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.