The History Of Essiac: Help for those who have cancer
The story of Essiac began in 1922. A head nurse at the Sisters of Providence Hospital in Haileybury, Ontario, Canada, discovered the remedy. Her name was Rene Caisse. What follows was her struggle to get her discovery into the hands of those she felt could benefit from this special tea.
In 1922, Rene Caisse came to have an elderly woman as her patient. The exam revealed that the woman had a scarred breast; Rene had inquired about it. The elderly woman had discovered a mass on her breast 20 years earlier. She was camping at the time and told an old Ojibwa Indian medicine man about the mass. He said he could heal her, but the woman and her husband were skeptical, believing Indian medicine had no medicinal value. They went to a doctor in Toronto and were told the mass was cancerous. The treatment for cancer at that time was breast removal, and a very painful form of chemotherapy. The woman remembered that the Indian¡¯s eyes held certainty and kindness. The couple went back to him. He gave her a pleasant tasting tea, and instructed her to drink the tea two times each day until her body was back in harmony. She was also instructed how to make the tea herself.
When Rene came to meet the woman, her breast was not cancerous; it was only scarred. Rene asked for the recipe, writing it down. At the time, the medical community would not believe in the treatment; Rene had wanted the recipe in the event she would ever develop cancer.
Two years later, Rene¡¯s aunt developed terminal stomach and liver cancer. Rene went to her aunt¡¯s physician, Dr. Fischer, with the recipe. Realizing his patient was at the end stage, the doctor allowed Rene to give her aunt the tea. After two months of daily treatment, her aunt¡¯s condition began to improve. Her aunt went on to live another 20 years. The physician and Rene were impressed. They decided to try the herbal tea on other patients with terminal cancer. These patients also showed dramatic improvement. The word of the new tea¡¯s healing abilities spread.
For two years, Dr. Fischer and Rene studied the herbal tea. Believing that any treatment was more effective if injected, Rene and Dr. Fischer worked with laboratory rats to test the hypothesis. Upon discovery that several of the components were unable to be injected safely, they decided that the best results would be obtained if part of the remedy was given orally, and the other part was injected. It was also at that time that the remedy was given its name: ESSIAC, named so by spelling its discoverer¡¯s name backwards.
Dr. Fischer began telling other physicians about Rene¡¯s successes with Essiac. Physicians began to send their end-stage cancer patients to her, and saw miraculous results. In time, Rene quit her job as a nurse to open her own clinic. Soon, more than 30 people per day came to the clinic.
She charged no fee for service, but was able to live on donations from satisfied patients. The Minister of Health and College of Physicians allowed Rene to treat people with Essiac as long as she charged no fee, and obtained from the person a written diagnosis of cancer from their doctor. News of Rene¡¯s success spread. In 1932, a Canadian paper published an article about Rene¡¯s success. Her recognition brought more people to Rene¡¯s door. In 1933, the Deputy Minister of Hospitals for Ontario and the town council of Bracebridge aided Rene in opening her own cancer clinic.
Several years later, her supporters petitioned for Essiac to become supported by the Department of Health and Welfare. The Minister of Health was Dr. J. A. Faulkner. He conferred with a very prestigious physician at the time, Sir Frederick Banting, MD. Dr. Banting made an offer to Rene to come to the Banting Institute and research her tea on laboratory animals. Once the institute would deem Essiac safe, it would be legitimized as a cancer treatment.
Rene declined the offer, feeling that people would die if she weren¡¯t available to help them.
The United States heard about Rene¡¯s success. Northwestern University asked her to treat 30 volunteer patients with various stages of cancer so five physicians could see the results of Essiac. The physicians were astounded, and made Rene an offer to head a cancer clinic in Chicago. She refused, because she would not neglect her patients in Canada.
In 1938, a greater movement was made by Rene¡¯s followers to legitimize Rene¡¯s cancer remedy, to allow her to treat people before the end-stage of cancer. A new Minister of Health was now in office. He proposed a bill to find the truth to Essiac. If the Minister¡¯s bill was voted in, Rene would be fined if she used Essiac, plus she would have to give up the tea¡¯s formula.
The Minister¡¯s bill was debated. Although Rene had much support, the Minister¡¯s bill was easily voted in. Rene was forced to close her clinic. The public was outraged, writing numerous letters to the Minister of Health and the Premiere. Incredible pressure from the public caused the Premiere and the Minister to allow Rene to re-open her clinic and not conform to the new law.
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