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My Cancer, by Leroy Sievers

Another Great Cancer Blog

Cancer Made Me a Shallower Person

Mom's Cancer

Mom's Cancer blog.

I just found out about this comic, which unfortunately is no longer available online. However, here's the artist's blog, and I'm going to buy the book ASAP. It looks great.

Decoctions, tinctures, teas and more

A decoction is the term used for herbs that have been simmered in water. This is the best method for drawing the healing elements from tough plant parts such as bark roots, stems and heavy leaves. (This is how essiac is "brewed.")

Read more: Herbal preparations: A guide to tinctures, teas and so forth to soothe what ails you

Eat Your Veggies (part 2)

Eating plenty of leafy greens, broccoli and Brussels sprouts may help ward off the blood cancer non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, research findings suggest.

In particular, leafy greens like spinach and kale, and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, Brussels sprouts and cauliflower, seemed to be protective.

More on Essiac

The "Truth" About Essiac

author unknown, modified by L. Drake

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The early essiac formula consisted of four herbs: Burdock Root , Turkey Rhubarb, Sheep Sorrel, and Slippery Elm. Dr. Brusch and Rene Caisse, after clinical trials, added Red Clover, Kelp, Blessed Thistle, and Watercress.

According to herbalist Barbara Mowbray, burdock root has been used for centuries. Eaten as spring greens it stimulates production of bile and helps liver function. As a first year root, dug in autumn, it is used as a blood purifier. It has renown for reducing the pain and swelling of arthritis. An extract of the root contains inulin (which, despite the similar sounding name, is not related to insulin.) There are many other qualities, but perhaps most germane is its reputation for tumor regression long used in macriobiotic diets. This perhaps points to the remarkable results cancer sufferers find when using essiac.

Turkey Rhubarb, used as stems, now find its way in puddings and pies. The root stock is both laxative and astringent, depending upon the dose. It is effective for diarrhea and known to work in removing debris and cleansing for the bowels. In Chinese medicine, it is used to treat fevers and has been used to treat chronic liver problems (liver toxicity is often found in cancer patients.)

Sheep Sorrel has been used to treat scurvy, strengthen the heart and cool the liver. The fresh leaves contain a number of acids, which makes them a delicacy in fresh salads. Sheep sorrel is respected as a diuretic and a treatment for blood disorders, including assisting with skin problems. A decoction can be used internally or externally. Rene Caisse, in her fifty years of working with cancer patients, believed it to be effective in breaking down tumors as well as alleviating degenerative diseases.

Slippery Elm (or the inner bark thereof) is used to heal wounds and is known for its blanketing effect on the mucous membranes of the digestive system. It is soothing for sore throats, and coats the intestinal tract, producing speculation that its role in the essiac formula is to protect, when toxins are released. It is nutritive as well, used by Native Americans for food when none other was available. Slippery elm is one of the world's best known herbal remedies. The principle component of slippery elm bark is mucilage. Mucilage is a naturally formed viscous or sticky fiber which consists of gum dissolved in the juices of a plant. The mucilage in slippery elm bark is similar to that found in flax seed.

Slippery elm is one of nature's miracle cleansers. Its sticky substance seems to dissolve mucous that has been deposited in organ tissue, lymph glands, and nerve channels. Its lubricating action protects and softens all the membrane linings of the body, especially damaged and inflamed areas. It buffers the effects of increased discharge of urine through the urinary tract. Slippery elm bark's sticky quality also lubricates the bones and joints, gathers up dissolved toxic waste material from all areas in the body including the bowel and then helps to discharge them. As the mucilaginous material passes through the alimentary canal, it coats the organs over which it flows with a sticky film. This action reduces irritation, reduces sensitivity to acids and bitters, and most importantly slows down the entry of harmful chemicals. Slippery elm can help reduce the pain of ulcers and eventually heal them by restoring normal mucous coating to irritated tissues.

When applied externally, slippery elm bark has been shown to have extraordinary healing properties as well. The mucilage penetrates wounds and covers them. Impurities are drawn out of abrasions, abscesses or ulcers. Slippery elm bark reportedly has the ability to grow new cells to repair tissues. The new cells form fresh skin which readily forms over sores and quickens the healing process.

