Positive Health Online

As somebody who has been following the Gerson Therapy for 16 months now, I was excited at the prospect of getting my hands on this book as there is very little literature on the subject available. However, having read it, I'm not entirely sure what this book is trying to be. The author's disclaimer at the front clearly states that it is "providing educational material and nothing more" yet the preface begins with "This book offers readers a documented means for reversing the pathology of nearly any illness whether acute or chronic."

It is neither a comprehensive practical manual nor a fully referenced scientific account. It includes a brief biography of Max Gerson, but makes no attempt to compare this regime with other nutritional therapies available or explain in what way it might be unique or better. Consequently, if read in isolation, it would not help you to make an informed choice as to whether to try this therapy instead of any other.

Neither does it, in my view, give a clear overall picture of the reality of daily life whilst following this very full time therapy i.e. over sixty hours per week in the kitchen preparing meals, soups and juices, four hourly enemas lasting some forty five minutes and so on. Interestingly, there is an example of an average patient's daily schedule in Max Gerson's original book (plus other Gerson publications) which I think is still representative. I wondered if it had not been included in this latest book for fear of scaring potential patients off!

The book is divided into four parts. Part One: 'How the Gerson Therapy Works' introduces the notion that nutrition can play a part in causing so-called remission by rebalancing your body's chemistry and strengthening its immune system. This section includes a brief biography of Max Gerson.

The second part of the book, 'The Gerson Therapy in Action' focuses on the success of the therapy in curing melanoma and a range of other diseases, covers the foods, juices and supplements integral to the diet and explains why the coffee enemas work and how to administer them.

Part Three covers modifications of the regime required for those who have had chemotherapy, or are severely weakened, or do not have cancer. The final section of the book addresses psychological approaches beneficial to patients, explains the common laboratory tests used by practitioners and sets out a number of success stories by patients as well as providing many recipes. There are five appendices covering finances and contact information, dietary preparation, resources, support groups, and an explanation of how dental amalgam fillings can cause disease and hinder recovery.

The book presents the science of how the Gerson Therapy works in clearly understandable explanations making this book much more readable that Max Gerson's original publication. However the claim that the book offers 'a great deal of additional information' compared to the original text is not, I think, particularly apparent. It does discuss the range of different diseases which the therapy can cure and I found the information about the laboratory tests useful, as I am currently on the therapy. However, these tests are not exclusive to patients using this regime and neither are the psychological strategies presented. There is a list of foods most commonly consumed and avoided by cancer survivors which makes particularly interesting reading, but I longed for some comment on what a patient could expect in terms of cure or improved prognosis, whether to expect immediate remission or initial recurrence, how you would know when to ease off the therapy. I suppose these are all the questions that one is consumed by when doing the therapy day after day, and I didn't feel there was enough reference to or discussion of these clinical issues.

Indeed, it is easy to be confused having read this book because the organisational layout detracts sometimes from the content. The order of the chapters did not seem to me to flow logically such as when, having begun to read about how nutrition can heal, you suddenly change tack to visit a biography of Gerson.

In addition, the information provided is sometimes repeated almost, if not entirely, word for word at different points throughout the book, such as with the foods on the diet plan and why they are chosen. It reads very much as a cut and paste book inconsistent in depth e.g. going into great detail as to how to take coffee enemas (as if by way of a stand-alone manual) whilst not giving anything like the same level of treatment to the self-administering of the daily injections.

The titles of the chapters are not always indicative of their content e.g. 'How to Follow the Gerson Therapy on Your Own' begins with three pages relating the common characteristics of cancer survivors in general, followed by a mere three paragraphs under the heading "an introduction to self-administering the Gerson therapy at home". These paragraphs in fact tell you nothing about how to practically administer any aspect of the therapy and then you move straight on to "adjunctive therapies that fit with the Gerson procedure" after which the chapter abruptly ends.

On a more positive note, the 'success stories' related by Gerson patients are both extremely moving and heart warming and in stark contrast to the mood of doom and gloom I have often found in the world of conventional cancer treatment. You can never read too many of these! In particular, I found "Sandra's suggestions for a successful Gerson Therapy" to be excellent practical tips for patients.

The book is clearly written by a daughter bursting with enthusiasm and passion for the incredible discoveries and achievements of her father. Through a number of case histories and moving personal accounts it inspires hope and sends a very positive message about the therapeutic power of the regime to save lives.

This book can be ordered from the Positive Health bookstore. Please click the Bookshop image at the top of the column to your right, then click on Cancer.

To purchase this book please contact Stephen Richards at the Gerson Support Group Tel: 01525 875 739; E: stephen@healingnaturally.co.uk