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ESSIAC, "TEA OF LIFE"
http://tinyurl.com/yapfk4x
The History of Essiac
Essiac, the Ojibwa Tea of Life, is an herbal remedy used by the
Canadian nurse Rene Caisse to treat and successfully heal thousands of
terminally ill cancer patients (
http://www.all-natural.com/
essiac.html). When Caisse was working in an Ontario hospital, she met
a lady with a badly scarred breast, who told Caisse that she had been
healed of breast cancer by an Indian friend with an herbal tea, and
then gave her the formula (
http://www.all-natural.com/essiac.html).
After that, Caisse began using the formula on many patients, allowing
them to drink it or receive it through intramuscular injections (for
more serious cases ) (
http://www.all-natural.com/essiac.html). These
patients testify to essiac's good effects as do many renowned doctors,
which can lead one to believe in the ability of this herbal tea.
Through the years, countless physicians have supported Caisse's herbal
remedy and Dr. Charles Brusch even made the claim that "clinically, on
patients suffering from pathologically proven cancer, it reduces pain
and causes a recession in the growth. Patients gained weight and
showed a great improvement in their general health. Their elimination
improved considerably, and their appetite became whetted. Remarkably
beneficial results were obtained even on those cases at the 'end of
the road' where it proved to prolong life and the 'quality of that
life' (
http://wbj.com/sect/010-004-06-004.html)." Essiac is actually a
combination of four principle herbs-. burdock root, turkey rhubarb
root (or Indian rhubarb), sheep sorrel, and slippery elm bark (http://
www.all-natural.com/essiac.html).
Burdock has been found to produce "considerable antitumor
activity"...and reduction of cell mutation (
http://www.all-natural.com/
essiac.html). It also "stimulates bile production and helps liver
functions, and is used as a tonic, blood pufifier, and cleanser
(
http://ares.csd.net/%7Esandman/tealady/#Burdock)."
Turkey rhubarb root "is a laxative and astringent; it is an effective
tonic for the digestive system and acts upon the bowels, removing
debris and tightening the tissues.
Sheep sorrel is known to sharpen the appetite, assuage heat, cool the
liver, and strengthen the heart.
Slippery elm is known as a stomach remedy and wound healer; it is
healing to the mucous membrane of the entire digestive tract (http://
ares.csd.net/%7Esandman/tealady/#Burdock)."
Herbalists theorize that the synergistic interaction of herbal
ingredients is the cause for the effectiveness of essiac, "this remedy
has anticancer and antiviral properties. It eliminates the pathogens
with nontoxic virucides; repairs the liver, pancreas, and kidneys;
detoxifies the body by ridding it of metabolic wastes; increases
cellular metabolism by normalizing the blood chemistry- rebuilds the
immune system and T-cells by regulating the hormonal balance (http://
res.csd.net/%7Esandman/tealady/#Burdock)."
Caisse also noticed that essiac reduced nodular masses to a more
normal tissue, while simultaneously lessening the pain (
http://www.all-
natural.com/essiac.html). Patients reported that the tumor would
enlarge and harden, then start to soften and discharge large amounts
of pus and fleshy material, and finally the tumor would disappear
(
http://www.all-natural.com/essiac.html). Caisse believed that "one of
the herbs in essiac reduced tumor growth, and that the other herbs
acted as blood purifiers, carrying away destroyed tissue as well as
infections thrown off by the malignancy (
http://www.all-natural.com/
essiac.html)." She even believed that if the tumor did not disappear,
it could be surgically removed with less risk of metastases resulting
in new outbreaks (
http://www.all-natural.com/essiac.html).
Many claims have been made as to the effectiveness of the essiac
treatment, most coming from renowned physicians and patients who were
treated and now contend that they are cured. In 1926, eight doctors
sent a petition to the Department of National Health and Welfare in
Ottawa, pushing Caisse's cause, "we believe the treatment for cancer
by Rene Caisse can do no harm, and that it relieves pain, will reduce
enlargement and prolong life in hopeless cases. To the best of our
knowledge she has not been given a case to treat until every thing
else has been tried without effect, and even then she is able to show
remarkably beneficial results (
http://www.iinet.au/%7Eessiac/7hm-
makr.html)."
When Dr. Brusch, a revered doctor, was asked about essiac, he
responded, "essiac has tremendous merit to supplement any therapy a
cancer patient may be using. I can't call it a cure, but it definitely
has had and still has important merit. I regard it as essential to
back any other therapy (
http://www.iinet.au/%7Eessiac/7hm-makr.html)."
Dr. Emma Carson, a Los Angeles physician wrote, "several prominent
physicians and surgeons who are quite familiar with the indisputable
results obtained in response to 'Essiac treatment' for cancer is the
most humane, satisfactory and frequently successful remedy for the
annihilation of cancer that they had found at that time (http://
www.iinet.au/%7Eessiac/7hm-makr.html)."
