Sandra Syverson wrote...
Bob, I read your e-mail concerning your recovery and wanted to let
you know that I too have had success with essiac tea. In 1995 I was
diagnosed with a rare condition called Well Differentiated Papillary Mesothilioma of the
Peritoneum (initially they told me stage 4 ovarian cancer but after
surgery changed the diagnosis). In any case, while the WDPMP is not fatal, it
is recurrent and the tumors are very troublesome.
When they regrew 18 months after surgery, I began using essiac tea 2x per day
in an effort to shrink or stop them in order to avoid another horrendous surgery
and 4 month recovery period. Within 4 months the CT scan showed the
possiblilty of shrinkage and within 4 more months it was certain -- they were shrinking!
My oncologist was amazed and still is struggling for an explanation
that doesn't involve the essiac tea because he doesn't believe in alternative therapies,
but I don't think there is any other explanation. I am staying on it for good.
It's worth it.
Continued good health to you and best of luck in getting traditional docs to
pay attention.
Bob replies...
Thanks for your letter, and congratulations on your success! Are your tumors still
shrinking, or have they disappeared?
My oncologist was also skeptical and thought it might be a "delayed
reaction to chemo" when my tumors started to shrink after the 6th chemo.
I still don't know if the chemo and alternatives worked synergistically,
but I am continuing with the essiac and vitamins.
Sandra responds...
Bob, in answer to your question...
The latest development is that after three CT scans the tumors were obviously
shrinking and I had stopped experiencing any symptoms of having them there, so
no more CT's were ordered. They won't do another unless I again become
symptomatic. So, I am operating under the assumption that they have continued
to shrink or are perhaps even gone. Since the only medical treatment for my
condition is surgery and no surgery would be done in the absence of disabling
symptoms, they aren't doing any more testing at this time. The only way to
know for sure would be to foot the bill for a CT scan on my own which I can't
afford -- so I choose to believe they are gone. I certainly feel fine.
Sandra
On 12/26/01, Sandra sent this update...
Dear essiac-info.org,
Yes, you are more than welcome to post this update.
I hope the correspondence can help
someone and I have always been glad to respond to the people who email me
for additional information.
My current status is that as of my last CT scan (Jan. 2001), I am still free
of any recurrent tumors. The bad news is that I have many problems stemming
from multiple abdominal surgeries, but that is just something I will have to
deal with for the rest of my life.
I must confess that I have been off the Essiac for about 10 months, having
blamed it (wrongly as it turned out) for severe recurrent heartburn that I
was experiencing. I ultimately discovered that the heartburn was actually
related to the fistful of vitamins and supplements I was throwing down on a
mainly empty stomach every morning and the Essiac had nothing whatever to do
with it. I believe I even told some people who emailed me that the Essiac
was giving me heartburn and for that erroneous information I do apologize.
I have mixed feelings about being off Essiac. On the one hand it is a
relief not to have the expense and something more that I have to
take. On the other hand, I feel that I am skating on thin ice and taking
unnecessary chances, so there is a likelihood that I will be back on it soon.
I was deeply saddened when I learned of Bob's death. But it is important to
remember that he did manage to survive and even thrive for much longer than
his doctors ever anticipated and well beyond the usual prognosis for his
disease. That fact can be a testament both to his spirit and to the course
of action he undertook of which Essiac was an important part.
On 4/18/99, Terri wrote...
God Bless You, I was so happy to hear of your recovery. My
mom's friend has adenocarcinoma stage 4 of lung and pleural, possible spread
to bone. He is on Cisplatin and Gemcitabine drugs now. He has been on
chemo for two weeks and is to the point where he just can't tolerate it. So
fatigued and constipated. We saw the program you were on, and are
thinking about trying this for him. If you have any more input, please e-mail me.
Thanks so much, we are looking for a miracle.
Bob replies...
I tolerated the chemo very well, and I don't know if I was
lucky or if the vitamins and alternatives helped my tolerance. If I was in the
position you describe, I would certainly try the alternatives and continue the
chemo if at all possible. It may be the combination of the two that is effective.
There is no way to know until the proper studies have been completed.
When my doctor initially described possible side effects of chemo, he
recommended Immodium-AD for diarhhea and Senokot for constipation.
