Homemade Vegetable Broth

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People who follow the Gerson Therapy diet eat and juice large quantities of vegetables daily. For this reason, it’s easy to accumulate vegetable peels, healthy off cuts, stems and roots that are not used to make vegetable broth to be used in Gerson cooking. Since oils are not permitted and Dr. Gerson recommends waterless cooking methods, cooking some vegetables in a little broth or adding broth to dishes to get the right consistency is a great solution to enhance dishes and to put all the vegetable scraps to good use.

We recommend accumulating and saving your vegetable peels, cuts, and scraps in the fridge and cooking a fresh batch of vegetable broth every few days. That way you will always have homemade vegetable broth on hand for cooking or drinking.

recipe for homemade vegetable broth made from vegetable peels, scraps and cuts suitable for the Gerson diet
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Homemade Vegetable Broth

Accumulate and reserve vegetable peels and healthy vegetable cuts and scraps in a container in your fridge. Make a broth every few days with the scraps and peels to have on hand for cooking. Include the roots and stems of herbs like parsley, cilantro, and dill.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Cool Down Time1 hour
Total Time3 hours 10 minutes
Keyword: Broth, Gerson diet, Gerson Therapy, Soup, Vegetable broth

Equipment

  • Mason Jars or Recycled Glass Jars

Ingredients

  • Accumulated and reserved vegetable scraps and peels.
  • Filtered water, enough to cover the vegetables 2-3 times as much.
  • Fresh Gerson allowed herbs like parsley, parsley root, dill and cilantro.
  • 1 clove Garlic

Instructions

  • Save and accumulate all vegetable peels, scraps and cuts as you go along. Be sure to also save the stems and roots of herbs like parsley, dill and cilantro.
  • Once you have enough place the vegetable peels and scraps in a pot and cover with 2-3 times the amount of filtered water.
  • Make sure to add parley root and fresh parsley, cilantro and dill stems and a clove of garlic. Or, any Gerson approved herbs you like.
  • Bring to a boil then turn the heat down and place the lid on. Simmer gently for 2 hours.
  • Let the broth stand to cool down.
  • When cool, strain the broth into mason or recycled glass jars. Store in you fridge to use for cooking or drinking.
    recipe for homemade vegetable broth made from vegetable peels, scraps and cuts suitable for the Gerson diet

Mashed Potato with Onions

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Adding cooked onions to mashed potato is another creative idea to vary your Gerson mashed potatoes recipes and add more antioxidants and power to your to your basic potato meals!

Onions contain the phytochemical or antioxidant, quercetin which is a powerful flavonoid with anti-cancer properties and boosts the immune system. Onions will also add delicious flavor to your potatoes.

Gerson Therapy recipe for mashed potato with onions
Print Recipe

Mashed Potato with Onions

Onions have shown to have anti-cancer properties. They are rich in antioxidants, specifically sulfur and quercetin. Use yellow or red onions instead of white onions to benefit from their high antioxidant content.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time45 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: Gerson diet, Gerson Therapy, Mashed Potato, Potato

Equipment

  • Food Mill
  • Vegetable Brush

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Wash and scrub the potatoes with a natural vegetable brush and peel the onions.
  • Bring filtered water to a boil in a pot. Add the potatoes with the jackets to the boiling water. Put the lid on. Turn the heat down and cook slowly for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, chop the onions and gently cook them in a pan with lid in 3-4 tablespoons of homemade vegetable stock. Keep adding vegetable stock as needed to make sure the onions don't burn.
  • When the potatoes are ready, process them through the food mill using the finest sieve. Add homemade vegetable stock to the potatoes to obtain a creamy puree.
  • Stir the flax oil and cooked onions into the puree.
  • Garnish with fresh parsley.

Irish Potato Puree

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This recipe is a Gerson Therapy version of the traditional Irish dish colcannon. Irish colcannon consist of mashed potato with green onions and either kale, savoy cabbage or green cabbage. In this recipe we use green cabbage. This lovely variation of regular mashed potatoes provides you with a refreshing option for a potato dish when following the Gerson diet.

The recipe is not complicated at all. You will need a food mill as well as some ready made vegetable stock to saute the cabbage and onion in. We recommend you save your vegetable peels as you go along and turn them into vegetable stock to be stored in glass containers in your fridge. Since the Gerson diet doesn’t permit cooking with oil, having vegetable stock on hand to cook with makes food prep easier and also ads extra nutrients to your meals. We have a recipe for making vegetable stock on the blog as well. Check that out and put every ounce of vegetable to use while following the Gerson Therapy.

A food mill is an essential kitchen equipment item you will need while following the Gerson Therapy. We recommend a stainless steel one so that chemicals don't leach into the food.

A food mill is an essential kitchen equipment item you will need while following the Gerson Therapy. We recommend a stainless steel one so that chemicals don’t leach into the food.

Gerson Therapy recipe for Irish potato puree with cabbage and green onion
Print Recipe

Irish Potato Puree

A Gerson Therapy version of the traditional Irish dish colcannon. Irish colcannon consist of mashed potato with green onions and either kale, savoy cabbage or green cabbage. In this recipe we use green cabbage.
Prep Time25 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Total Time55 minutes
Course: Side Dish
Keyword: Gerson diet, Gerson Therapy, Mashed Potato, Potato

Equipment

  • Food Mill

Ingredients

  • 1 lb Potatoes, Russet or Yukon Gold
  • 3 Green Onions
  • 1/2 Green Cabbage
  • 1/4 cup Vegetable Broth, homemade
  • 2 TBSP Flax Oil
  • to taste chopped Parsley, fresh

Instructions

  • Wash and scrub potatoes with a natural vegetable brush. Don't peel them.
  • Place in a heavy saucepan with filtered water and bring to boil. Cover with a lid and turn the heat down. Cook slowly for about 30 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through.
  • While the potatoes are cooking, wash and chop the cabbage, green onions and parsley.
  • Saute onions and cabbage in the vegetable broth for 15 minutes and set aside together with the chopped parsley.
  • Once the potatoes are cooked through, pass them through a food mill using the finest sieve. This will also remove the skins. Add a few tablespoons of homemade vegetable broth to the potatoes to get a nice soft, fluffy consistency.
  • Stir the chopped parsley, flax oil and cooked cabbage and green onion into the mashed potatoes. Keep some parsley to sprinkle over the dish once finished.

Notes

Vegetable broth can easily be made from all the vegetable peels and scraps you'll create from being on the Gerson diet. Get in the habit of keeping them in the fridge until you have enough to make a batch of broth. See the homemade vegetable broth recipe. Using broth to cook with will add extra nutrients to you food.
recipe for homemade vegetable broth made from vegetable peels, scraps and cuts suitable for the Gerson diet

Perfect Mashed Potato for the Gerson Diet

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Potatoes are one of the staple ingredients of Dr. Max Gerson’s cancer diet. In this recipe we are going to review general guidelines to obtain a nutrient dense and tasty mashed potato dish:

    1. We recommend using a food mill to obtain a fluffy and creamy potato puree. Do not use a food processor or blender that will turn the potatoes into a glue-like mixture. Potatoes must be processed through the food mill while they’re still hot.
      A food mill is an essential kitchen equipment item you will need while following the Gerson Therapy. We recommend a stainless steel one so that chemicals don't leach into the food.

      Use a food mill with the finest sieve to mash potatoes.

    2. Use starchy potato varieties like Russet or Yukon gold potatoes to make mash.
    3. Cook the potatoes in their skins, do not peel. Simply wash and scrub potatoes with a vegetable brush.
    4. When you mill the potatoes add in some cold water or vegetable broth or the cooking water from the potatoes to get a creamy, fluffy consistency.
    5. Add flax oil at the end by stirring the oil into the finished mashed product. Always use flax oil on moderate temperature ingredients to avoid creating free radicals from the very delicate omega-3 essential fatty acids in flax oil.

A COLLECTION OF MASHED POTATO RECIPES FOLLOWS AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST

 

Gerson Therapy Green Juice

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GREEN JUICE

Ingredients:

  • Mostly lettuce (preferably Romaine or cos)
  • Escarole 1 or 2 leaves
  • Red leaf lettuce 3 or 4 leaves
  • Green leaf lettuce 3 or 4 leaves
  • Endive 1 or 2 leaf
  • Romaine 2 to 3 leaves
  • Watercress leaves up to 6 leaves – no more than 6 leaves
  • Red cabbage 2 or 3 leaves
  • Beet tops 2 to 3 leaves
  • A quarter of a small green pepper
  • Swiss chard 1 to 3 leaves
  • Red chard 1 or 3 leaves
  • 1 medium green apple

Preparation:

Wash all thoroughly and put in spinner to remove excess water. Cut off bottom of stems of chard or any fibrous leaves. Pass through your juicer accordingly. Drink immediately. Try to consume within 20 minutes for optimal benefit and to avoid oxidation. Do not store.

Green Juice Vegetables

Vegetables Used In the Gerson Therapy Green Juice

Demonstration of how to use the Norwalk Juicer below –

 

Dr. Maya Nicole Baylac on Juicers and Juicing

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Juices on the Gerson Therapy are a critical aspect of the regimen providing most of the vitamins, minerals, enzymes, phytochemicals and other nutrients essential to healing along with adequate fluid intake. We are often asked why patients cannot simply eat the foods instead of making them into juices, as there is no fiber content to the juice, and invariably some nutrition is lost in the juicing process.

Part of the answer can be found in the fact that the typical Gerson Therapy patient will ingest thirteen 8 ounce glasses – about 104 ounces of juice daily! This tremendous influx of liquid provides the nutritional equivalent of almost seventeen pounds of food a day. It is then obvious that the consumption of that quantity of food on a daily basis would be impossible.

