Sunday, December 26, 2010

Gerson Clinic Review

Keep true, never be ashamed of doing right; decide on what you think is right and stick to it.
T.S. Eliot

Many of my friends would like to know the outcome of my treatment at the Gerson Clinic in Mexico. I think many of them would think in terms of conventional medicine where you enter into a hospital, take chemotherapy/surgery/radiation and then a couple of months later you either expect to recover or the situation become worst.

Alternative Therapy
Alternative therapy like Gerson Therapy (GT) is not the same. I would put the GT as an immune rebuilding therapy. To do that, it takes a long time and the average is about two years. Although there are reports that many Gerson patients that saw positive results within nine months, that should not be used as a yardstick. In any case, we are looking at many months into the future before we can see any results.

So all I can say for the moment is that I was under the care of qualified doctors who prescribed a customised therapy for me to follow. The standard GT that I followed 14 months earlier has been somewhat effective, otherwise I would not be around to continue to write this blog. But it could have been better, which is why I took this trip to Mexico. I was using a modified version of GT. What does this mean? I did not take four of the essential supplements (not available locally) and the B12 and liver injections. Now I am on the full therapy. I am keeping my fingers crossed and see what happens when I do the monthly blood test in the next six months.

Gerson Clinic
The Gerson clinic in Tijuana, Mexico is not like a hospital or the clinic that you see locally in Malaysia. It's basically a large detached double storey house in a fenced and secured compound. At any one time, it can support 10 patients. It's more like a simple resort like environment. Except for the Nursing Station, there are no traces of medicines or what you would typically smell while at hospitals. My two complaints are if they have shaded verendahs (it rains) from the rooms to the dining hall and also a larger area for patients to do walks inside the compound, especially after dark.

The Therapy
For me, doing the therapy over here in Mexico is much more relaxing because there are staffs does all the work for you. You just need to keep time of when to do what (basically when's breafast/lunch/dinner and doing coffee enemas). Juices are delivered to the rooms and the doctor visits you in your room too. Only the injections and clay packs are administered at the Nusring Station. You can then sleep the whole day or takes short walks to the beach which is 5 minutes walk away.

There is one important aspect of doing the therapy at home that I think one should know. Lugol solution is added to the apple+carrot and carrot juices. However, at the sametime, you MUST also take the thyroid supplements. If you don't do that (like what happened to me), you can get a case of hyperthyroidism which can be fatal in itself. This is my most important discovery while here.

It is difficult to duplicate the same intensity while at the clinic and back home unless you have people to assist you. Besides that, you can also expect the food to taste different when back home. Firstly you cannot cook that many variety as most likely you are the only one to eat that diet. You need time and effort to prepare. I am having a hard time trying to adjust, so let's be realistic about this. Secondly, the quality of fruits and vegetables would be different. This is because we source it from different locations and hence may not taste as good as that in the clinic. A good example is carrot. So the food you make may not be that tasty and that's my case. Thirdly, you are under professional care, so everything is sort of on the dot but back home, you will be under pressure to keep time. The juicing is every hour for 13 hours! That itself is difficult to keep and follow. What about the cooking, boiling coffee, buying vegetables, etc? Lastly but not least, you have allowed yourself to be cared by professionals. It's important to start 'correctly', meet other patients and get encouraged and motivated.

Worth My Money?
I have not come across any therapy (conventional or alternative) that guarantees recovery. Of course, those with early cancer stages stands a better chance of recovery.

For me, this is a question of my life. Is my life worth investing that much money (within my means) to give myself a chance to heal? You bet.

I have just given myself hope and that's worth more than any money in my bank. I definitely don't want you to be in my position to find out. Trust me on this. If I survive and becomes broke as a result, that's another story, for another day.

3 comments:

  1. I don't know if you share this opinion, but one thing about the Gerson Clinic experience that I found particularly valuable was the access to doctors round the clock. There is always a doctor at the clinic and he/she has only 10 patients to take care of. I found the doctors very willing to spend time with the patients and they really grew to know us. For me, this was unlike any other relationship I've ever had with a doctor.

    I also found the support from the other patients and caregivers to be a very important part of the Gerson Clinic experience. Eating meals at a big dining table together 3 times a day really helped us bond almost as a family.

    I enjoyed reading about the good samaritan who drove you to the airport from the electronics store. I hope you're enjoying your new gadgets!

    I'm glad you got home safely. It is a lot of work doing it yourself at home. I do miss the variety at every meal. My own diet is becoming rather monotonous, but I'm trying to convince my family to at least eat some dishes prepared Gerson style so that we can share cooking.

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  2. Many of us are still not aware of the hope that burns deep in our restless hearts, of each heart beat that keeps us going and of every breath that sustains life. You, my friend, have come to that consciousness and by that, you have come to know the purpose of life; not the pursuit of money, not the glory, not the crazy rat race, not the titles, not the ranks, not the power,...BUT to live and to love...to share and to touch lives...to light up and not to darken others' paths...that is what living life is all about. Do not be troubled because at the end of the day, we are all mortals. Always be kind to yourself and let your life be a testimony that no matter the circumstances, we all have the opportunity to change, to turn back, to reach out, to forgive, to love again, to feel again, to live again...

    Here's an uplifting piece to inspire you a bit...when your path feels a bit lonely...know that you are still alive and someone is sustaining you... May God continue to Touch you and grant you peace and healing.

    Watch this...

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D1ZpiAGVJN0

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  3. Dear Emily,

    I certaintly agree with you regarding the doctors, staffs of the clinic and not forgetting the patients and caregivers which are so supportive and makes the experience at the clinic a memorable one. I have been so relaxed at the clinic that I am now having a little trouble to get back into my new routine.

    Sometimes when it is least expected, helps comes along the way and this is not the first time I have experienced it.

    I have tried to introduce some of the food recipes that I have learned at the clinic into my diet but somehow, I just could not reproduce the same at home. The food at the clinic seems sweeter. Still its an improvement over my previous way of preparation. Will try to make the oats apple pie this weekend, one of the best desserts that I ate while at the clinic.

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