During the first few weeks of treatment when I was still on high doses
of oxycontin pain medication, I found the Senokot to be very helpful. It is
over the counter and is very gentle. Take it before bed and it is usually
effective the next morning.
On 5/27/99, Terri wrote...
I am the girl whose mother's friend
has the same cancer that you had. Coincidentally, he is on the same chemo
program as you were, and has started your herbal program. He has been on the
program for about 3 weeks. He feels less tired and is eating much better. When he
first started chemo, he had lost about 15-20 pounds. He has gained
about 12 lbs. of it back. He was wondering, what foods you ate to maintain your
weight or help gain it back? He seems like he is stuck at 164-165, and would like
to get back to 170-175. He is so concerned, and would appreciate any info
that you could give him that might help.
Bob replies...
It's good to hear that his appetite is returning. I didn't follow any
special diet, and ate healthy salads sometimes and burgers, fries, and pizza at
other times. I never lost my appetite except during the first three weeks when
I was on pain pills, radiation, and chemo simultaneously. I have described my
diet more thoroughly in my reply to Darlene.
I sure hope to hear that you can duplicate my results, since you are on
the same chemo program and hopefully doing everything that I did. Please continue
to keep me posted. Good luck!
On 6/4/99, Terri wrote...
I had to write you! Mom's friend had his cat
scan today, and to the doctors surprise the tumors have shrunk. We were
elated. We are not getting our hopes up completely, but this is much better news
than what we were expecting. He has now been on the herbs for 4-5 weeks.
Same chemo. We are continuing to pray, and hope for a miracle. Thanks so
much, Terri
Bob replies...
Wow! That's really great news. In my case, once the tumors started
shrinking, they just continued to shrink until they were all gone. I hope the same
thing happens for your Mom's friend. Have the herbs helped him to tolerate the
chemo any better? In April it seemed like the chemo side effects were severe.
Thanks for keeping me posted. I love hearing success stories!
Terri responds...
The herbs really seem to be helping now. The only problem Nick is having is joint
aches, and he said it is not too bad. His appetite is much better, and
he has gained two more pounds. He even joined a fitness workout place, and
works out a few days a week. Take care Bob, will keep in touch.
On 1/5/00, Terri wrote...
Had to tell you about my mom's friend
Nick. In November he had his catscan and everything showed clear. The doctors
were amazed. He goes back in Feb. for a check-up and another scan. He is
still on the herbs. He is just doing wonderful and is going to marry my mom!
Big day will be Oct 21 ,2000. He is so grateful to you Bob, and is keeping
a diary to send to you. We all think you're the best!
Bob replied...
Hi Terri,
On 6/26/99, Bill Asenjo wrote...
I began sprouting what appeared to be a wart on the
bridge of my nose about 2 years ago. I ignored it. It got bigger and
uglier. I'd spent years baking in the sun, so it seemed that this might
be skin cancer, however, I was in denial. Finally, at my sister's
urging, I went to a dermatologist here at the University of Iowa
Hospital. She said, hmmm...skin cancer, better cut some of your nose
off.
I told her I'd wait a bit on that! Having been interested in nutrition for some time, I did some research. Essiac seemed harmless, so I tried
it. I used the "from Resperin" Essiac® (Essiac® International,
Ottawa, Canada), cooked it up myself, although it's still not as good a buy
as what you're doing.
In any case, a few weeks went by -- and the growth began to look a bit "crusty" or
dried-out, so I increased the Essiac® from twice to thrice daily. Two
days later the growth fell off, no scar, no reoccurence... and that's been
more than a year ago.
My mother started taking Flor-Essence™ for general good health. Ten days
later she called me to say the tinnitus her doctor told her was incurable,
had disappeared! The ONLY thing she'd done differently was take that particular
brand of essiac.
You asked for stories, those are mine and I KNOW they're true. Thanks for
sharing yours.
Bill Asenjo, bt survivor, PhD candidate, CRC
Bob adds this...
Bill Asenjo is very active on the Fight for Life list and has been
asked by People Against Cancer to write an article about survivors for their
newsletter. He wants to include my story in the article.
On 11/21/99, "K.N." wrote...
