Essiac Tea?

Essiac Tea is a popular alternative treatment for cancer that the medical mainstream doesn't seem to think much of. This unpopularity with the researchers seems to come from the fact that what few studies have been done on it showed no particular benefits, even in mouse studies or with tissue cultures in petri dishes.

Here's a link to the Wikipedia entry which is rather unflattering: Wikipedia: Essiac. One comment questioned Essiac's claim to be a traditional remedy among a Canadian Indian tribe since the tea contains plants that are not native to North America nor commonly found there when the tea was first popularized.

It's difficult to find a lot of information about Dr. Gary Glum but what I did find suggests that he is (was?) a chiropractor in Los Angeles who did in fact write two books praising Essiac which he claimed not only as a cure for cancer but as an antidote to AIDS as well (which he claimed to have discovered to be the product of some sort of government conspiracy.) He also claimed that Essiac would offset the dire effects of whatever is supposed to be in "Chemtrails" -- another tinfoil-hat conspiracy theory that says that the white condensation trails behind aircraft are actually poisons being spread by the government.

To be fair, the fact that Dr. Grim appears (to me, at least) to be a kook isn't a criticism of the tea he promoted, but it doesn't help the tea either. Here's a link to a page I found about Dr. Grim, cancer, AIDS, and Essiac tea. Dr. Gary Glum, Essiac and the Antidote for AIDS

Sorry you guys couldn't make it to Rochester for the gathering. We had a good time although I now have five more pounds to lose. Maybe next year.

I suggest that rather than trying anything that you focus on the treatments that are well proven to actually work. Understand them, the potential side effects, their effectiveness, and then use them to the fullest advantage.

It is good for both of you to meet with other people who have been through what you are going through. This board is excellent, but I would also look for groups locally like UsToo that has chapters in many cities. Also ask your doctors about groups that meet. I regularly meet with people through my radiation oncologist to help them understand from a patient's perspective what they are going through. Just Google Cancer Support Groups and you will find scores of groups in your area that work with people and families with cancer.

Then get back to living. Look for the positives, get more active, pursue new pursuits that are mentally and physically stimulating. Get healed the best from surgery and get ready for the next round of treatments that are likely given your situation. Get ahead of the cancer rather than reacting to the cancer. Take control of the situation...don't let the situation control you.

We all know that if there were a magical cure-all that all of us would be cured and we would not be here. And it wouldn't be some secret, either.

Not even two months out from surgery. There are far better things to be doing than looking for alternative therapies that don't work when you have only used one of the many proven therapies that are available.

Best wishes,

Jack

JNF said...
.....We all know that if there were a magical cure-all that all of us would be cured and we would not be here. And it wouldn't be some secret, either....

Bingo. I would have loved to taken a magic pill to kill the cancer growing in my prostate instead of the surgery, Lupron and radiation I had to endure. Sadly there is no magic pill just hucksters looking to make a buck off the misfortune and vulnerability of others.

I did take probiotics prior to and when I had radiation to assist with keeping the bowels working correctly but I could detect no difference so after a few months I stopped them.