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Other common
name(s): Hoxsey method, Hoxsey treatment, Hoxsey herbs,
Hoxsey herbal therapy, Hoxsey formula
Scientific/medical
name(s): none
Description
The Hoxsey herbal treatment is a regimen that includes the use
of two types of herbal mixtures: a "brown tonic" to be taken by mouth
and a paste, salve, or yellow powder for external use. Both the paste
and the powder are caustic, meaning they can burn the skin
(see Cancer Salves).
Overview
Available scientific evidence does not support claims that the
Hoxsey herbal treatment is effective in treating cancer, and there have
been no clinical trials of the treatment published in conventional
medical journals. In some animal studies, a few of the herbs contained
in the Hoxsey formula were studied separately and showed some
anticancer activity. It is not known whether the combination of herbs
taken by mouth has harmful effects. The paste made for external
application can severely burn, scar, and disfigure the skin.
How is it promoted for use?
The Hoxsey herbal treatment is specifically promoted to treat
people with cancer. People who use the tonic claim that it removes
toxins from the body, strengthens the immune system, and enhances the
body's ability to absorb and excrete, or get rid of, tumors. The
external treatment is used to treat skin cancer. It is supposed to keep
cancer from spreading and help destroy cancer cells. Those who use the
Hoxsey treatment say that it restores the body's chemistry to a normal
state.
What does it involve?
The herbal tonic for internal use contains a combination of
supplements and herbs that may include pokeweed, burdock root,
licorice, barberry, buckthorn bark, stillingia root, red clover,
prickly ash bark, potassium iodide, and cascara. The components depend
on when it was made, who it was made for, and the clinic in which is
was made. The pastes or salves for external use may contain antimony
trisulfide, zinc chloride, and blood root, and the powder consists of
arsenic sulfide, sulfur, and talc. The external preparation is rubbed
directly onto tumors. Internal and external dosages vary depending on
the patient and whether the tumor is inside the body or on the skin.
The Hoxsey herbal treatment is no longer legal in the United States,
although it can be obtained through clinics in Mexico. Adapted versions
of the formula are being used by some naturopathic practitioners in the
United States.
In addition to the herbs and other ingredients described
above, the Hoxsey treatment now also includes antiseptic douches and
washes, laxative tablets, and nutritional supplements. Food
restrictions are now part of the treatment as well, and patients
undergoing this treatment may not be allowed pork, vinegar, tomatoes,
pickles, carbonated drinks, alcohol, bleached flour, sugar, and most
salt.
What is the history behind it?
The Hoxsey herbal treatment is one of the oldest alternative
cancer treatments in the United States. Its controversial history dates
back to the 1920s, when Harry Hoxsey, who had no medical training,
began marketing a mixture of herbs that he believed would treat cancer.
Hoxsey claimed that his great grandfather, John Hoxsey, developed the
first version of the herbal formula in 1840 when he noticed a tumor
that had developed on one of his horse's legs. The animal began eating
some of the wild plants growing in the meadow, and within a short time
the tumor disappeared. John Hoxsey gathered the herbs and mixed them
with old home remedies used for cancer.
Harry's father, a veterinarian, was the first to use the
herbal formula to treat people with cancer. Harry, however, was the one
who attracted fame and fortune through self-promotion, publicity, and
sensational claims. He even conducted public healing sessions using his
herbal concoction. Hoxsey opened his first clinic in Taylorville,
Illinois, in the 1920s, and at one point operated clinics in 17 states.
He claimed that at their peak his clinics treated tens of thousands of
cancer patients every year. Hoxsey was convicted and fined numerous
times for practicing medicine without a license and moved his clinics
from state to state to avoid legal problems.
In 1936, Hoxsey opened a clinic in Dallas, Texas, that became
one of the largest privately owned cancer centers in the world. In
1949, Hoxsey sued the editor of the prestigious Journal of the American Medical
Association for libel and slander after the journal
called him a fraud. Hoxsey won the case, but the judge awarded him only
$1.
By 1960, after battling Hoxsey for a decade, the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) finally banned the sale of the Hoxsey herbal
treatment in the United States and forced Hoxsey to close all clinics
in the United States. In 1963, one of Hoxsey's nurses set up a clinic
in Tijuana, Mexico. Just before her death in 1999, the clinic was taken
over by her sister and still operates today. Hoxsey himself was found
to have prostate cancer in 1967. When he did not respond to his own
treatment, Hoxsey underwent conventional surgery. He died 7 years
later.
What is the evidence?
Available scientific evidence does not support claims that the
Hoxsey herbal treatment has any value in the treatment of cancer in
humans. In 1946, the National Cancer Institute reviewed 77 case reports
of Hoxsey's patients and concluded that none of them met the criteria
for scientific evaluation.
