Related Resources for Consumers

Also below:   Research Sites  ~   Stories  ~   FDA and FTC  ~   Newsgroups

  Worthwhile Information on Non-Commercial and Commercial Sites

  1. The Clouds Trust UK
     UK Clouds Trust registered charity, established to research Rene Caisse's herbal tea and other alternatives, asserts that only educated consumer demand can raise standards to achieve a top quality product at a realistic price.

  2. essiacinfo.org
     An attractive and very informative site with historical and proprietary Rene Caisse material but the site is owned by a "Canadian Essiac®" distributor who gets your requests for "Free Information" and "Questions".

  3. The New Mexico Aids Info Net
     This site has a non-commercial, no-propaganda, objective, essiac article.

  4. CancerGuide
     This page has lots of information about many kinds of cancer therapies, both conventional and alternative.

  5. cancercompass.com Message Board Discussion
     Message "Large doses of beta carotene and essiac while taking chemotherapy" has quite a few responses on this cancer community message board, or see all cancercompass.com messages.

  6. supplementwatch.com
     Supplement Watch has articles and Product Reviews that are helpful in educating you about worthwhile (and useless) natural options for cancer. In efforts to answer some questions about the many natural options for cancer prevention and treatment, Supplement Watch dispells myths and misconceptions rather than provide real solutions.

  7. Use of Antioxidants with Chemotherapy and Radiation
     Detailed 2000 study about possible interference of antioxidants with chemotherapy and radiation. Results showed there were only three specific antioxidants that interfered with conventional chemotherapy, usually they helped.

  8. "The Secret's Out"
     Dr. Ralph Moss' outstanding alternative medicine site has a brief 1993 article about essiac, pointing out that the tea can be made at home. Also see the excerpt about essiac in Moss' Cancer Therapy book, 1992 edition.

  9. Japanese Site  Japan
     This essiac information site is in Japanese. Author Nobuo Abe presents topics like "Opinion from Traditional Chinese Medicine", and "Recommended Products and Others". Site has Forum for questions/answers and discussion.

  10. http://www.iherb.com/health.html
     iHerb.com has licensed the full contents and databases of The Natural Pharmacy (TNP), HerbalGram Magazine, German Commission E Monographs (approved and unapproved herbs), HerbClip, Dr. Murray, Dr. Mercola and Dr. Weil sites. For free, now you can search these databases and sites for information about remedies and dietary supplements.

  Research sites and/or sites that are skeptical of essiac

  1. The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center (CMIR)
     (mdanderson.org/departments/cimer/) CIMER stands for "Complementary/Integrative Medicine Education Resources". "Essiac" is listed under Reviews of Therapies -- "No human clinical trials of essiac teas have been identified. (Reports of trials in China have not been confirmed.) A phase II trial in collaboration with the British Columbia Cancer Agency was discontinued apparently due to difficulties in enrolling patients."

  2. http://pubmed.gov
     MEDLINE is the largest component of PubMed (http://pubmed.gov), the U.S. National Library of Medicine's (NLM®) database of biomedical citations and abstracts that is searchable on the Web at no cost. MEDLINE covers over 4,800 journals published in the United States and more than 70 other countries primarily from 1966 to the present. Excerpt from MEDLINE article ESSIAC -- Inhibition of prostate cancer-cell proliferation, "Essiac preparations may be able to inhibit tumor cell growth while enhancing immune response to antigenic stimulation. This may be especially valuable in immune-suppressed individuals."

  3. National Cancer Institute
     On cancer.gov site, this Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) summary provides an "Overview of the use of Essiac and Flor•Essence, which are proprietary herbal tea mixtures, as treatments for patients with cancer." The summary includes a brief history of the development of Essiac and Flor•Essence; a review of laboratory, animal, and human studies; and possible side effects associated with Essiac and Flor•Essence use.

  4. Herbal Treatments
     Researched and detailed assessment of Essiac by Stephen Barrett, M.D. on his impressive Quackwatch site. About dietary supplements, see How to Spot a "Quacky" Web Site.

  5. cancerguide.org "Essiac Information"
     Steve Dunn's well-researched discussion of essiac is summed up by this quote, "While there is probably little harm in using Essiac tea, no one should rely on Essiac as a primary therapy for cancer - the evidence just isn't there." Steve Dunn's research concerning other alternative therapies on his www.cancerguide.org site is excellent.

  6. "Article on Essiac"
     Alternative cancer therapy author and researcher John Boik has a very interesting "Article on Essiac" on his Oregon Medical Press site, in which he looks carefully at the doses and anti-cancer ingredients in several essiac products.

