Cancer and Homeopathic Treatments

Homeopathy in the Treatment of Cancer

The name HANSI refers to a series of homeopathically prepared herbs that have been proven effective in the treatment of cancer and chronic fatigue. The product was developed by Argentinian biologist Juan Jose Hirschmann who named it after his childhood nickname Hansi, which is German for “little John.” But the name also refers to Homeopathic Activator of the Natural Immune System, which concisely describes the product.

When Hirschmann first introduced HANSI in Buenos Aires, Argentina, in July 1990, so great was the demand for this alternative cancer formula that even with 40 physicians on staff, his clinic reached operating capacity in its first week, registering, at peak time, 1200 patients a day. Since then, says David C. Christner, managing director of Hansi International, Ltd., in Sarasota, Florida, an estimated 100,000 cancer patients have used HANSI with good results, indicated most notably in dramatic increases in levels and activity of natural killer cells, central to the immune response to cancer. “A large amount of evidence is leading to the conclusion that HANSI is a powerful enhancer of the human system,” Christner says.

The basic product starts with about 10 components, then is adjusted according to whether it will be delivered orally or by injection and whether it is to address cancer, chronic fatigue, AIDS, asthma, or other conditions, Christner says. For example, the basic HANSI contains low potency homeopathic dilutions (4X to 11X) of mostly rain forest and desert plants such as Cacti grandiflora (cactus), aloe, arnica, lachesis, licopodium, and others, in a 2-8% alcohol base tincture.

HANSI formula variations include these plus Colocinthis, Pulmonaria reticulosa, Berberis vulgaris, and silica. Hirschmann and Christner emphasize their company's commitment to performing the “hard science” to provide physicians with “incontrovertible evidence” that HANSI gets results. In a landmark study in 1992 involving 87 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer (which is usually fatal within 3-6 months and presents a cure rate of 1%), 60 of the patients taking HANSI daily remained alive one year after the study began.

Two years later, more than 50% of the patients were still alive and well, says study director, Cesar Bertacchini, M.D., of the Instituto de Medicina Integracion in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Further, appetite remained stable in 57% of the cases and increased in 7%, 73% had no pain or only mild pain, 56% reported no nausea or vomiting, and 36% experienced a reduction in these symptoms.

HANSI was able to stop weight loss (which is typical of advanced cancer) for 34%, and 11% gained some weight. Patients receiving HANSI did not have chemotherapy or radiation during this treatment. In addition, several studies have shown conclusively that HANSI has no toxicity or secondary effects, said Dr. Bertacchini.

Subsequent studies indicate that HANSI produces a greater tolerance for radiation and chemotherapy, both subjectively and in terms of the return of a patient's blood to “normal” or pretreatment status. Early results from a 1995 study at the Goodwin Institute for Cancer Research in Plantation, Florida, involving breast cancer in mice demonstrated that HANSI treatment produced a 40% decrease in tumor size in 30 days. Hansi International is presently engaged in several key research projects in conjunction with the University of California at Irvine, College of Medicine, where HANSI's efficacy in treating chronic fatigue syndrome will be evaluated.

Chief researcher, Darryl M. See, M.D., comments: “Over the past two years I have been involved in screening various herbs and homeopathic preparations for in vitro immune-stimulating effects. Among the 200 or so I have tested, HANSI proved to be among the most effective in increasing natural killer cell function.” Natural killer cells are key cancer-fighters in the immune system.

Christner says that HANSI, for injection or intravenous infusion, is available to people in the U.S. in accordance with the FDA's “Personal Use Exemption” which permits importation by individuals of a 3-month supply.

On the other hand, HANSI oral formulas (Rejuvenator Formula “J” and “H” for chronic fatigue, arthritis, or immune boosting) are, technically, available to anyone as over-the-counter remedies, without restrictions, says Christner. However, oral HANSI is absorbed more slowly and dissipates faster than the injected form. At present, HANSI in all applications is fully legal in Mexico, the Bahamas, Argentina, and Hungary.