Friday, May 20, 2011

A Night To Forget

Sometime back, I wrote a story about Lothar Hirneise, world-renowned cancer researcher from Germany. I have the good fortune through a friend who has invited me to join him for dinner on 30 May together with Lothar Hirneise who is in Malaysia for a visit. I am looking forward to meet the guru and hear first hand from him.

I think I am now paying the price for eating spouted bread + cayenne pepper. I am starting to develop tongue ulcer and also sore throat. One of the things I forgot to do when on such a diet is to keep the body "cool" by taking in cooling herbs. I also believe my inability to sleep at night is also due to the excess heat in the body. Yesterday night I could not sleep at all, every time, I lay in bed trying to sleep, my chest feels like on fire. It was torturing for I have not been able to sleep for about 10 days now. I am tired and yet I could not rest. I took a bath in the middle of the night. I cook some food to eat. It was a night I wish it would end even if it meant I had to die. I just feel very warm even with the air-conditioner blasting away. I could not lay down even, so I spent most of the time watching TV. Later this morning, I will have to go and see the doctor but my mother suggested I visit the TCM practitioner first.

Gerson Therapy - Outdated?
Today, I want to continue to talk on the topic of Gerson Therapy (GT). I feel a bit sad when I read in Cancer Tutor that Gerson Therapy has been classified as an outdated therapy, past it's time. The GT was designed by Dr Max Gerson himself and he developed over a 30 year period. He published his work, A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases, a year before he died in 1959. Since his death, GT has remain largely unchanged. In his days, he used raw calf liver extract but after his death due to pollution, etc the raw calf liver extract were replace with B12+liver injections. The supplement used has also remained largely unchanged except with some new additions. No other person has continued to research and develop his therapy. His daughter, Charlotte Gerson has been the person that continued to champion his father's work but she is also very protective of his therapy, as I found out while I was in Tijuana, Mexico.

As a cancer patient, as a Gerson therapy follower and also as a self appointed unapproved Gerson therapist to myself, I have the privilege of working closely with this therapy with myself and a few others, there are gaps in the therapy that I observed are not addressed. I stand corrected of course. The case of KC which I wrote about two days ago is one example. Other examples of patients that I wrote about in this blog like Joanne and Ms S who at some point in the therapy was bed ridden. It would be very difficult for these patients to do coffee enema detox. So the only option was to stop because there are no other approved alternatives. If a patient has hemorrhoids, the patient will also have to stop coffee enema detox. But coffee enema is one of the main pillars of the therapy, so what are we going to do in the meantime? I am not disputing the merits of coffee enema, in fact I think it is so important that by not doing it, the patient loses some advantages. Dr Gerson wrote in his book that patients were saved when he introduced coffee enema. But yet circumstances beyond the control of the patients comes to play and the therapy has no alternatives. Unfortunately, although I knew about this, it did not occur to me bring it up during my casual discussion with the resident doctor while in Mexico.

Before I continue, I want to let followers of Gersons knows that this therapy works for many cases but at the same time, we must be aware of the shortcomings. It is a very good therapy and I owe my life to this therapy. But its also a book that has not be updated for a long time (though Charlotte Gerson with Beata Bishop did write another version, The Gerson Way based on his father's original book. The updates are largely on Gerson recipes and other health information.). Two main areas that I felt that need revision are the detoxing methods and use of new supplements. Although I now have access to consultation with the Gerson Clinic in Mexico, yet at times, I do not make use of it, eg. when I had my third blood vomiting episode. This is not to say I am better than the resident doctors, only that I know what their standard reply will be.

Frequent stomach indigestion is a precursor to many chronic disease. A cancer patient's digestive system is not efficient as a normal person and often needs help to bring it back to working order. Probiotics may not be well featured during Dr Gerson's days as it is known today. To this end, probiotics supplements shows potential and yet these are not part of the Gerson therapy. Yes, there are supplements like pancreatin and Infzyme forte (both contains protease which digests proteins, amylase digests carbohydrates and lipase digest fats), but there are still other microorganisms in the stomach and intestinal tracks. Enzymes are the key factor that determines the effectiveness of how your body functions. Probiotics are live microorganisms and consist of common types like Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) and bifidobacteria and also certain yeasts and bacilli that may also be helpful. In laboratory investigations, some strains of LAB (Lactobacillus bulgaricus) have demonstrated anti-mutagenic effects thought to be due to their ability to bind with heterocyclic amines, which are carcinogenic substances formed in cooked meat. According to Wikipedia, the human gut is home to some 400-500 types of microbes. It is thought that this diverse environment may benefit from multiple probiotic strains; different strains populate different areas of the digestive tract, and studies are beginning to link different probiotic strains to specific health benefits. As for me, I just add these supplements as part of the therapy.

What I am trying to say is this. Getting therapist supervision for cancer helps greatly in the cancer patient's recovery. What I note is that some patients just depended too much on the therapist and will be lost when the therapist is unable to help. I would like to think of the therapist as a teacher, a guide and the patient as a student, who must also do his/her homework and learn about other ways of solving his or her own problems. If the therapist is able to help, well and good but when he cannot? So, in this sense, the therapy is outdated. Gerson Therapy is a very good anchor therapy and with proper knowledge, we can look for other ways to update it ourselves. It has to rely on the patient or caregiver to update it to make it more relevant.