  Adding to the Anecdotal Record

  1. Del's NHL Diary   (www.non-hodgkins-lymphoma.us)
    Outstanding and informative website by Del, survivor of 15+ years with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, who studied in depth various conventional, alternative and complementary therapies along with dietary considerations and lifestyle changing physical activities. Very encouraging, helpful site for anyone with NHL or any kind of cancer.

  2. Cancer Free: Billy Best
     Commercial "Canadian Essiac®" site of Sue and Bill Best, who tell their son Billy's remarkable recovery story. Billy Best appeared on TV shows as "the boy who ran away from home rather than undergo chemo".

  3. My Dad's Battle with Cancer
     In telling the story of his father's Nasal Pharyngeal Carcinoma, Dan Stanzl said, "All I know is that since he started drinking essiac tea, things have been put in reverse and I have got my Dad back" (who eventually passed away). The Stanzls created naturallythinking.co.uk as a family business to "sing virtues of the tea", later added other products.

  4. CancerGuide Patient Stories
     CancerGuide.org author Steve Dunn knows nothing is more inspiring than reading how other patients survived against the odds and coped with their situations, and the site's stories include his own, "Steve Dunn - Long Term Survivor of Widely Metastatic Kidney Cancer."

  5. Cancer Hope Reborn
     This article by Mia Stainsby appeared in the Vancouver Sun on May 16, 1992.

  6. My Battle with Stage IV Lung Cancer
     Robert Karjala lost his battle in August 2000 due to a spinal tumor that was never treated. A scientist, Bob's final gift was his admonition that patients must take responsibility for learning about their illness, tests results and treatment options. The detailed story and valuable information remain as a memorial to a splendid fellow.

  7. Our Cancer Story
     Rodney Haik was diagnosed in 2000 as having stage 3 colon cancer. Although he passed away a year later, his wife Mary, a nurse, maintains this very informative and detailed site (with Rodney's story of chemo, radiation and alternative treatments) and many helpful links.

  8. My Fight With Cancer
     James E. Dew (Seattle, WA) tells the inspiring story of his recovery from esophageal and spinal cancer. He also has interesting letters on his site and updates on his condition.

  9. Herbal Healer 4-Herb Tea Stories
     There are quite a few "testimonies" for Herbal Healer 4-Herb Tea.

Testimonies are inspiring and encouraging to read but they are not medical evidence.
Some marketers post them as undocumented promotional fodder for their own product.

  Federal Drug Administration and Federal Trade Commission

In the US it is illegal to claim that any substance cures any disease or condition that has not been evaluated by the FDA, which has primary responsibility for labeling while FTC has responsibility for advertising claims. The agencies work together to ensure their enforcement efforts are consistent.

  1. FDA and FTC Official View
     All herbal products based on Rene Caisse's formula are officially regarded as Essiac by the FDA and FTC, regardless of trademark, product name, or country of origin.

  2. FDA Backs Down on Proposed Disease Definition
     "In a major victory for the dietary supplement industry and the American public", the FDA issued a final ruling in the January 6, 2000 Federal Register, clarifying the types of health claims that can be made under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Article is on www.herbs.org.

  3. Operation Cure.All
    (on ftc.gov site) "Operation Cure.All" was launched June 14, 2001 by FTC, FDA and other law enforcement agencies to stop Internet scams for supplements and other products that purport to cure cancer, HIV/AIDS and countless other life-threatening diseases.

  4. Health Claims on the Internet: Buyer Beware
     (June 2001) Cases investigated by FTC and state law enforcement agencies have involved unsubstantiated claims for health benefits of shark cartilage, Essiac tea, colloidal silver and electrical therapy devices. Also recommended for consumer education are the FTC's "Virtual Health Treatments" at http://www.ftc.gov/opa/2001/06/cureall.htm and the FDA's advice about "Buying Medicines and Medical Products Online" at http://www.fda.gov/oc/buyonline.

  5. Our Alexander
     The Horwins created this site for 2˝ year old son who was diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor and passed away after three months of chemotherapy. They say, "These therapies are ineffective and dangerous to the majority of young children with malignant brain tumors."

  Internet message groups

Newsgroups that sometimes (rarely in last few years) discuss eesiac -- pro and con.

    misc.health.alternative
    alt.support.cancer
    alt.folklore.herbs
    uk.people.health
    sci.med.nutrition
    sci.med.diseases.cancer

Use the newsgroup search engine at groups.google.com, a word-search for "essiac" or "Essiac" will all produce usenet messages (recent and past) that contain that keyword.

CancerteaConversations is a Yahoo Discussion Group moderated by Jan Hodges

Do you know of other good Resources?

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