1

Sleep as Medicine

Dr. Gerson’s Book Today

Charlotte Gerson’s Legacy Orchard

Tips from the Gerson KitchenBy Eric Freeman

Winter 2015

Healing News

Tips from the Gerson KitchenBy Eric Freeman

Telephone Coaching Helps Patients Heal

2

Surviving Uterine Cancer:Sandra Rapp’s story of focus and determination

by Diane Ake

S andra Rapp was diagnosed with breast

cancer in 1997 at the age of 62. She had a lumpectomy, chemo-therapy and radiation. She considered it the worst year of her life. Fifteen years later, she was diagnosed with stage III uterine serous carcinoma, an uncom-mon and aggressive form of  endometrial cancer, and had a com-plete hysterectomy.

Her surgeons were not able to remove all the cancer, and said she might live three more years if she also did abdominal radia-tion and chemothera-py. She researched the negative side effects of abdominal radiation and felt she couldn’t face it all again. “I am not going to be tortured to death,” she said. “There are things worse than dying and I have been there. I would rather die of carrot juice than chemotherapy.” If she only had three years to live, at least she would live healthily. She got approval from her oncology surgeon to take six months to try something else before doing chemo and radiation.

The previous fall, when her daughter took a Gerson training pro-gram, Sandra first found out about the Gerson Therapy. She contact-ed Dr. Donato, a Gerson practitioner in Oregon, and got started on the therapy.

Sandra got a Norwalk juicer and started out by having 10 juices a day, 3-4 enemas and castor oil treatments once a week, then reduced to

every other week. She loved how the castor oil packs made her feel, but swal-lowing the castor oil was difficult. “But I decided that I am going to do all of this and that I am going to get well,” Sandra said. Dr. Donato monitored her prog-ress and test results, and made modifica-tions to her protocol as needed over the two-year period she was on the Gerson Therapy.

Sandra provid-ed some tips on how to organize time and space while doing the therapy. Every other day, Sandra made two days’ worth of coffee

concentrate and stored it in the refrigerator. She made the Hippocrates soup on the alternate days. Her kitchen is small so she placed the Norwalk juicer on a utility table. “You make do with what you have. If you are determined, you will find a way to do it. You can put things on the back porch if you need to.” She already had an extra refrigerator,

which was very useful for storing produce. She washed her greens each morning. She put up her ironing board to use as extra counter space, covered it with towels and used the surface to sort the greens into bags so she could easily grab them to make the green juices. “Time is a huge concern. I made micro-hourly schedules. I had a timer in the kitchen, one in the bathroom and

a small one I hung around my neck.”

“Don’t let someone else do the treatment to you. Be the boss of your own treatment.”

Sandra Rapp lost 89 pounds on the Gerson Therapy.

3

Sandra loves to cook, so she enjoyed getting creative with the Gerson recipes. For example, she made zucchi-ni “spaghetti” to give variety to her meals. She made salad dressing from lemon juice, garlic and flax oil, and some-times added carrot juice or chopped tomatoes. She used any leftover dressing on her baked potato. Sandra advised, “Look at what food you have and figure out what you can make out of it. It keeps you from getting bored. I made tabouli salad with steel cut oats and parsley. I even put onions on my oatmeal once.” She also used Hippocrates soup as gravy. “I just told myself it was gravy and it tasted like gravy. I was never hungry while on the therapy. I was full all the time.”

Sandra already had a garden so she grew parsley, chard and beets and she ate shredded raw beets in salad. She planted the beet roots with about one inch of beet tops remaining and they continued to grow more leaves that she used in her daily green juices. For this reason, she suggests buying beets with the roots intact, since some stores cut them off. She also grew tomatoes, eggplant, onions, garlic and potatoes. Sandra’s husband started to eat the Gerson food little by little, and grew hair on his bald head!

“The program isn’t hard,” said Sandra. “Your hair doesn’t fall out and you are not throwing up! The thera-py isn’t a quick fix, but two years is pretty quick to get my health back compared to how long it took me to get sick. I wasn’t afraid on this program. It was my body and I am the boss of it. Once you decide to do something, don’t let someone else do the treatment to you. Be the boss of your own treatment.”

She had great support from her friends and family. One friend volunteered to buy and deliver organic carrots to her from Costco twice a week. “I saw people who didn’t recog-nize me and told me that I looked so good,” Sandra remem-bers. They wanted to know all about what she was doing. “The best moment was when my daughter told me, ‘You look like my mom again.’”

Sandra lost weight she hadn’t been able to lose for years. She weighed 218 pounds at her heaviest after the hys-terectomy. After doing the Gerson Therapy, she weighed 129 pounds.

“Go into it with the idea you are going to win.”

Sandra did not have any major healing reactions but she recalls that her tongue got sore; she had headaches behind her eyes and had fungus in her nails. She was often very tired and needed to lie down and rest a lot. “You have to rest!” she stressed. “I was concerned that I wasn’t able to do everything during the day and I worried when I missed a juice that I was compromising the therapy. But I told myself to just do the best I can, and that each day is a new day.”

After the initial two years on the therapy, the doctor who did the surgery said her lab results were fantastic. She had a CT scan and the doctors found nothing. “You just rejoice” she said, “because it’s working!”

Sandra’s surgeon kept asking for information on the Gerson program. “I got a call from a lady in Eugene referred from that doctor. The woman ended up going to Dr. Donato. I started corresponding with her to give her tips on food prep and give her encouragement.”

Sandra’s maintenance plan consists of one enema per day and four juices. She sticks to the diet pretty closely, but occasionally indulges in non-Gerson foods. “I don’t cook beef anymore. I make vegetarian burgers with beans, or oats, nuts and vegetables, and have salmon occasional-ly,” she explained. “I feel great all the time and my mental energy is also good. I am back to clog dancing and swim-ming twice a week. I breathe more easily and don’t have sleep apnea anymore.”

