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and The Cure of Advanced Cancer by Diet Therapy
A Summary of thirty years of clinical experimentation
"I see in Dr. Gerson one of the most eminent geniuses in the history of medicine." - Albert Schweitzer, M.D.
Max Gerson, M.D. was born October 18, 1881 in Wongrowitz, Germany. He attended the universities of Bresslau, Wuerzburg and Berlin, and graduated from the University of Freiburg. Dr. Gerson, who suffered from severe migraines, discovered that a change in diet prevented the onset of these crippling headaches.
His outlook on the nature and treatment of degenerative disease shifted dramatically when a patient of his whom had been following the Gerson "migraine diet" was cured not only of migraines, but of skin tuberculosis as well. Dr. Gerson published his findings on skin tuberculosis in a dozen of the world's leading medical journals, establishing the Gerson Therapy as the first cure for this disease.
Through his work with tuberculosis. Dr. Gerson attracted the friendship of Albert Schweitzer, M.D. In 1931, after nine months on the therapy, Mrs. Helene Bresslau Schweitzer (1879-1957) was cured of lung tuberculosis. Dr. Schweitzer himself came to Dr. Gerson at age 75 depressed and weary with advanced adult onset diabetes. In a few weeks Dr. Schweitzer was completely off his heavy insulin dosage. He returned to Africa, invigorated and full of optimism. This great humanitarian worked past age 90 and was honored with the Nobel Peace Prize for his medical missionary work. Schweitzer followed Gerson's progress over the years, seeing the dietary therapy successfully applied further to heart disease, kidney failure and cancer.
Prior to World War II, Dr. Gerson and his family immigrated to the United States. In 1938 he passed his medical board exams and received his license to practice medicine in the state of New York. For twenty years, he treated hundreds of cancer patients who had been given up to die after all conventional treatments had failed. Although only a handful of peer-reviewed journals were receptive to the "radical" idea of using nutrition in the treatment and prevention of disease, Dr. Gerson continued publishing articles on his therapy in Europe. In 1958, based upon thirty years of experimentation, Dr. Gerson published his theory, treatment plan and case studies here in this medical monograph, A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases.
Dr. Gerson, a pioneer in holistic health, was a man of vision. He was correct in his prediction that a toxic environment combined with a diet deficient in essential nutrients would lead to the escalation of cancer and many other degenerative diseases. Although ridiculed in his time, research findings now confirm that nutrition is a powerful and effective means of treating disease.
Dr. Max Gerson died in 1959, eulogized by Dr. Albert Schweitzer, who wrote: "I see in him one of the most eminent geniuses in the history of medicine. Many of his basic ideas have been adopted without having his name connected with them. Yet, he has achieved more than seemed possible under adverse conditions. He leaves a legacy which commands attention and which will assure him his due place. Those whom he has cured will now attest to the truth of his ideas."
The Gerson Institute is a non-profit organization, established in 1977. As a public benefit agency we are dedicated to healing and preventing chronic and degenerative diseases based on the vision, philosophy and successful work of Max Gerson, M.D. We pursue this mission by offering a range of programs and resources designed to provide current, accurate information to people who are interested in the Gerson Therapy.
Having fulfilled this role for 25 years we have become rightfully known as the `starting place' for all Gerson Therapy inquiries, from both patients and medical professionals alike. We take pride in this role and we are committed to protecting the "Gerson" trademark and the "Gerson Therapy" service mark, both of which became fully registered to the Gerson Institute in 2002.
While ownership of these marks provides us with clear legal protection, we at the Gerson Institute value them more as tools for ensuring quality care. We are fully aware of how daunting any health crisis can be and we recognize our responsibility in providing qualified endorsements for the prospective Gerson Therapy patient. In adherence to our legal obligations we will continue to make our resources increasingly useful to the public and we will be proactive in protecting the integrity and our ownership of the Gerson name.
As you learn more about the Gerson Therapy we encourage you to refer back to the Gerson Institute for advice and ongoing support. Here are some of the programs offered by us that might help you on your way:
This is perhaps the most utilized program offered by the Gerson Institute. Our referral list consists of many fully trained practitioners, clinics, support groups, companions and home set-up coordinators. If your Gerson Therapy hospital, physician or support group does not have our `seal of approval', we do not endorse them!