A secondary reason for the use of juices has to do with absorption and utilization of all of the nutrients found in the foods from which the juices are made. Patients suffering from degenerative diseases almost always have difficulty properly digesting and absorbing food. This can be a result of toxicity, malfunction of the digestive system, a decrease in stomach acid production, or a variety of other causes. This digestive weakness is the same reason that many patients have difficulty digesting and absorbing vitamin and mineral supplements in pill or capsule form.

In the patients Gerson treated, he found it necessary to find ways of dramatically increasing absorption of nutrients in order to effect healing, and produce the remissions and cures of the otherwise terminal cases that he treated. His clinical experimentation showed that fresh juice from raw foods provided the easiest and most effective way of providing high quality nutrition and most importantly, produced the best clinical results.

We continue to evaluate the effects of the juices, consider other juices and juice products and look for ways to both enhance the healing process and minimize hardship in the practice of the therapy. As yet, we have not found any way to reduce substitute or eliminate any of the juices, or the necessity of preparing them fresh at the time of consumption. We are reluctant to make changes without a complete understanding of the underlying processes, and it is difficult to justify risking lives for the sake of experimentation when we have a protocol that has been extremely effective in treating and healing degenerative diseases.

Questions also arise about the functions of the juice in the healing process, the choice of the specific juices, the way in which they are used and the necessity of making the juices fresh. During the course of Gerson’s thirty years of clinical practice, his therapy changed considerably, and a review of the case files for each of the cases he treated reveals considerable variation over the life span of his developing treatment regimen in the quantity, volume, and type of juices prescribed. Over the years, many patients have successfully used nothing more than the single table of juices and medications published in Gerson’s book A Cancer Therapy as a roadmap to healing. While most treatment protocols prescribed by Gerson physicians will follow the revised guidelines in this book, patients under the care of experienced Gerson physicians may see their “juice prescription” changed in response to blood results, healing reaction responses, or other symptoms. Severely damaged or weakened patients often require changes in the medications and juices on an almost daily basis during the first weeks of the treatment.

We do not clearly understand the process of exactly how the juices enhance healing, except for the obvious vitamin, mineral, enzyme, and trace mineral supplementation they provide. The nutrient supplementation alone is probably not enough to explain why there is a different between juices consumed immediately after preparation and those consumed several hours later. Clearly, oxidation causes loss of certain vitamins and enzymes. There has been much discussion of the enzyme activity in the juices when they are fresh, and the importance of these enzymes in numerous biochemical functions. Yet, as any biology student knows, the enzymes are immediately destroyed on contact with stomach acid. What makes the difference in healing response between the fresh juice and the hours-old juice? One possibility is that some of the enzymes present in the fresh juice are absorbed directly in the mucous membranes in the mouth and esophagus, before reaching the stomach. This theory is born out by the observation that patients fed through a naso-gastric or stomach tube do not respond favorably to the Gerson Therapy. Another possibility, from the esoteric medical literature (dealing with human and plant energies) is that there is a form of plant “vital force” present in the juices when freshly made, and that this “vital force” affects the patient, and promotes healing at the energetic, or physic, level rather than at the cellular/biochemical level. We have little evidence to support either assumption but we don’t want to rule out any possibility that gives us greater understanding. In addition to the nutritional supplementation, the juices also serve, by virtue of their high liquid content, to help in flushing the kidneys. However the process occurs, it is important to recognize that the healing that comes as a results of the intake of fresh juices is consistent, and has been validated. That, along with the long-term positive outcomes that we regularly observe, is, in our opinion, enough reason to follow Gerson’s original directives in this regard.

Juicers

Dr. Gerson believed that the method of juice extraction decidedly affects the concentration of those nutrients. This has been demonstrated through the analysis of juices produced by each type of machine, and the clinical results experienced by patients using each type of juicer provide further support for Gerson’s recommendations.

The following types of juice extractors are currently being manufactured:

Triturator/Press Combination

This type of juicer has two separate components, a grinder to grind the vegetable into a fine, moist pulp and a hydraulic press to extract the juice of the vegetable from the pulp by squeezing it under high pressure (as much as 2,000 PSI). Dr. Gerson felt strongly that this type of juicer was the only acceptable choice for cancer patients. He recommended mixing the pulp of different vegetables together thoroughly before pressing to enhance the extraction of certain nutrients. This, of course, is only possible with a juicer that separates the grinding and pressing functions. Research in this area, although limited, indicates that juice produced by the grinder [triturator]/press can be as much as 50 times higher in certain essential nutrients.

Also, the juice itself is much fuller and richer tasting that that produced by other types of juicers, and is free of pulp. Generally, this type of juicer will produce 25-50% more than other juicers from the same amount of raw produce, and even more when extracting from leafy vegetables.

This type of juicer combination tends to be large and heavy, usually of all steel and/or stainless steel construction. It is also generally more expensive than other types of juicers. To our knowledge, there are only three companies, Norwalk, Welles and K&K, who currently manufacture this type of juicer. More than 80% or Gerson patients choose a grinder/press extractor for their therapy.

Masticating Juicers

This type of juicer grinds the vegetables and extracts the juice in one step. These juicers are generally not as heavy duty as the grinder/press models. They produce a fairly good quality of juice, although it comes high in vegetable pulp and separates more readily than the juice produced from two-step machines. A study we’ve seen indicates that juice produced from masticating juicers is richer in nutrients than that from centrifugal juicers (which should not be used), but not as rich as that from grinder/press juicers.

Some reports indicate that masticating juicers can produce a very high heat inside the grinding chamber that may be damaging to the juice. Some patients have successfully combined a masticating juicer and a separate hydraulic press to produce a juice much closer in quality in the grinder/press combination but at a much lower cost. Manufacturers of masticating juicers include Champion and Green Power. Gerson patients can use the Champion as a grinder only in conjunction with the Welles or K&K press.

Centrifugal Juicers

This type of juicer is by far the most common and generally the least expensive juice extractor. Unfortunately for the patient suffering from a degenerative disease, they are also the least desirable. The centrifugal juicer works by pushing the vegetable against a rotating disc whose teeth reduce it to pulp. Centrifugal force then throws the pulp against a basket screen through which the juice is strained, while the pulp remains. There are several problems with this method. First, this juicer does not grind produce, particularly green, as finely as other extractors. Also, centrifugal force is less effective than the pressing action of other juicers in extracting juice. Without the pressing action, many minerals and phytochemicals in the pulp remain in the pulp, so that the juice that is rendered is less rich in healing nutrients as opposed to the grinder/press or masticating juicers. Gerson describes another problem with centrifugal juicers: “When the grinding wheel rotates against a resistance with insufficient access of air, positive electricity is produced and induces negative electricity on the surrounding wall. The exchange of positive and negative [ions] kills the oxidizing enzymes and renders the juice deficient.” He goes on to say that in his many years of clinical experience, patients who used centrifugal juicers did not have success with the therapy. We have some indications that the enzyme deficiency problem may be present only in centrifugal juicers with a vertical wall basket (such as the original Acme Juicerator available in Gerson’s lifetime) and not with the angled wall juicer baskets such as those found in newer centrifugal juicers (Juiceman, Braun, Hamilton-Beach and others). Even if this is the case, however, we must still contend with the overall lack of nutrients and reduced quantity of juice when compared with juice produced by other types of juicers.

Wheatgrass Juicers

Wheatgrass juicers are small, specialized machines designed specifically to extract the chlorophyll-rich juice of wheatgrass. We generally do not use wheatgrass on the Gerson Therapy, as most patients find it to be extremely harsh on the stomach. In addition, the desirable components in wheatgrass are also found in the Gerson green leaf juice.

Citrus Juicers

Citrus juicers are reamer-type juicers used to juice orange and grapefruit juice.

A Note About Juicers

Any juicer is better than no juicer at all. Even a centrifugal juicer will provide more nutrients than could be consumed in the equivalent quantity of produce. For many patients, however, the choice of an appropriate juicer can be a life-or-death matter. We have observed a number of cases in which patients rigorously following the Gerson Therapy with a centrifugal juicer did not see either reduction in tumor masses or healing reactions even after many weeks. When these patients switched to grinder/press juicers, healing reactions occurred rapidly, and several patients saw dramatic improvement in their condition. While these observations were not part of a controlled study, they clearly point to the quality of juicer as a major factor in the patient’s progress.

Also, when considering investment in a juicer, bear in mind the higher-priced grinder/press juicer produces more juice from less produce than other types. In this way, given the quantity of produced used by the Gerson patient, the more expensive juicer will probably pay for itself in less than a year.

Juices

Citrus Juice (Orange and Grapefruit)

Gerson felt that this was the least important juice and added it primarily for the convenience of the patient in that so many people are used to orange juice to start the day. Recent research indicates that there may be some undesirable aspects to orange juice, such as excess mucus formation when large quantities are consumed, although we have not experienced this with Gerson patients. Any patient experiencing adverse reactions or simply dislike for the orange juice may, unless otherwise indicated, replace it with apple juice or one of the other standard Gerson juices. Take no more than 1 citrus juice per day. The juice requires 3-4 oranges or 1-2 grapefruits. Use a reamer-type juicer, either manual or electric. Some models have aluminum screens or reservoirs for the juice. These should be avoided in favor of plastic or stainless steel.

We do not recommend the use of non-reamer type juicers into which a half orange or lemon is inserted whole. The citrus peels contain undesirable fatty and aromatic acids, as well as commonly being coated with beeswax or another protective sealant.

You can use any kind of orange or grapefruit, as long as it is organically grown. Oranges and grapefruit should be kept refrigerated. If you prefer juice to be closer to room temperature, remove three or four oranges from the refrigerator before going to bed.

Carrot/Apple Juice

This juice is one of the two “core” juices (excuse the pun!) used on the Gerson Therapy. It has a pleasant flavor, is easy on the digestive system, and is usually consumed in larger quantities than any other juice (five glasses per day in the normal regimen).

