Bert Scholl hopes to beat his cancer with 20 pounds of produce per day for the next 18 months.
Photo provided
Scholl kisses his 6-month-old son, Beau, during the fundraiser held Saturday evening.
Scholl kisses his 6-month-old son, Beau, during the fundraiser held Saturday evening.
Scholl, 37, was diagnosed with T3 rectal cancer in March, although he suspects it has been developing for as long as two years. The growth started on the inner lining of his rectal tissue and has since spread to the surrounding muscle.
Aside from the discomfort it creates for him during defecation, the cancer causes Scholl pain when he walks for long distances or carries heavy weights. Holding his 6-month-old son, Beau, can also be a source of pain for Scholl, particularly at the end of exhausting days.
“I've gone through an emotional rollercoaster,” Scholl said.
Two of Scholl's doctors suggested he seek different - but conventional - treatments for his cancer, both of which involve heavy chemotherapy and radiation. Then Scholl would either receive a permanent colostomy or undergo a procedure to remove the cancerous area and eventually reattach “the pipes.”
But Scholl was dissuaded from taking these paths of treatment by advice from Richard Cohen, a holistic doctor Scholl sees in Ithaca, and research collected by Scholl's wife, Daniela. Instead of chemo and surgery, Scholl opted for a more obscure approach to treating his cancer.
“All roads kept leading to Gerson Therapy,” Scholl said.
The therapy, named for the German doctor who developed it in the early 20th century, is currently being put into practice by Scholl. Since Monday, he has been attending the Baja Nutri Care Clinic in Mexico, where he is learning how to implement the intensive regimen.
“It's a constant state of flushing the body with nutrients,” he said.
Every day Scholl will drink 13 servings of fruit and vegetable juice to detoxify his body, followed by coffee enemas that will flush the toxins from his system before they can find their way back to his blood stream.
“People try to hold in their laughter when I tell them I'm using coffee enemas,” Scholl joked.
Because the juices must be fresh, Scholl and his wife, Daniela, must purchase roughly 20 pounds of produce every day. The fruits and vegetables must then be liquefied with a Norwalk juicer that doesn't generate heat, so as not to deplete the juice of essential enzymes.
“The challenge of implementing it is that it's a rigorous program and you have to stay on top of it, every hour on the hour,” Scholl said.
A lack of insurance coverage for the alternative treatment has left Scholl with an additional challenge in funding it. A recent benefit event at the Ithaca Montessori School helped finance his trip to Mexico and the cost of not only his daily dietary requirement, but also blood tests, CT scans and MRIs.
In addition to the cost and effort required to administer his treatment every day, Scholl will face a few other challenges as he adapts to Gerson Therapy.
“When you're drinking 13 juices a day, you can't really go far,” he said.
The purpose of the therapy is threefold: to detoxify, alkalinize and oxygenate the body. The abundance of green vegetables and fruits will provide Scholl with a diet that won't acidify his system, unlike the normal selection of foods most people consume.
Although Scholl's parents, Pam and Jim Anderegg, of Auburn, were at first saddened to hear of their son's cancer, they grew confident in his recovery when he told them that he would treat it with Gerson Therapy.
“The idea that somebody would try to fight cancer with diet just excited me off the bat,” said Pamela, who recovered from the ill effects of Celiac Disease by restructuring her diet.
Pamela also believes Bert possesses the traits necessary to make the meticulous therapy a success.
“He has inherited his mother's tenacity,” she said.
Gerson Therapy comes highly recommended to Scholl and his wife from women she spoke with who healed themselves of cancer with the treatment.
“My incredible wife did an enormous amount of research,” Scholl said.
As he implements the therapy on himself, Scholl hopes to spread awareness of its power to heal to people who may be inclined to immediately do what their doctor first suggests.
“My first thought was to run to the doctors, but once I put the fear aside, I recognized that there are other treatments out in the world that people have used for years,” Scholl said.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
Want to help?
