Dr. Max Gerson developed a diet in the 1920s and began publicizing it in the 1930s. The diet was meant to be a natural therapy that would help people recover from cancer, as well as heart disease, diabetes and even arthritis. Dr. Gerson came to the aid of the wife of Dr. Albert Schweitzer, and she responded to his plan. Even though Dr. Schweitzer helped make the Gerson therapy diet well-known, you should not make major nutritional changes without your doctor's knowledge.
Food Plan
The Gerson therapy plan is a combination of diet and detoxification. The diet is made up largely of fruit and vegetable juices, all freshly made with a juicer, vegetable soup and supplements for potassium and iodine. The body is detoxified using coffee enemas, which Dr. Gerson believed would be absorbed quickly through the lower bowel and then stimulate the liver to produce natural immune factors.
Theory
Barrie R. Cassileth, PhD, of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, explained in her article "Gerson Regimen" that the theory behind the doctor's diet is that cancer is caused by the altering of cell metabolism by processed food and toxic substances in the environment. The sodium and potassium supplements were to correct what he believed to be an imbalance of electrolytes, therefore repairing tissue and detoxifying the liver. Coffee enemas are supposed to further eliminate toxins through the colon.
The Institute
Dr. Max Gerson died in 1939, but his daughter Charlotte founded the Gerson Institute in 1977 to continue her father's principles. The institute trains health professionals in the diet principles Gerson believed in. It works with doctors and caregivers who practice natural therapy.
Considerations
Dr. Cassileth noted that the theories of Gerson have not been substantiated in scientific research. This was also supported in the article "Questionable Methods of Cancer Management." While the author did feel that diet restrictions can be helpful in some cancers, he did not see any scientific evidence that a strict diet regimen could act as a primary cancer treatment.
Warning
The Gerson Therapy Diet has not been approved by the medical community as a cure for cancer or any other ailments. While nutritional changes may be beneficial with certain diseases, you should never eliminate medication or treatment without the knowledge and approval of your physician.