Exactly why Dr. Gerson chose this particular combination is not known. Research has revealed an apparently synergistic relationship between the carrots and apples that provides greater nutrient absorption when the apples and carrots are juiced together than when the juice of either is used alone. It is not known exactly what factors contribute to this. We do know that malic acid present in apples assists in absorption of beta-carotene in the carrots.

There are, of course, many other elements derived from the juices in addition to beta-carotene. This juice is high in calcium, provides protein trace minerals and numerous other minerals, vitamins, and phytochemicals. This juice requires approximately 8-12 oz each of carrots and (preferably tart) apples such as Granny Smith, Mcintosh, Ida Red, Pippin, and Gala.

The carrot/apple juice, like all of the other juices, should be consumed immediately after pressing, but may be kept for 2-3 hours in a glass lined thermos if the patient has returned to work or must go out of the house for any other reason. The preparation of juices in advance should be done only when there is no other alternative or, on consultation with an experienced Gerson physician.

Carrot Juice (Carrot/Apple is better)

Preparation and comments are the same as the carrot/apple except for exclusion of the apples. It will usually take 12 to 16 ounces of carrots to produce one 8 ounce glass of juice.

Green Leaf Juice

This is the other “core” juice of the Gerson protocol. The green leaf juice is extremely rich in iron and other minerals, and very high in chlorophyll. It is a substance similar to human hemoglobin, and is the richest source of oxidizing enzymes in the Gerson protocol. It is extremely live and active, often having a foam “head” at the top of the glass when fresh out of the press. This juice is a little more difficult to tolerate, and patients feeling nauseated will frequently have some difficulty drinking and keeping it down. However, it provides tremendous benefit to the patient, and it is often prescribed in higher quantity in anemic patients in order to raise hemoglobin levels. It also replaces some of the carrot/apple juices in diabetic, hypoglycemic and Candida patients as it is lower in sugar.

The “recipe” for the green leaf juice is a bit more varied than the others. Of the following list, some items will be available, some may not be available in your area, and some are seasonal. Use whatever is available, but let your choices be dictated more by what is actually available than your like or dislike of a particular ingredient. It is noteworthy that the darker, stronger-flavored items such as chard and red cabbage are richer in chlorophyll and other nutrients than the lighter, less flavorful vegetables. Also, please do not use any greens or ingredients other than the ones listed. Do not substitute other items. Obtain as many of the following as possible. The suggested quantities assume about half of the listed items will be available at any given time. Adjust accordingly.

  • Escarole 1-2 leaves
  • Lettuce 3-4 leaves (use Romain or Cos Lettuce)
  • Swiss (Green) Chard 1-3 leaves, depending on size
  • Red Chard same as above
  • Endive 1-2 leaves
  • Red Leaf Lettuce 3-4 leaves
  • Green Leaf Lettuce 3-4 leaves
  • Red Cabbage 2-3 leaves
  • Beet Tops (young inner leaves) 2-3 leaves
  • Green Pepper 1/2 medium sized
  • Watercress 1-2 sprigs
  • One medium apple (see above for types of apples to use)

Greens should be washed, taking care to rinse off sand or soil that is often present at the base of the leaves. Shake of the water or put the greens in a salad spinner to remove excess moisture. Cut off the bottom portion of chard stems or any other fibrous leaves.

Using a two-step (grinder/press) juicer, grind and collect pulp in a bowl. When all produce has been ground, stir thoroughly, but not so much as to introduce unnecessary air into the pulp. Place a “microwave-safe,” non-dyed, chemical-free paper towel on top of the juice cloth, then put about a cup of pulp onto the towel and cloth. Fold tightly and press. If you’re using an electric press, raise the juice part slowly to avoid having pulp squirt out of the cloth. Using multiple juicing cloths, you can prepare the second cloth while the first one is pressing. Also, some people will fold over the squashed cloth/pulp package and press it again to get a little more juice out of the pulp. After pressing, the remaining pulp, conveniently packaged in the paper towel, the paper towel can be discarded. The green juice is much more active than the carrot or carrot/apple juices and should be consumed immediately. Dr. Gerson did not recommend storage of the green juice for any length of time before consumption.

GET THE GREEN JUICE RECIPE HERE

Storage of Juices

Preparing juices in advance is never a desirable choice, but may be necessary for patients who must work or who wish to get out of the house for several hours. In these cases, a glass-lined or stainless steel vacuum bottle (Thermos) may be used, but should be completely filled to avoid excess exposure of the juice to air. Another useful method is to fill an 8 oz “jelly”/Ball canning jar to the rim, slide the lid over the top and then screw the cap on tightly. This will prohibit air from getting in and oxidizing the juice. Maintain a chilled or refrigerated environment. Store only carrot/apple juice. Do not store the green juice.

While we do not have any definitive research in this area, Dr. Gerson’s experience strongly supported the value of making each juice fresh and consuming it immediately. Both Gerson’s own experience and our twenty years of observation indicates that patients who make and consume juices throughout the day have a higher success rate than those who regularly prepare juices several hours in advance.

The Biological, Biochemical and Physiological Basis of The Gerson Therapy

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The need to look at the whole body

The Concept of Totality:

Dr. Gerson believed the cause of cancer to be the accumulation of numerous damaging factors and where there is a breakdown of the whole body, and no single approach would effect a cure. The effects of single treatments without regard for the totality of biological rules, and the underlying metabolism that supports the disease, are doomed to fail. He said: “change the internal environment so the malignancy cannot survive, bring the body to a vitality to enable it to generate a healing inflammation (digestion of tumor), then eliminate the tumor products and other toxins in the body and you would see a healing.” “What is essential is not the growth itself, or the visible symptoms: it is the damage of the whole metabolism, including the loss of defense, immunity and healing power.”

There are many single treatment approaches now, both conventional and alternative:

  • Surgery
  • Radiation
  • Chemotherapy
  • Alternative: Herbs and nutrient
  • Substances that can:
  • Block angiogenesis
  •  Increase NK cell activity
  • Directly anti tumor
  • Stimulate fever, etc.

In and of themselves they may be helpful, but they do not necessarily address the functioning of the whole body, the integrity of the organs, the level of defense and immunity.

OBJECTIVES OF THE GERSON THERAPY

There are four main objectives or a four pronged approach that we are going to cover:

  1. Restore and re-establish and increase the oxidative metabolism of the normal cells and tissues.
  2. Initiation and support of the healing inflammation for parenteral elimination of tumor tissue.
  3. Increase the detoxification capacity of the liver and the entire system to keep up with the rate of tumor breakdown.
  4. Continue this process over a long enough period of time for all tumors to be absorbed and the essential organs to be restored to normal function.

We will discuss each of these and then weave it all together.

1. OXIDATIVE METABOLISM – TISSUE DAMAGE SYNDROME

We know that disease arises when cellular metabolism is compromised. This happen from injury to cell – whatever the cause:

  • poor diet,
  • environmental toxins,
  • viruses,
  • oxygen starvation,
  • autointoxication, etc.

The same response occurs in cells throughout the body.

  1. Tissues lose potassium
  2. Tissues accept sodium
  3. Cell swells with water
  4. Loss of cellular energy production

Now the environment in the cell is not conducive to manufacturing energy or making ATP. BURNING SUGAR THROUGH OXIDATION. Without ATP the cell dies. Protein synthesis and lipid metabolism cease. So, salt and water management was a major basis for the therapy and thru the advancement of NMRI it is shown that a cell in its diseased state will lose intracellular potassium and sodium will enter the cell. This shift in the major minerals causes inhibition of the oxidative function—dropping now into a fermentation cycle or from aerobic gycolysis to anerobic glycolysis.

Otto Warburg’s research into oxidative metabolism, Nobel prize winner, theorized that cancer is a fermentative disease. Cancer cells do not use oxygen—they secrete large amount of lactic acid generated by anerobic glycolysis. This feeds back into the cycle, the burning of fuel is compromised, oxygen and potassium is rejected. (Kathryn Alexander)

Several other scientists have corroborated and studied Dr. Gerson’s work and using NMRI we have conclusive evidence and validation of his work. These were Ling, Cope and Damadian. The NMRI reads tissues electronically and we are able to determine the electrical fields within the body. Dr. Gerson was aware of dynamic energies behind the chemical substances—a force which energized and gave life to tissues, minerals and chemical substances. “We now know that what we have inherited is not a set of chemical substances, but a pattern of dynamic energies” “The system needs animating energies besides the pure substances”

What they saw with NMRI is that throughout the cytoplasm of our cells, water is structured, it is stacked because the dynamic energies in the cells hold water in an organized pattern. E.g. Ling’s work. He likens the cytoplasm of the cell to macromolecule in which an electrical current runs through and this force attracts paramagnetic ions. WATER BECOMES STRUCTURED. The water molecules line up—O2 molecules face one way and H ions face the other way. He theorized that it was this electrical field of the cytoskeleton that governed the ionic environment of the cell and not the Na K pump. No energy is required other than the attractive forces at the association sites. It would take too much energy if it was a pump. More association sites for K are formed (20). As more K sites are filled more are attracted. Interactive cooperativity. As the cells water organizes, the excess Na, water and toxins are eliminated. Once the sodium ring around the tumor was drained, the tumor would lose its protection and defense. Can lose up to 8 gm a day of sodium in urine. ATP production increases. We have successful salt and water management of tissue damage. IF CELLS ARE NOT ALREADY TOO DAMAGED.

2. THE HEALING INFLAMMATION

In chapter 17 of “The Healing of Cancer”, Dr. Gerson starts off the chapter again with the reminder that cancer is not a specific illness, but a chronic degenerative disease develops where there is a general breakdown of the whole body. The theory of cancer, he states is a question of the defense of the mesenchyme (connective tissue). These cells are distributed all over the body, especially between all organs and tissues. It is now called the reticular endothelial system and it is a parenteral digestive apparatus. From pathology we learn that almost every tumor is surrounded by such tissue and this system is almost inactive and paralyzed in cancer, incapable of protecting the body any longer in defense and healing.

