October 2008 UPDATE: see post by Sunita (below) January 2008 UPDATE: I wanted to let you know that St. George Hospital in Bad Aibling, Germany now has a U.S. Liaison office in Sarasota. Keep up all your good work, Marla Manhart, U.S. Liaison St. George Hospital 941 921 3536 www.klinik-st-georg.de I've had many requests for permission to forward my post about Klinik St. Georg. Please tell anyone who could make use of the information. There is nothing private about my story and it would make me very happy to be able to help inform so many more people about the Klinik. I'll try to fill out the picture better. I decided on the Klinik for a number of reasons. I'm a singer-songwriter, I play guitar and a little accordion. I make my living touring Europe with a wonderful guitarist from Pennsylvania. My music is the powerful driving force of my life. If I had to have axillary surgery, I feared that resulting fluid problems could impair my ability to play my tours. I don't have a crew to carry my gear. My partner and I have to drag our bags up a lot of hotel stairs and drive about 4,000 miles in 30 days. If I could hold up that guitar neck 2 hours a night and smile and sing my songs, I still don't know if I could handle the schlepping and so on. Without my work, I would not have a strong will to live. I would be depressed and angry at losing what gives my life meaning and brings such joy to me and to other people too. The conventional doctors told me touring would have to wait a year or 2 while I had surgery and chemotherapy. I'm 49. I play tours which would have exhaust a healthy 20-year-old! They recharge my spirit, but I must be physically up to the challenges of travel and nightly concerts. And yet, when I asked Prof. Douwes on the telephone, "If I come to you for 3-4 weeks of treatment for my breast cancer, is there any chance I could play my long tour only 2 weeks later?" his reply was an upbeat, "I don't see why not!" That was the deciding moment for me. But let me add that I had just spend 3 weeks speed-reading some 30+ books and online till I thought my eyeballs would fry, learning all I could about every alternative treatment I could find, and about all the supplements and herbs for cancer. It was not simply a musician's desperate search for a way to go on playing music. I got quite an education very quickly, and I got on the phone and talked with every kind of doctor and therapist I could find. Many very busy people were kind and generous with their time. I wanted to know what their advice/approach would be. I was quickly burned out and overwhelmed by all this info! But I got a "feel" for what seemed right for me. I liked the fact that Professor Douwes uses all the weapons at his disposal. In fact, he prefers not to use the term alternative medicine, but complementary medicine, because he feels that the alternative and conventional treatments must be able to work together, and he combines them as he sees fit in individual cases. I got right onto mega-supplements and IP6 and calcium D-glucarate, Bach remedies, herbs, green tea -- anything I could find to help my immune system with this immense task. I bought a mini-trampoline because I read that 15 min. a day will stimulate the lymphatic system to work 30 times harder than normal, and I wanted to do anything to help cleanse my system. Before booking the Klinik, it struck me that my decision was largely intuitive, and that I do more research into different venues before booking a given night of one of our tours than I had invested in checking out other such clinics in Germany! So I took a few days to do this also. I decided I had made the right choice and I wanted to go to Prof. Douwes. I met other patients at Klinik St. Georg who had tried other clinics over here with similar treatments. One place in Denmark had been very highly recommended by Ralph Moss, but patients found only one doctor, whose assistant could not figure out a digital thermometer; hyperthermia equipment broken down; filthy bug-infested cottages to stay in... I heard one patient arrived there, looked around, and flew out the next morning. A Dr. Wolfgang Woeppel runs a similar clinic near Wurzburg, Germany (address available from CACE). His website has much good info about specific treatments. However, he insists on tonsillectomy. I'm a singer, I want to keep my tonsils, and I don't have trouble with them. This made him angry. A girl I met who went to him for breast cancer treatment said he was angry because she insisted on using her own natural vitamins with which he was unfamiliar, rather than his synthetic ones. I don't think he and I would get along at all well. The general consensus among the patients who had been to other clinics was that Klinik St. Georg is by far the best one. I believe the cost there is a bit higher, but I can tell you no one is getting rich there either. I cannot imagine the costs involved in running such an operation. I must check with my husband, but my idea is that my costs ran approx. US $5,000 per week. They give you a flat rate when you first arrive because they don't know your treatment plan yet. After the first week, they have a clearer idea. We made a weekly advance payment. We borrowed up to the eyeballs so I could go there. We didn't know if our Dutch insurance would pay for the German treatment (they did!) and it didn't matter. We'd have sold our house if we had to. There are some ways to cut costs. For healthy, ambulatory patients like me, you can be an outpatient and stay in the castle's second building. You walk a few yards to the International House where the nurses' station and physiotherapy are done. I didn't know this so was an inpatient at the Klinik's International House, Castle Prantseck (it's a manor-style castle, no turrets). The whole operation is divided into two locations, across the little town from each other, 5-10 min. walk (or the Klinik provides minivan & driver). The actual Klinik St. Georg is where Prof. Douwes and his wife (Frau Doktor Douwes) have their offices. Non-German-speaking patients are at Castle Prantseck, where the staff speaks English. This is an expensive but practical solution to the language difficulties. You would stay at Prantseck, but sometimes have treatments at St. Georg. I think all outpatient treatments are at St. Georg. I had my galvanotherapy there (3 times) but had no language barrier. One receptionist spoke only a little English. I think there are 30 rooms at Prantseck, in all. It's like being in a beautiful hotel, except for the wheelchairs and oxygen tanks you might find in the hall. You have the option of bringing a companion. I could see the Bavarian Alps from my window, and the town is very pretty and friendly. Everyone on the staff seems to be doing the work of 3 people, and they are all very kind and dedicated, and all worship Prof. Douwes. This was long and I must run but will write something later about another treatment... Best, Liz Meyer Amsterdam, Holland more patient perspective LINK Hyperthermia, electrical therapies, etc. July visit, back at the Klinik Emotional issues addressed, no surgery chosen 8/10/01 9/10/01 Liz Meyer reports, 2001 Australian woman's family member describes her "treatment" Liz Meyer responds to the circumstances described by Robyn's family Comments from Anutosh (patient in 2001) Theo Responds to criticism of St Georg Klini Letter from Jana Contact Susan with questions Klinik visitor, 2003 UPDATED 1/04 Visited German clinic, with pancreatic cancer LINK to blog for Karen who has throat cancer using CAM From an email 10/06/08 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.