Sandra advises new patients to do their homework, do their own research and talk to people who have done the therapy. “When you go into it, you have to own it. Go into it with the idea you are going to win. Attitude is the whole thing. And whatever you have to do, just do it.”

“We all are not taking care of ourselves the way we should. People aren’t willing to change from their com-fortable way of living, even if they are in pain and misera-ble. They aren’t willing to make that big life change unless it is life and death. Get your body back into balance and in good health before it becomes a life and death matter. Do it to fend off that situation.”

Diane Ake has worked for the Gerson Institute for 10 years. She is the Director of Training, Volunteer Coordinator and Newsletter Editor.

“The best moment was when my daughter told me, ‘You look like my mom again’.”

4

A t 49, Falconer Abraham is a family man with three children and a job teaching singing to young people. He started suffering from unex-

plained sinus congestion in 2002. Each year, his symptoms became worse. Every change of season brought extreme congestion, and throughout the year it wasn’t unusual for Falconer to have sinus headaches two or three times a week.

As his condition worsened, he began losing his sense of smell and felt a tightness in his chest that made even breathing through his mouth laborious. It became so bad that at one point Falconer went two weeks without getting any consistent sleep, and woke up every 15 to 30 minutes unable to breathe.

In 2011, he was diagnosed with nasal polyps and chron-ic rhinitis. Allopathic medicine suggested that surgery, steroids and salt rinses were the only way to treat nasal polyps. Having read horror stories online about the return of polyps and surgeries gone awry, Falconer decided to try the Gerson Therapy, which he had learned about from one of his students.

He watched videos online, ordered educational mate-rials and began what he refers to as “a lazy man’s version of the therapy.” The enemas helped with the headaches and a bit with the breathing, but Falconer wasn’t seeing the results he hoped for, so he turned to another treatment he had found online. His condition worsened and, in 2013, he talked to his doctor about an operation. Once again, his doctor said that the polyps would likely return, requir-ing multiple surgeries, and that he would need to stay on Prednisone for the rest of his life.

Falconer decided he would try the Gerson Therapy again – but more fully this time. If he still couldn’t find relief, he could reconsider surgery.

Beginning the therapy was a challenge. Figuring out how to set up a Gerson home and which foods to purchase wasn’t easy. Falconer was the only one in his family eating the strict Gerson diet. The hardest part was overcoming the negative opinions of his doctors and friends, who said the therapy wouldn’t work.

However, Falconer read stories from people who had suffered through repeated surgeries, which reminded him of the dangers a conventional approach might involve, and Falconer’s family supported him in his decision to try the

Finding Relief from Nasal Polyps:The Institute’s Telephone Coaching Service helps patients heal at home

by Mikhaela Payden-Travers

Gerson Therapy. Although he did most of the therapy him-self, his eldest son helped out with juicing, and his wife started making Gerson-style dinners. His father bought him a second juicer for work and gave the family a second refrig-erator. His mother listened to the frustration, rants, and wild talk that came out on occasion when doing the thera-py felt extra difficult.

Having already discovered that the therapy needed to be implemented fully to work, Falconer turned to the Gerson Institute for support. He found Gerson Basics Online to be an excellent resource; it became his “TV” when he was having difficulty sleeping. He also took part in the Telephone Coaching Service, working with a Gerson coach and his doctor to monitor his progress.

In talking about the Coaching Service, Falconer said, “Blanca [his coach] was awesome. She gave me a feeling of stability and confidence that I had made the right choice. I felt well supported. My first consultation with her helped me move to the point of getting the supplements.” The week Falconer started the supplements, he experienced his first sign of progress: after experiencing anosmia for seven entire months, he regained his sense of smell for two hours.

Falconer Abraham

5

A year later, Falconer is doing much better. His sense of smell is back. The nasal polyps have shrunk to the point where he can sleep comfortably, and the eczema on his foot seems to be gone. His last visit to the naturopath showed that his liver was functioning well.

Following the Gerson Therapy has been tough at times. The Gerson Institute granted Falconer a scholarship to help cover the costs of his coaching sessions. However, cover-ing the other costs of the therapy was tricky. Even though Falconer still has polyps, he decided he couldn’t keep on the full therapy protocol, but he has continued incorporat-ing aspects of Gerson into his life. He remains a vegetarian and does as much juicing as he can afford to.

While he isn’t fully recovered, Falconer has the follow-ing message for those considering the therapy for chronic conditions like his: “It’s worth a try. Don’t cheat. And get a lot of positive understanding people around you. You’ll need them.”

We at the Gerson Institute are grateful that we have a lot of posi-tive, understanding people around us as well. Without the support of our donors, we wouldn’t be able to offer coaching scholarships for

patients like Falconer who need all the resources they have simply to stay on the Gerson Therapy. Many thanks to all of you Gerson per-sons for making the coaching program – and especially the scholar-ship option – available for Gerson patients.

What is the Gerson Telephone Coaching Service?

The Gerson Institute’s Telephone (or Skype) Coaching Service was started five years ago to help meet the needs of the many patients who found that starting the therapy at a certified Gerson clinic wasn’t an option for them due to financial or logistical rea-sons. After an initial intake and screening, coaching patients have phone consultations with a trained Gerson coach, who aids them in developing their own personalized treatment plan. Meanwhile, they continue working with a doctor at home for medical moni-toring and tests. Our coaches have extensive training and expe-rience in providing non-medical assistance to people doing the Gerson Therapy.

Coaching scholarships provide patients struggling to meet the costs of the therapy with free monthly sessions for six months.