The cancerous body is anergic (diminished reaction against an antigen) and cannot produce an active inflammatory metabolism. This system cannot function sufficiently when the entire body is poisoned and has lost the ionizing minerals of the K group and its electrical potential.

However, if the body could be detoxified enough to restore oxidative metabolism, then vitality could be raised enough to initiate this response.

When this response starts a a site, an exudate is formed with inflammatory cells. These cells have an oxidative and digestive metabolism which causes an acidosis of the inflamed tissue and a decrease of O2 and sugar (E producing substance) This acid formation and deficient energy substance brings about damage or destructions of inflamed tissue—a kind of swelling and degeneration. After the inflammation has killed the tumor mass, necrosis sets in—here is where the digestive power of the leukocytic enzymes digest fibrin and debris. Then a creation of new capillaries which penetrate into the mass and there is a build up of granulation tissue. This inflammatory process also produces TNF.

The fever that accompanies the healing inflammation amplifies the lymphocytic response and mobilization of WBCs, and is thought to be directly damaging to cancer cells. These flare ups involve fever, pain, redness and swelling at site of tumor or old or recent injuries. They will occur at certain intervals and are less intense as healing progresses.

Healing reactions There are actually 3 types of healing reactions. To be technical.

Toxin reactions: toxins being pushed out of cells where they have been harbored for many years, into the blood stream. Patient feels very toxic and experience HA, nervous irritability, mental and emotional instability, depression, unable to think clearly, foul taste in mouth, odors, vivid memories from the past, food cravings, joint and muscle pain. Especially around neck and shoulders and down spine.

Detox reactions: Symptoms of discharge of toxins to the outside—mainly into the digestive tract. Skin eruptions, foul smelling dark urine, foul sweat, menses. Nausea and vomiting, hemorrhoids, diarrhea, dark stools, cold sores, orange tinge to skin.

The Healing Inflammation: Fever, pain

Artificial means to cause healing reactions are autologus vaccines, Coleys toxins. However, Dr. Gerson felt stimulating a unnatural inflammation is not the same as a spontaneously generated healing inflammation. To induce an artifical fever while neglecting the cause of disease was of no benefit.

We need to bring the body to the state where it can initiate these healing reactions as often as needed. We can only do that when the body is detoxified. Artificial stimulations could possibly beneficial after that as an added help.

Difference between allergies and the healing inflammation. When body is cleansed, the liver, etc., it is healing – not reacting to foreign and noxious substances, undigested proteins. In fact it is necessary to keep away from the patient all substances which they could react to, as the sick body will produce allergic reactions, rather than the biologically stronger healing inflammation. Also very important to avoid infectious agents, viral and bacterial, and prevent all impeding infectious or poisonous reactions, drugs and food allergies, as these will impede the healing inflammation – especially first 9 months.

3. HEAL THE LIVER

In chapter 22 Dr. Gerson writes that the underlying cause of cancer is from the poisoning of the of the liver. He states, “cancer is a disease of the liver” . The liver is lately called the balance wheel of life – where most metabolic functions are more or less concentrated. From here other organs can be pathologically influenced and damaged or poisoned. The origin of the cancerous disease is more probable where the reactivation of the oxidizing enzymes, one of the finest developed functions of the liver is impaired.

As naturopaths, we were trained to focus heavily on the liver. We had a motto which was “when in doubt – treat the liver”

For the past 50 years we have been exposed to an ever increasing amount of environmental toxins and concurrently we are seeing an escalating incidence of cancer. Now, our genetics have not changed that much in 50 or 100 years. So, we know it is from our lifestyle and environmental exposures. So as the body becomes more toxic – the liver has a greater burden and becomes more compromised in the process of trying to clear all the exogenous as well as endogenous toxins from the body. A toxic residual accumulates – back to one of the inciting causes of tissue damage syndrome. Now, the weaker the genetics – the greater the susceptibility.

4. THE COFFEE ENEMA

The coffee enema is capable of removing circulating toxins and partial metabolites because it stimulates an enzyme system in the liver called glutathione-s-transferase. It removes electrophiles (free radicals) by stepping up this system by 700%. No other materials other than coffee are known to do this. The blood passes thru the liver every 3 mins so when the coffee is held for 15 min, it gets five passes thru the liver. In addition, the theobromine, theophylline, and the caffeine in the coffee all have physiological effects. They dilate the blood vessels and bile ducts, relax the smooth muscles and increase the flow of bile In addition, the quart of water in the gut stimulates the visceral nervous system which stimulates peristalsis. Net effect – the flushing of toxic bile.

We know a lot more today about the detox function of the liver than in Dr. Gerson’s day. We know it has two parts – Phase I and Phase II – two wash cycles so to speak. Some toxins are excreted after Phase I and others need a second wash in Phase II – they need to be conjugated with a carrier molecule. One of the most important systems of Phase II is the glutathione conjugation pathway which utilizes glutathione for the detoxification of deadly industrial toxins such as PCBs the for the breakdown of other carcinogens and xenobiotics including heavy metals.

Its activity accounts for 60% percent of the toxins excreted in the bile. There are 6 detox pathways in Phase II (glutathione conjugation, sulfation, peptide conjugation (taurine and glycine) glucoronidation, acetylation and methylation. They have the ability to back up for one another.

Back to glutathione, it can get depleted with the constant stress of excess toxins and so even stimulating with the coffee, we need a reserve of glutathione. That is where dietary nutrients are so important. Some of the foods that support are the cruciferous vegetables, flax seed oil, fresh fruits, garlic, other vegetables, onions. Supplements that do this are: CoQ10, B-12 Vitamin C – Important for patients to eat a great variety of veggies. Carotenes Niacin Milk thistle The liver must also be able to detoxify tumor breakdown products.

THE IMMUNE SYSTEM – PROTEIN RESTRICTION

Dr. Gerson found that in cancer dietary protein stimulated tumor growth, and patients with high protein intakes could not be saved. He also noted that when he restricted dietary protein, the immune profile changed – the t-lymphocyte count went up – the branch of the immune system that fights tumors, viruses and fungi.

And he also found that restricting protein caused more sodium to be eliminated in the urine. He stopped protein for 6 to 8 weeks in order to cause Na to leave damaged cells and allow the edema to be absorbed. He believed that Na is trapped in the body with protein. Ling found this also. Excess protein creates acidity and puts extra strain on the kidneys and later the heart.

Dr. Robert Good, Director of Sloan Kettering Institute of Cancer Research, did studies with protein restriction on animal, mice and guinea pigs. Those on protein-calorie restriction, even genetically predisposed, did not develop CA and if they had it, it regressed. Also auto-immune dz.

Current research also shows T-cell immunity is raised and serum blocking antibody is depressed. In cancer, tumor specific antibody is produced by B cells which attaches to the antigenic sites on tumor cells, covering the antigenic sites. This prevents the T-cell from having access to the tumor and destroying it.

Use cultured non fat milk products. A typical patient loses around 40 gms protein a day through entrails. Mostly replaced by vegetarian diet. Dairy protein adds 30 to 40 gms more than is required – keeps in positive nitrogen balance.

The combined protein restriction, high K, Low Na regime removed the Na ring (edema) around the tumor improving circulation and immune activity at the site.

PANCREATIC ENZYMES

In most cancer patients, digestion is poor. Also important in the parenteral digestion of tumor tissue. Amylase, trypsin and chymotrypsin are especially important in trophoblast destruction. Need large quantities to overcome anti tryptic substances produced by tumor. 25 grams of crystalline chymotrypsin necessary in a single dose to neutralize the excess chymotrypsin inhibitor in the serum of advanced CA pts.

Here is an article:

PANCREATIC ENZYMES

Pancreatic enzymes – the body’s main anti-cancer defense

The Scottish embryologist Dr. John Beard first proposed at the turn of the century that pancreatic enzymes, in addition to their digestive function, represent the body’s main anti-cancer defense. Patients on the Gonzalez regimen take up to 45 grams of pancreatic enzymes a day, taken orally and spread throughout the day.

The value of enzymes in the treatment of cancer was demonstrated scientifically by Dr. Gonzales study “Evaluation of Pancreatic Proteolytic Enzyme Treatment of Adenocarcinoma of the Pancreas, With Nutrition and Detoxification Support”. Nicholas James Gonzalez and Linda Lee Isaacs

Abstract:

Historically, large doses of proteolytic enzymes, along with diet, nutritional supplements, and “detoxification” procedures, have been used in alternative therapies to treat all forms of cancer, without formal clinical studies to support their use.

A 2-year, unblinded, 1-treatment arm, 10-patient, pilot prospective case study was used to assess survival in patients suffering inoperable stage II–IV pancreatic adenocarcinoma treated with large doses of orally ingested pancreatic enzymes, nutritional supplements, “detoxification” procedures, and an organic diet.

From January 1993 to April 1996 in the authors’ private practice, 10 patients with inoperable, biopsy-proven pancreatic adenocarcinoma were entered into the trial. After one patient dropped out, an 11th patient was added to the study (however, all 11 are considered in the data tabulation). Patients followed the treatment at home, under the supervision of the authors.

As of 12 January 1999, of 11 patients entered into the study, 9 (81%) survived one year, 5 (45%) survived two years, and at this time, 4 have survived three years. Two patients are alive and doing well: one at three years and the other at four years. These results are far above the 25% survival at one year and 10% survival at two years for all stages of pancreatic adenocarcinoma reported in the National Cancer Data Base from 1995.

This pilot study suggests that an aggressive nutritional therapy with large doses of pancreatic enzymes led to significantly increased survival over what would normally be expected for patients with inoperable pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Nutrition and Cancer, 33(2): 117-124, 1999.