Our Education & Outreach Program consists of a variety of workshops and seminars including the Gerson Therapy Training Program for Licensed Professionals. Launched in 1996 this training program involves a week of instruction and an internship at a licensed Gerson clinic. Graduates are eligible to join the Gerson Institute Approved Referral List and future clinics will only be licensed once key medical staff have completed this program. Other workshops offered by the Gerson Institute include onsite Gerson Therapy cooking classes, health maintenance and `how to' seminars and our increasingly popular Caregiver Training Weekend, the educational pre-requisite for licensed Gerson companions and home set-up coordinators.
Since 1984, the Gerson Healing Newsletter has been the link between the Gerson Institute and its paticnts and supporters. Each issue includes news from the Institute, an updated event calendar, reports on alternative and allopathic trends, recovered patient testimonials and articles written by Gerson experts including Charlotte Gerson.
Contact us to schedule a speaker for your community organization, church or school. Seminars can be catered to your needs and we place an equal emphasis on disease prevention as we do upon treatment.
Although Max Gerson developed the Gerson Therapy over 50 years ago, we recognize that the world is ever changing. This panel of recognized Gerson Therapy experts ensures that Dr. Gerson's protocol reflects relevant changes without losing sight of his core principles. This panel discusses questions ranging from mind-body matters to dental procedures before submitting position statements to Gerson Institute members, patients and licensed care providers.
The Gerson Institute offers a comprehensive range of patient support resources. These include regular telephone support, a comprehensive web site, the Gerson Therapy Follow Up Program, Patient Support Network, Products Resources List, Recovered Patient Referral List and an At Home Gerson Therapy Packet for the many people who are successfully healing themselves from home.
Please contact our staff to find out more about any of these programs and resources. We look forward to hearing from you.
e-mail: Mail@Gerson.org
Copyright 1958, 1999, 2002 by The Gerson Institute
Original copyright 1958 by Max Gerson, M.D.
Telephone: 619-685-5359, or 1-888-4-GERSON
email: mail@gerson.org / web: www.gerson.org
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
A cancer therapy: results of fifty cases: a summary of 30 years clinical experimentation / Max Gerson.
Originally published: New York: Whittier Books, [c 1958]
ISBN 0-88268-203-2 (pbk: alk. paper)
I. Cancer-Diet Therapy-Case Studies 1. Title
[DNLM: 1. Neoplasms-therapy. Not Acquired]
Printed in the United States of America
The names Gerson and Gerson Therapy are worldwide trademarks, service marks, and/or registered trademarks or servicemarks of the Gerson Institute. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
The informntion contained in this book is for educationul and scientific purposes only. Do not undertake any medical treatment or dietary changes without the advice and support of an appropriately licensed healthcare practitioner.
Max Gerson, M.D. had the wisdom, foresight, and courage to look beyond the prevailing medical views of his day. Out of 30 years of clinical experimentation, he arrived at some then-radical concepts:
While these ideas sound sensible today, they were almost blasphemous in the 1940s and 1950s.
More than 40 years have passed since Max Gerson, M.D. died in March of 1959. At that time, most cancers were not considered curable by orthodox medicine, and the American Medical Association and American Cancer Society both flatly rejected the notion that diet could have any effect on either the prevention or treatment of cancer.
In spite of the fierce resistance to his ideas and methods, Max Gerson worked virtually alone to treat and heal many cancers considered to be terminal, as well as numerous other diseases. He worked to publish and share information as best he could about the methods he had developed. At the time of this printing in 1999, cancer survival rates remain virtually unchanged, and the number of new cancer diagnoses has continued to increase each year. Certain diseases (cancers of liver, lung, and pancreas, among others) are still virtual death sentences. New diagnoses of previously rare diseases are growing at an alarming rate. The "War on Cancer" declared by then-president Nixon in 1971 has, for most cancers, neither decreased the number of new diagnoses, nor improved survival for those already diagnosed.
