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Taken from KeelyNet BBS (214) 324-3501
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September 2, 1993
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ESSIAC2.ASC
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This file shared with KeelyNet courtesy of Ray Berry.
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OLD ONTARIO REMEDIES 1922:
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RENE CAISSE
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ESSIAC
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SHEILA SNOW EXPLORES THE CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING
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THE FAMOUS CANCER FORMULA, 'ESSIAC'
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Controversy and intrigue still continue to shroud Essiac,
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striking a chord of anxiety in the hearts of the seriously ill who
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have staked their lives and expectations on the promise of its
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healing properties. Yet its clandestine quality gave the remedy its
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power. Had its secrets been revealed early in its long history,
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would it have made such an impact on the lives of many Canadians?
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For those new to the story of Essiac, here is a brief summary to
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date.
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Rene Caisse was a Canadian nurse who was born in Bracebridge,
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Ontario, in 1888. While working in a norhtern Ontario hospital in
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1922, she noticed the scarred but healed breast of an elderly
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patient and questioned her about it. Some years earlier a Toronto
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doctor had diagnosed the breast to be malignant and a mastectomy was
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recommended. Instead, the woman accepted the offer of a herbal tea
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prepared by an Indian neighbour believed to be of the Ojibwa tribe,
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also known as Chippewa- The nurse asked for and received the Indian
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herbal remedy which she later modified. That professional curiosity
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began a quest that was to last until her death at the age of ninety
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in December, 1978. Her life became one of turmoil and frustration,
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joy and high hopes followed by bitter disillusionment, much
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adulation and reverence by patients who recovered, and endless
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questioning by sceptics and some members of the medical profession.
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When Rene's aunt, after using her remedy for two years, fully
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recovered from an inoperable stomch cancer with liver involvement
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two years later with her remedy and other terminal patients also
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began to improve, physicians put their signatures on two petitions
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(1926 and 1936) requesting that Nurse Caisse, be given the
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opportunity to treat cancer cases in a larger way. Both were tumed
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down by Ottawa's Department of Health and Welfare. But word of
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Essiac's medicinal virtues kept spreading. Dr. Frederick Benting,
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hailed as the discoverer of insulin, offered her access to is
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laboratories at the Universitv of Toronto for animal studies if she
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Page 1
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would temporarily give up her practice at the Bracebridge clinic.
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She rejected his offer because the lives of her patients depended on
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Essiac. Even the Ontario government became involved in 1938 when a
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bill was introduced to legalize Essiac as a remedy to treat terminal
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cancer patients, but in a close decision the legislature turned it
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down by three votes. Today the spirit of this magnanimous lady
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still lives on with many questions left unanswered about the recipe
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she perfected and called 'Essiac' , simply by reversing her maiden
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name 'Caisse'.
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THE SECRET FORMULA
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Rene never wanted the general public to know what ingredients
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were in the formula or how to prepare it. Her main concerns were
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that they would make it incorrectly and that exploiters, once
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apprised of the herbs in it, would put out specious facsimiles that
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lacked the healing properties of Essiac. She feared that the very
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simplicity of the remedy would cause many persons to question its
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ability to alleviate or cure such a formidable disease.
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Perhaps this is why she was persuaded to hand over her beloved
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Essiac to the Resperin Corporation in 1977 for the sum of $1.00.
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This group, which includes several physicians on its board of
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directors, may have been her last hope of convincing the Canadian
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government to set up trial studies on terminal cancer patients
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across the country. The studies would be properly documented with
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authentic diagnoses as well as detailed reports about the progress
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of the patients. Her dream of having Essiac recognized as a
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legitimate cancer therapy would then be fulfilled, while proof of
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its efficacy would permit the Resperin group to successfully market
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it.
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Unfortunately, this has not yet occurred. Cancer patients may
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still obtain the decoction from Resprerin's Dr. Hugh Wilson who
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lives in Orillia, Ontario, by having their doctors submit written
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requests through Health and Welfare Canada. However, during the
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years since Rene's passing, some doctors have failed to turn over
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their patients reports so Resperin has fallen behind in keeping up
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with its records. Only word-of-mouth accounts and hearsay evidence
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portray improvement and some recoveries, while a number of dying
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patients spoke of reduced pain with little or no need of pain-
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killers, a sense of peace and a clear mind. Thus belief in Essiac
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remains alive.