For more information on the Coaching Service, visit www.gerson.org or email Blanca Ayala at bayala@gerson.org.

Happy New Year from the Gerson Institute

6

Y ou may remember that the Institute planted the Charlotte Gerson Legacy Orchard, an organic fruit tree orchard, at Wild Willow

Farm in San Diego in 2012, to celebrate Charlotte’s 90th birthday. The orchard contains a variety of apri-cot, cherry, apple and almond trees. In November, Gerson staff visited the farm. We enjoyed eating a tasty organic lunch, playing with some adorable baby goats, and generally having some time to relax, unwind and be together in the sunshine.

In Southern California, we’re almost always guar-anteed sunshine, though the current drought condi-tions have made water an increasingly scarce commod-ity. Luckily for Charlotte’s orchard, Wild Willow has a new irrigation system that ensures that as the trees

enjoy sunshine, they also enjoy water and get some relief from the drought conditions our farms have expe-rienced the last two years.

Our continued thanks goes to all the volunteers who helped us plant the orchard, the many Gerson supporters who donated both to support the orchard and our ongoing educational programs, and the staff of Wild Willow for taking care of these beautiful trees. In another few years, the fruit will be ready to harvest, and to provide more healthy organic food to our local community.

To learn more about Wild Willow Farm, visit www.sandiegoroots.org/farm.

The Legacy Orchard: Still blooming despite the Southern California drought

Gerson staff plant fruit trees in 2012 to honor Charlotte on her 90th birthday.

Two years later, the trees in the Legacy Orchard have grown.

Tell us your Gerson Therapy tips

We are collecting tips from Gerson patients and any of you who have done juic-ing, coffee enemas, prepared Gerson food, shopped for organic produce, set up a Gerson home or helped a Gerson patient do the therapy. We are especially interested in learning about your methods for saving time and making the work easier. Please send your tips to Diane Ake at dake@gerson.org.

7

L ast month, Eric and I had the privilege and delight of attending the lovely wedding of Michelle Abraminko and

Mike Harder. Michelle has been involved with the Institute as a volunteer for many years and we are thrilled that her husband Mike is joining her in supporting us. Michelle is a holistic health coach.

One of the ways in which they chose to show their support was by encouraging the guests to make dona-tions to the Gerson Institute instead of giving them traditional wedding gifts. When asked why she didn’t go the more conventional wedding gift route, Michelle laughed and respond-ed “I already have everything I need!” She was more interested in supporting a cause she truly believes in than receiv-ing duplicate kitchenwares.

In the spirit of healthful-ness for their guests and life ahead, Michelle and Mike chose to do their  champagne  toast with a glass of green juice. This was followed by the throwing of

A Unique Way to Support the Gerson Instituteby Kelly Lahtov

Michelle’s lovely bouquet, which consisted of a colorful array of rainbow Swiss chard. We asked Michelle there was anything she wanted to say for this article. She replied, “Our most sincere gratitude for all your juice and love. My wedding would not have been the same

without your touch.” Well we feel the same way about her, her family, and all their support!

We are always in need of unique ways you can raise funds for the Gerson Institute. Donations like Michelle’s make it possible for us to run our

programs and support services for Gerson patients. Please contact Mikhaela Payden-Travers with

your ideas at mpaydentravers@gerson.org.

Kelly Lahtov and Eric Freeman are Gerson Institute chefs who teach Gerson cooking classes and train volunteers to help prepare food and juice at events and at

our office.

Wish List External hard drives

Free printing of flyers

Handmade cards

Organic carrots

Organic green apples

Norwalk or Champion juicers

Poster-size photos of vegetables, fruits and nature

Postage stamps

Projector screen

Reams of copy paper

If you can donate any of these items, please contact Mika Payden-Travers at mpaydentravers@gerson.org

Michelle Abraminko with her Swiss chard bouquet.

8

which is why sleep is so important for learning new infor-mation.2 If you’ve felt groggy from too little sleep, you’ve experienced the obvious impact of serious sleep deprivation on your mental alertness. New studies, however, suggest that mild chronic sleep deprivation can also have a serious impact certain mental functions, especially in the areas of creativity and innovation.3

There is also growing evidence of a connection between adequate sleep and mental health. Although the exact nature of the relationship is still being explored, psychiatrists at Harvard suggest “that a good night’s sleep helps foster both mental and emo-tional resilience, while chronic sleep disruptions set the stage for negative thinking and emotional vulnerabili-ty.”4 A lack of sleep is also associated with greater risk for depression and other serious psychiatric conditions.

Getting enough sleep is also important for our physical health. While we sleep our bodies produce cytokines and other antibodies that are pivotal to our immune system’s ability to fight off dangerous bacte-ria and viruses. In addition to direct-

ly affecting our ability to protect ourselves against infec-tious disease, chronic sleep deprivation is associated with increased risk of numerous chronic diseases including heart disease, irregular heartbeat, high blood pressure, diabetes, as well as heart attack and stroke.5

Finally, sleep actually ends up relating to our health through nutrition, as how much we sleep may have an important impact on what we decide to eat. Studies have found that sleep deprivation increases the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, while at the same time decreasing the hormone leptin (which lets your brain know you’ve had enough to eat) and increasing ghrelin (an appetite stimu-lant). Thus getting more sleep may be an important factor in helping you make healthier eating choices.

As I consciously began focusing on getting at least eight hours of sleep a night, I noticed significant changes in my mood and my ability to regulate my emotions. Everything really does seem better after a good night’s sleep.

Need a New Year’s Resolution? Make sleep your medicine in 2015

by Mikhaela Payden-Travers

I f you’re like me, you like to make a New Year’s res-olution that puts you on the path to better health. I wanted to share with other Gerson supporters what

I’ve learned about sleep – just in case you, like me, focus on nutrition but don’t always remember the other factors that impact your health and well-being.

