The Gerson regimen is a diet-based therapy targeting cancer cell metabolism; it includes a specific diet, supplements, and coffee enemas.
Safety and precautions
Common side effects:1Hesse CC. Gerson Primer. Tijuana, Mexico. Curtis C. Hesse. 1982, as described in Questionable methods of cancer management: ‘nutritional’ therapies. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 1993 Sep-Oct;43(5):309-19.
- Flu-like feelings
- Loss of appetite
- Perspiration with strong odor
- Weakness
- Dizziness
- Cold sores
- Fever blisters
Serious and even life-threatening side effects have been reported among people following the Gerson regimen:2Questionable methods of cancer management: ‘nutritional’ therapies. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 1993 Sep-Oct;43(5):309-19.
- Sepsis
- Coma due to low serum sodium
- Serious infections and deaths from electrolyte imbalance
Commentary
CancerChoices advisor and integrative physician Keith Block, MD, and his colleague Charlotte Gyllenhaal state that the Gerson regimen can be rigorous and difficult to follow. They and Neil McKinney, ND, emphasize that this diet is deficient in protein and that monitoring the patient with cachexiaweakness and wasting of the body due to severe chronic illness for adequate protein intake is important. They caution that fruit juice intake may compromise blood sugar control.3Block K, Gyllenhaal C. Chapter 6: Nutritional Interventions in Cancer. In Abrams, DI, Weil, AT. Integrative Oncology. 2nd Edition. New York, NY: Oxford University Press. 2014. p. 144; McKinney N. Naturopathic Oncology, 3rd Edition. Victoria, BC, Canada: Liaison Press. 2016. p. 110.
References