Essiac's effectiveness has been affirmed by Caisse, many doctors, and
thousands of patients who were submitted to the treatment. Caisse
spoke from the first-hand results she saw after treating thousands of
patients, some of which were members of her family (
http://www.all-
natural.com/essiac.html).
In 1924, Caisse's aunt Mzera Potvin was found to have cancer of the
stomach and told she had only half a year to live. Rene gave the
essiac treatment to her aunt, who went on to live 21 years (http://
www.all-natural.com/essiac.html). Caisse's mother was also diagnosed
with cancer and told that she had only days to live, Caisse gave her
daily injections and she lived another 18 years before losing her life
from heart disease (
http://www.all-natural.com/essiac.html).
There are also many testimonials given by patients who were treated
with the herbal tea. J. Smith, an 80 year old man, came to see Caisse
with a hemorrhaging growth on his face, and within 24 hours of
treatment, the bleeding had stopped (http:/
www.iinet.net.au/%7Eessiac/
7hm-makr.html). After more treatments, the growth was noticeably
smaller and the hole in his chin started to heal.
Another essiac patient was Tony Baziuk who had lip cancer, and had
received radium treatment, his lip was so enlarged that he could see
it over his nose- he noticed instant relief, and six months later he
had returned to work (http:/
www.iinet.net.au/%7Eessiac/7hm-makr.html).
Annie Bonnar, diagnosed with cancer of the uterus and bowel, was also
a patient of Caisse's and testifies to essiac's effectiveness. After
radium treatments, her cancer had spread so much that her arm was
twice its original size and actually black. She had lost a
considerable amount of weight, going from 150 to 90 pounds. After 4
months of treatment, her arm was its regular size and she had gained
all of the weight back.
Dr. W. C. Arnold was so astounded by Caisse's reports that he urged
her to continue her experiments with mice; after they were injected
with human cancer, they responded to essiac injections by living
longer, and having regression of the tumors (
http://www.all-
natural.com/essiac.html).
Dr. Carson summed it up when she said, "really the progress obtainable
and the actual results from 'Essiac' treatments and the rapidity of
repair was absolutely marvelous and must be seen to convincingly
confirm belief (
http://www.all-natural.com/essiac.html).
DRUGS AND CANCER
Every year, about one million Americans are diagnosed with cancer,
which explains why doctors continue to search for a cure. As of now, a
wide variety of effective treatments are used to combat cancerous
tumors, including surgical removal, radiation, chemotherapy, hormonal
therapy, and immunotherapy. Unfortunately, these treatments are so
strong that they cause many negative side effects such as hair loss,
sterility, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and diarrhea. These side effects
explain why many people search for alternative cures, such as drugs,
in hopes that they will not have to endure these painful experiences.
Sadly, it seems that most forms of cancer are not curable with drugs.
However, there have been significant advancements using drugs for
adjuvant chemotherapy of breast cancer and colon cancer, but with few
exceptions the tumors that makeup most malignancies in adults (tumors
of the lung, breast, prostate, and colon) respond only temporarily to
existing drugs, and must be accompanied by some form of removal
(Rosenberg, 1992).
NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS
Because cancer is so difficult to terminate, two or more approaches
must often be used. For example, one treatment for breast cancer is a
lumpectomy, or the removal of the tumor without removing the breast.
However, even after that procedure adjuvant chemotherapy is
recommended. Often times this is accompanied by serious side-effects,
which are characterized by severe nausea and vomiting resulting in
hospitalization (Ingle, 1990). However, anxiety about these side
effects could make the situation worse than it really is, as many
studies have proven that several patients experience anticipatory
symptoms (Andrykowski & Gregg, 1992). If left untreated, these
psychological reactions may last as long as three months (Redd,
Silberfarb, Anderson, et al., 1991). There is also proof that patients
develop nausea because of hospital stimuli years after their treatment
is finished (Cella, Pratt, & Holland, 1986).
TREATMENT FOR SIDE EFFECTS
Many studies have shown that behavioral interventions help to reduce
the negative side effects of cancer. For example, Redd & Andrykwoski
(1982) demonstrated that behavioral interventions can help control the
nausea and vomiting that are commonly associated with chemotherapy.
Positive attitudes also seem to be useful in the treatment of cancer,
as shown by Fox (1989) in his report that said depression may lower
immune function. So, avoiding depression could strengthen immunity and
aid in recovery from cancer. A significant study relating to this
topic involved 86 women with metastatic breast cancer, who were
followed over time. The women were randomly assigned to a group either
receiving or not receiving social support, which consisted of weekly
90-minute group therapy sessions, lead by women who had recovered from
breast cancer. The patients in the support groups survived an average
of 36.6 months, whereas those in the other group survived an average
of 18.9 months (Spiegel, Bloom, Kraemer, & Gottheil, 1989).