Max Gerson M.D. About Healing Advanced Cancers

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Dr. Gerson showed us the path of the hero to wellness. He did not believe in incurable disease. He had tremendous faith in life. His lifetime work and dedication has been a precious tool for both patients and practitioners. From his personal experience, patients learn determination to heal, regardless of prognostics from the medical authorities. From his professional experience, doctors may learn integrity in their service to humanity. Dr. Gerson did not give up until he found the true cause of disease: toxicity and deficiency. – Maya Nicole Baylac

Article and Lecture by Max Gerson

“This therapy has cured many cases of advanced cancer.”

LECTURE FROM 1956

The Cure of Advanced Cancer by Diet Therapy: a Summary of 30 Years of Clinical Experimentation

by Max Gerson, M.D.

Gerson Institute, Box 535, Imperial Beach, California 92032

(1978 Publisher’s Note. This is a lecture given by Dr. Gerson in Escondido, California, in 1956. Dr. Gerson died in 1959. More complete information on his therapy for advanced cancer may be found in his book A Cancer Therapy: Results of 50 Cases, by Max Gerson, 3rd edition, 1977, Totality Books, Del Mar, CA or from his daughter Mrs. Charlotte Gerson Straus at the Gerson Institute, Box 535, Imperial Beach, CA 92032. Socioeconomic and political perspectives are discussed in the book Has Dr. Max Gerson a True Cancer Cure? by S. J. Haught, 1976, Major Books, 21335, Roscoe Blvd., Canoga Park, CA 91304. – From gerson-research.org)

Abstract:

Thirty years of clinical experimentation has led to a successful therapy for advanced cancer. This therapy is based on the concepts (1) that cancer patients have low immuno-reactivity and generalized tissue damage, especially of the liver, and (2) that when the cancer is destroyed, toxic degradation products appear in the bloodstream which lead to coma and death from liver failure. The therapy consists of high potassium, low sodium diet, with no fats or oils, and minimal animal proteins. Juices of raw fruits and vegetables and of raw liver provide active oxidizing enzymes which facilitate rehabilitation of the liver. Iodine and niacin supplementation is used. Caffeine enemas cause dilation of bile ducts, which facilitates excretion of toxic cancer breakdown products by the liver and dialysis of toxic products from blood across the colonic wall. The therapy must be used as an integrated whole. Parts of the therapy used in isolation will not be successful. This therapy has cured many cases of advanced cancer.

Excerpts:

“… Finally, I had a clinic. The patients saw that also the more advanced cases and even some terminal cases, very far advanced cases, could be saved. They brought me more and more of these terminal cases. I was forced into that. On the one side, the knife of the AMA was at my throat and on my back. I had only terminal cases. If I had not saved them, my clinic would have been a death house. Some of the cases were brought on stretchers. They couldn’t walk. They could no longer eat. It was very, very difficult. So, I really had to work out a treatment that could help these far advanced cases. Again, I was forced into it.

… The physicians, including the family doctor, all told him that he could live only 4 to 6 weeks, especially since all bones of the pelvis were full of cancer. He looked terribly ill when he came to me. His wife brought him with a nurse. He had made his last will and did not expect to live. Now we cured that. It was especially difficult. I should like to thank his wife. She prepared the treatment with the greatest devotion. She was wonderful and we could rely on her. In a family where there is real devotion in the application of this treatment, we can even save these far advanced cases. Of course, we cannot save all of them but we can save more than we sometimes even consider possible. (Question from the audience: “How long did it take?”) In the urinary bladder, it didn’t take but a few weeks and there was no longer any blood and pus, nor in the stools either. But in the pelvis there were hundreds of spots, and that takes a long time because the body transforms this cancer first into so-called osteoplastic areas, not an osteolytic process which is bone reducing. With my treatment more bone is produced. The body produces more bone, and then the hypertrophic bone is transformed into normal bone tissue. Then there is no more pain. Now the patient can get around and is even the manager of a company.”

“Now, for the proof of this theory. I had the idea to make an animal experiment in which we connected two rats — one cancerous rat and one healthy one. We cut them open along the side and connected a blood vessel, then sewed them together: The blood from the healthy rat circulated in the sick one day and night and cleared up the sick body. Thus we showed that with a healthy normal metabolism you can cure cancer. …”

Read the whole Dr. Gerson lecture here or at gerson-research.org

ARTICLE FROM 1954

Here is an article from 1954, where Max Gerson draws this conclusion:

“Human beings have brought upon themselves the disease of cancer by their ungoverned self-indulgence, their urge for luxurious living, and increasing evils of our civilization.”

Cancer, a Problem of Metabolism

by Max Gerson, M.D.

Translated from “Krebskrankheit, ein Problem das Stoffwechsels”

Medizinische Klinik No. 26, June 25, 1954, Munich, Germany

The purpose of the following article is to show, in broad outline, that cancer is not a problem of vitamins, hormones and enzymes, that it is not a problem of allergies, nor a variety of intermedial substances of metabolism or carcinogenic substances. It is not a question of some unknown virus infection and most certainly not a purely local cell problem, but an accumulation of numerous factors which proved damaging to the body and its metabolism over a long period of time.

Its cure is a basic process, embracing all the above factors and many others besides, by means of which total metabolism can be more or less re-established over a period of time.

It is generally known that in cancer, especially in advanced cases, all the various metabolic systems are impaired: the exchange of minerals, the symbiosis of intestinal bacteria, the reactivation of enzymes of oxidation, the circulation of vitamins, the breaking down of fats, proteins and to some extent carbohydrates.

All this becomes increasingly clear if we also examine serum and tissues. As evidence of the effectiveness of the metabolic therapy, a number of results are presented here, most of them advanced or hopeless cases. First the dietary problem shall be briefly described in its development and application to cancer.

J. Maisin,1 1923, and B. Fischer-Wasels,2 1929, were probably the first who abandoned the theory of local irritation and stressed the physiological basis of general tumor predisposition. Thereafter there was a tendency to take refuge in the old constitutional and diathetic doctrine (Reding3), Slosse,4 as is the case in diabetes, gout and tuberculosis. The compendium by F.L. Hoffmann,5 1937, gives a survey of world literature on the subject. In his statistical summary in the preface (page 15) he says:

“I am fully convinced that profound dietary influences in cancer are to be looked upon as a causative factor …”

but with reference to treatment he says (page 663): “it does not fall within my own province to make suggestions in any particular direction.”

The monograph of W. Caspari6 gives a more condensed survey and specifically turns away from local causes, more in the direction of metabolism. — A decrease in calorie-intake as a fames cura was already familiar to the ancient physicians, and is described by Cornelius Nepos.7

Modern experimental studies on the effect of dietary restrictions have been carried out particularly by Albert Tannenbaum8 et al., and Larsen & Heston.11 Of Tannenbaum’s conclusions the following are valuable: “as yet no tumor has been found that does not respond to a restricted diet” and: “inhibition involved both a decrease in the total number of tumors and a delay in the average time of appearance.”

Freund and Kaminer12 in 1937/38 presented practical suggestions for a special diet to be given to inoperable patients: avoidance of all animal fats and substitution of oil; in cancer patients restriction of carbohydrates, in sarcoma patients restriction of peptones; frequent enemas and, as an antiseptic, salol, menthol, and bismuth subsalycylate. They report that they had little success with inoperable patients.

Caspari and Ottensosser13 (1932) in experiments with animals found in frequent dietary changes a functional increase of the R.E.S. — De Raadt14 (1929/30) attempted to increase the alkalosis of the tumor with acids. Fischer-Wasels followed this conception in the main. He recommended little salt, sugar and water, no fats and, to increase acidity, he gave HCl, NH4Cl. Calc. Phosphate. Both investigators recommended the diet merely as a helpful supplementary treatment.

Of the many other dietary attempts in the treatment of cancer, most of them carried out by laymen or physicians using natural remedies, the following are worth mentioning: the old Irish yeast cure and the most recent use in Switzerland of chlorophyll or spinach juice. We have observed no basic results from the much-lauded grape cure. As the best preventive diet against cancer we may mention the Hunsa’s diet of food grown by organic gardening processes.15 These people remain healthy to an advanced age and cancer is unknown among them. On the other hand, Jese P. Greenstein.16 says: “preventing cancer means preventing human beings.”

We believe that this brief survey will show how dietary treatment of malignant tumors has bogged down almost completely in the theoretical or experimental stage. Practical, systematic experiments with diseased human beings were almost always abandoned after a short time. (See the results of inquiries in Monatsschrift Fur Kebsbekampfung, 1936, No. 9 page 257.)

The fundamentals of my cancer diet are briefly:

Forbidden items: nicotine (tobacco), salt, sharp condiments, (only fresh or dried herbs are permitted), tea, coffee, cocoa, chocolate, alcohol, white sugar, white flour, candy, ice cream, cream, cake, nuts, mushrooms, soybeans and soy products, cucumbers and pumpkins, pineapples, all berries (except red currants), water to drink. Nothing canned, bottled, sulphured, frozen, smoked, salted or bleached. No fat, no oil, no salt substitutes, no bicarbonate of soda — either in food, toothpaste or mouthwash, no hair-dyeing (relapses have occurred after hair-dyeing).

Temporarily forbidden: (during the first months, especially at the beginning of the treatment): meat, fish, eggs, butter, cheese, milk.

Cooking utensils: pressure cookers may not be used, nor saucepans or other utensils of aluminum. Stainless steel, glass, enamel, earthenware, cast iron and pewter may be used. Two machines are needed for the preparation of juices: a.) a grinder, b.) a press. Machines which grand and press the food in one process are not to be used. This eliminates the customary juicers, juice mixers, centrifuges and electrical grinders and mixers which kill most of the oxidizing enzymes.

