'GERMAN NEW MEDICINE®'—HOPE OR HOAX? concerns a provocative treatment philosophy, called "German New Medicine®," which is advocated by a former Munich internist named Ryke Geerd Hamer, MD. It is a 100 page report, with a bibliography of 69 items, and 389 footnotes. Ralph Moss considers it one of the most important reports he has ever written.
GNM bears a Germanic name but has no relationship to the many German CAM cancer treatments that have been written about in the past. It is an unusual therapeutic concept, which claims that all cases of cancer (without exception) have a psychological origin. People who experience severe psychic shocks, says Hamer, sometimes develop lesions in the brain (called Hamer Foci) that then give rise to tumors at various sites in the body.
Hamer claims that by using his methods and by avoiding conventional anticancer treatments, at least 92 percent of patients experience remissions of their cancer, even in advanced stages. Some of his supporters go as high as a 98 or 99 percent cure rate. Needless to say, because of Dr, Moss' intense interest in new treatments and particularly in new German developments, he was intrigued by Hamer's astonishing claims. He was also surprised at the support he has received in some quarters in the United States (including one of America's most popular health Web sites). Against all expectations, GNM is making serious inroads not just in Europe but in North America as well. That is why Dr. Moss decided to spend three months to delve more deeply into the whole topic of this radical departure from conventional oncology.
Because of the great importance of the overall topic, Dr. Moss shared drafts of the report with various experts on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Here are some of their comments:
"'German New Medicine®'—Hope or Hoax? sounds the alarm about a dangerous cancer treatment philosophy that has made inroads in Europe and North America. Ralph Moss clearly explains this group's origins and its shameless exploitation of anti-Semitism to attain its ends. I strongly recommend this report to all patients who might be considering this or other alternative cancer treatments."
—Andrew Weil, MD, founder and program director, Arizona Center for Integrative Medicine, University of Arizona Medical Center, Tucson, AZ
"Here is an alternative cancer system that is not only dangerous but cruel. Unfortunately, too many patients believe in it. Ralph Moss has unearthed the truth in detail. Spread this report to all with cancer who may be inclined to seek out this therapy."
—Wayne B. Jonas, MD, President & CEO, Samueli Institute, and former director of the NIH Office of Alternative Medicine
"I read Ralph Moss's report on 'German New Medicine®' with fascination and distress. Moss has looked into this movement and presented its claims and the evidence in a thorough, straightforward way. With his dispassionate perspective, Moss has done a fine job warning those whose need and hope may draw them to Hamer."
—James Gordon, MD, Founding Director, Center for Mind Body Medicine, Washington, DC and chairman, White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy
"I have read Ralph Moss's report on Dr. Hamer and his highly controversial theories with the greatest interest. Moss shows exactly and accurately why Hamer's universal theories are without any factual basis. In my experience, an 'iron rule of cancer' does not exist. Finally, with his paranoid anti-Semitism, Hamer has lost all possibility that his theories might be discussed in the scientific community."
—György Irmey, MD, Medical Director, Gesellschaft für Biologische Krebsabwehr, Heidelberg (the largest CAM cancer organization in Germany)
"Ralph Moss has performed a tremendously useful service by investigating 'German New Medicine®' and alerting integrative and CAM practitioners to its very problematic way of thinking."
—Charlotte Gyllenhaal, PhD, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago
"This report can save lives."
—Prof. Mate Hidvegi, Budapest
