Max Gerson
Max Gerson | |
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alternative cancer treatment |
Max Gerson (October 18, 1881 – March 8, 1959) was a German-born American physician who developed the Gerson Therapy, a dietary-based
Gerson described his approach in the book A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases (1958). The National Cancer Institute evaluated Gerson's claims and concluded that his data showed no benefit from his treatment.[1] The therapy is both ineffective and dangerous.[2][3]
Early life and career
Gerson was born to a Jewish family in
In the United States
Gerson emigrated to the United States in 1936, passed his medical board examination, and became a U.S. citizen in 1942.
Death
Gerson died March 8, 1959, of pneumonia.[4][8] A conspiracy theory has subsequently spread that Gerson was murdered following a lifetime of supposed persecution.[9]
Gerson therapy
Initially, Gerson used his therapy as a treatment for migraine headaches and tuberculosis. In 1928, he began to use it as a supposed treatment for cancer.[5]
Gerson Therapy is based on the belief that disease is caused by the accumulation of unspecified toxins, and attempts to treat the disease by having patients consume a predominantly vegetarian diet including hourly glasses of organic juice and various dietary supplements. Animal proteins are excluded from the diet under the unproven premise that tumors develop as a result of pancreatic enzyme deficiency.[10] In addition, patients receive enemas of coffee, castor oil and sometimes hydrogen peroxide or ozone.[11]
After Gerson's death, his daughter Charlotte Gerson (March 25, 1922 - February 10, 2019) continued to promote the therapy, founding the "Gerson Institute" in 1977.
Evidence
Gerson's therapy has not been independently tested or subjected to randomized controlled trials, and thus is illegal to market in the United States.[1] The Gerson Institute promotes the therapy by citing patient testimonials and other anecdotal evidence.[15] Gerson published a book discussing the alleged success of the therapy in 50 patients, but a review by the U.S. National Cancer Institute was unable to find any evidence that Gerson's claims were accurate.[1] The NCI found that no in vivo animal studies had been conducted. Similarly, case series by Gerson Institute staff published in the alternative medical literature suffered from methodological flaws, and no independent entity has been able to reproduce the claims.[1]
Attempts to independently check the results of the therapy have been negative. A group of 13 patients sickened by elements of the Gerson Therapy were evaluated in hospitals in San Diego in the early 1980s; all 13 were found to still have active cancer.[13] An investigation by Quackwatch found that the institute's claims of cure were based not on actual documentation of survival, but on "a combination of the doctor's estimate that the departing patient has a 'reasonable chance of surviving', plus feelings that the Institute staff have about the status of people who call in".[16]
A 1994 article in the Journal of Naturopathic Medicine[17] attempted to follow 39 Gerson patients in Tijuana. Patient interviews were used to confirm the existence and stage of cancer; most patients were unaware of the stage of their tumor, and medical records were not available. Most patients were lost to follow-up; of the patients successfully followed, 10 died and six were alive at their last follow-up. Review of this study pointed out its "obvious flaws", including "the majority of patients lost to follow-up, lack of access to detailed medical records, and reliance upon patients for disease stage information"; the authors themselves regarded the results as unclear.[citation needed]
The
Safety concerns
Gerson therapy can lead to several significant health problems. Serious illness and death have occurred as a direct result of some portions of the treatment, including severe electrolyte imbalances.
Continued use of enemas may weaken the colon's normal function, causing or worsening constipation and colitis. Other complications have included dehydration, serious infections and severe bleeding.[2]
The therapy is not recommended for pregnant or breast-feeding women and certain cancers and illnesses.
Coffee enemas have contributed to the deaths of at least three people in the United States. Coffee enemas "can cause colitis (inflammation of the bowel), fluid and electrolyte imbalances, and in some cases septicemia".[20] The recommended diet may not be nutritionally adequate.[21][22] The diet has been blamed for the deaths of patients who substituted it for standard medical care.[23]
Relying on the therapy alone while avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer has serious health consequences.[2] Jessica Ainscough, better known as "The Wellness Warrior", was a major proponent of the Gerson diet after her diagnosis with cancer. She rejected medical treatment and followed the diet strictly, documenting her progress in a popular blog. She died from her untreated cancer in February 2015, aged 29.[24]
See also
References
- ^ a b c d "Gerson Therapy: History". National Cancer Institute. February 26, 2010. Retrieved March 31, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Gerson Therapy". American Cancer Society. Archived from the original on April 20, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. March 18, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ S2CID 35027868.
- ^ a b American Cancer Society. "Metabolic Therapy Archived April 25, 2013, at the Wayback Machine". Accessed March 22, 2011.
- ^ Carroll RT (January 6, 2014). "Gerson Therapy". The Skeptic's Dictionary. Retrieved April 1, 2014.
- ISBN 0-415-93339-0.
- ^ "Dr. Max Gerson, 77, Cancer specialist". The New York Times. March 9, 1959. p. 29. Retrieved November 8, 2020.
- S2CID 133344385.
- ISBN 978-0-8342-0132-3. Retrieved November 23, 2012.
- PMID 9876483.
- ^ Gerson Institute, gerson.org; "About Us". Accessed 12 May 2012.
- ^ PMID 6789105. On-line link to this report at CDC Stacks. Accessed 17 October 2012.
- ^ Bailey, John (December 6, 2009). "Street-Wise: The Photography of Garry Winogrand and Alexey Titarenko". American Cinematographer. Retrieved July 2, 2018.
- ^ "The Gerson Institute — Alternative Cancer Treatment".
- ^ Lowell, James (February 1986). "Background History of the Gerson Clinic". Nutrition Forum Newsletter. Quackwatch. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Dale, Austin S. (1994). "Long term follow-up of cancer patients using Contreras, Hoxsey and Gerson therapies". Journal of Naturopathic Medicine. 5: 74–76.
- ^ "Gerson Therapy Overview". National Cancer Institute. September 6, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ "What Gerson therapy is". Cancer Research UK. Archived from the original on September 30, 2012. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- septicaemia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administrationhas warned against this regime, which is known to have caused at least three deaths.
- ^ Clinic Practice Guidelines, page 182. Archived July 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Prevention, Diagnosis, and Management of Lung Cancer, page 196
- ^ Snowbeck, Christopher (April 9, 1999). "Cancer Therapy Pained Her Family... And Didn't Work". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 22, 2009.
- ^ Williams, Patrick (March 6, 2015). "Jessica Ainscough: Family, friends gather to remember 'The Wellness Warrior' who lost battle with rare cancer". ABC News.
External links
- Vickers AJ, Cassileth BR (2008). "Living proof and the pseudoscience of alternative cancer treatments". Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology. 6 (1): 37–40. PMID 18302909.
- Questionable Cancer Therapies, from Quackwatch (includes section on Gerson Therapy with references)