The Hounding of the Professionals: Max Gerson

Thoughout the last few decades practicioners and exponents of alternative treatments for cancer have been hounded and persecuted, particularly in America, by government agencies and orthodox medicine. Many have been forced into bankcruptcy through having to raise money to defend themselves against repeated lawsuits and prosecutions. Doctor Max Gerson, one of the most respected pioneers of alternative cancer treatments had his membership to the American Medical Society terminated, was unable to Doctors to work with him and had to persistantly fight to clear his methods of treatment in the law courts. What was his crime? He concentrated in removing the dietary causes of cancer, particularly excessive salt, and emphasised the importance of building up the constitution and the bodys immune defence mechanism through the judicious use of the nutrious foods. The reason for the hostility of the AMS to Gersons methods can best be summed up by an American cancer specialist of that era who said: "If this thing (the Gerson diet) works, we can chuck millions of dollars worth of equipment in the river and get rid of cancer by cooking carrots in a pot"