It has been reported that tumors are reduced in female organs when a suppository made with water and a powder made from slippery elm bark is used. Inflammation of the vagina and uterus have been relieved with a douche containing a decoction of the bark. Slippery elm bark also produces an antibiotic and antimicrobial effect.

During the clinical trials of essiac conducted by Resperin in 1978, Ed Zalesky, who was 63, had been diagnosed with cancer of the small intestine. Four feet of "gut" had been taken out but cancer was still left. "They said I had six months without radiation and two years with radiation.'' He is now (1993) running the Canadian Museum of Flight seven days a week.

Essiac began decades ago when a Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse, received a herbal recipe from an elderly female patient, who was in an Ontario hospital where Rene was the head nurse. The recipe she received contained 8 herbs, reportedly given to the woman years before by an Ojibwa medicine man. The man offered his help because he knew the woman was suffering greatly from breast cancer. The patient recovered from her cancer and saw no return during the span of the next 30 years. In 1922, she gave Rene the recipe in response to Rene's request that it may possibly help others.

Rene used this recipe two years later on her aunt, who was terminally ill with stomach and liver cancer. Her aunt recovered and lived another 21 years, eventually dying of old age. Rene and her aunt's doctor began experimenting with the herbal tea, and research began on mice. The doctor, Dr. R. O. Fisher, began using essiac on his terminally ill patients, and some improved greatly.

Rene and the doctor began to vary the formula. They injected one herb (Sheep Sorrel) and administered the others orally in liquid form. Obviously, the Ojibwe medicine man and his people had never injected it; they simply made a tea, but researchers want to examine things to find out what makes them "tick", and so Rene became a researcher.

Only one herb could be injected, and only into the muscle. It was painful for many very sick people, and many, very emaciated, hardly had any muscles for the injections. This method was used for some years and there were known successes about which stories were written. There were failures too, as many sufferers were so far gone, they had little time left. In others, the disease had damaged vital organs beyond repair.

The formula used varied slightly over the years from the original that the woman received from the medicine man in 1892. This change happened as patients were monitored and results were compared. In 1959, Rene Caisse went to the Brusch Medical Clinic in Cambridge, Massachusetts to join Dr. Charles Armao Brusch, MD, (private physician to President John F Kennedy). She became partners with Dr. Brusch, with the intent of forming the "Rene Caisse Cancer Research Foundation", a charitable foundation, whose purpose was the utilization of this treatment for cancer in humans. They stayed partners, co-developers and co-owners until Rene's death in 1978 at the age of 91. The essiac formula, as used at that time, was still partly injected, with the rest of the herbs taken orally.

Dr. Brusch, a medical doctor of noted background, had developed an interest in other natural forms of healing; the objective always the "well-being" of the patient. He had set up the first acupuncture clinic to collect research data, and it was operating in his medical clinic when Rene Caisse arrived in 1959. He was the first doctor in the Western hemisphere to initiate a plan similar to Medicare within his clinic for those without money for medical help. He was extremely interested in herbs and their power to heal, which he learned from a long-time friend, a master herbalist from Lathrop, Missouri.

Dr Brusch was not impressed with the injection as it was being used at the time, and further research began. Experiments were done with injectable solutions, each vial containing a different herb in the formula. They failed to isolate a single outstanding herb. Reactions and results were not so good, so the injections were stopped and the medication returned to a larger oral medication. It was proven that best results were obtained by the combination of the proper active herbs, and not in just one of the herbs. A double blind study was done in which other herbal formulas were used, all of which proved to be inferior.

Some of the positive results obtained were: cessation of pain, increased appetite (emaciated patients gained weight), improved sleep, feeling of well-being, energy, a noted decrease in depression, anxiety and fear, and a prolonging of life and a decrease of nodular masses. Dr Brusch felt that the herbal tea identified the toxins, gathered them, broke them down, and discharged them.

