Introduction:

Gerson therapy involves a specific organic vegetarian diet with nutritional supplements and enemas. There is no scientific evidence to use it as a treatment for cancer.

• Gerson therapy uses a specific organic vegetarian diet, nutritional supplements and enemas to treat cancer
• There is no scientific evidence that it can treat cancer or its symptoms
• Gerson therapy can have severe side effects

What is Gerson therapy?

A German doctor called Max Gerson developed Gerson therapy in the 1920s and 30s. He claimed that it helped cure his migraine headaches. So, he went on to use it to treat other diseases such as tuberculosis and cancer.

The Gerson regime has 3 main parts:

• a strict organic vegetarian diet made up of fruit and vegetables high in potassium and low in sodium
• vitamin and mineral supplements, and specific enzymes
• coffee or castor oil enemas

Gerson therapists believe that people with cancer have too much salt (sodium) in their bodies. This is compared to the amount of potassium.

People following the therapy have to eat large quantities of fruit and vegetables. It is believed that by doing so, it will restore the right balance. And that it will cleanse the liver. It is also believed that coffee enemas further help to excrete toxins from the liver and colon. And that taking certain supplements and enzymes help the body to get rid of cancer cells.

The Gerson diet is a strict low salt, organic fruit and vegetable diet.

Each day you will need to:

• drink 20 pounds (about 9 kilos) of crushed fruit and vegetables (one glass of juice hourly, 13 times each day)
• have 3 or 4 coffee enemas and perhaps also castor oil enemas
• take potassium and other supplements, including vitamin B12, pancreatic enzymes and thyroid supplements

Side effects:

Coffee enemas remove a lot of potassium from your body and have been known to cause:

• infections
• dehydration
• fits
• salt and other mineral imbalances in the body
• heart and lung problems, even death
• constipation and inflammation of the bowel (colitis) from regular, long term use of enemas which can weaken the bowel muscle

Other reported side effects include:

• loss of appetite
• diarrhea and sickness
• abdominal cramps
• aching, fever and sweating
• cold sores
• dizziness and weakness

Conclusion:

There is no evidence to prove that Gerson therapy works as a cure for cancer. We need more research to compare it with accepted and proven treatments within properly organized clinical trials. The National Cancer Institute in the USA did a review in 2010. They found no evidence that it helped people with cancer.

It is up to you to decide whether you want to use any alternative therapy. Stopping your conventional cancer treatments and methods of symptom control can be harmful.  Talk to your specialist about any alternative or complementary therapies that you want to try. Find out all you can about the therapy before deciding to use it.

Introduction:

There is increasing evidence that suggests hydrogen therapy may just be the fountain of youth we have been searching for since the dawn of time. Hundreds of studies confirm it is not only safe. It also appears to be a highly effective therapy for several diseases, for enhancing energy and sports performance, and for the support of best possible health and long life.

Mechanism of action:

Hydrogen therapy uses molecular hydrogen (H2), which is a naturally occurring molecule formed when two hydrogen atoms combine. Molecular hydrogen is the smallest element in the universe, and its tiny size allows it to quickly permeate and penetrate all of the body’s tissues, and cells.

Health and Longevity Applications:

Anti-Aging
Molecular hydrogen is a powerful antioxidant that helps to defend cells and genes from damage and death caused by harmful free radicals. These properties, in combination with its anti-inflammatory properties help enhance longevity because aging is caused by tissue degeneration, oxidative stress and inflammation.

Disease Prevention
There is currently 150 different diseases in which molecular hydrogen appears to exert a beneficial effect. Some of the most common include: cardiovascular disease, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, diabetes, allergies, osteoporosis, atherosclerosis, heart disease, and cancer.

Safety of Hydrogen

H2 is completely non-toxic and naturally produced in the body when intestinal bacteria breakdown dietary fibers. There are no adverse effects associated with H2, and when H2 is broken down, the byproduct is simply water (H2O).

Who Can Use H2 Therapy

Since it has such a high safety-profile, and produces such a wide-range of positive health effects, virtually everyone can benefit from it. H2 is so safe scientists are currently studying it as a therapeutic aid for terminally ill patients, for pediatric purposes, for pregnant women and even for fetuses and newborns.

Potential health benefits of hydrogen water:

1. Anti-wrinkle and anti-sun damage;
2. Anti-diabetes and blood pressure;
3. Anti-tumor and acidic pH;
4. Anti-obesity and cholesterol;
5. Anti-inflammation & free radicals;
6. Anti-stress and fatigue. 