For over 20 years, the Gerson Institute has worked to help patients recover from these otherwise "incurable" diseases, and to share knowledge of, and continue research and development of the safe, effective Gerson Therapy approach to healing cancer and other degenerative diseases. When we started in 1977, almost no one would listen to what we had to say. We were unable to treat patients in the United States because medical boards threatened the licenses of physicians who deviated from conventional treatment methods. Only the desperately ill and dying, "given up" by their doctors, sought our help. In spite of the difficulties, we succeeded in helping hundreds of patients recover from otherwise terminal diseases, teaching thousands more to take steps to improve health and prevent the development of disease.
Today, fortunately, much has changed. Many patients are now demanding (and receiving) from their insurance companies the option of pursuing holistic treatment. A growing number of states have established separate, independent licensing boards for practitioners using natural methods. Other states have passed laws requiring insurance companies to pay for alternative care, or specifically protecting practitioners using natural methods from reprisals by their medical boards. The National Institutes of Health has established an Office of Alternative Medicine, dedicated to research and validation of holistic methods of treatment. Independent medical researchers have documented and verified the biochemical basis for many important elements of the Gerson Therapy in more than 300 articles in the peer-reviewed medical literature.
All of these factors have led to a dramatic increase in interest in Gerson Therapy treatment. Today, our staff handles as many as 300 inquiries a day from those seeking information on Gerson Therapy medical education programs, referrals to practitioners, treatment centers, halfway houses, and therapy assistants. Patients are seeking Gerson treatment as a first choice, rather than a last hope. For those interested in medical training, the Gerson Institute maintains certification programs for physicians, treatment centers, and home care assistants. We are actively working to establish certified treatment centers and medical practitioners worldwide. Contact us for current offerings.
While there are many paths to wellness, the Gerson Therapy is, in our opinion, the most complete, all-encompassing approach for comprehensive healing. Our continuing research is designed to ensure that we maintain and improve our ability to heal and prevent diseases, enhance well-being and longevity, and help individuals operate at their peak potential for a long and satisfying life into the 21st century and beyond.
I FEEL INDEBTED to express my deep gratitude first to my daughter, Gertrude Selten, for her active cooperation as the manager of the Cancer Clinic and her untiring help in the further development of this new therapy.
Among the physicians, I wish to express my indebtedness to Dr. Joseph Ziegler, Roentgenologist, for his loyal help in preparing valuable X-ray pictures and objective explanations; Dr. Kurt Heinrich for his exact urological and cystoscopic findings; the late Dr. James V. Ricci for his precise gynecological reports and the late Dr. Jonas Borak for his enthusiastic intellectual stimulus; and Professor Dr. Werner Kollath, Germany, for his ideal manner of transforming problems into realistic biological material.
My eldest daughter, Johanna Oberlander, helped energetically in the translation and organization of this work. My youngest daughter, Lotte Straus, helped wherever she could with great interest and understanding encouragement. My secretary, Ema Harding, worked diligently with enduring perseverance in typing this manuscript.
I wish to acknowledge with deep gratitude the cooperation and encouragement received from the Foundation for Cancer Treatment, Inc., a non-profit organization formed many years ago by grateful patients for the purpose of perpetuating the treatment as described in this book. To the following directors of the Foundation, I would like to express my special thanks: Professor Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Professor Henry Schaefer-Simmern, Mr. Carl Gropler, Rev. Dr. Erwin Seale, Professor Fulmer Mood, Mr. Louis J. Rosenthal and Mr. Arnold J. Oberlander.
Without the aid and encouragement of my wife, Margaret, I could not have written this book. To her, I have dedicated this work.
This publication is an exemplification of the work of Max Gerson, M.D., on his treatment of cancer as disclosed to the United States Senate in public hearings held July 1, 2 and 3, 1946. It is designed as a report on his continued work in cancer treatment, and will be filed with the United States Senate when it again resumes hearings on means of curing and preventing cancer. The title page of the U.S. Senate Committee report, containing 227 pages, follows:
A Bill to authorize and request the President to undertake to mobilize at some convenient place in the United States an adequate number of the World's Outstanding Experts, and coordinate and utilize their services in a Supreme Effort to Discover Means of Curing and Preventing Cancer.