While sleep is important for everyone, it is especial-ly important for Gerson patients, who may need more than the standard 7-9 hours. Rest is a vital part of the therapy. Without ade-quate rest the body does not have the energy it needs to heal. It’s good to remember that food is medicine – but so is sleep!

During my first two years of graduate school, I probably slept about six hours a night on average, but there were some especially pain-ful days when I tried to function on just three or four hours.

I’m not alone. A 2013 Gallup poll found that Americans sleep an aver-age of 6.8 hours a night, similar to numbers from the 1990s but far less sleep than Americans got in 1974 when the Gallup poll found the aver-age American sleeping 7.9 hours per night.2 Unfortunately, a lack of sleep – and especially chronic sleep deprivation – has serious health consequences.

First, sleep is incredibly important for optimal mental processing. While we sleep, our neurons get a chance to rest, and the brain actually constructs new neural pathways,

“It’s good to remember that food is medicine – but so is sleep!”

2015

9

If you already get your 7-9 hours a night without fail, congratulations! Keep up the good work. If you don’t, here are some helpful hints that I used to work on setting and maintaining a healthier sleep regime.

Six Tips for Getting More Sleep

1. Make sleep a priority.

Simply deciding that getting at least 8 hours of sleep a night is going to be one of your health priorities can go a long way. Resist putting work or household chores - or even a good book - ahead of sleep.

2. Develop a sleep routine.Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time each day,

even on the weekends. Studies suggest that going to sleep at 10 pm and waking up at 6 am works the best with our body’s natural rhythms.

Developing a ritual that you follow each night before going to sleep (e.g. journaling, paced breathing, and drink-ing chamomile tea) can also help prepare your body for rest.

3. Make the bed a space for sleep only.Sometimes it is easy to convert your bed into an all-

purpose area – especially if you live in a small apartment. Eating in bed, watching TV in bed, or even working in bed, can make it more difficult for you to sleep at night.

4. Avoid eating and exercise within three hours of going to sleep.

This can be hard for night owls, but it is important to remember that eating and exercise both get your body ener-gized, not ready for a good night’s sleep. Although regular exercise can make it easier for you to sleep eventually, you should make sure to leave your body plenty of time to wind down afterwards.

5. Turn off lights.Make sure that the area where you sleep is dark and

quiet (although some people will find they sleep better with a white noise machine). The hormone melatonin is pro-duced in total darkness, and the longer you stay in the dark, the more melatonin the pineal gland produces. Melatonin regulates our sleep and wake cycles, destroys free radicals, suppresses the development of breast cancer, increases the immune system’s killer lymphocytes and more. Some people use black-out shades or eye masks to block out light when they sleep and/or turn off or move anything out of the room that emits even dim light in their bedroom (e.g. LED

lights in TVs, clocks or night lights). If you need a night light, a dim red light is the best choice. 6

Additionally, blue wavelength light emitted from TVs, computer screens and cell phones suppresses mel-atonin production more than other wavelengths, so it is wise to avoid exposure to them 2-3 hours before bedtime. 7 However, exposing your eyes to lots of bright natural light during the day can help you sleep better at night.

6

6. Listen to your body – and get rid of the alarm clock!

After starting to get into a sleep routine, see if your body can awaken naturally without the help of an alarm clock. Listening to your body is the best measure of whether you’re getting sufficient rest.

References 1 http://www.gallup.com/poll/166553/less-reecommended-amount-sleep.aspx

2 http://www.healthline.com/health/sleep-deprivation/effects-on-body

3 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21075236

4 http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2009/July/Sleep-and-mental-health

5 http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/excessive-sleep-iness-10/10-results-sleep-loss

6 www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Health_Letter/2012/May/blue-light-has-a-dark-side

7 http://chriskresser.com/how-artificial-light-is-wrecking-your-sleep-and-what-to-do-about-it

Mikhaela Payden-Travers is the Development Coordinator for the Gerson Institute. She recently received her Masters degree in Non-Profit Leadership and Management from the University of San Diego.

“How much we sleep may have an important impact on what we decide to eat.”

10

Kayla Smith, ND

D r. Gerson’s book, A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases is a masterpiece. As many times as I have read this book, each time I

pick it up, I find some pearl of wisdom that had escaped my memory or that I had not totally integrated into my understanding of his brilliant rationale for his treat-ment approach.

I would like to share with you some of his quotes and concepts that reflect the deep philosophical basis underlying his approach to restoring health, his great reverence and respect for nature and living in accor-dance with natural law. I believe that it was this per-spective on life that provided the foundation for the development of his system of restoring health.

Chapter I is entitled “The ‘Secret’ of My Treatment.” His first sentence is — “Of course, there is none!!” He explains that he used this heading because he is asked this question so often by reproachful physicians. He explains that “the harmony in the metabolism of all the internal organs and systems must be maintained; it reflects the eternal mystery of life expressed in our health and continuance.” This statement reflects his belief in the con-cept of totality, a theme that runs throughout his entire book. He points to the fact that we can’t simply address the iso-lated parts of the body, such as a tumor or the symptoms it produces. “What is essential is not the growth itself or the visible symptoms; it is the damage to the whole metabolism including the loss of defense, immunity and the healing power.” Dr. Gerson realized that the foundation for restoration of the entire body can take place only by addressing the entire body, starting at the cellular level.

