Northern Baja Gerson Center, Patrick Vickers-Founder and Owner/Director
My wife & I went to the NBGC for 3 weeks in April of 2019 to seek out benefits of Gerson Therapy combined with some alternative therapy that may or may not be legal in the USA. I have Pancreatic Cancer and my tumor marker (CA 19-9) on day 1 at the clinic was 600. 2 days after we left, which is at 23 days, the number had risen to 3900. Normal CA 19-9 blood levels are below 35.
As Advertised:
Gerson therapy is provided as well as coffee enemas, hyperbaric chamber, bemer mat, silver pulser, B17 Laetrile and hyperthermia which was provided via a Jacuzzi. For an additional fee you can have dendritic cell therapy, UV ozone therapy and GcMAF. They advertise to also provide IV Vitamin C, which they no longer provide. Vitamin C is given as a supplement. One of the additional supplements is actually a prescription for natural thyroid which is given to everyone several times a day without blood testing prior to or during treatment and you are also sent home with a 3-month supply.
All food is organic & a person consumes 20 pounds per day. 13 vegetable or fruit juices every hour beginning with breakfast. Gerson approved oatmeal every breakfast, lunch and dinner both include a soup called Hippocrates, potatoes, another vegetable & salad. Gerson diet has zero animal products, fats, spices, salt, pepper, sugar (other than supplied in nature), avocados, dairy, nuts or seeds. All foods other than the salad are cooked/steamed or baked until it is VERY soft. Obviously removing most of the nutritional value but the goal is for the sick patient to have foods easy to digest so minimal energy is necessary. You are advised not to exercise. The goal is to rest your body so it can heal itself. It is absolutely necessary to hire someone after you leave the clinic for compliance because all food is prepared prior to each meal and juices per hour. Between shopping, preparing and cooking it takes about 13 hours per day to adhere to this protocol. Zero down time. Your spouse and patient would be exhausted both mentally and physically.
Our Concerns:
1. The owner is a chiropractor, Patrick Vickers and not an MD. He is present at the clinic when he is available. He says he has the same training in school as an MD but when you ask a medical question he doesn’t want to answer, he refers you to Dr. Martinez who is an MD available at the clinic approximately 9-3 M-F. Dr. Martinez minimally understands and speaks English. Dr. Martinez stayed in his office all day and we personally only spoke with him 4 or 5 times during our 3 weeks stay. Another Dr comes in at 3 and stays until 9 or so. A nurse is on call during nighttime hours.
2. In this clinic there is no “specialized” care. All patients are treated the same way independent of their particular cancer type or health issue. On our 2nd day, Dr. Martinez sat down with us and gave us Tim’s treatment schedule and when we asked some questions, he asked US what type of cancer Tim had. The treatment plans are not customized…. everyone had the same schedule unless one opted not to have the additional options. Same medications, same Gerson Therapy and same basic alternatives. There is absolutely ZERO follow up from the clinic once you leave. You can choose to call them but they will not call you! The owner said less than 10% actually stay on the Gerson Therapy once they leave. They maintain no reliable statistics on THEIR success or failure rates. Shouldn’t one with cancer keep muscles strong and blood flowing by movement? Sitting or lying around is never a good idea, for anyone!
3. Payment for treatment which is between $20-30,000.00 must be paid in cash. You will be told WHY it must be paid in cash…. but we believe that if they take credit cards, an unhappy customer can file a dispute through their credit card which takes their control away. I have yet to find 1 other clinic that did not accept credit card payments.
4. Gerson therapy is a specific diet as well as coffee enemas. Very time consuming for someone to prepare the 5 coffee enemas, meals and 13 juices each and every day for up to 2 years. Juices must be prepared every hour. A typical person will consume 20 pounds of organic food per day which is expensive and difficult to find. Some special equipment is also necessary to purchase. A shopping example would be 50 pounds of carrots and 40 pounds of apples per week, per person.
5. WE CAN’T STRESS ENOUGH TO CHECK OUT THE GERSON THERAPY AND TOTALLY UNDERSTAND BEFORE COMMITTING FINANCES TO THE THERAPY. Gerson Institute has a website, many you tube videos, etc.