Through the years some essiac testing was done at noted facilities such as Sloan Kettering, Northwestern University, and Christie Street Hospital in Toronto, as well as many others. However, as Rene Caisse would never reveal the full formula, conclusive results remained incomplete. In 1975 she only passed the injectable herb over to Sloan-Kettering to test. They commenced to freeze it - the ONE thing you cannot do with these herbs - and rendered it useless to test. Rene withdrew it immediately from them with disdain.

In 1977, following a lengthy and in-depth article in a national Canadian magazine "Homemaker's", a retired chemist (David Fingard) was shown the article, and was fascinated by reading that Nurse Caisse had never given the formula to anyone (other than her partner with whom she worked). He determined that he would go and see her and talk her into releasing the formula to him. He had never heard of the woman before, even though she lived and worked in the same province, and many stories had been written about her.

Gradually the chemist increased his proposals to Rene, for she kept turning him down. She had already had at least eight large offers over the years to disclose the formula, but always declined, because she believed it would exploited. Finally, Fingard told both Rene Caisse and Dr. Brusch that he was going to be financially funded by a large Canadian mining corporation, and that he would open five clinics across the country to treat terminally ill cancer patients free of charge, if they would only release the formula to him. Rene and Dr. Brusch felt that perhaps this was the last chance to get the herbal tea "out" to the people who needed it the most - the terminal, the hopeless!

When a contract was drawn up on Oct 26th, 1977, there was very little in it for Rene, who had given 56 years of her life to this herbal tea. Dr. Brusch, who was to share any royalty with Rene, withdrew in this capacity and became only a witness to the signing of the contract. Rene reluctantly passed over a four herb formula that day in 1977, as she already had great doubts about what she had been told. Her doubts proved to be true when nothing seemed to be happening and no clinics were ever opened. To this day no royalty has ever been paid from this contract to the "Rene Caisse Estate". She gave it away FREE for 56 years, and has been cheated ever since. THIS CONTRACT WAS MATERIALLY BREACHED.

In 1978, nurse Caisse signed over the rights to her essiac formula, before she died at the age of 90, to the Resperin Corp. and Dr. Brusch. Brusch claimed to have cured himself of cancer of the lower bowel with essiac treatments.

In 1978 Rene Caisse died. Her "hey-day" was from 1924 to 1942, after which she closed her cancer clinic, which she had operated for 8 years in Bracebridge, Ontario. At that time, the medical powers-that-be formed a "Cancer Commission" which had the power to decree what could be used to treat cancer. Rene feared being charged, even though all around her, including many medical doctors, were completely aware of her outstanding successes. Dr Brusch continued to work with the formula they had developed and many of his patients were the beneficiaries.

In 1984, Dr Brusch was interviewed by a long-time radio producer and broadcaster, Elaine Alexander, who broadcast out of Vancouver, Canada. This woman, as the producer of a highly listened to radio "talk" show, produced a few programs on this herbal tea in the mid '70's, and had researched it in-depth for many years. In 1984, as a broadcaster, she introduced a new program called "Stayin' Alive". This show was a health-oriented show concerned with informing the listeners of the best in alternate and more natural ways of restoring health. On this show she again reported on this famous though underrated story.

The listener response was massive and seven 2-hour programs were produced covering the herbal tea in every aspect. Dr. Brusch was interviewed a number of times, as were others of importance to the story. Elaine and Dr. Brusch became friends. He was impressed by her long research of the subject, and her genuine interest. In 1988 they became partners legally and he passed to her a number of the herbal formulas on which he and Rene worked at his clinic during the time they were partners and co-owners.

Much mis-information is being written about this old story, and errors are being perpetuated by those fascinated by the history, but lacking in knowledge of the FACTS. Included in this mis-information is a WIDELY DISTRIBUTED INTERVIEW WITH A FORMER CHIROPRACTOR, Gary Glum. He was interviewed by an Elizabeth Robinson in the "Wildfire" magazine out of Spokane, Washington, VOL 6 NO 1, 1992. In this interview Mr Glum states, in speaking of a friend of Rene Caisse's, Mary McPherson:

GLUM: "Mary worked with Rene, beginning in the 1930's, and she had in her possession all the documents that had to do with Essiac over lhe last 40 years that Rene had administered it. All the documents Rene had were destroyed by the Canadian Ministry of Health and Welfare at the time of her death in 1978. They burned all the information in fifty-five gallon drums behind her home."

