Essiac Essentials

Reduce it too quickly and he (her husband) could experience withdrawal symptoms”.
    In that situation it would have been impossible to live with the brain tumour without the steroid to reduce the inflammation and relieve the pressure on the brain. Other drugs were prescribed to palliate the side effects of the steroid medication but there was no quality of life for Greg and Mali until they made their first batch of Essiac tea.
     
     
    Orthodox Medicine and Alternative Therapies
     
    A natural remedy made directly from plants will have a molecular structure that the body can recognise and assimilate as food. This does not mean to say that synthetic substances don’t work but they are more difficult for the body to assimilate. Chemical therapies have been designed to affect rapidly multiplying cells. They will affect not only cancer cells but also other rapidly dividing cells, as found in the gut, causing nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and in the hair follicles, resulting in hair loss.
    One of the new chemotherapy drugs available for limited use has been derived from a plant product from China. Its medical properties were discovered in 1957, but the crystalline substance carrying the anti-cancerous action was almost impossible to make into a solution until now. The sealed bottles of the drug are delivered to the pharmacist at the hospital, each with an accompanying leaflet designed for doctor and patient information. The upper third part of the leaflet is divided from the lower part by a serrated line and is designed to be torn off to be given to the patient. It is well laid-out in reasonably-sized print, some in bold type, and it appears to be informative and supportive, giving clear instructions on how to deal with symptoms and side effects. There is no mention of a desirable outcome.
    The lower part of the leaflet is designed for doctor and pharmacist use only. The print is extremely small, not more than half the size of the upper part, and is written making full use of medical/biochemical terminology. The drug is listed as having been first authorised for use in October 1996. Under the heading “Special warnings and special precautions for use” — and highlighted for emphasis — the leaflet states that “it is strongly recommended that the drug be administered only in healthcare institutions with adequately equipped facilities, including an intensive care unit”.
    Further reading of each section clearly shows that the drug has yet to be fully tested and that the side effects are expected to be severe to extremely severe. Studies in certain populations “have not been conducted”. While recommending that treatment “should be continued until there is an objective progression of the disease or an unacceptable toxicity”, the leaflet admits “there have been no clinical studies to evaluate the drug reactions... with other drugs”. It goes on to state that there is no known antidote for the drug and admits to two deaths as a result of its administration. An article in The Financial Times, UK, in March 1997 reports at least 94 known fatalities due to the side effects of the same drug. This is just one example of information that is available but rarely seen by the person on the receiving end of the intravenous drip.
    Alternative therapies should not be considered exempt from similarly comprehensive investigation. Do not allow yourself to be persuaded that your well-being depends exclusively upon any one particular method or practitioner. Before committing yourself to any therapy you feel you would like to try, first make sure that it is not contraindicated for your particular illness.
    There are a lot of therapists and practitioners. Many of them have excellent qualifications and a natural affinity to healing, others do not. Be careful not to be pressured into accepting any that you don’t feel entirely comfortable with and don’t be persuaded into spending an enormous amount of money on treatments offering ‘miracle cures’.
    Be very selective. Check out the therapist’s qualifications, ask how long he or she has been practising and the extent of their experience of treating people with cancer. Do your best to talk to other people who have been treated by that person and with that particular therapy. Check that they carry full professional indemnity insurance and politely take your leave of any therapist who suggests in any way that you have brought your illness on yourself.
     
     
    Taking a