€ Donations may be mailed to:
Jane Schantz, RN CHPN,
c/o “The Bert Scholl” fund,
212 Second Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
€ For more details, e-mail danielahs@frontiernet.net
Aside from the discomfort it creates for him during defecation, the cancer causes Scholl pain when he walks for long distances or carries heavy weights. Holding his 6-month-old son, Beau, can also be a source of pain for Scholl, particularly at the end of exhausting days.
“I've gone through an emotional rollercoaster,” Scholl said.
Two of Scholl's doctors suggested he seek different - but conventional - treatments for his cancer, both of which involve heavy chemotherapy and radiation. Then Scholl would either receive a permanent colostomy or undergo a procedure to remove the cancerous area and eventually reattach “the pipes.”
But Scholl was dissuaded from taking these paths of treatment by advice from Richard Cohen, a holistic doctor Scholl sees in Ithaca, and research collected by Scholl's wife, Daniela. Instead of chemo and surgery, Scholl opted for a more obscure approach to treating his cancer.
“All roads kept leading to Gerson Therapy,” Scholl said.
The therapy, named for the German doctor who developed it in the early 20th century, is currently being put into practice by Scholl. Since Monday, he has been attending the Baja Nutri Care Clinic in Mexico, where he is learning how to implement the intensive regimen.
“It's a constant state of flushing the body with nutrients,” he said.
Every day Scholl will drink 13 servings of fruit and vegetable juice to detoxify his body, followed by coffee enemas that will flush the toxins from his system before they can find their way back to his blood stream.
“People try to hold in their laughter when I tell them I'm using coffee enemas,” Scholl joked.
Because the juices must be fresh, Scholl and his wife, Daniela, must purchase roughly 20 pounds of produce every day. The fruits and vegetables must then be liquefied with a Norwalk juicer that doesn't generate heat, so as not to deplete the juice of essential enzymes.
“The challenge of implementing it is that it's a rigorous program and you have to stay on top of it, every hour on the hour,” Scholl said.
A lack of insurance coverage for the alternative treatment has left Scholl with an additional challenge in funding it. A recent benefit event at the Ithaca Montessori School helped finance his trip to Mexico and the cost of not only his daily dietary requirement, but also blood tests, CT scans and MRIs.
In addition to the cost and effort required to administer his treatment every day, Scholl will face a few other challenges as he adapts to Gerson Therapy.
“When you're drinking 13 juices a day, you can't really go far,” he said.
The purpose of the therapy is threefold: to detoxify, alkalinize and oxygenate the body. The abundance of green vegetables and fruits will provide Scholl with a diet that won't acidify his system, unlike the normal selection of foods most people consume.
Although Scholl's parents, Pam and Jim Anderegg, of Auburn, were at first saddened to hear of their son's cancer, they grew confident in his recovery when he told them that he would treat it with Gerson Therapy.
“The idea that somebody would try to fight cancer with diet just excited me off the bat,” said Pamela, who recovered from the ill effects of Celiac Disease by restructuring her diet.
Pamela also believes Bert possesses the traits necessary to make the meticulous therapy a success.
“He has inherited his mother's tenacity,” she said.
Gerson Therapy comes highly recommended to Scholl and his wife from women she spoke with who healed themselves of cancer with the treatment.
“My incredible wife did an enormous amount of research,” Scholl said.
As he implements the therapy on himself, Scholl hopes to spread awareness of its power to heal to people who may be inclined to immediately do what their doctor first suggests.
“My first thought was to run to the doctors, but once I put the fear aside, I recognized that there are other treatments out in the world that people have used for years,” Scholl said.
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
Want to help?
€ Donations may be mailed to:
Jane Schantz, RN CHPN,
c/o “The Bert Scholl” fund,
212 Second Street
Ithaca, NY 14850
€ For more details, e-mail danielahs@frontiernet.net