FALSE

FACT: The retired chemist, David Fingard, took all the documents of any value that he required in Oct 1977, when Rene Caisse and Dr Brusch agreed to pass over a four herb formula to him. They believed this man when he claimed he was funded by a leading Canadian mining corporation. This proved to be a complete exaggeration. The documents that were still in Mary McPherson's possession, were ones NO ONE WANTED. All the good stuff was taken. Glum ended up with the residue, which he presented as all the "important documents".

Interviewer: "You mention that the Brusch Clinic in Massachusetts worked with Rene Caisse and with Essiac during the early 1960's. Is this clinic still doing research with Essiac?"

GLUM: "Dr. Brusch presented his findings after ten years of research. He had come to the conclusion that, in his own words: "Essiac is a cure for cancer, period." Whereupon the federal government issued a gag order and said: "You've got one of two choices, either you keep quiet about this or we'll haul you off to military prison, and you'll never be heard of again. So we never heard another word out of him!"

FALSE

FACT: Dr. Charles A Brusch, MD, was NEVER threatened by anyone and he NEVER kept QUIET about it as evidenced by his appearance on Elaine Alexander's radio program in 1984, '85 and '86, strongly stating the case for all to hear. These shows were heard BEFORE Glum came upon this Canadian story and produced a book in 1988.

FACT: Dr Brusch was so ANGRY upon reading this article, and the MANY FALSEHOODS contained within it, and also with the fact that the INTERVIEWER HAD NOT CHECKED WITH HIM. He published a NOTARIZED letter, publicly stating his feelings about this kind of fabrication, (and about it being re-copied and spread around) in "Country Health" a national Canadian health magazine, Vol 11, NO 1 WINTER 1993.

GLUM: "The Sheep sorrel is the herbal ingredient in Essiac that was found to be responsible for the destruction of cancer cells in the body. That research was done by Dr. Chester Stock at Sloan-Kettering in New York. They gathered that information, then withheld it from the general public, and gave it to the Canadian Ministry of Health & Welfare. The Canadian government then immediately banned that herb from sale and distribution."

FALSE

FACT: Sheep Sorrel (rumex acetosella) has NEVER been BANNED in Canada, and is NOT NOW.

Interviewer: "What about the records of the Brusch Clinic?"

GLUM: "All that material has been destroyed also."

FALSE

FACT: Dr. Charles Brusch turned all material over to his partner, Elaine Alexander.

GLUM: "So I went to Dr. Brusch's home in Cambridge Mass, where upon he delivered to me the only material he had left in his files on Essiac"

FALSE

FACT: Dr. Brusch gave Glum a few pieces of no importance, and a few documents on his own case. Why would Dr. Brusch empty his files of the years of his work, and give this to a complete stranger coming to his door?

GLUM: "Previous to my book (1988), none of this information was available to the general public at all. The public had no information outside of a few assorted articles."

FALSE

FACT: INNUMERABLE interviews and articles about essiac had long been reported since the early 1930's, when the first major story was published in the "Toronto Star". Then radio, TV and a video documented what was happening over the following years. Elaine Alexander produced a few radio shows on this in the mid '70's and later interviewed many principals involved in 1984, '85, '86. Glum's book was not published until 1988.

GLUM: "I also worked with the AIDS project in Los Angeles through their Long Beach and San Pedro districts. They sent 179 patients home to die. The project gave me five of these patients. I took them off the AZT and the DDI and put them on Essiac three times a day. Those are the only people alive today. The other 174 are dead."

FALSE

FACT: APLA (Aids Project Los Angeles) does NOT provide MEDICAL SERVICES. There are NO Long Beach or Sand Pedro districts. APLA does NOT give clients to researchers for clinical trials. APLA is a COMMUNITY BASED AIDS service organization, which only provides SOCIAL SERVICES and EDUCATION. The study Glum cites in many articles NEVER OCCURRED.