A selected number of fruits and vegetables with the highest possible K/Na quotient are given. Vegetables are cooked in their own juices without additional water. Foods should be eaten raw as much as possible, especially a mixture of grated apples and carrots, which are rich in enzymes in their natural combinations. The latter are necessary for the binding and inactivation of oxygen in the intestines. If it is not inactivated, dysbacteria follows, that is the development of the bacteria of putrefaction and fermentation.

As much fruit and vegetable juices as possible are to be taken, always freshly prepared in order to preserve enzymes and vitamins. Patients are given juices every hour, the total daily amount to equal as follows:

  • 2×200 cc fresh calf’s liver juice
  • 4×200 cc green leaf juice
  • 5×200 cc apple and carrot juice
  • 1×200 cc orange or grapefruit juice

All these juices are particularly rich in oxidizing enzymes, vitamins, hormones and important mineral combinations which the diseased organs cannot themselves manufacture for a long time. The large amount of liquid is of no importance because the detoxification process soon restores the circulatory mechanism and sufficiently regulates elimination. The importance of enemas is mentioned in the treatment book and in the preceding article.1 red., Oatmeal without milk but with brown sugar and fruit, is given for breakfast. Potatoes are given baked, mashed or as salad but without mayonnaise. Lemon or vinegar dressing only. The Hippocrates soup is given once or twice, and frequent servings of leafy salads and fruit salads or a combination of the two.

After six weeks the following additions: yoghurt or skimmed milk — one glass daily; pot cheese without salt or cream — one quarter or one half pound daily.

The result is as diet rich in potassium and the minerals of the K-group, low in sodiums and its group and rich in active vitamins, enzymes and hormones in their natural forms. At first the diet does not include animal protein, later small amounts are added, but fat and oil are kept at a minimum for a long time until recovery is complete. These restrictions are necessary primarily more to rid the damaged digestive tract of toxins, than to burden the diseased organs as little as possible. It also prepares the way for perenteral digestion of the tumor and its metastases, and later maintains the bread-down of tumor remnants, adhesions and scar masses. The digestive enzymes, pepsin, trypsin, lipase, etc. are needed for the parenteral digestion of cancer masses, and should not be used up in the ordinary digestive processes.

Medication for the first fortnight:

  • 10% Potassium compound
  • Lugols solution, half strength
  • Thyroid (Armour)
  • Niacin Crude Liver Extract, Lilly No. 352
  • injections daily (1 cc. Equals 10 units)
  • 10×4 teaspoons in juice
  • 6×3 drops in juice
  • 5×1 grain (1 grain – 1/16 gram)
  • 6×50 mg
  • 3 cc. Plus 1 cc. Vit. B-12 (30 microgr.)
  • After two weeks the following changes:
  • 10% Potassium compound
  • Lugols solution, half strength
  • Thyroid (Armour)
  • Niacin
  • Crude Liver Extract, Lilly No. 352
  • injections daily (1 cc. Equals 10 units)
  • 10×2 teaspoons in juice
  • 5×2 drops in juice
  • 5×0.5 grain (1 grain – 1/16 gram)
  • 6×50 mg. (unchanged)
  • 3 cc. Plus 1 cc. Vit. B-12 (30 microgr.) (unchanged)

Diet and medication serve the purpose of restoring potassium and the minerals of the K-group (see Rudolf Keller) to the tissues until they are completely saturated and, conversely, of reconveying sodium and its group out of the cells and into the circulatory fluids, the connective tissues and other tissues where they naturally belong. The retentive surplus of sodium must be eliminated. It is only on this basis that further recovery of the organs can take place. In another study I have indicated that cancer develops particularly in the various organs in which sodium is physiologically reabsorbed, that is to say, stored up, as for example, in the excretory ducts of the mammal gland, in the ductus Wirsungianus of the pancreas, etc. It also develops more frequently later in life when the potassium-content of the cells is gradually lost and sodium is added, thus increasing the susceptibility of the cells to cancer. On the other hand, tissues with higher potassium-content, such as the muscles, are more protected.

Oxidation can once more predominantly function in all organs and fermentation is held back. Oxidizing enzymes, vitamins and hormones are again restored to full function and come into proper circulation. Along with the metabolism, the healing mechanism is restored. This mechanism can be activated for the cure of cancer, only if the restorative and eliminative organs for toxins and waste, especially the liver and kidneys, still function adequately.

Conclusion

Human beings have brought upon themselves the disease of cancer by their ungoverned self-indulgence, their urge for luxurious living, and increasing evils of our civilization. These human weaknesses, constantly stimulated by deep-seated instincts can never be eradicated. Thus cancer will be continuous and ever increasing threat to humanity.

Only a few will submit for a sufficiently long time to moderation and restrictions, and the more natural nutritive regime of the diet therapy. Few people will turn to it as a prophylactic measure. When they are ill and have no other choice, they will submit to a more natural system of living.

This is the conclusion I have drawn from my long years of practice. Discouraging though it may be, it must not prevent doctors from continuing their efforts in the direction of research and therapy.
1.Maisin, J.: Le Cancer du goudron est — il simplement un cancer d’irritation locale? Compt. Rend. Contres du Cancer, 26, Strasbourg, 1923.
2.Fischer-Wasels, B. Munch med Wschr. 1928, 53, 106. Die physiologischen Grundlagen der allgemeinen Geschwulst-disposition. Virch. Arch. 275, 723, 1929.
3.R. Reding; Munch. Med. Wschr. 1939/41.
4.A. Slosse u R. Reding.: Bull. Acad d. sc. Belg. 7:405 (1927); Cancer Bruxelles 4, 442 (1927).
5.F.L. Hoffman: Cancer and Diet. William and Wilkins, Baltimore 1937.
6.W. Caspart: Nutrition et Cancer, Herman & Co, Paris, 1938.
7.Cornelius Nepos: vitae, Atticus, Cap. XXI, XXII.
8.A. Tannenbaum. Am. J. Cancer 38, 335 (1940), Cancer Research 2:460, 1942.
9.White, F.R. and al.: Nat. Cancer Inst. 5:43, 1944.
10.Rush, H.P. and al: Cancer Research 5:431, 1945.
11.Larsen, C.D. and W.E. Heston: J.Natl. Cancer Inst. 6:31, 1945.
12.E. Freund u. G. Kaminer: Biochemische Grundlagen der Carcinomdispositon Springer Wien 1927. Wien. Med. Wschr. 88:33:64 (1938).
13.W. Caspari u. f. Ottensooser: Zschr. F. Krebsforschung 38:351, 1932. F. Ottensooser: Am. J. Cancer 22,910, 1934.
14.D.L.E. de Raadt: Zschr. F. Krebsforsch. 30:449, 1929, 32:596, 1930.
15.Ralph Bircher: hunsa, Das Volk, das keine Krankheit kennt (1952) Verlag Hans Huber, Bern und Stuttgart — und besonders wertvoll: Werner Kollath: Die Ordnung unserer Nahrung. Hippokrates-Verlag 1952.
16.Jesse P. Greenstein: Biochemistry of Cancer, S. 373 (1947); Academic Press, Inc., New York.
17.Ganzheitsbehandlung der Geschwulsterkrankungen: Prof. Dr. Wserner Zabel, Berchtesgaden, hippokrates-Verlag 1953.

BOOK FROM 1959

Gerson Max, A Cancer Therapy, Results of Fifty Cases.

Read more about the book here at http://gerson-research.org/.

Coping With Cancer: What To Do If You Are Diagnosed With Cancer

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Hearing a diagnosis of cancer can be perceived as a death sentence. Often the doctor accompanies his verdict with a date. Fear and panic sets in. Some patients fulfill their doctor’s prophecy and die timely. Others decide their time has not come and want to live. For those who decide that life has something to offer to them, Gerson Therapy offers hope and perspective.

WHAT TO DO: First view the diagnosis as a challenge not as a sentence. Every challenge can be turned into a learning experience. Then look at every aspect of your life and see what you like and what you do not like.

LEARN ABOUT CANCER: First of all – what is the cause of cancer? Many doctors have no idea. Here is the answer: Cancer is duecause of cancer to toxicity and deficiency. And your state of mind. A weak immune system has allowed cancerous cells to proliferate. The immune system responds to emotional, mental, spiritual and physiological material.

LEARN ABOUT CANCER REVERSAL: Cancer can be reversed by working on the causes – either 1. the toxicity problem (body physiology), 2. the deficiency problem (body physiology), or 3. the mind’s emotional/mental/spiritual problem. Best of course is to work on all these areas at the same time. Sleep and rest is also an important part of healing. It is during sleep that the body detoxifies, repairs and regenerates.

LEARN ABOUT GERSON CARE AND SIMILAR ALTERNATIVE METHODS: Our Gerson strategy consists in strengthening the deficient immune system. We detoxify the body and the mind. It involves change. Change in diet, change in patterns of behavior and change in life style.

  • The nutritional program involve juicing vegetables every hour.
  • It is beneficial to have help from the family, friends, neighbors.
  • Mild exercise such as jumping on a trampoline and later on walking are helpful. Read about Max Gerson and reversing advanced cancers. Read about 3 medical doctors with cancer who refused medical care and recovered.

LEARN ABOUT MEDICAL CARE: Don’t put any medical doctor on a pedestal. Always ask for second opinions from both medical and different alternative doctors. Next read this article presented by Joseph Mercola, M.D. – quote: “This article in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is the best article I have ever seen written in the published literature documenting the tragedy of the traditional medical paradigm.”. And read this article at the same website. Go to International Natural Hygiene Society (INHS) website and read about natural hygiene and the new direction medicine started to move in the 1800′s (later thwarted by drug industry). Learn to be a little more critical.

