Dangerous Coffee Therapy

Prince Charles has infuriated the medical profession by backing a controversial cancer treatment that involves taking daily coffee enemas and drinking litres of fruit juice instead of using drugs. Charles gave an enthusiastic endorsement to the Gerson Therapy, which rejects chemotherapy in favour of 13 fruit juices a day, coffee enemas and weekly injections of vitamins.

Cancer specialists say there is no scientific basis for the theory and that it can be dangerous because patients who are seriously ill often come off their normal treatment to try something unproven which may leave them badly dehydrated. Speaking to a room of 200 healthcare professionals at a conference, Charles said “I know of one patient who turned to Gerson Therapy having been told she was suffering from terminal cancer and would not survive another course of chemotherapy. Happily, seven years later, she is alive and well.

So it is vital that, rather than dismissing such experiences, we should further investigate the beneficial nature of these treatments.” The coffee enemas are used to strip the gut of harmful bacteria and pollutants, but specialists argue they often lead to other problems such as dehydration. The American Cancer Society warns that the therapy may be dangerous. On its website it states “Gerson Therapy can be very harmful to the body. Coffee enemas have been associated with serious infections, dehydration, constipation, colitis (inflammation of the colon), electrolyte (salt and mineral) imbalances, and even death.”

So the lesson to this story? For now just stick to putting coffee in your mouth.
(From an original article by Mark Hudson, The Observer)