Dr Otto Warburg 1883-1970 received a Nobel Prize in 1931for his work on cancer and cellular respiration. He was also awarded a second Nobel prize but, as a Jew in Hitler’s Germany, he was not allowed to receive it.  He showed that the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar.  All normal body cells meet their energy needs by respiration of oxygen whereas cancer cells meet their energy needs in great part by fermentation.  Cancer cells do not like an alkaline environment – they thrive in acidic environment – and they do not like oxygen.  Dr Warburg showed that an alkali environment increases cellular uptake of oxygen.  Thus by maintaining an alkaline body we can inhibit the growth of cancer cells.

When we talk about alkali foods we do not refer to the taste but to the residue or “ash” which is left after digestion.  Meat, fish, eggs, alcohol, coffee, sugar and soft drinks are strongly acidic and it is best to avoid them.  Fruit and vegetable are mildly alkaline and calcium, magnesium and potassium supplements are strongly alkaline.

Many treatments are based on an alkalising diet.  The Gerson diet is well established – a diet rich in fruit and vegetables and which omits the acidifying “foods” like bread, wheat and dairy products, coffee, and alcohol (see the first article for lists of acid and alkaline foods).  As far as possible foods should be organically produced and fresh.  Raw foods provide many enzymes and nutrients which are lost in cooking – so eat lots of them.  The Gerson Therapy includes frequent fruit and vegetable juices to maximise the nutrient intake.  If you haven’t tried juicing then give it a go.  When fresh fruit and vegetable juice goes into your stomach you can actually feel it doing you good.  The Gerson Therapy also includes a regime of coffee enemas(see next issue)

I believe that a programme of juicing is an important part of treatment – and not just for cancer patients.  Juicing is a good source of raw food. Cooked food can contribute to chronic illness as the enzymes in cooked food are altered or destroyed.  We then have to manufacture our own enzymes to digest the food. Digesting cooked food requires more energy than digesting raw food and in the long term the pancreas can become overburdened and finally exhausted.  As we will see later pancreatic supplements can be an essential part of cancer treatment.  Fruit and vegetable juicing allows us to consume a large amount of vitamins, minerals and enzymes in a relatively small volume and in their natural state.  The disadvantage of fruit juicing is that it tends to increase insulin levels, so vegetable juicing may be a better option.  It’s a good idea to use a variety of different vegetables though carrots (a good source of beta-carotene), cabbage and leafy green vegetables are good foundations for a juice.  And you can add in your daily dose of fish oil or flaxseed oil.