1 The "Secret" of My Treatment 5
2 The Concept of Totality - Decisive in Cancer and other Degenerative Diseases 11
3 Directions for General Nutrition 21
4 Development of the Combined Dietary Regime in Cancer (Survey) 31
6 A Few Similar Cancer Theories 45
7 Paracelsus' Dietary Regime 49
8 Different Authors' Cancer Therapies by Diet (Survey) 55
11 Survey of Treatment of Liver Pathology by Several Authors 71
12 Development of Liver Medication in Chronic Degenerative Diseases 79
13 Scientists Term Radiation a Peril to Future of Man 85
14 Mineral Metabolism in Degenerative Diseases 89
15 Distribution of Enzymes in Organs 105
16 Mineral Accumulations in the Thyroid 113
18 Role of Allergy in the Healing Process of Cancer 135
19 Introduction to the Diet 139
20 Introduction to Nutrition and Diet 145
24 The Significance of the Content of the Soil to Human Diseases 175
25 Cancer Diet and its Preparation 187
26 The Practice of the Therapy 193
28 Short Practical Explanation of the Medication 205
29 Rehabilitation of the Cancer Patient 213
30 Most Frequent Mistakes of Patients in the Application of the Treatment 215
Check List for Cancer Patients on the Gerson Therapy 217
31 Medication - Some Failures 219
Total Treatment of a Typical Case 235
Hourly Schedule of Typical Treatment 236
33 Combined Dietary Regime 237
Special Notes to Physician 248
1 Exceptionally large tumor mass of the pituitary gland. Surrounding bones partly destroyed. 251
2 Schwannoma of the left cerebellar pontine angle. 255
3 Neurofibromata with rapid growth, many metastases of sarcoma type, also brain tumor with hemiparesis, left side.
4 Spongioblastoma, left part thalamus. 266
5 Cerebellar pontine angle tumor. 272
7 Cervical and upper thoracic intramedullary glioma. 283
9 Chorionepithelioma, metastases in abdomen and lungs. 287
10 Chocolate cyst of left ovary, scirrhus carcinoma of right breast with regional lymph node involvement. Hyperparathyroidism, high blood pressure, angina pectoris. 290
11 Right testicle terratoma. (Embryonal Cell Carcinoma.) Regrowth in right groin. Metastases in periaortic glands and both lungs. 295
12 Spreading melanosarcoma. 299
14 Recurrent melanosarcoma spreading over the body. 304
15 Active neurogenic fibrosarcoma with glands. 306
16 Retro-peritoneal lymphosarcoma. 309
17 Recurrent osteofibrosarcoma (Giant cell tumor of left mastoid process). 310
18 Retro-peritoneal lymphosarcoma active, Spreading to glands all around, also bilateral broncheal. 313
19 Lymphoblastoma or Hodgkin's Disease. 316
20 Lymphosarcoma, Spreading. 317
21 Lymphosarcoma, regrowing. 319
22 Lymphosarcoma, subtotal occlusion. 321
23 Myosarcoma, followed by osteomyelitis, subtrochantheric pathologic fracture of left subtrochantheric area. 325
25 Tumor mass in aortic window. 332
26 Regrowth of malignant tumor of right parotis. Chronic osteoarthritis. 336
27 Adenocarcinoma of both Thyroid and Sigmoid. 337
28 Carcinoma of thyroid gland. 338
29 Carcinoma of right breast, Grade III. 339
30 Adenocarcinoma of right breast with diffuse axillary lymph node involvement and recurrence after radical mastectomy. 344
31 Anaplastic carcinoma of the right breast with axillary metastases and a regrowth in the cartilage of the fifth rib. 346
32 Recidives of breast carcinoma. 347
33 Paget's Disease, right breast. 348
34 Recurrent basal cell carcinoma. 349
35 Basal cell carcinoma with undiagnosed complications. 351
36 Basal cell carcinoma of right upper lip. 354
37 Recurrent basal cell epithelioma, sole, left foot. 355
38 Regrowth of left kidney sarcoma. 356
39 Prostate carcinoma with metastases in lumbar spine. Arteriosclerosis and high blood pressure. 358
40 Cancer of prostate, metastases in left sacroiliac joint. 362
41 Bronchiogenic carcinoma, total right pneumonectomy. Indication of active spreading cancer. 366
42 Bronchiogenic carcinoma, inoperable, suspicion of neoplasma pressing on spinal cord. 368
43 Left submaxillary gland tumor, metastases in right upper lung lobe. 372
44 Regrowth of adenocarcinoma of upper rectum with metastases in lower abdomen. 374
45 Adenocarcinoma of Sigmoid colon. Obstruction necessitating operation. 376
46 Cervix carcinoma with involvement of the vaginal vault, more induration to the left vaginal vault, quite nodular. Induration also in the recto-vaginal septum. 380