For those who want to know more about Essiac, there is a book on the marketplace called "The Essiac Report". Written by Richard Thomas, it was published in Dec 1993, by ATIN (the Alternative Treatment Information Network), Los Angeles. This book covers the history of Essiac from 1892 to the present, with much documentation, pictures, testimonials, and pertinent information as to usage.

Good Eggs

Eggs have long been demonized as being bad for the heart. Yet new research suggests that this is not only untrue, but that eggs could even be considered a 'superfood'.

Eggs could actually protect against heart disease, breast cancer and eye problems and even help you to lose weight.

Read more here...

Cancer in Pets

What is cancer in pets?

Cancer in pets is the process where normal cells in the body undergo uncontrolled growth and become abnormal, just like in humans. Cancer in pets may occur in any bodily organ and can travel from one part of the body to another distant part by the blood or lymph systems. There are more than 100 different types of cancer, each of which can be grouped into one of six major categories:

Sarcomas: Cancer that begins in tissue that connects, supports or surrounds other tissues and organs (such as muscle, bone and fibrous tissue).

Carcinomas: Cancer cells that originate in tissues that cover a body surface, line a body cavity or make up an organ.

Lymphomas: Cancer that occurs in cells that make up an important component of the immune system and protect the body's cells.

Leukemias: Cancer that occurs in the blood-forming tissues and blood cells.

Skin cancers: Cancer that originates in the skin cells; the most common in dogs being mast cell tumor.

Brain tumors: Cancer that originates in the brain cells.

Symptoms to look for

Nobody knows exactly what causes cancer in cats and dogs but a number of risk factors have been identified including stress, pollution, additives and preservatives, an inadequate diet, viruses, genetic components, etc. Cancer in pets is basically the same as in any other animal, including humans.

When cancer in pets is diagnosed, a natural and common reaction is ‘What have I done wrong?' or ‘What could I have done to have prevented this from happening?' While these are entirely natural responses when we first learn that a pet has cancer, it is important to remember that in the vast majority of cases we don't know what will have lead to the development of the cancer, and therefore it would have been impossible to prevent.

Finding out that your pet has cancer is devastating. When you hear the word "malignant," it's hard to focus on anything but what it may mean for your pet. What are the treatment options? What will work? How will having cancer affect your pet’s quality of life? But before you fall apart with grief, first get pro-active. You need to find out as much as possible about your pet's condition so that you can provide him with optimum care.

Find out what type of treatments are available and consider which would be suitable for your pet's condition. In addition to conventional treatments (which are often effective although extremely harsh) there are a number of alternative treatments which have proved extremely helpful in treating cancer in pets, including our essiac tea.

All may be used on their own, or in conjunction with conventional cancer treatments as supportive therapy. Many holistic vets are increasingly aware of the benefits that natural remedies and complementary therapies can offer in the total treatment program.

The importance of boosting your pet's compromised immune system is also being recognized as essential in slowing down the spread of cancer cells to the surrounding tissue. Essiac tea is believed to help support your pet's immune system.

Your aim is to keep your pet as comfortable as possible by minimizing any pain and providing him with the best possible care. While pets are very similar biologically to humans, the chance for their surviving decades is very slim. Therapies are then directed at preserving the pet's quality of life; and tumor control, or remission, is the aim rather than cure at any cost.

How is my pet likely to respond to treatment for cancer?

For cancer in dogs and cats, expected remission times and life span, or "prognosis", is highly subjective and depends on a number of factors, the most important of which is the type of cancer diagnosed. Other factors that may influence your pet’s prognosis include:

1. The stage of the disease, which reflects the number, location, and size of tumor cells in the body.

2. Whether your pet is feeling sick or not. Loss of appetite is one of the most important symptoms.

3. The pet’s response to therapy.

4. The treatment chosen and the care given by the owner (and veterinarian).

It is difficult at this time in veterinary medicine to accurately predict the prognosis for a given individual pet because not enough is known about the specific way the above factors influence prognosis for the wide variety of cancers that occur.