Experts from The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer
Center have reviewed all 4 published human studies of the Hoxsey herbal
treatment. One study was published in a pamphlet provided by the
Tijuana clinic and simply contains a description of 9 patients who
received the treatment. It concluded that the treatment is effective,
even though most of the Hoxsey-treated patients received standard
cancer treatment in addition to the Hoxsey treatment. Seven additional
cases were reviewed in a book, which concludes that patients "got well
when they weren't supposed to"—that is, they had a dismal
prognosis but were cured by the Hoxsey treatment. The cases described
in the book, however, include some in which the cancer was not
confirmed by biopsy and several in which patients also received
conventional treatment. A study published in the Journal of Naturopathic Medicine
involved 39 people with various types of cancer who took the Hoxsey
herbal treatment. Ten patients died after an average of 15 months, and
23 never completed the study. Six patients claimed to be disease-free
after 4 years. A study reporting outcomes of 149 patients registering
at the Hoxsey clinic during the first 3 months of 1992 was published in
2001 in the Journal of
Alternative and Complementary Medicine. Seventeen patients
were still alive, 68 had died, and information regarding the remaining
64 was not available. The researchers concluded that the value of the
treatment could not be evaluated because follow-up for so many patients
was incomplete. None of these 4 studies contain convincing evidence of
effectiveness.
According to a 1990 report from the U.S. Congressional Office
of Technology Assessment, the National Advisory Cancer Council studied
many of Hoxsey's patient records and learned that biopsies were not
performed on most of the patients, so there was no confirmation that
they actually had cancer. In a separate review, the National Cancer
Institute investigated 400 patients who were reported as cured by
Hoxsey. Patients or their families were interviewed, and all records
were carefully reviewed. These patients fell into 3 groups: those who
had been treated, but were not confirmed to have had cancer; those who
had received successful conventional cancer treatment before seeing
Hoxsey; and those who had cancer and had died of it or were still alive
with evidence of cancer. Out of the 400 cases, not 1 case of a Hoxsey
cure could be documented.
To collect some reliable information, a carefully controlled
study of the Hoxsey tonic was performed on mice with tumors. There was
no difference in tumor size and growth between the treated and
untreated mice. The main ingredient in the tonic, potassium iodide, had
been tested already and found to be useless in cancer treatment.
In some animal studies, a few of the individual herbs
contained in the Hoxsey treatment showed some anticancer activity.
Further studies are needed to determine whether the results apply to
humans.
Are there any possible problems or
complications?
These
substances may have not been thoroughly tested to find out how they
interact with medicines, foods, herbs, or supplements. Even though some
reports of interactions and harmful effects may be published, full
studies of interactions and effects are not often available. Because of
these limitations, any information on ill effects and interactions
below should be considered incomplete.
Some of the ingredients in the internal formula, such as
buckthorn, can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, anxiety, and
trembling. Cascara can also cause diarrhea. Pokeweed is a poisonous
plant that can cause side effects such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea,
abdominal cramps, and heart block (a blockage of the electrical
impulses that stimulate the heart to contract), and has caused deaths
in children. Red clover may increase the risk of bleeding for people
who take blood-thinning medications such as warfarin (Coumadin). It
also has estrogen-like activity, which means it should be avoided by
women with estrogen-positive breast tumors. Taking iodine in large
amounts over a long period of time can cause inflamed salivary glands,
skin outbreaks, and impotence. The paste made for external use can
severely burn, scar, and disfigure the skin.
Interactions with other drugs may occur. For example,
potassium iodide can cause problems in those taking lithium or
blood-thinning medications. Potential interactions between the Hoxsey
herbs and other drugs and herbs should be considered. Some of these
combinations may be dangerous. Always tell your doctor and pharmacist
about any herbs you are taking.
People with allergies to any of the ingredients may experience
severe reactions to the internal or external formulas. If hives,
rashes, or shortness of breath develop, stop taking the herbs and seek
medical attention immediately.
Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should not use this
treatment in any form. Relying on this type of treatment alone and
avoiding or delaying conventional medical care for cancer may have
serious health consequences.
Additional Resources
More information from your American Cancer
Society
The following information on complementary and alternative
therapies may also be helpful to you. These materials may be found on
our Web site (www.cancer.org)
or ordered from our toll-free number (1-800-ACS-2345).
References
American Cancer Society. Questionable methods of cancer
management: ‘nutritional' therapies. CA Cancer J Clin.
1993;43:309-319.
American Cancer Society. Unproven methods of cancer
management: Hoxsey Method/Bio-Medical Center. CA Cancer J Clin.
1990;40:51-55.
Austin S, Baumgartner E, DeKadt S. Long-term follow-up of
cancer patients using Contreras, Hoxsey and Gerson therapies. J Naturopathic Med.
1994;5:74-76.
Herbal/plant therapies: hoxsey. Complementary/Integrative
Medicine Education Resources, The University of Texas M.D. Anderson
Cancer Center Web site.
http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/CIMER/display.cfm?id=A0AAFDBB-ECA2-11D4-810100508B603A14&method=displayFull.
Accessed June 5, 2008.
Hoxsey herbal therapy. Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
Web site. http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/69258.cfm. Updated August 31,
2007. Accessed June 5, 2008.
National Institutes of Health. Alternative Medicine: Expanding
Medical Horizons: A Report to the National Institutes of Health on
Alternative Medical Systems and Practices in the United States.
Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1994. NIH publication
94-066.
Spaulding-Albright N. A review of some herbal and related
products commonly used in cancer patients. J Am Diet Assoc.
1997;97:S208-S215.
US Congress, Office of Technology Assessment. Unconventional Cancer Treatments:
OTA-H-405. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office; 1990.
Note: This information may not cover
all possible claims, uses, actions, precautions, side effects or
interactions. It is not intended as medical advice, and should not be
relied upon as a substitute for consultation with your doctor, who is
familiar with your medical situation.
Last Medical Review: 11/01/2008
Last Revised: 11/01/2008
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