The possibility of protecting against the above mentioned common health and aging problems is enough to get us convinced that including Hydrogen Water in our health routine can really do us good. 

Introduction:

Protein is possibly one of the most trending words in the world of nutrition. Rightly referred to as the ‘building block of life’, protein helps build muscle and promote overall growth. Protein foods and powders have become a fad and are frighteningly expensive. Nutritionists recommend  few cheap and good sources of protein. Read on…

Some common sources of first class proteins:

Amaranth Puffs:

One of the richest sources of plant-based proteins, amaranth is just ideal to include in your weight loss or muscle-building diet. In fact, some studies also state that the protein content in amaranth is equal to any animal protein.

Peanuts:

As per USDA, per 100gm peanut has 26gm of protein content. You can have it soaked, roasted or add it to different recipes you make. You can also use peanuts to prepare peanut butter at home and include it in your meals in the yummiest way possible.

Chickpea (Chana):

USDA data says, 100gm of chana or chickpea contains 19gm of protein. This is why you will find a pool of chana-based recipes on the internet when you search for protein-based recipes. It is also rich in fibre, making chana ideal to curb appetite.

Paneer:

Paneer is often referred to as a superfood. Paneer is a dairy product, which makes the ingredient rich in protein, vitamins, calcium and several essential minerals. Include paneer in your daily diet and enjoy an overall healthy lifestyle.

Moong Dal:

The health benefits of moong dal need no separate introduction. It is considered a must-have in your healthy food habit, especially when you are trying to lose weight. Besides protein, moong dal also consists of fibre, antioxidants and several essential minerals that make a wholesome food, with adequate nutrients in it.

Conclusion:

A high protein intake offers several potential health benefits and could help increase weight loss, enhance muscle growth, and improve your overall health.

Introduction:

Counterfeit drugs are becoming a great international dilemma and are threatening to destroy the already fragile healthcare systems in several third world countries.  As the name suggests, counterfeit drugs may contain the wrong ingredient, sometimes no active ingredient or the incorrect amount of the ingredients and these drugs can disability, drug resistance to microorganisms in cases of infectious diseases and rarely death, if the ingredient is toxic to the patient. According to the World Health Organization a counterfeit medicine is one, which is deliberately and fraudulently mislabelled with respect to identity and/or source.  

The Statistics from the WHO and FDA are very interesting:

• The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that 10% of all drugs sold in the global medicine market are counterfeit.
• According to WHO, 25% of the drugs consumed in developing countries are fake.
• Counterfeit drugs are a major concern in the growing economies of Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Philippines and Indonesia where their prevalence is about 10%.
•  In Vietnam an investigation shows that 64% of anti-malarial tablets contained no active ingredient, which eventually led to the death of patients.
• In India 7% of medicines were found counterfeit and Indian companies were accused of exporting counterfeits to African markets.
• Counterfeit drugs are 40-50% of all the drugs present in Pakistan. Pakistan is considered one of the 13 countries of the world where the manufacturing of counterfeit medicines is on the rise. The situation is alarming, as the country is also alleged as being a counterfeit hub- exporting counterfeit drugs to North America.

Why should the world be worried about counterfeit drugs?

• Counterfeit drugs are unlikely to be as useful as the real products.
• They may also cause allergic reactions or and bizarre side effects.
• They could make medical conditions worse. This especially happens when counterfeit antibiotics are administered in Infectious diseases. It can cause an exacerbation of the disease and also contribute to drug resistance.
• Many counterfeit drugs contain poisonous substances and can be hazardous or even fatal. 
• People who manufacture these counterfeit drugs, distribute and sell them must be treated as criminals because they cost all of us. They cost us individually and they reduce the profits of genuine pharmaceutical companies and this may take away resources for development of newer drug molecules.
• This large-scale presence of counterfeit drugs can seriously cripple health care services and have devastating effects on the GDP of a nation.

This problem can be tackled the consumer level by:

The World Health Organization has some consumer guidelines:

• Patients are advised to buy drugs only from licensed pharmacies and drug outlets;
• They should be suspicious, when drugs are heavily discounted;
• Patients should not buy from peddlers or market places;
• Patients should insist on receipts when buying drugs;
• They should check the packaging to see if it is carefully and properly sealed;
• Patients should check if the packaging indicates the batch number, manufacturing date, expiry date, and the manufacturer’s name
• Patients are encouraged to be proactive and report to their health worker or doctors if they notice any lack of improvement after taking a drug.