DO YOU FEEL DEPRESSED? Are you feeling depressed or nervous? Must-do: learn Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) acutapping, a simple and powerful do-it-yourself energy method. EFT will make you feel much better in minutes, and will help you think clearly. Learn tapping for cancer at their website, here are examples of reversing: kidney cancer and uterine cancer. Get a food processor, blender or juicer – and start to either eat green blended salads or drink green juices every day. Avoid sugars, which feed cancer. E.g. eat more raw & fresh, either all-raw, or a Meditarranean-style diet, without the starches, sugars, and pasta(!). Eating better will make you feel better. Eating toxin-free will start reversing your cancer.

UNDERSTAND HOW CANCER IS HEALED AND WHY: Cancer is probably only deadly if the wrong methods are used. Since the 1st cause of cancer is toxicity, you must first go through a detoxification. Adding toxins is dangerous and must be avoided. Since the 2nd cause of cancer is deficiency, you must also eat a diet that gives all necessary nutrients. For this reason the recovery diet must be raw, it must consist of a lot of live foods. Click here for some nutritional articles.

UNDERSTAND THAT CANCER CAN BE AN OPPORTUNITY: The 3rd cause of cancer is mental, emotional & spiritual distress – e.g. deep-seated unhappiness. It is very important that a cancer diagnosis doesn’t aggravate this state of mind – instead you must be hopeful and optimistic and perhaps even see this as a fantastic chance to heal your life and body, to become happier and more fulfilled than ever before. A cancer scare can give you a really good reason to finally improve your lifestyle.

LIVE YOUR DREAMS: Many people do not get to accomplish what they really wanted to accomplish in their lives. They settle down for less than they wanted. They gave up their dreams and ideals for convenience and comfort. A part of them has died. They are grieving this part of themselves. It is essential for recovery to get in touch with this deep self and give it a chance It is never too late to fulfill your dreams, to live up to your ideals. It is never too late to change your life. I have known a person who upon hearing a diagnosis of cancer decided to go sailing around the world because that is what she always dreamt of doing. She reversed her cancer. Read this article on psychology and the fighting spirit. (Dr. Baylac has been a psychotherapist for 35+ years.)

PRAY AND MEDITATE: Prayer has been shown to be effective. To pray and to be prayed to. Meditation is another way to mobilize the spiritual energy and put it at work for healing. Next read this article on hope and spirituality. Read Create your Own Miracle. Read about meditation here. Learn and use EFT, a powerful quick-method for emotional freedom. Do laughing-yoga. Read a cancer case article in Remarkable Recoveries here. Read Eckhart Tolle’s books, view a free 15-hour online Oprah interview with him. And perhaps read Brandon Bays’ The Journey for more ideas.

ACT QUICKLY! Note: If you wait too long with the important steps of detoxification, and nutritional re-building – you can reach an advanced stage from which reversal is very difficult. Begin the detoxification process, and nutritional (raw foods) re-building process, as soon as possible! Immediately cutting down on all toxins, from all sources, is a good idea. Down to zero. Read Toxins What Are They? At our Alternative Cancer Treatment and Gerson Therapy retreat you will get help to go through with the steps above. You will get professional psychotherapy, and raw meals prepared for you every day. Gerson Therapy also involves coffee enemas.

Gerson Protocol: The Role of Protein, Carbohydrates and Fats

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What’s So Different About the Gerson Diet?

People often comment that the Gerson diet is similar to many other nutritional approaches. It may be similar, but it is not the same. The macrobiotic approach, for example, recommends cooked foods almost exclusively and is high in sodium. Another dietary approach recommends large quantities of nuts and seeds. Still another stresses the importance of pH balance in foods. The Ann Wigmore diet recommends raw foods exclusively.

my15All of these diets have their supporters, and they all have successfully treated some patients. There are many different schools of thought about how diet affects health and many different paths to wholeness. The approach you take to your own healing must be your own decision, but we encourage you to choose one approach and stick with it, adding aspects from other approaches only when they are known to be compatible. The Gerson Therapy usually is not effective if its dietary guidelines are mixed with those from other treatments. While the Gerson diet is similar to, and has served as the foundation for, many other nutritional healing programs, its guidelines activate specific biochemical processes that promote healing in a unique way.

Consistency Counts!

The foods and juices consumed on the Gerson diet constitute its primary prescription for healing, comparably to a drug in allopathic treatment. Significant deviation from the diet can be as serious for a Gerson patient as missing an insulin shot can be for a diabetic, or as missing a chemotherapy or radiation appointment can be for a cancer patient undergoing an allopathic treatment.

We have found that the best results are achieved by following these guidelines to the letter. Of course, we recognize that sometimes it will be impossible to meet all of the guidelines, whether for logistical, financial or other reasons, and many of those who must “cut corners” will still achieve optimal healing with the Gerson method. Rare, mild deviation from the therapy does not seem to affect outcomes significantly.
A patient will not fail to heal simply because he misses one glass of juice a couple of times in a month. A patient will not fail if she must make use of commercial produce occasionally, when organic produce is unavailable. A patient, will however, reduce his chances of success if he cuts too many corners. How many corners can he cut? There is no good answer to that question, because every patient, every diagnosis, responds differently to the Gerson Therapy.

On the other hand, many patients have followed the guidelines in Dr. Gerson’s book, A Cancer Therapy, without medical assistance, and have healed themselves, but the Gerson Therapy must not be considered a “paint by numbers” approach to healing. Care is optimal when individually supervised by a trained (and experienced) Gerson practitioner.

Review of the Detoxification Diet and Nutrition of the Gerson Therapy

Much of degenerative disease lies in the inability of the gastro-intestinal tract and the cells to absorb nutrients and eliminate toxicity at the cellular level. The cell needs energy for healing and regeneration and carbohydrates provide the major source of energy. Degeneration occurs if body tissues are mobilized and broken down by the gluco-corticoid hormones and if proteins and fats are used as the main energy source due to nutritional deprivation. This is equivalent to burning “dirty fuels.”

Insulin is a key factor at cell membrane level where it acts to ensure the acceptance of glucose. If this process is inefficient, blood stream levels of insulin remain raised and blood glucose fails to fall, triggering further secretion of insulin. Today there appears to be an increase in diabetes, hyperinsulinanemia and late onset diabetes in children.

The reason why the cell membrane deteriorates and is not responsive to insulin is due to the prolonged use of damaged fats, such as polyunsaturated fats and cooking oils that are rendered biologically inert and may be toxic. This, together with cholesterol and saturated fats, clog the cell membrane, inhibiting signals and transfer and disrupts the whole energy system setting off a fermentation process. The cell membrane is composed of a double layer of fatty acids with protein “gateways”. It is reliant on adequate intake of the corrects fats for membrane integrity and efficiency. A cell membrane becomes increasingly inert due to the ingestion of the incorrect types of dietary fats leading to uncontrolled inflammatory mechanisms and a diminishing response to hormone stimuli.

As healing and regeneration take place slowly, the diet must be applied rigidly over a long period of time. Within 18 months to 2 years one can notice a substantial difference as a significant amount of body tissue (cells) have been replaced and repaired. Long-term compliance and a holistic approach are vital to overcoming disease states. We need to recognize that what you eat today is your cells and tissue of tomorrow and it take a considerable period to increase the vitality and resistance of the body to overcome chronic degenerative disease.

Carbohydrates

pic4Foods such as oatmeal, potatoes, vegetables and fruit provide the chief source of clean fuel that will provide energy for a recovering patient but must be taken in larger quantities, as they are low in kilo-joules. On the Gerson Therapy the high vegetable content is taken mostly in juice form that provides sufficient energy for daily energy requirements and the higher energy demand of regeneration. When carbohydrates are oxidized they do not leave an acidic waste in the body as do protein and fats. The end products are carbon dioxide and water that promote an alkaline environment. This encourages the elimination of sodium from the tissues, reduces toxicity and acidity and enhances the passage of potassium into the cell.

It is essential that the cell respond to insulin for digestion at cell level and healing of the body. A therapy loaded with carbohydrates will promote good insulin response, however, many people with degenerative disease have degrees of carbohydrate intolerance due to their weakened digestive system. This will be evident in the gut and in other systems such as symptoms of low blood sugar (lethargy, fatigue, poor concentration, mood swings, panic attacks, hot and cold sweats, etc) and ‘fuzzy’ head after ingesting carbohydrates. Improvements from these symptoms can take days to months to occur, particularly in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. A person may feel unwell initially on this type of diet but the all important uptake of potassium will slowly improve at the cellular level.

Fats

The diet must contain no fats except for flaxseed oil. Flaxseed oil contains both fatty acids linolenic and linoleic acid, but is richer in the former omega 3 series. The biologically active, unsaturated oils belong to either the w6 series (linoleic) or w3 series (linolenic). When these molecules are transformed through heating, refining and oxidation, they lose their electrical potential, cannot be incorporated instructural lipids, and are used only as fuel.

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) will become part of the membrane of new cells and will also dislodge the cholesterol from arteries and old cell membranes causing initial rise in blood levels of cholesterol. Dr. Gerson initially eliminated all fat with cancer patients as he found that it encouraged tumor growth. Later he found that cold-pressed and organic flaxseed oil at the dose of 2 tablespoons (20 mls) daily in the first month and then reduced to 1 tablespoon was the maximum allowable.

The outer membrane of the cell and the membranes of the organelles within the cells cover a huge surface area where much of the enzyme activity, energy transfer and oxidation of the cell takes place. A healthy membrane with EFA’s present can store energy and attract oxygen into the cell. This is a crucial factor in cell metabolism, particularly to the brain, and a deficiency of EFA’s leads to oxygen starvation by the cell (Budwig 1992).

Proteins

Protein is required for growth and tissue maintenance but ingesting excess to our requirements creates acidity and strains the kidney that eventually affects the heart. The reason for this is the body does not lay down excess protein but converts it to carbohydrate or fat by the liver. The nitrogenous portion (amine) becomes urea and is eliminated by the kidneys. Urea is not only a poison, but also a diuretic, increasing calcium loss and contributing to osteoporosis. This progressive dehydration accelerates the ageing process, degeneration and our capacity for hydration. With that comes hardening which ultimately leads to decrease in functional capacity seen in wrinkled skin, brittle spinal discs, hardened arteries, brittle bones and stiff joints to name just a few.

