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Starchild Abraham Cherrix’s legal victory

CancerBlog reports that Starchild Abraham Cherrix, a 16-year-old cancer patient, will be permitted to avoid a second round of cancer treatment in favor of CAM. The court ruled that a board-certified radiation oncologist of his choice who is interested in alternative treatments must treat him.

The young man is taking the Hoxsey method, an herbal treatment that is illegal in the United States but can be obtained in Mexico.

Abraham got his legal victory. What he really needs is a medical victory. Don’t bet the farm on Hoxsey.

The American Cancer Society website reviews the Hoxsey Herbal Treatment, which dates back to the 1920s.

  • Hoxsey has two regimens
  • The “brown tonic” is taken internally; ingredients vary with the patient
  • A paste applied externally may contain antimony, zinc, bloodroot, and a yellow powder consisting of arsenic, sulfur and talc
  • The past is caustic
  • Dietary restrictions: no pork, vinegar, tomatoes, etc

Claims of effectiveness are limited to anecdotal reports, no peer reviewed studies. Read the ACS review. Also read the British Columbia Cancer Agency review, which provides more detail on the components of the treatment.

8/16/06 18:18 JR

Hi, I’m JR

John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.