Pharmaceuticals and Health ministries must unite and co-ordinate:

Industry should wake up to the dangers of counterfeit drugs. They should try and collect reliable data about the problem. Governments should ensure that drugs are freely available and affordable. Counterfeiting drugs increases when there is a shortage of drugs and when drugs are exorbitantly priced.  Often pharmaceutical companies and governments are reluctant to release the exact statistics of the problem.  The pharmaceutical companies are worried about the damage to their reputation and governments are worried about a possible violent public backlash.

Governments should enact tough legislation, which prohibits manufacture, distribution and sale of counterfeit drugs. Drug regulatory authorities must be given sweeping powers so that pharmaceutical establishments comply with mandatory drug regulatory requirements.  All drugs should be registered before they are introduced in the market.  There should be random checks of the drugs at the distributors or chemist level to prevent substandard and counterfeit drugs reaching the public. Drug regulatory authorities must also be given powers to destroy counterfeit drugs as soon as they find them.

Public education about counterfeit drugs should be given a priority. Today, ‘The consumer is God’ and he should be encouraged to buy drugs from reputed pharmacies. Patients should also assiduously report adverse effects or lack of improvement to their doctors.

Internet sales of medications:

A new mode of sale of medicines is through the Internet.  This is a major source of counterfeit medicines.  To be fair, it must be said that some Internet based pharmacies are indeed genuine.  They will deliver the medications only after verifying the prescription.  However, many illegal Internet pharmacies have mushroomed and they sell medications without prescriptions and use counterfeit products. This is a new menace that gullible patients have to guard against.

More power should be given to courts:

Some lawmakers have suggested that there should be special courts for Counterfeit drug case and justice should be brutal and swift. In fact some governments are toying with the idea of instituting the death penalty for criminals in the business of counterfeit drugs.

Some unique suggestions to prevent counterfeiting of drugs:

IBM has come up with a RFID system that is efficient enough to track and trace the movement of drugs throughout the supply chain. The system tries to make the supply chain foolproof and prevents any counterfeit drugs to enter the market and thus protects the consumers by making sure that the drugs they receive are the same as those prescribed by their doctor. The RFID tag embedded on the product help to authenticate the product from the manufacturer to the wholesaler to the hospital and finally to the pharmacies.   With nearly 8 percent of the world’s prescriptions proving counterfeit each year, the US Food and Drug Administration have cited RFID as the most promising technology to ensure that the medicine in the bottle is exactly what the doctor ordered.

Other important anti-counterfeiting technologies include colour-shifting inks, holograms, and chemical markers incorporated into a drug or its label.

How can the international community help to stop this menace?

Governments should enter into multilateral agreements with other countries to prevent cross border trade and smuggling of counterfeit drugs. Organizations like FDA, WHO, Interpol and the World Customs Organization should interact with one another closely to prevent counterfeiting of drugs.

All countries should team up and have a common definition for Counterfeiting of drugs, which should be on the same lines as international measures used to curb the narcotic trade.

Conclusion:

Precise data on counterfeit medicines is impossible to obtain. It is estimated that 1 % of all medications are fake in developed countries and over 10 % in developing countries. Even this piece of statistics varies in different geographical areas and varies in city versus rural areas.

The pharmaceutical trade is a lucrative business all over the world. A US based Center for Medicines in the Public Interest predicts that counterfeit drug sales will reach US$ 75 billion globally in 2010, an increase of more than 90% from 2005.

Many allopathic medications are expensive and counterfeiters take advantage of this fact to proliferate counterfeit drugs. The problem is compounded because of lack of patient awareness, poor law enforcement, lack of political will and the inability of the international community to recognize this menace and join hands to fight it off.

References:

• Global rise in use of fake drugs. London: BBC News; 2003 November 11.
• World Health Organization. WHO/DMP/CFD/92. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1992. Counterfeit drugs—Report of a WHO/IFPMA Workshop, 1992; 26 pp.
• World Health Organization. WHO/DRS/CFD/98.1. Geneva: World Health Organization; 1998. Report of the International Workshop on Counterfeit Drugs.
• Newton PN, Rozendaal J, Green M, White NJ. Murder by fake drugs—Time for international action. BMJ. 2002; 324:800–801. (Pubmed)
• FDA reports from the Internet.