D.C. wrote:

" My friend that I wrote to the list about whose Saint was recently diagnosed with Lymph Cancer has been on Essiac Tea From Suggestions from the list and I am pleased to report that her position appears to have stabilized"

P.R. of Nashville TN replied:

That is wonderful news! It really does seem like a miracle. Our Lily ( remember was 82 lbs at Christmas ) started taking Essiac Tea on December 6th, 1998. She took three gallons ( three boxes that I brewed ) in doses of 40 cc's per dose. She's not even on it anymore, we slowly weened her down from twice a day ( two gallons on this dose) and then the last gallon to once a day, then once a day every other day, and then to twice a week, and finally to once a week until the tea was gone.

Now, she's 130 lbs, a little fatty that acts like a puppy again. She runs in the yard chasing squirrels and playing with Marc ( tug of war and running thru his legs). Her appetite is good and she eats everything in sight.

At Christmas the internist gave her 6 weeks...it's now been 7 MONTHS and she shows no signs....the blood work comes back negative!

He credited a healthy immune system for automatically dealing with the disease -- an observation that underlines the importance of the immune system in eradicating cancer or any other disease that afflicts humans.

Simply stated, the immune system rests with the white blood cells that are produced in the thymus gland which is centered behind the upper chest plate, and the bone marrow. The National Cancer Institute, established in1953, is dedicated to enlarging our understanding of the vital connection between cancer and the immune system and states that "medical science looks forward to the day when immunological methods will be a standard means of diagnosing, treating and ultimately preventing cancer and other diseases.

An unhealthy diet, stress and emotions such as anger and grief can be destructive to the immune system, so there is much a person can do to bolster it and keep it up to strength. The simplest methods relate to healthy eating and exercise and shelves are awash with books on these subjects. One of the more popular volumes is "Fit For Life II -- Living Health" by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond.

And then there are herbs and other supplements that also promise to bolster the immune system. One of these is the famous herbal tea ESSIAC. Canadian Nurse Rene Caisse discovered it in 1922, and used it over the next 50 years to treat terminally ill cancer patients with remarkable results. Sheila Snow, author of the book " Essence of Essiac", was an admiring friend of Ms. Cassie and is the person most responsible for bringing ESSIAC to enlarged public awareness, beginning in the late 1970's

In her book, Ms Snow lists some 30 potentially promising therapeutic activities likely to be found in the tea. They include the elimination of metals and other toxins in the body and increasing the production of antibodies like lymphocytes and T-Cells in the thymus gland. So while most users of ESSIAC tend to be cancer patients, the tea promises to be beneficial for many other conditions.