Your story was inspiring to me when I read it back in June. I had just
been diagnosed with Adenocarcinoma in the lungs. It was local at the
time and my surgeon suggested that I go through a new protocol designed
for the Pancoast tumor (which I had). This tumor is located in the upper
lobe of my right lung. The protocol calls for a round of chemo and a 25
day radiation treatment followed by an operation then another round of
chemo.
I had contacted a Homeopath and asked him to treat me along side the
other treatment. He prescribed essiac tea, CoQ-10, Vitamin C, Grape Seed
Extract, and Citrus Pectin. I took his treatment along with the protocol
which started July 3rd. My tumor was not a growth which could be
monitored by its size, it was rather a scar, so there was no way of telling if any
of the treatment was working. I did my tests at the end of August. The
disease was still local and everything was looking good for the
operation.
I was operated on Thursday, October 21st. The operation took 13 1/2
hours and everything went well though it took me longer to recover than
expected because of the length of my operation. During the operation,
they biopsied 4 areas near the tumor and all 4 were negative. Then the doctor
said that after biopsy of the tissue removed from my lung, there were
no malignant cells found.
I'm home now trying to get my weight and energy back. My oncologist said
that the chemo/radiation would only get rid of the tumor in 10% of
cases. I would like to contribute a lot of success to the program I
followed with my Homeopath. I would also like to encourage you in
telling people how important the essiac tea and the other vitamins are
in fighting cancer.
Thank You,
Bob replied...
Hi K.N.,
Congratulations on your inspiring story. Just as in my case there is no
way to know for sure what worked, but who cares, as long as the tumor is
gone. How did the doctors determine you had adenocarcinoma? Did they do
a biopsy? Thanks for passing on your story and I wish you a speedy
recovery back to full strength.
K.N. responded...
Hi Robert,
Thanks for returning my e-mail so quickly. It was determined that it was
adenocarcinoma by fine needle aspiration biopsy. That was done through
my back, between the two ribs around my shoulder blade. The
characteristics of a Pancoast tumor are pain down the arm, and by the
time of diagnosis people usually lose 2 ribs and one vertebra during the surgery. I had to
consent to that prior to my operation. I was fortunate enough not to
loose ribs or vertebras. The surgeon had to scrape two ribs
to make sure they were not involved.
I would like to let you know that Pancoast tumors are normally only
treated with radiation and chemo. The new protocol including surgery is
only being done in Toronto by two surgeons (one Neuro, the other
Thoracic). They have only performed this operation 3 times prior to
mine. There were numerous risks, including loss of feeling in my arms,
being paralyzed from the waist down, and even the risk of dying in the
operating room because of the location and the nature of the operation.
I'm 41 years old and I guess they are aggressive with younger people.
I would also like to add to my story the fact that over 700 people were
praying for me. The importance of prayers and your faith has a lot to do
with the recovery.
Best regards,
On 5/30/00 Jeanne wrote...
Dear Bob,
Thank You! Back in February my boyfriend
Greg was diagnosed with Small Cell Lung Cancer, with large tumors and cancer in the
bones and blood stream. He was told to put his affairs in order.
I got on the internet and searched for information about lung cancer.
I found your web page and started to cry! You gave me HOPE. I printed out
your page and headed to a herbalist I knew. I got everything you had been
taking, ordered the herbs for essiac tea and
then started giving your regime to Greg. He was on it
for only two weeks before his first chemo treatment.
Three months later (a mere 90 days), his chest scan
shows all tumors and concerns in lymph nodes are GONE. He has only had two chemo
treatments so I'm giving the tea and supplements most of the credit.
During Greg's treatments he didn't have any side effects or fatigue,
again I give credit to the tea and supplements for building his
system up in the short time before the chemo started.
If it wasn't for you, we never would have known about essiac tea or
the vitamins and supplements. Thank you so much for sharing your story!
I always print out your page and give it to anyone I know with cancer,
telling them to follow it exactly so maybe a researcher will pay attention to
the results. I can't understand why the Medical Community does not already pay more
attention to this. You have become our light at the end of the tunnel!
Bless You and Good Health,
On 5/30/00 Bob replied...
Congratulations and thanks for sharing your fantastic initial results! I
would like to share your story with others by posting it on my website
in letters part 3.