Dr. Gerson studied the works of many doctors and scientists who were interested in nutrition in

relation to treating cancer. In Chapter I he quotes Dr. Werner Kollath, one of the pioneers of the health food movement in Germany in the late 1920s and 30s, who stated: “Symptomatic treatment is harmful wherever in nature it is applied to the soil, plants, animals, human beings, or in medicine. Each part is important, but the

whole in its infinitely fine order is more important.” In Chapter V, Dr. Gerson reveals, “the living being, wheth-er large or small, plant or animal, is in every respect per-fectly created or developed, in all its functions and all its parts, best in its totality.” I would propose that Dr. Gerson’s work was the embodiment of the now-popu-lar term, holistic medicine. He certainly was in align-

ment with the princi-ples of naturopathic medicine, the field of medicine in which I was trained, which has as its basis the idea of nature as healer and to “first do no harm.”

He continually advocates for living in harmony with nature. In Chapter II, he puts forth: “In the nutri-tional field, observa-tions for centuries have shown that people who live according to natu-

ral methods in which plants, animals and human beings are only fragments of the eternal cycle of Nature do not get cancer. On the contrary, people who accept meth-ods of modern nutrition on an increasing scale become involved in degenerative diseases, including cancer, in a relatively short time.” He refers to the Hunzas, who

“We can’t simply address the isolated parts of the body, such as a tumor or the symptoms it produces.”

Gems and Pearls of Wisdom from Dr. GersonBy Kayla Smith, ND

11

live on the slopes of the Himalaya Mountains and who use only food grown in their own country and fertil-ized with natural manure. This, he says, is similar to Ethiopians who also have (or did have) natural agricul-ture and living habits, which appears to keep people free of cancer and most degenerative diseases. Conversely, he notes that Eskimos started developing degenera-tive diseases and cancer in those parts of their territory where canned food and unnatural nutrition were intro-duced and accepted.

This leads us to his views on the importance of healthy soil. In Chapter XXIV, “The Significance of the Content of the Soil to Human Disease,” he writes, “The famil-iar expression ‘mother earth’ is justified. When we take from and rob the earth we dis-turb the natural equi-librium and harmony, producing sickness of the soil, sickness of the plants and fruits, and finally sickness of both animals and human beings.” He attributes the cause of many of these diseases to the decrease in the impor-tant potassium-group minerals of the fruits and vegetables grown on such poisoned soil. Let’s look at one of his very famous quotes in reference to this topic:

“We must conclude from these and many other observations that the soil and all that grows in it is not something distant from us but must be regarded as our external metabolism, which produces the basic sub-stances for our internal metabolism. Therefore, the soil must be cared for properly and must not be depleted or poisoned; otherwise these changes will result in serious degenerative diseases, rapidly increasing in animals and human beings.”

If he were alive today, he would sadly witness the fulfillment of this prediction. However, I think he would be encouraged by the current movements to support organic farming and restore the soil, and by the resur-gence in back yard gardening, composting our waste and community-supported agriculture. This work - to reconnect with the earth, take care of our soil and grow

healthy food - is the underpinning of “food as medicine.”

Dr. Gerson studied the works of many of the ancient physicians and philosophers. He writes: “I found the ideas of totality more profoundly developed in the ancient work of Paracelsus and many of other physicians of long ago.” He devoted Chapter VII to Paracelsus’ dietary regime. Paracelsus believed that what he called “Great Nature” governs the human being.

“The human being has to acquire knowledge of what to eat and drink and what he has to weave and wear

because nature gave him the instinct for self-preservation...If some-one eats what is useful for his health and avoids other things that may shorten his life, then he is a man of wisdom and self-control. All that we do should serve to pro-long our life.”

I would like to add that as we detoxify and nourish ourselves properly, these natural instincts will return to us, and we will be driven by self-preservation rather than cravings.

This is just a brief journey through Dr. Gerson’s book, A Cancer Therapy, highlighting his foundational ideas about

the theory of totality, Mother Nature and healing. I hope it stimulates an interest for those of you who have not read his book recently to re-acquaint yourselves with this tremendous body of work.

If you would like a copy of A Cancer Therapy, go to store.gerson.org. If you are a medical professional, we can gift you a copy at no charge. We also donate the book to libraries. If you know of a library that would like to carry this book, email Mika at mpaydentravers@gerson.org.

Dr. Smith is the Director of Medical Education for the Gerson Institute. She has been a licensed naturopathic physician for the past 20 years and has 10 years of expe-rience as a Gerson practitioner.

“The soil and all that grows in it is not something dis-tant from us but must be re-garded as our external me-tabolism, which produces the basic substances for our internal metabolism.”

12

O ctober 18, 2014 was the 133rd anniversary of

Dr. Gerson’s birthday and in that same month we received seven pallets (5,000 plus books – a year’s supply) of Dr. Gerson’s book A Cancer Therapy: Result of 50 Cases delivered right to our office ware-house door. This delivery was history in the making, since before that the books had been delivered to a storage unit and had to be transported to the office a few boxes at a time. What an improvement in efficien-cy to match our new state-of-the art e-commerce plat-form – NetSuite (our new unified software and data-base that manages finan-cials, e-commerce, con-tacts, inventory and more). And we just added a POS system (Point of Sale – hardware and software designed to accept on-site payments) for events and people who walk into our office who want to make purchases. This system will allow us to process sales much more quickly, both inside and out-side of the office. 

Harrison Reid, on the left, Gerson Inventory Specialist, helps unload pallets of Dr. Gerson’s book.

History in the Making:Dr. Gerson’s book todayby Anita Wilson

The Gerson Institute was founded by Charlotte Gerson 37 years ago, with the primary intent of keep-ing Dr. Gerson’s book in print and distributed.  It now sells on Amazon, is being field tested by Barnes and Noble, has dozens of wholesale vendors world-wide and thousands of retail sales each year. When you order the book from the Gerson Institute, you are supporting our programs and services for Gerson patients. You can get a copy at store.gerson.org. 