So a patient must know when to depart when certain standard Gerson formula does not work. Do not wait till the end and then only realise. Observe the feedback from the body. Read about other therapies, other people's experiences and look for opportunities to combine. The critical question still remains however, when the patient is under such condition, would he or she be able to help himself or herself? I too don't have the answer.

15 comments:

  1. Dear CT,
    Hang in there! hope you will have a good night's sleep later tonight. have you tried taking melatonin?

    ReplyDelete
  2. CT,

    Suggest you compile all these into a practical book that will live on after you...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dear Nanay,

    I am not sure if medication can help but I will still have to give it a try. I did take a relaxant last night but it just did not help. It helped the other nights but not yesterday. I felt sleepy but yet when I lie down, my chest literaly "burns" inside. Even as I write now, the "fire" has become stronger. I hope it's internal heat in TCM terms and not caused by the tumors.

    I have been careless not observing what feedback my body is giving me. The signs were starting to show progressively over the last 10 days but I ignored it.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have exported my blog once and compiled it into a PDF ebook. I think it's easier to read this way from the start. As of now, its 645 pages but I need to do some editing due to spelling and grammatical errors when time permits. Most of my posts are written on the fly.

    I will possibly compile it into two volumes, Volume 1 (2009-2010) and Volume 2 (2011 onwards).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Chang,

    How about publishing the books commercially? I know there will be many out there insinuating that it is for profit. Even if it is true, this is definitely a good cause, helping others. Nothing like a book that one can hold and read, and refer as and when needed.

    I know making profit is the last thing in your mind. It is for helping others that I am suggesting this option where the general public can be informed of your invaluable contributions.

    ReplyDelete
  6. You don't have to make profits...the proceeds can go to a temple or any just cause, even a fund for cancer patients to learn and do the GT.

    Something to think about, CT?

    ReplyDelete
  7. IMO, Dr gonezelez treatment is the next step front of the gerson therapy.

    Here is a link where Dr. Mercola interviews him
    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2011/04/23/dr-nicholas-gonzalez-on-alternative-cancer-treatments.aspx

    ReplyDelete
  8. I forgot to add that Dr. Gonzalez treatment is a take off from Dr. Kelley, that CT wrote about last week.

    This is an excellent interview.

    He has had excellent success with Pancreatic cancer and then interference from the establishment medicine.

    I like how here talks about adjusting the diet to meet the patients regular diet. Which is just the opposite to the gerson therapy. however, his therapy is nearly the same as gerson.

    Does your PDF ebook of your blog include the comments?

    ReplyDelete
  9. Dear John,

    Thanks for the info.

    According to the online PDF conversion tool, there is an option to exclude comments but somehow it does not work.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi CT,

    I think your mother is right...in that you should consult with the TCM practioner.

    I have been diagnosed with bipolar disease, and have had many nights of insomnia.

    A few months back I had severe insomnia and had not been able to sleep for many nights. My husband suggested I give cannabis a try. I have always been opposed to its use, and had never in my 53 yrs tried it; (especially since it is illegal) but I was desperate for sleep...so I did some research on the internet, and discovered cannabis had a long history of medical use especially in TCM, (also remembered my sister had made a tea from cannabis many yrs. ago and gave to my mother for high blood pressure, we could not believe how it brought her blood pressure down.) So I gave it a try (smoked)...within a few minutes...I could hardly hold my eyes open, and got a great nights sleep. I know you could not smoke it, since you have lung issues, but you may be able to eat it or make a tea and see if it helps with the insomnia. It has also been claimed to help with cancer. See marijuana cures cancer youtube.

    www.planetherbs.com/specific-herbs/marijuana-use-and-abuse.html

    http://americanmarijuana.org/pot.shrinks.tumors.html

    http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,117541,00.html

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJ1fI3JLocI

    Darlene

    ReplyDelete
  11. CT,

    Don't ever take that cannabis route. You are in Malaysia!!

    ReplyDelete
  12. CT,

    I apologize for the suggestion of cannabis...I did not know it was illegal in Malaysia!

    Maybe the TCM will be able to recommend something else. I would never want anyone to get into trouble with the gov..

    In America a Dr. can write a RX for the medical use of cannabis. It is being battled in the courts here in America for the legalization of cannabis, because of its many medical uses.

    Please accept my heartfelt apology for even suggesting such a thing!

    Darlene

    ReplyDelete
  13. Dear Darlene,

    Don't worry for I know you meant well. Thanks anyway.

    Insomnia Update:
    I did see a TCM practitioner and his diagnosis was that I do have internal heat. He recommended me to boil herbs for 3 days. I had my first bowl just before dinner. I felt so much better, a little less heaty.

    At the same time, I think I also have acid reflux after I discuss it with my friend. I will be taking 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda with 4oz (1/2 cup) of water just before I retire to bed.

    I got a feeling tonight I will be in dreamland.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Have a good nights rest CT!!

    ReplyDelete
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