47 Cervix carcinoma, inoperable case. 381
48 Squamous cell carcinoma of left kidney, left ureter, recurrence in urine bladder. 382
49 Cancer of the urine bladder. Migraine headache. 385
50 Adenocarcinoma of uterus and metastases to urine bladder and vagina, with large mine fistula. 387
Appendix I: Restoring the Healing Mechanism in other Chronic Diseases by Charlotte Gerson Straus 391
Appendix II: Development of the Gerson Cancer Therapy - a Lecture by Dr Max Gerson 403
Appendix III: Contemporary Concerns in Raw Liver Juice Therapy (March, 1990) 421
THIS BOOK has been written to indicate that there is an effective treatment of cancer, even in advanced cases. For that reason it is necessary to acquaint the reader with observations and data in the cancer problem which are used in the accepted cancer treatments. The history of medicine has shown that many physicians adhere to their accustomed treatment with great tenacity, and often evidence very strong "allergic" reactions against everything that could possibly change their customary therapeutic methods.
It is very well known that great difficulties exist, and that many objections may be raised against publication of a cancer therapy which differs from the accepted methods. The time is ripe, however, to wipe out the deep pessimism which most physicians have about everything that assumes to be therapeutically effective in degenerative diseases and especially in cancer.
At this time, of course, it is not possible to replace a century-long pessimism with an overwhelming optimism. We all know that everything in biology is not as precise as in mathematics or physics. I fear that it will not be possible, at least in the near future, to repair all the damage that modern agriculture and civilization have brought to our lives. I believe it is essential that people unite, in the old conservative manner, for the humanitarian purpose of producing nutrition for their families and future generations as natural and unrefined as possible.
The coming years will make it more and more imperative that organically grown fruit and vegetables will be, and must be, used for protection against degenerative diseases, the prevention of cancer, and more so in the treatment of cancer.
According to present government statistics, one out of every six persons in our population will die of cancer. It will not be long before the entire population will have to decide whether we will all die of cancer or whether we will have enough wisdom, courage, and will power to change fundamentally all our living and nutritional conditions. For "Cancer is a phenomenon coexistent with the living process ..."1
We will again need real housewives, not eager to save kitchen time, but homemakers who will devote their lives to the benefit of all, especially the task of developing and maintaining a healthy family. Babies would no longer be fed by a formula but would have the natural mother's milk; they would grow up without being afflicted with a fatal disease such as leukemia, and without being mentally retarded, both conditions which are increasing rapidly at present.
For the future of coming generations, I think it is high time that we change our agriculture and food preservation methods. Otherwise, we will have to increase our institutions for mental patients yearly, and we will see the hospitals overcrowded with degenerative diseases even more rapidly and in greater numbers than the hospitals themselves can be enlarged. Seventy years ago, leukemia was unknown in the United States. Fifty years ago, lung cancer was so seldom observed in clinics and autopsies that every case was worthy of publication. But today - what a change for the worse. (O quae mutatio rerum.)
The practice of the treatment is a difficult task. The treatment in the hospital as well as in the home requires somebody's help all day long, particularly in advanced cases where a life is at stake and the patient is very weak. The family has to give up some of the social life and do this humanitarian work with deep devotion. The decline in our modern life is evident by this lack of devotion for the sick members of the family.
This is a short outline of the contents of this book.
Facts and proofs of fifty cancer cases have been placed in the foreground, while theories and explanations have been shortened.