat and can be mixed with onions, garlic, etc. and can be a delicious spread for baked potatoes and vegetables; or with a little maple syrup or honey, it can be used over stewed fruit, or as a sauce with some dessert.
Very rarely, a patient is lactose intolerant and cannot handle any milk products. Your doctor may advise you to take spirulina, blue-green manna, or bee pollen. This can also sometimes cause allergic reactions. If you are trying it, use just a few grains at first, and add a few at a time before reaching your prescribed amount. If it causes you any allergic reaction, don't use it.