The Essiac Story -
The Long-Standing War Between Alternative and Conventional Medicine
MARCH 25, 2007

© 2007 by Dr. Joseph Mercola

With all the good news emerging about the value of natural treatments to fight and prevent cancer, you'll want to watch this short video about the work of Rene Caisse, a Canadian nurse whose long ago discovery of essiac tea remains all too emblematic of the war between alternative medicine and conventional medicine in the treatment of cancer.

Conventional medicine has consistently derided the use of essiac tea, a blend of herbs including burdock root, sheep's sorrel, slippery elm and Indian rhubarb root, as useless and even toxic in higher doses. Of course, in many cases, conventional "wisdom" may be harmful and completely unnecessary.

While I don't claim to have special expertise in cancer treatment, essiac tea would certainly seem a reasonable approach to use in conjunction with other natural therapies.

However the primary danger of using any therapy, whether conventional or natural, is to avoid an allopathic approach and use the treatment as a magic bullet. Folks, if you just assume that there are no magic bullets you will be far ahead of the game.

Certainly explore natural therapies like essiac and other treatments for cancer but ALWAYS remember to rely on the body and the energetic forces you were given as your primary approach. Seek to treat the underlying cause and not the symptoms with a magic bullet.

You can eliminate your risks of, and in many cases treat, cancer via natural means. Simply follow my extensive list of recommendations, none of which include taking a magic bullet:

1.  Control your insulin levels: Make certain that you limit your intake of processed foods and sugars as much as possible.

2.  Get appropriate amounts of animal-based omega-3 fats, and make sure you use cod liver oil if you don't have regular access to sun exposure.

3.  Get appropriate exercise. One of the primary reasons exercise works is that it drives your insulin levels down. Controlling insulin levels is one of the most powerful ways to reduce your cancer risks.

4.  Normalize your vitamin D levels with safe amounts of sun exposure. This works primarily by optimizing your vitamin D level. If you have regular access to sun exposure then you should use fish oil, not cod liver oil, as your primary source of omega-3 fats. Ideally, it would be best to monitor your vitamin D levels.

5.  Eat according to your metabolic type. The potent anti-cancer effects of this principle are very much underappreciated. When we treat cancer patients in our clinic this is one of the most powerful anti-cancer strategies we have.

6.  Have a tool to permanently erase the neurological short-circuiting that can activate cancer genes. Even the CDC states that 85 percent of disease is caused by emotions. It is likely that this factor may be more important than all the other physical ones listed here, so make sure this is addressed. Energy psychology seems to be one of the best approaches and my particular favorite tool, as you may know, is the Emotional Freedom Technique.

7.  Only 25 percent of people eat enough vegetables, so by all means eat as many vegetables as you are comfortable with. Ideally, they should be fresh and organic. However, please understand that, frequently, fresh conventionally grown vegetables are healthier than organic ones that are older and wilted in the grocery store. They are certainly better than no vegetables at all, so don't use that as an excuse. If you are a carb metabolic type you may need up to 300 percent more vegetables than a protein metabolic type.

8.  Make sure you are not in the two-thirds of the population who are overweight and maintain an ideal body weight.

9.  Get enough high-quality sleep.

10.  Reduce your exposure to environmental toxins like pesticides, household chemical cleaners, synthetic air fresheners and air pollution.

11.  Boil, poach or steam your foods, rather than frying or charbroiling them.

©Copyright 2007 Dr. Joseph Mercola. All Rights Reserved.  This content may be copied in full, with copyright, contact, creation and information intact, without specific permission, when used only in a not-for-profit format. If any other use is desired, permission in writing from Dr. Mercola is required.

Disclaimer: The entire contents of this website are based upon the opinions of the author(s), unless otherwise noted. Individual articles are based upon the opinions of the respective author, who retains copyright as marked. The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of the Phoenix Foundation and its community. The Phoenix Foundation encourages you to make your own health care decisions based upon your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.