The case studies in the book are of high value and give important insights into Dr. Gerson’s work. Our Education Department staff recommend this book

for all Gerson patients. We look forward to many more years of sharing A Cancer Therapy with the world.

Anita Wilson has been the Executive Director of the Gerson Institute since 2003.

Your Letters Myracle Harris

Hi my name is Myracle Harris. I am 13 years old. Last year when I was 12, on November 18th my mother Venus Gibson passed away from skin cancer. I think that if I would have found your website before she passed away we could have saved her life. I think the doctors didn’t do enough to save her. But thanks for having this website.

Dóra Kovács - Melanoma

I was 37 years old when, in the spring of 1990, a tiny mole began to grow fairly quickly on my right leg. I underwent surgery in July and the resulting histology showed that I was suffering from melanoma malignum (a malignant tumor of pigment cells), hence chemotherapy was sug-gested. I was scared and asked the advice of two natu-ropaths about changing my lifestyle. During the three months of receiving chemotherapy I followed the naturo-paths’ suggestions. After the chemotherapy I felt unwell for several days, but then my life returned to normal and I followed the usual advice of doctors: “Go home and live as if nothing had happened; don’t even think or worry about your disease.”

13

Special Apple Dessert

Ingredients:

1 Red Delicious apple

1/4 cup rolled oats

2 tbsp apple sauce

1 tsp plump raisins

1tbsp raisin syrup* + some for spooning over apple

1/4 tsp allspice

Directions: *Put raisins in a mason jar, pour boiling water to cover them, close the lid and let them sit for an hour. The liquid becomes the raisin syrup.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Core apple and take out some of the flesh to replace with filling.

3. Combine oats, apple sauce, raisins, raisin syrup and allspice into a bowl.

4. Fill the apple with the mixture and place in a glass baking dish with 1/4 cup water under the apple.

5. Bake in preheated oven for 34-45 minutes.

6. Five minutes before the apple is done, drizzle raisin syrup over baked apple.

7 Let cool and serve.

You can find more recipes in Healing the Gerson Way and the Recipe Book, available online at store.gerson.org.

Dóra Kovács

 

Ten months later, in November 1991, meta-static melanoma cells were found in the lymph nodes of my right thigh. After a second oper-ation I began to have doubts about the effi-cacy of conventional cancer treatments and I collected information to find out what may have caused my cancer

and how I could be healed. I questioned oncologists, immunologists, psychologists, medical scientists and naturopaths. Without exception, each one mentioned the importance of the immune system in sickness and health; this gave me food for thought. Around this time, I came across the Source of Health Foundation in Budapest, where I was given a book, A Time to Heal, by Beata Bishop.

I read A Time to Heal and felt that a new future had opened for me and that I would follow the method Beata Bishop had used, the Gerson Therapy, described by the author. With the help of my family, I was able to travel to the Gerson Clinic in Tijuana, Mexico for ten days. I immediately embarked on the therapy under the supervision of my Gerson doctor, and I learned a great deal about the method. Having had chemother-apy recently, my doctor put me on a reduced version of the Gerson protocol. I followed this protocol for two years. Later, my doctor made modifications to my protocol every six months. I finally came off the thera-py at the end of 1996. Today, I still strive to follow the Gerson lifestyle with daily coffee enemas and freshly made juices. I normally eat chemical-free organic food, often practice yoga and run.

Some doctors considered me cured after five years, and others declared me symptom-free after ten years. In the meantime, another twelve years have passed. I am still fine, doing much active work, and I feel that I have been reborn.

Dóra Kovács from Hungary

Editor’s note: Beata Bishop is a 30-year malignant melano-ma survivor, thanks to the Gerson Therapy, and a longtime Gerson activist who was instrumental in founding the UK Gerson Support Group and the first licensed Gerson clinic in Europe: the Gerson Health Centre in Hungary. She wrote a book about her recovery, called A Time to Heal, and co-wrote Healing the Gerson Way with Charlotte Gerson. Both of these books are available at store.gerson.org. To learn more about licensed Gerson clinics, visit www.gerson.org.

14

There are a variety of ways to clean a Norwalk juicer and juice cloths. We have assembled some tips we have learned from years of using the Norwalk juicer that can help you save time, prevent contamination, and extend the life of your juice cloths, but feel free to revise to best meet your needs.

Tips from the Gerson KitchenHow to Clean Your Norwalk Juicer and Juice Cloths

How to clean your juicer

1.Carefully disas-semble each juicer part after each use (A).

Remove the cutter with a damp towel to protect your hands from the blades (B). Tilt the housing on an angle to remove it to prevent damaging the wing nuts.

Tip: Pulling out the juicer grid while the juicer is still running allows more of the extra pulp left in the housing to fall out.

2. Remove excess pulp from the housing with a spatula or wooden spoon (C). If a large amount of pulp is left behind, press the extra pulp. Put the housing back on to be able to operate the press.

3. The feed pan can be easily removed by inverting the housing with the feed pan attached, and gently tapping all around the bottom of the feed pan until it falls off. Do

this over the sink to catch the feed pan when it falls (D,E).

4. Immediately rinse all juicer parts with cool tap water to avoid excess bacteria on the food con-tact surfaces and to prevent mineral deposits from forming. Tip: Use a sprayer hose.

5. Wipe off all the dirty areas of the juicer with a wet sponge, including the top of the press plate and just below the press plate.

Grip the press plate from both sides and carefully lift up in order to clean below. (F) Dry with a clean towel. Repeat this process between each juicing session.