What was the type of chemo that Greg was on? Keep on taking the
vitamins and alternatives, since cancer may be a lifelong battle. Your email
has made my day!
On 6/1/00 Jeanne wrote...
We are more than happy to have our story added to
the list of people that have been helped by this information.
Greg is taking VP16/Cisplatin, a three day treatment every third
week. The doctor still wants him to take three more treatments to help
clean up what is left of the stray cancer. We know it may be a lifelong battle so
Greg will continue use the tea, vitamins and alternatives for life. I
was brought up to believe "If It Works Don't Fix It" and whatever worked
worked well!
I really felt good that I had helped make your day. Your information
has made MANY of our days!
Thanks Again,
On 2/16/00 Cheryl wrote...
I read your webpages and found them very interesting, as my uncle has just been
diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer. He has it in both lungs and is
starting his first chemo on February 21/2000. They are giving him the
harshest chemo allowed as he has a large mass in the centre of his lungs
which is pressing on main artery up the side of his neck. They
don't want it to get into this artery.
They said the chemo would give
him more time but would not cure it. They are not offering any hope and
we are not very educated about these herbs. We would appreciate it a
great deal if you could e-mail me back and tell us step by step what
you did and give us any imformation you can. I hope everything is well
with you and I look forward to hearing from you.
Cheryl
On 2/17/00 Bob wrote...
Hi Cheryl,
My webpage pretty much gives the step by step of what I did, except I
didn't start the alternatives until I already had 4 cycles of chemo. I would
definitely suggest immediately starting out with the essiac tea, high
dose vitamins and CoQ-10, Cat's Claw and grapeseed/MSM. These may
very well help to minimize any side effects once the chemo is started. I
send my best wishes for your uncle.
On 2/17/00 Cheryl wrote...
Hello Bob, thank you so much for replying to my e-mail. We are feeling
somewhat hopeful and are going out tomorrow to get everything we need.
I just wanted to ask you what kind of high dose vitamins would you
suggest. Would a "one a day" multi-vitamin be sufficient or do you know
of something else? Hope to hear back from you soon, and once again
thanks very much for your help.
On 2/17/00 Bob wrote....
I don't think the "one a day" multivitamins are potent enough. Dr.
Whitaker explains that most of the minimum RDA doses of vitamins are
only the bare minimum to prevent deficiency diseases and are out of date
with current research. I used the "Forward Plus" vitamins from his Healthy Directions
(www.HealthyDirections.com), 1-800-722-8008.
They come in packets of 8 capsules and you take two packets per day,
or 60 packets per month, at the cost of $49.95/month. If
you order on their personal delivery service, you get a 10% discount,
pay no shipping charges and the vitamins are sent automatically every
month or two months, whichever you choose.
On 6/16/00, Cheryl wrote...
Hello Bob, first of all I would like to say thank you so much, you are a
great man for sharing your knowledge with the world. I sent you an
e-mail earlier this year about my uncle who has lung cancer. He has
been following what you did right to the letter and everything is going
great for him.
He has had four chemo treatments and had his x-rays and exam done a
couple of weeks ago and gladly enough his tumour is shrinking. They say
his right lung wasn't getting any air to it and it is opening up too.
Since he started taking everything that you took, he has been
eating, hasn't lost any hair and is not getting sick from the treatment.
Other people who take chemo where he is cannot believe how much better
he looks and the energy he has. My family and especially my uncle are
very ecstatic right now, and it is all because of you and your
generosity. I will keep in touch and let you know how things go for him
in the future.
Bye for now,
On 12/26/01, Cheryl sent this update...
Dear essiac-info.org,
I have to tell you with great regret that my
uncle passed away from his cancer in August of 2000. I was also devastated
to hear that Bob had passed away too. I will say that Bob's regimen gave
my uncle tons of hope and he really didn't think he would die.
When my
uncle was sick and followed Bob's regimen he never lost any hair, and
wasn't really sick until the end, and he didn't suffer and this means alot.
It may not have saved him but it sure gave him the quality of life I don't
think he would of had if he wasn't taking the same regimen as Bob.
Thank you very much for contacting me,
Cheryl Thomas
It's letters like yours
that are the real payoff for the time invested in my website. I am so
thrilled about Nick. Keep on taking those herbs and keep on amazing
those doctors!
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