• CAM-summaries
  • Alternative medical systems
  • Biologically-based practices
  • Diet & nutrition
    • Breuss cancer cure
      • What is Breuss cancer cure?
      • How well does Breuss cancer cure work?
      • Is Breuss cancer cure safe?
      • Breuss cancer cure conclusions
    • Carctol
    • Co-enzyme Q10
    • Gerson diet
    • Green tea for prevention
    • Lacto-ovo vegetarian diet
    • Megamin
  • Energy medicine
  • Manipulative & body-based practices
  • Mind-body medicine
• CAM systematic reviews
• CAM and the law
• Prevalence of CAM use

Is Breuss cancer cure safe?

There is a lack of published information regarding the safety of the Breuss. Senn and Jungi reported several patients in whom the Breuss cure had led to a rapid and dangerous cachexia (ref 28). Douwes et al observed weight-loss of between 9 and 16 kg (ref 13). This reported malnutrition is a substantial risk of the Breuss method. Malnutrition has a known negative effect on morbidity, mortality, hospital stay and quality of life of cancer patients (ref 29-31). The "Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Onkologie" and the "Schweizerische Krebsliga" published documentation on the Breuss cure in which they referred to the publication of Senn and Jungi and advised against the method (ref 32, 33). As Breuss forbade any conventional cancer treatments, patients could potentially be turned away from possibly beneficial conventional cancer treatments.

References

13.Douwes FR, et al. Hat das Fasten in der Therapie von Tumorpatienten einen Sinn? Teil 2. Krebsgeschehen 1984;6:141-9.

28. Tomasi C, Laconi E, Laconi S, Greco M, Sarma DS, Pani P. Effect of fasting/refeeding on the incidence of chemically induced hepatocellular carcinoma in the rat. Carcinogenesis 1999;20(10):1979-83.

29. Senn HJ, Jungi WF. Krebskur total. Schweiz Ärztezeitung 1979;34:1678-80.

30. Inui A. Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome: current issues in research and management. CA Cancer J Clin 2002;52(2):72-91.

31. Zürcher G. Medikamentöse Strategien zur Gewichtszunahme bei kachektischen Patienten. Akt Ernähr Med 2002;27:398-407.

32. Maltoni M, Caraceni A, Brunelli C, Broeckaert B, Christakis N, Eychmueller Set al. Prognostic factors in advanced cancer patients: evidence-based clinical recommendations--a study by the Steering Committee of the European Association for Palliative Care. J Clin Oncol 2005;23(25):6240-8.

33. Krebskur total nach Breuss. Dokumentation Nr. 2. Schweiz Rundsch Med 1987;76:1165-6.