6. At the end of the day, clean each part well with a sponge and a safe soap, such as Dr. Bronner’s castile soap. Use a long brush to scrub the inside of the hous-ing and smaller brushes for the blade, grid and grid holders. Rinse parts well and then let air dry or dry with a clean cloth (G, H, I, J, K ).

A

C

D E

HG

BF

15

Eric Freeman is a Gerson Chef and has worked for the Gerson Institute for the past four years.

L

M

K

J

I

Eric Freeman toasts with juice

7. Wipe down the exterior of the juicer with a soapy sponge, followed by a clean damp cloth, then dry with a towel (L, M).

How to clean juice cloths1. Rinse the cloths with cool tap water after each juic-

ing session (A). Lightly scrub them with a stiff brush to loosen and remove pulp particles (B).

This helps unclog the pores of the fabric and makes them last longer. Then rinse again in a bowl of distilled (or non-fluoridated) water. You can store the cloths sub-merged fully in a clean stainless steel bowl of distilled water in between juicing sessions so any remaining pulp particles don’t oxidize. Be sure to wring out the cloths before they are used again.

2. When you are done with the cloths for the day, clean and fold, put in a glass or plastic container or plas-tic bag, and store in the freezer. The next day, remove from the freezer and thaw them in distilled (or non-fluo-ridated) water before use. If you don’t have space in your freezer, store the cloths in the refrigerator in a mason jar submerged in distilled water with a few squirts of hydro-gen peroxide. Then rinse with clean water before using.

3. Use separate cloths for the two different juices (carrot/apple and green).

A B

16

Your SourceFor Enema Therapy

Coffee

Hydraulicjuice presser

Made in USA $335

Champion grinder $265Call us:

1-888-588-7348Or 1-512-970-4502on the web: www.juicepressfactory.com

Stainless Steel Enema Kits& Coffee for Gerson!

(562) 612-4492Purelifeenema.com

Resources for the Gerson Therapy

$75 gives you all the information covered in our Gerson Basics Class in San Diego from the comfort of your own home.

$75 gives you all the information covered in our Gerson Basics Class in San Diego from the comfort of your own home.

$75 gives you all the information covered in our Gerson Basics Class in San Diego from the comfort of your own home.

$75 gives you all the information covered in our Gerson Basics Class in San Diego from the comfort of your own home.

$75 gives you all the information covered in our Gerson Basics Class in San Diego from the comfort of your own home.

$75 gives you all the information covered in our Gerson Basics Class in San Diego from the comfort of your own home.

17

ISHI MEDICALWhy place several orders when you can get everything at the same place?

We now supply ALL the Gerson supplements (including the crude liver and B12 [through our office in Mexico]).

We accept credit and debit cards, checks, and money orders.If you have a question please give us a call.

1-866-LAB-ISHIPhone: 619-428-6085Fax: 619-428-6095anama@sbcglobal.netWeb Site:www.ishimedical.com

Need supplies? Looking for gifts?

Shop at our online store! www.gerson.org

Your purchases help fund our training, education and patient support services.

Need supplies? Looking for gifts?

Shop at our online store! www.gerson.org

Your purchases help fund our training, education and patient support services.

Need supplies? Looking for gifts?

Shop at our online store! www.gerson.org

Your purchases help fund our training, education and patient support services.

Need supplies? Looking for gifts?

Shop at our online store! www.gerson.org

Your purchases help fund our training, education and patient support services.

18

Gerson Institute Supporters

Sherra Basham Karen Balkanski Jennifer Barton Jones Kathleen BelmaresBruce Brown Lana Butler Thomas Cooper

Candice Dolkowski Lorne Gartner Sandra Goergen William Hetzler Paula Higgins Melinda Hill Thomas Jarde

Patrons

Founder’s Circle Members

Donors

Benefactors

Anonymous (2)How Co. Ltd. Jennifer Mrla-Gray

Tina AtchleyDonna Baldwin-Veazey Wanda CieciorkoHerman FerreiraFlux Fun Run Kristine Frost Arthur & Marilyn GoreMarc Gowland Lori Greenberg Thomas Griffiths Marlene Heppner Lisa Herzog Tan HuynhYossi & Kuuleialoha JohnsonVincente Lim Jimmy & Mindy Lin Israel LoBuePenny Loughnan Marie Louise Lekumberry Christian May Kathleen MathewsBarry & Shari McCarrollVictoria Mears

Neil Montanus Bill Nasby Bradly Nelson Shuji Oba Paula RayRichard Reimers Chintana Sangdeejing Todd Schilling Justin Scott William Shuman Elizabeth Soto Deborah Szekely Donald K Surgeon Melanie Swayn Time Honored Formulas Versa Climber Haylen VanKoppenGary Veytsman Wanda Wysocka-Cieciorko Robert Weible Carolyn Winter Dean WoosterKayo Yoshida & Shane Galaas

Anonymous (2)Barbara Anderson David BalukArthur Barrett Zornitza Batcheva Emma Bellamy Chad Bennett Lee Mary Brenneisen Timothy Bruss Cheryl Buck Lucy Colangione & Alex DoronkinAmber Farnsworth David Gilbert & Chom Harvey Ivan Green Guy Herald CookwareRay & Dawn Hammond Cliff and Holly Hansen HealthForce Col. Lee M. Holmes Shana Lathrop

Barbara March Sara MarguilsRobert Mathews Janael McQueen John MeyerNorwalk Juicers of CA Ken PattersonWendy Rose Marisa Russo Frank Stone Carol & William Sutton Mine Taylan The Perry & Barbara Miller Family Foundation Joshua Vilches Raymond Ward Anita Wilson Dr. James Winer Robert Zarrella