In general, pets that are not feeling sick and are diagnosed early in the course of their cancers have a better chance of remission with treatment. Untreated pets with malignant cancer often live 2 months or less, but this varies greatly depending on the type of tumor. Lymphoma and osteosarcoma (bone cancer) are two common cancers in dogs. Cats often suffer from lung or liver cancer. With therapy, many dogs with cancer live 9 months to a year. Therefore, a reasonable goal is a one-year survival. Sometimes the pet will live much longer, up to two and a half years or more. Some animals are truly cured of cancer, but this depends greatly on the tumor type.

It is important to recognize that although cancer is a rarely curable disease, your pet can be treated in such a way that a high quality of life is achieved following diagnosis. Remember that one of the most important factors influencing your pet’s quality of life and remission time is your interest in and dedication to their treatment.

Looking for your essiac experiences

If you've taken essiac in the past, we're looking for your positive experiences with it. Please email us with your testimonials, and we'll add them to our website (with your permission.) Or, you can just post your comments below. Thanks!

Skin Cancer Facts

Here are some scary statistics on skin cancer: It is the #1 most common form of cancer in the United States and is diagnosed more regularly than all other cancers COMBINED. Now the other scary part – skin cancer is very preventable, but many of us are, in essence, inviting it into our bodies with unsafe sun exposure and tanning.

Read more here...

Modern Medicine Still Powerless?

The medical community has gained a better understanding of cancer after a half-century of enormous investments and research, but the disease is still winning the battle.

The cancer mortality rate has barely changed in this century compared to 50 years ago, while the death rates of cardiac, cerebrovascular and infectious diseases have declined by about two-thirds.

Read more here...

Are You a Flexitarian?

Flexitarians are those who occasionally eat animal products, but overall consume approximately 80% of their calories from plant sources. The remaining 20% of the flexitarian diet consists of lean animal proteins such as chicken breast, turkey and fish. Scientific studies have shown that vegetarians and flexitarians have lower rates of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and some cancers.

Read more here...

What is Complementary and Alternative Medicine?

Complementary and alternative medicine is a group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine.While some scientific evidence exists regarding some CAM therapies, for most there are key questions that are yet to be answered through well-designed scientific studies--questions such as whether these therapies are safe and whether they work for the diseases or medical conditions for which they are used.

Read more here...

Folic Acid & Throat Cancer

The B vitamin folic acid, also called folate, is being studied as an anticancer agent to help prevent cancer of the larynx.

Read more here...

Diabetes Humor

There's nothing funny about having and living with diabetes, of course.

Laughter is good medicine, though. And they say that we often laugh to deflect and/or deal with pain.

Read more here...

Beer ingredient may help prevent prostate cancer

A main ingredient in beer may help prevent prostate cancer and enlargement, according to a new study.

Oregon State University researchers say the compound xanthohumol, found in hops, inhibits a specific protein in the cells along the surface of the prostate gland.

Read more here...

FDA Approves Cancer Vaccine

Gardasil, a vaccine against the virus that causes most cervical cancers, won FDA approval today.

The vaccine protects against infection from four strains of the human papilloma virus, or HPV. Two of these strains, HPV-16 and HPV-18, account for about 70% of cervical cancers.

Read more here...

essiac tea herbal remedies prices

(Click here if you want to go straight to our ordering page)

Happy Graduation, Carissa

Like many high school seniors, Carissa Pastore is eager to get on with her life.

But unlike most of her classmates at Central High School, she hasn't been thinking much about graduation lately. For Pastore, the greatest accomplishment is still being alive.

"I'm not proud of just doing schoolwork," Pastore said. "I'm proud of learning about my disease and trying to help myself."

Read more here...

How Singing Improves Your Health

If you ever have the desire to break out into song -- in the shower, in the car, maybe at your neighbor's infamous karaoke night -- you should embrace it whole-heartedly. This ancient art not only feels good, it can enhance your well-being, reduce your feelings of pain and even prolong your life.
Read more here...

Alternative is catching on...

