but HOW.
OK, Duncan, I’ll bite.
HOW does Essiac work. This ascerts that it does, but doesn’t state the
physiological changes it makes, and just "boosting the immune system" isn’t
enough, Placebo’s have been known to do that. In order to pass the snake oil
test, it needs more information on what it does.
Chris….looking for more information
PS. I just want to say, right now, the big difference between this site and the
Diabetes Int. is that just because someone stands to profit from a product does
NOT invalidate the product, in fact, if someone DOES make money from it, it
probably has merit and research behind it. Perhaps one of those "Snake Oil"
people actually DO have a miracle cure, and its sad people are too closed minded
to explore and discover. You gain experience from your mistakes, not from other
peoples successes.
They bite their own noses off by attacking you without caring if your profit
making motives are founded on sound science or not. That really annoys me. Go
ahead and promote your product, and help those who are possibly helpable with
it.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This article is worthy of note because of the involvement Dr.
Banting, discoverer of insulin, had in testing it (favourably) on
diabetics. At the very leatst it makes good reading.
__________________________________________
Native’s Gift enhanced by modern methods
Body Electric
Anyone into natural health, herbal remedies or alternative cancer
treatments has heard of an old Ojibway Indian remedy that nurse Renee
Caisse found out about from a hospital cancer patient who had been
cured by a tribal herbalist. For more than 50 years since then,
people from all over the world went to Ontario for cancer treatment
with Essiac. The majority of those came by referral, with their
physicians certifying they had incurable or terminal cancer and that
they had been given up by the medical profession as untreatable.
So many terminally ill patients became well again that public
pressure forced the Canadian Parliament to react. In 1939, with the
support of a petition of 55,000 signatures, Essiac was
almost ‘officially’ legalized by the Ontario state government as an
approved cancer therapy. The Royal Cancer Commission hearings
concluded Essiac was indeed an effective cancer treatment; even those
who were not cured, usually because of irreversible damage to major
organs, lived considerably longer than the prognosis, and without
pain. Clinical trials revealed no sign of toxicity, even with doses
as high as six ounces a day, although the Canadian Journal of
Herbalism points out that two of the ingredients have a high oxalic
acid content, making it unsafe for kidney ailments or arthritic
conditions. However, the journal goes on to say, "Essiac is not a
hoax or a fraud".
But the Canadian Medical Association and the Cancer Commission
lobbied against the measure, and it failed by three votes. This
defeat at the hands of the cancer industry, according to Dr Gary Glum
in his revealing book, "Calling of An Angel", was only because of
political skullduggery that continues to the present day.
A couple of formulas later emerged, each claiming to be "the
original" Essiac. The Healing Hand Network sidesteps this issue,
saying "Native’s Gift is based on the ancient herbal knowledge of our
own North American indigenous people." This company offers the
traditional formula, made on native land.
Outlining how it works, "The formula elevates the enzyme
system …it elevates the hormone system which elevates the immune
system, so the body can cure its own disease", says Dr. Glum, who
then reveals, " ….. I also worked with the AIDS Project in Los
Angeles through their Long Beach and San Pedro districts. The had
sent 179 patients home to die. They all had pneumocystis carinii and
histoplasmosis. Their weight was down to about 100 pounds. Their T-4
cell counts were less than ten. The Project gave me five of these
patients. I took them off the AZT and the DDI and put them on The
Native Formula three times a day. Those are the only ones alive
today. The other 174 are dead."
US predident John F. Kennedy’s physician, Charles Brusch, is said
to have declared in 1959, "Essiac has merit in the treatment of
cancer". Dr. Banting, discoverer of insulin, was also greatly
impressed. "Miss Caisse," he said, "I will not say you have a cure
for cancer, but, you have more evidence of a beneficial treatment for
cancer than anyone in the world." When it was tried on several
diabetics after first withdrawing the insulin, the diabetic condition
improved, and continued to improve until there wasn’t any
diabetes. "The Native Formula must actuate the pancreatic gland into
normal functioning," said Dr. Banting. "Otherwise, the patient would
have had to take treatments for the rest of her life, just as she
would have had to take Insulin."
Even though the native remedy didn’t quite make ‘official’ status,
it highlights the fact that while most mainstream drugs today (around
75%) are based on medicinal herbs, unexploited native alternatives
exist for such ailments as AIDS, cancer, blood disorders, sexual
dysfunction, pH imbalance, anxiety disorder, immune deficiencies, or
as a general health tonic. The basic differences between these
ancient and modern remedies are differences of standardisation and
potency. Where both the original Ojibway remedy and the modern one is
a herbal blend that is brewed into a tea, the formula that was such a
phenomenal success early on was primarily given as an extract at the
clinic, with some herbal tea also sent home with the patient. This
fact was not lost on the executives of the Healing Hand; their
processing involves modern factory methods for more exacting
standards; CEO Lawrence Barrett said in an interview that they make
an extract of controlled molecular size, which greatly improves the
consistency of the batches and the bioavailability of the components.
Having seen their patients and clients results in overall health
improvement and combating illness, the medical profession is taking
note. The Healing Hand Network has just added two M.D.’s, a
Veterinarian, a Certified Herbalist (CH) and a Rhodes PhD to their
Medical Advisory Board and they have also received interests from two
medical clinics and two wellness centers. Alternative health
professionals are flocking to these recipes as they SEE marked
improvements in their clients overall well being as well as dramatic
recovery of minor to major illness.
A Grassroot Movement is like a lawn; there is a bigger picture we all like to
see…. but underneath there are many small roots. Each root has an influence
on the entire picture. We too can have an effect, we just need to figure out
the efficient way to do it.
If interested, check out my list..
Chris
August 27th, 2005 at 2:01 am
Hi Chris,
I can say that, from Ralph Moss’ books that the herbal ingredients in
Essiac (and the Hoxsey remedy, and the various escharotics, and other
herbs) have known anti-cancer properties. What the mechanism is I don’t
know, but it’s much more than boosting the immune system.
Because people I respect, such as Dr. Banting who used it on diabetes
and Dr. Glum, who used it on AIDS (and there were dozens of other
doctors too), had direct experience with it, I kind of trust their
judgement even if the precise mechanism is unknown.
Essiac underwent testing, and passed, while it was being used on tens
of thousands and the numbers cured of terminal cancer obviously make it
more than placebo. After all, 50,000 signatures, including those of
many doctors were submitted when it was almost written into law in
Canada.
That would be a good question though, to ask of the people who
manufacture Essiac. I anticipate that they might have kept records over
the decades, seeing as how they are the ‘official’ Essiac source. I
neither manufacture or sell it.
Well, you know the story about social change. It takes perhaps a couple
of generations. In this case the old unchanging ones die off and the
younger ones know a new truth from the outset. I write my newspaper
columns to hope to precipitate that change.
I know that a vitamin can act as a drug, but a drug can never act as a
vitamin; in other words, unless the doctor first conclusively rules out
basic toxin, bowel, and nutritional issues as causes, why the heck is
he prescribing drugs to cover symptoms? If he doesn’t learn the
material we had better do it ourselves. But then we wouldn’t need him
for much, would we?
Put another way, "If the doctors of today do not become the
nutritionists of tomorrow, then the nutritionists of today will become
the doctors of tomorrow."
(Rockefeller Institute of Medical Research)