6. Check out this article written by 2 MD’s on Quackwatch.org. Search: More Ploys that can Fool You 4/26/19. Examples, “What have you got to lose” and “What sells is not the quality of their logic or products, but the ability to influence”. Patrick Vickers is your only influential contact until you commit to the clinic.
7. This chiropractor did not invent Gerson Therapy. We were told they are not endorsed by “Gerson” because they’ve added additional alternative treatments which doesn’t follow Gerson “exactly” as the treatment was developed by Dr. Gerson himself, who passed away in 1959. We were also told that the “alternative” treatments added in addition to “Gerson Therapy” are because Dr. Gerson, a scientist, would have added them himself because of the scientific information available since 1959.
8. After being treated by Gerson Therapy I can tell you that the nutritional information gathered since 1959 would have also changed his mind on the specifics of the diet as well. But any clinic claiming to be a Gerson clinic must follow Gerson exactly.
9. Disappointed that as a medical clinic, NO blood pressure or body temperature was taken at any time.
My experience with the clinic is as follows:
My wife and I arrived in April 2019 for a 3 week stay. The staff is very nice and accommodating. The facility is very nice. I chose to add on UV Ozone, GcMAF and dendritic cell therapy to my treatment. After the 1st week, I developed rigors for 55 minutes (uncontrolled shaking and teeth gnashing). Was told the GcMAF can cause this and would only last 10-15 minutes. Over the next few days I developed large welts on my legs. No one knew why, but Dr. Martinez ordered a cream to put on the welts. The welts became less red but never went away until several weeks after returning home.
2 days after returning from the clinic my blood tests revealed my tumor marker had gone from 600-3900 in 23 days! How could this have happened after all of my treatment?? My oncologist suggested I start immediately with chemo knowing full well that I never wanted chemo. My goal from day 1 of my diagnosis was to have alternative treatment only as long as I lived. On the day I was to have my 1st chemo, I was given the routine premeds ONLY and I experienced the rigors again. No chemo would be administered knowing that my infection must be treated first.
My oncologist was present and told everyone I had been treated in Mexico recently. Prior to that day, my port had not been accessed since Mexico. Now 2 months later we realize someone treated in Mexico is a red flag to the staff of potential problems and someone with rigors is always a sign of a blood infection. I was rushed to the hospital emergency room where they performed blood cultures, blood tests and an x-ray of my lungs. The x-ray revealed both lungs with large areas of infectious lesions. The blood cultures confirmed a gram-negative bacterium but more time was necessary to confirm which one. During the interim, I was treated with many bags of antibiotics of all varieties so they could try to cover all the bases. After 5 days in the hospital, it was confirmed I had an unusual gram-negative bacterium. ALL gram- negative bacteria are hard to kill! My infectious MD told me that based on her years of experience there is no doubt in her mind that his bacterial blood infection came from Mexico and from access to the port. Usually the port must be replaced, but I was lucky! After 5 days on antibiotics in the hospital and an additional 2 weeks on antibiotics at home, my gut will never recover. Patrick Vickers (chiropractor) denies any responsibility because he didn’t have a fever or show other signs. BUT THEY DID NOT EVER TAKE HIS TEMPERATURE. The infectious MD also said no one with a PORT SHOULD EVER BE IN A JACQUIZZI!! I saw the staff clean it out but was refilled with Mexico water from a garden hose.
We have spoken with other patients whom have returned with tumor markers increased and an educated guess says it’s because of the amount of sugar on the Gerson diet. Dr. Vickers will tell you that the cancer cells thrives on fats and processed carbs, but not sugar. If so, why does cancer light up on a Petscan after sugar consumption.
My tumor marker increased from 600 to 3900 in 23 days. An educated guess would be that my body was working so hard to heal the bacterial infection, that everything else was useless and I wasted my money. Since the blood infection was a result of something they did in their clinic, we requested a refund of the amount we paid $27,190 from Patrick Vickers but he will assume no responsibility. I have not requested anything for the pain, suffering, gut torn up, etc. that has occurred. It was a mistake but non the less, a mistake, that I paid dearly for. Buyer beware of this clinic. Don’t make a decision based on this or any clinic saying they are your only hope…..many will take advantage of our vulnerabilities and finances in a time of crisis.
Please email if you have additional questions. xxxxxxxxxx@aol.com
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