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As
somebody who has been following the Gerson Therapy for 16 months now,
I was excited at the prospect of getting my hands on this book as there
is very little literature on the subject available. However, having read
it, I’m not entirely sure what this book is trying to be. The author’s
disclaimer at the front clearly states that it is “providing educational
material and nothing more” yet the preface begins with “This book offers
readers a documented means for reversing the pathology of nearly any illness
whether acute or chronic.”
It
is neither a comprehensive practical manual nor a fully referenced scientific
account. It includes a brief biography of Max Gerson, but makes no attempt
to compare this regime with other nutritional therapies available or explain
in what way it might be unique or better. Consequently, if read in isolation,
it would not help you to make an informed choice as to whether to try
this therapy instead of any other.
Neither
does it, in my view, give a clear overall picture of the reality of daily
life whilst following this very full time therapy i.e. over sixty hours
per week in the kitchen preparing meals, soups and juices, four hourly
enemas lasting some forty five minutes and so on. Interestingly, there
is an example of an average patient’s daily schedule in Max Gerson’s original
book (plus other Gerson publications) which I think is still representative.
I wondered if it had not been included in this latest book for fear of
scaring potential patients off!
The
book is divided into four parts. Part One: ‘How the Gerson Therapy Works’
introduces the notion that nutrition can play a part in causing so-called
remission by rebalancing your body’s chemistry and strengthening its immune
system. This section includes a brief biography of Max Gerson.
The
second part of the book, ‘The Gerson Therapy in Action’ focuses on the
success of the therapy in curing melanoma and a range of other diseases,
covers the foods, juices and supplements integral to the diet and explains
why the coffee enemas work and how to administer them.
Part
Three covers modifications of the regime required for those who have had
chemotherapy, or are severely weakened, or do not have cancer. The final
section of the book addresses psychological approaches beneficial to patients,
explains the common laboratory tests used by practitioners and sets out
a number of success stories by patients as well as providing many recipes.
There are five appendices covering finances and contact information, dietary
preparation, resources, support groups, and an explanation of how dental
amalgam fillings can cause disease and hinder recovery.
The
book presents the science of how the Gerson Therapy works in clearly understandable
explanations making this book much more readable that Max Gerson’s original
publication. However the claim that the book offers ‘a great deal of additional
information’ compared to the original text is not, I think, particularly
apparent. It does discuss the range of different diseases which the therapy
can cure and I found the information about the laboratory tests useful,
as I am currently on the therapy. However, these tests are not exclusive
to patients using this regime and neither are the psychological strategies
presented. There is a list of foods most commonly consumed and avoided
by cancer survivors which makes particularly interesting reading, but
I longed for some comment on what a patient could expect in terms of cure
or improved prognosis, whether to expect immediate remission or initial
recurrence, how you would know when to ease off the therapy. I suppose
these are all the questions that one is consumed by when doing the therapy
day after day, and I didn’t feel there was enough reference to or discussion
of these clinical issues.
Indeed,
it is easy to be confused having read this book because the organisational
layout detracts sometimes from the content. The order of the chapters
did not seem to me to flow logically such as when, having begun to read
about how nutrition can heal, you suddenly change tack to visit a biography
of Gerson.
In
addition, the information provided is sometimes repeated almost, if not
entirely, word for word at different points throughout the book, such
as with the foods on the diet plan and why they are chosen. It reads very
much as a cut and paste book inconsistent in depth e.g. going into great
detail as to how to take coffee enemas (as if by way of a stand-alone
manual) whilst not giving anything like the same level of treatment to
the self-administering of the daily injections.
The
titles of the chapters are not always indicative of their content e.g.
‘How to Follow the Gerson Therapy on Your Own’ begins with three pages
relating the common characteristics of cancer survivors in general, followed
by a mere three paragraphs under the heading “an introduction to self-administering
the Gerson therapy at home”. These paragraphs in fact tell you nothing
about how to practically administer any aspect of the therapy and then
you move straight on to “adjunctive therapies that fit with the Gerson
procedure” after which the chapter abruptly ends.
On
a more positive note, the ‘success stories’ related by Gerson patients
are both extremely moving and heart warming and in stark contrast to the
mood of doom and gloom I have often found in the world of conventional
cancer treatment. You can never read too many of these! In particular,
I found “Sandra’s suggestions for a successful Gerson Therapy” to be excellent
practical tips for patients.
The
book is clearly written by a daughter bursting with enthusiasm and passion
for the incredible discoveries and achievements of her father. Through
a number of case histories and moving personal accounts it inspires hope
and sends a very positive message about the therapeutic power of the regime
to save lives.
To purchase this book please contact Stephen Richards
at the Gerson Support Group Tel: 01525 875 739; E: stephen@healingnaturally.co.uk
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