Protein metabolism is controlled by various hormones, and after the growth hormone drops off at around age 30, high protein intake will not increase body muscle mass. Exercising increases the muscles capacity to store carbohydrates, as muscles do not use protein for energy.

Dr. Gerson found that inclusion of protein in the diet reduced sodium elimination and slowed the process of detoxification down. The more acidity you produce from a high protein intake, the greater the amount of sodium absorbed by the kidneys. He also observed that dietary protein stimulated tumor growth, but that when restricted for a short period (6-12 weeks), the immune profile changed and the white T-cell count improved. This reinforced the immune response to tumors, fungi and viruses (Gerson 1999). An adverse effect on the immune system is noted after this period so a form of soured milk product is introduced. The maximum amount allowed is 8 oz/200 g (1 cup) yogurt or 4 oz/ 100g pot cheese. Raw, soured milk products are pre-digested by the bacterial conversion of lactose to lactic acid but it is increasingly difficult to find raw skimmed milk. The pasteurization process distorts the protein and kills the natural enzymes (Fallon 1995).

Dr. Gerson used the juice of fresh, raw veal liver and patients responded very well to the therapy. Due to cross-contamination with campylobacter at abattoirs today, it is generally unsafe for immune-compromised patients to do liver juicing.

Small amounts of protein taken in its raw form may not be a burden on the system. Cooked protein, however, changes its structure from a globular to a straightened form that is not recognizable to the body’s digestive enzymes for example, the change in the white of egg. The impaired digestive system of an older or sick person will show symptoms of bloating, flatulence, heartburn, indigestion, irritable bowel syndrome and allergies. Partially broken-down proteins enter the systemic circulation as toxic and foreign, and if the liver cannot cope in mopping them up, inflammatory reactions in the tissues and joints will arise.

my16In the initial 6-12 weeks on the Gerson Therapy potatoes, oatmeal and carrots are the primary source of protein. The protein molecule is less damaged due to slow cooking of vegetables which also shortens the long carbohydrate chains and makes digestion easier, thus vegetables generally taste sweeter in their cooked state. Cooking at low temperatures also ensures maximum breakdown of indigestible fibers, maintains the integrity of the enzymes as well as the conversion of starches to easily digestible sugars.

Cooking water for food reaches a maximum of 100ºC; fried food can reach 215ºC and some processing methods such as puffed rice and cereals use high temperatures and 1500 pounds/square inch pressure. The more damaged the protein, the more toxic it becomes in the body. Recent research in Sweden revealed that starch-based foods that have been cooked or processed at high temperatures contain high levels of acrylamide, a chemical used in water and waste treatment, which is toxic and a potential carcinogen. The list of foods include puffed cereal grains, biscuits, snack foods, French fries/potato crisps and chips.

Protein is found in most foods in different quantities. The following are approximate amounts:

Meat 20%
Raw grains 12%
Raw legumes 25%
Nuts 20%
Vegetables 2%
Fruits 0.5-3%

When grains and legumes are swollen with water when cooked, the protein content is reduced by two-thirds. The average requirement of protein is 1 g per kg of body weight that is the equivalent of 200 g meat or fish and 4 slices of bread (64 grams) in a 50-70 kg person. Initially on the Gerson Therapy, the amount of protein in the diet is approximately:

*

Later on in the therapy as the juices decrease and as the digestion strengthens, other foods can be included with discretion and understanding, starting with the lowest protein foods and moving up to grains (eg., brown rice and legumes). Nuts are high in fat so are added much later and need to be soaked overnight, which enables the protein and fat to chemically combine, making the fat water-soluble and easier to digest.

Many of these products need to be pre-digested if they are to be of nutrition benefit, even to those with a strong digestion. Many traditional indigenous cultures understand the need to prepare foods to make it more digestible and ensure that the nutrients become available. Natural souring, for instance, also contributes additional enzymes from the bacteria and their action on the sugars increases their food value. Salting, pickling and chemical preservatives, processed and refined foods are not healthy options for food preservation, and although they are used by the food industry in mass production, they should be entirely avoided.

Grains, legumes, and pulses are all seeds with the potential to sprout and produce. The anti-trypsin factor inhibits this process until conditions are favorable and allows for storage for long periods. This factor will also oppose human pancreatic enzymes and interfere with digestion. This can be prevented by semi -germinating the seeds in the following way:

1. Soak grains and legumes for 12 hours in pure water.
2. Rinse, drain and leave in a glass dish at room temperature covered with a damp cloth for 12 hours.
3. In hot humid climates, rinse again – do not let seeds go moldy.
4. Cook as normal.

Another problem with legumes, grains and seeds is the amount of phytate they contain. Phytate is found in the outer covering (bran) of the seed and binds magnesium, calcium, iron and zinc, stripping it from the body. Soybeans are high in phytate. Soaking neutralizes the phytates in seeds. This apples to the soaking of oats overnight as the enzyme phytase is produced which neutralizes the phytic acid and in the leavening of bread by the natural fermentation of flour in buttermilk or yogurt (we prefer the sour dough method as yeast is not easily digested in cancer patients).

Soybeans and soy products are forbidden on the detoxification diet as phytosterols inhibit thyroid function and are high in anti-trypsin. Phytates are associated with brain atrophy (Fallon 1995).

Juicing

The detoxification therapy is predominantly and could be too much for a weakened digestion to cope with. It is not only essential that the patients ingest and digest the correct nutrients, but that they absorb them. Fresh, live juices, free of fiber, which taxes the digestive system and inhibits absorption, are taken in large volume. These are rich in enzymes (amylase, protease and lipase), which are destroyed when heated at wet temperatures higher than 45ºC/117ºF and 85ºC/150ºF with dry heat. All natural foods contain living enzymes (amylase, protease and lipase), but the fresh juices ensure absorption and do not tax the pancreas to release greater amounts of digestive enzymes. A masticating action to produce the pulp that is then pressed results in twice the nutrient value. This is vital to the weak patient who needs these enzymes to support their digestive processes otherwise gas and bloating will ensue. An inefficient juicer wastes a large quantity of the vegetables and increases costs.

In order to provide the huge amounts of nutrients required by the nutritionally depleted cancer patient for healing, a large amount of organic food needs to be consumed on a daily basis. As the digestive system is usually impaired and of small capacity, some of this is juiced to promote maximum absorption with minimum effort. The volume of produce consumed daily amounts to about 20 lbs.

Bloating has been attributed to food combining, however it is essential on the Gerson Therapy to pulp the apples and vegetables together. The malic acid from apples enhances the uptake of nutrients from the vegetables. Apples are cored but not peeled, as the enzyme inhibitor in seeds impedes digestion. Pectin, which is high in green apples, stimulates the immune system. Organic food has significantly higher nutritional values and is chemically non-toxic.

Juices: 20 kg carrots
21 kg apples (cooking)
30 lettuces
4 bunches Swiss Chard
9 green pepper / capsicum

Food: 10 kg potatoes Soup ingredients
Fruit Soured milk products at 6-8 wks.
Rye sour dough bread 4 kg onions
5 kg tomatoes Oatmeal
Vegetable and salad ingredients (a wide variety ensures adequate intake of essential and trace nutrients).

Food Preparation

my7Cooking methods and enzyme supplements increase the complete digestion of starches and sugars, and ensure maximum absorption for the cancer patient. Undigested sugars will start to ferment and cause gas and bloating. The best way to prepare vegetables is to cook them slowly for 1 1/2 to 2 hours without water. This preserves the natural flavor and keeps them easily digestible. The cells burst, lose their minerals and go out of their colloidal or ‘gluey’ state and become difficult to absorb when cooked at high temperatures. To prevent burning, place a stainless steel heat diffuser plate under the sauce pan. Soup stock may be added (Hippocrates), or else sliced tomatoes, onions, leaks or apples added to give more fluid and improve the taste. Spinach water is too bitter for use and contains too much oxalic acid.

Vegetables are washed and scrubbed but not peeled or scraped. The reason for this is that important salts and minerals are deposited directly under the skin. Beetroots and potatoes are cooked in their skins (jackets) and with water. The soft bulk of cooked vegetables counteracts the effects of all the juices and raw salads, and provides plenty of nutrients. Cooked fruits and vegetables may be kept in a refrigerator overnight and warmed slowly with a little soup or tomato juice. Use grated, peeled or shredded food as soon as possible as it deteriorates rapidly, as do the green juices.

Baked vegetables are cooked slowly in a moderate oven (Gas 4, Electric 180ºC/350ºF) for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, in a covered casserole with a tightly fitting lid. Stewed vegetables are cooked in a heavy pot, preferably waterless, with a tight fitting lid, over a low heat. Simmered vegetables may be cooked with a small amount of liquid over a low heat. Boiled vegetables (sweetcorn, beetroot, artichoke) are placed in 1 inch of water, brought to the boil and then the heat lowered as much as possible, just keeping the liquid boiling.

It is not advisable to make casseroles too often as the dishes all taste the same. To stimulate appetite a variety of taste, color and consistency is important. Use only stainless steel, glass, pyrex, enamel, earthenware, cast iron and tinware cooking utensils. Do not use aluminium, Teflon or copper, pressure cookers, steam cookers or microwaves. Radiation and microwaves change the composition of food, making it difficult to assimilate and affection the immune system.

Patients who cannot chew and benefit from the digestive juices in the mouth do not do very well. The Hippocrates soup is passed through a food mill to break down any fibres and make the food more digestible. This may be kept in the refrigerator for 2 days and retains nutrient, if not enzyme, value. Any cooked vegetable could be prepared in mashed form for the very ill patient.

Also read about what to do, what steps to take if you have cancer.