Frustrated by the system, many have been bypassing the doctor’s office for wellness spas and holistic centers.

“People just aren’t getting what they need from their primary and secondary care physicians,” Platkin says from his office in New York. “But, at ... a reflexology appointment, you’ll get a full hour with a professional who will try to treat you the best way they can.”

Read more here...

Older Prostate Cancer Patients May Not Benefit from Aggressive Treatment

According to the results of a study published in The American Journal of Medicine, aggressive treatment of prostate cancer in men aged 75 or older was linked with worse quality of life and only a small survival benefit.

Current treatment options for prostate cancer include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormonal therapy, or watchful waiting.

Read more here...

Please leave this young man alone!

Starchild Abraham Cherrix said no.

No stabbing. No poisoning. No burning.

Enough.

But for refusing what amounts to Geneva Convention-levels of torture, Abraham, a 15-year-old Chincoteague resident with Hodgkin's disease, may be yanked from his family.

They've been accused of parental neglect for allowing him to pursue alternative cancer treatments at a Mexican clinic instead of returning to the hell that is chemotherapy.

Read more here...

UPDATE:

ACCOMAC, Va. (AP) - A judge agreed to let a 15-year-old cancer patient return to a Mexican clinic to continue an alternative medical treatment, as long as he has a diagnostic X-ray first.

Abraham Cherrix, who has Hodgkin's disease, also was ordered to return to court June 29 for a hearing to determine whether he can make his own medical decisions.

Stay tuned...

Futile Cancer Treatments on the Rise

Doctors are reporting a disturbing rise in the number of cancer patients getting chemo and other aggressive but futile treatment in the last days of their lives.

Critics of the practice say doctors should be concentrating instead on helping these patients die with dignity and in comfort, perhaps in a hospice.

Read more here...

The Taste of Essiac

Recently some of the batches of essiac tea we've been sending have been more bitter than what you may be used to. Some other companies change the ratios of herbs or add sweeteners to their tea to help improve the taste and theoretically sell more of their essiac. We refuse to do this, as we believe it may compromise the integrity of the essiac to alter it in any way.

If you wish, you may add your own honey, stevia, or unsweetened fruit or vegetable juice to your essiac to help improve the taste, but we want to let you add any of these ingredients yourself, rather than have us add it ahead of time. Not everyone wants something added to their essiac. To the best of our knowledge these natural additives don't affect the essiac. However, be aware that almost all clinical trials were done on the straight, unadulterated brew.

Another reason your essiac order might be more bitter than you are used to is simple: the fresher the herbs are, the stronger they taste. Our essiac is some of the freshest available. This is a good thing for you, because your product is fresher, lasts longer, and we believe it is more effective. However, it may sometimes make for a more bitter tea.

The herbs we use to make your essiac are natural and unadulterated -- organically grown -- so taste and color may vary slightly from batch to batch. Please keep in mind that the ratio of herbs in the formula always remains consistent throughout our product.

We suggest that you consume your brewed essiac as quickly as possible without trying to taste it. Most often the taste is described as "earthy," and some folks actually enjoy the taste! Whatever the case, make sure you remember to dose with our essiac every day, for your good health.

Spring Clean Your Colon!

Every spring, for the past four years, Pennie Salcido gives her body a break. She clears the cookies and chips from her cupboard, the cheese from her fridge and prepares to rid her body of all the “garbage” that’s accumulated over the winter.

For four weeks Salcido does a detoxification cleanse – she cuts out alcohol, refined sugars, caffeine, dairy products, red meat, wheat, gluten, and soy. Instead, she eats fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, brown rice, beans, nuts and organic chicken and wild-caught fish. She drinks a protein supplement in apple juice twice a day and takes pills that propose to help rid her organs of toxins.

Read more here...

Hybrid Healing: East Meets West

It's no secret that nontraditional therapies have grown in popularity in recent years. According to a 2002 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, more than one-third of Americans have used complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). The reasons for choosing CAM are varied, but research points to two primary motivators: a growing disillusionment with conventional treatments, plus a desire to have more of a say in one's own well-being.

Read more here...