The Garden Team – Gerson Monthly Donors

Ceasar Alarcon Rodney BurkeStephanie CheshireAlex & Miruna Cimpoia Kathy CurielDavid DenioTreena Dubois Krisiti DysonFranklin GarzonLindsay GibsonCharlene GilpatrickLeslie GriffinZack HildmannLaurie Holden Clay HornbakerRobert HritzVikram Jaiswal Karin JansenJeremiah JorgensenCatherine KelleySandra KettleTroy Lane

Mary Lutz Neil McHughFrancy Merritt Denise MoraNecklushGeorgina Penning-GeisElizabeth Perius Norlita PyleIngebory RadelLouise RahebBobbi ScoginBrenda SoongJoshua SteinbergFrank StoneConnie TrumpfErika Turner & Evelyn SaprizaCharles ValerioTerry WellsSophia Wicklund Mandy Williams PalenTheresa Yong

Donors (continued)

Ingvor Johnson Richard Kammenzind Barry & Shari McCarroll Thomas Weston McGee Mary Magro Ross ManserghOtto Meer Tony Migaiolo John Moffitt William L. NasbyKarl Neumann Shirley Nichols Mrs. Edward Olson Ken PattersonMaes Petrus Horst & Christine Plendl James Radigan Randy Repass Barbara A. ReynoldsPetra RiekerStephen G. Richards

Sameer & Meenu Rupani Robert Sandmann & Barbara VanofferenWilliam Santagata Volker SchmidtGladys T. SoElizabeth Soto Kent & Jane SlaughterRon & Irene StananoughtMary & Mark SullivanRonnie KC Tang Mika and Nancy Thomas Deborah Thomson Anthony & Ann Trew Nicola UngaroDonald WiencekDonald Wilson Elizabeth Wright Marianne WohlTim Yamamoto

Don McQuiddyJoyce TerranoJanella SanburnShizue Shimbo DavisKay HarrisonTerri Hammond

Gerson Celebrates the Lives & Memories of:

Steve NapoliBecky LaschMary Laird SilvaDonald EislerSue Witmer

Many thanks to all our donors, volunteers and supporters. You make our work possible!

To learn more about donations, please visit our website at www.gerson.org.

19

Hungary - Gerson Therapy Sessions

Anita Wilson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Executive DirectorMikhaela Payden-Travers. . . . . . . . .Development CoordinatorStephanie Raddatz. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Finance CoordinatorScott Stobbe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IT/Marketing CoordinatorMallory Crowley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Multimedia SpecialistKayla Smith, ND. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director of Medical EducationAmanda Onken. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Medical Director AssistantTaylor Oliver. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Follow-up SpecialistDiane Ake. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director of TrainingCarol Beard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Coach/Training SpecialistBlanca Ayala. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Coach/Training & Administrative AssistantSilvana Procopio. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Director of EducationAlly Bacaj. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Communications SpecialistBarbara Conde. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education SpecialistBarbara Garcia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education SpecialistKayla Courtney. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education SpecialistEleni Patterson. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Education SpecialistNicole Ferrer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Education SpecialistBrenda Arntzen. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Information SpecialistHarrison Reid. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inventory Control SpecialistJohn Perkins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ReceptionistEric Freeman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .ChefKelly Lahtov. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ChefLiz Cook. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Chef/Development AssistantAnna Maria Aliano. . . . . . . . . . . . . .Gerson Chef/Event Specialist

Board of DirectorsCarol Beard, PresidentConni Spancake, Secretary-TreasurerPaula Bambic, DirectorBob Lichtenberger, DirectorMary Magro, DirectorDeAnn Waggoner, DirectorRachel Hiner, Director

Honorary Board of DirectorsCharlotte Gerson StrausCarolyn Dean, MD, NDDr. Andrew W. Saul, Ph.D

© Copyright 2015, The Gerson Institute.Diane Ake, Editor Ally Bacaj, Copy Editor

Healing News Event Date & Time

Charlotte Gerson Health Restoration Session and Gerson Boot Camp

Gerson Cooking and Juicing Intensive Class

The Power of Natural Healing

info@gersonmedia.com

January 3February 7March 7

February 19-21June 11-13

May dates TBAcheck website for updateswww.gerson.org

Gerson Basics Class

Module I

Since 1984, the Healing News has linked the Gerson Institute with its supporters and Gerson patients. The newsletter is published four times a year to ed-ucate about the Gerson Therapy and healthy living, provide updates on Gerson Institute programs and events, and share patient stories.

About Healing News

Mondays 11 AM

For more information contact us:www.gerson.org(888) 443-7766 toll-free from the U.S.

(858) 694-0707

Gerson Therapy Classes, Lectures & Events WWW.GERSON.ORG

201510-23 January 7-20 February14-27 March11-24 April 9-22 May

January 12-18March 23-29

Printed on 100% Recycled Paper

RETURN SERVICE REQUESTED

Gerson Institute / Cancer Curing SocietyPO Box 161358, San Diego, CA 92176

The Gerson Institute is a non-profit organization in San Diego, California, dedicated to providing education and training in the Gerson Therapy, an alternative, non-toxic treatment for cancer and other chronic degenerative diseases.

NON-PROFIT ORG US POSTAGE

PAID SAN DIEGO CA

PERMIT 906

Gerson BasicsGerson Basics is a 3-day class that covers all the essential practical information that Gerson patients and their caregivers need before embarking on their healing journey. This class includes:

• Overview of the Gerson Therapy • Coffee enema instructions • Gerson supplements and protocols • Dietary guidelines, food preparation and juicing instruction • Coping with healing reactions • Recovered Gerson patient testimonials

Thank you! Your support makes it possible for us to offer scholarships to people who want

to do the Gerson Therapy, but are on a tight budget.

To apply for a scholarship or to learn more about this class, visit www.gerson.org.