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Soon after Rene's death a new product emerged on Essiac scene
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called 'Easy-Ac' , a decoction made by Gilbert Elondin of Hull,
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Quebec. In 1977 he watched his wife, mother of three young
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children, recover from a lymphosarcorma three months after she began
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taking Essiac directly from the nurse. Today she is still free of
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cancer and her family devoutly believes in the remedy. When Rene
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refused any offer of financial remuneration from Gilbert, he
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returned to paint her living quarters and do some necessary repairs
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on the house which had been neglected because of her more pressing
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preoccupation with patients. Few if any people had ever offered
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help of this kind and the nurse was touched hi generosity. A bond of
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trust formed between them and some believe she may have taught him
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how to prepare the recipe for his wife in order to forgo the
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extensive travelling to Bracebridge every second weekend.
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Page 2
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THE COURT CASE
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As word spread of his wife's recovery, people came to Gilbert
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for help, and when demand for his product increased, he quit his
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trade to work full time making the decoction. In due course he
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filed dutifully for a Drug Identification Number (D.I.N.) from
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Health and Welfare Canada but was told that since Easy-Ac was
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considered to be a food, there would be no need of a D. I. N. In
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1988, however, health inspectors closed down his small operation and
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filed a suit against his company for advertising Easy-Ac as a cancer
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remedy and for failing to obtain a D.I.N. Apparently the health
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department felt that if it cured anything, it should be labelled a
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drug. After two years in court, Easy-Ac was considered by thejudge
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to be a food, and some slight charges and small fines were assessed.
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While this court case was going on, something else was also
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taking place that was to make Essiac a household word again in both
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the United States and Canada. In 1988 Dr. Gary L. Glum, a
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chiropractor in Los Angeles, Califomia, rekindled interest by
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publishing a book titled, 'Calling of an Angel', termed "the true
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story of Rene Caissc and an Indian herbal medicine called Essiac. "
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It updated the article published by Toronto's Homemaker Magazine in
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1977 'Could Essiac Halt Cancer?' 'Throughout his work Dr. Glum
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asserts the authenticity of the formula and in a special video
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details what he claims to be the Essiac recipe. From the large
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amount this dried herbal mixture produces, we believe it is the
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recipe Rene used in, the 1930's when she prepared the remedy in her
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Bracebridge clinic for hundreds of patients and quite conceivably
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the one passed along to the Resperin corporation for its clinical
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studies.
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We owe a large debt of gratitude to Dr. Glum for having the
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courage to take on this enormous responsibility -no small task!-at
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great personal financial expense, time and energy. It would be
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impossible for anyone bent upon revealing the Essiac recipe to
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imagine beforehand just what kind of reactions it might stir up.
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Presenting it to the world at long last has been like opening
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'Pandora's Box'. Whether it will be a blessing or a curse remains
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to be seen.
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DR. GLUM'S RECIPE
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The four main components of Dr. Glum's recipe are:
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1) 1 lb. (16 oz. by scale weight) of powdered Sheep's Sorrel
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(Rumex acetosella). This is a wild perenial miniature of
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garden sorrel. It must be green in colour and have an aroma
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of sweet grass.
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2) 6 1/2 cups (52 oz. in a kitchen measuring cup) of cut Burdock
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Root (Arctium lappa). This should weigh about 1 1/2 lbs. if it
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is quality material gathered from the first year roots of this
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biennial. Fresh burdock toot has a distinct aroma.
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3) 1/2 cup (4 oz. by scale weight) of the Slippery Elm inner bark
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(Ulmus fulva), also in powdered form. It is best to purchase
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this because the novice could kill a tree by stripping off
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bark carelessly in the spring. Sometimes the commercial
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product is adulterated with inferior flour or other starchy
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substances which create a gravy-like decoction, so beware.
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The powder should be light beige.
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4) 1 oz. of Turkey Rhubarb Root (Rheum palmatum). This must
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Page 3
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be purchased because its natural habitat is in China and
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Tibet. Rene preferred this variety to the common rhubarb
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because its medicinal properties were stronger and the taste
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less bitter. It is yellowish-brown in colour.
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QUESTIONS ABOUT ESSIAC
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Numerous interpretations of this recipe being passed around are
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raising rumours, doubts, and questions which always seem to surface
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when anything unorthodox is introduced. I will try to clear up some
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of these with the following questions and answers, but do so with
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considerable trepidation as, no doubt, my answers will spark even
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more questions.
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Q: How can we be sure that Dr. Glum's recipe is the correct
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one?
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A: The four herbs in Dr. Glum's recipe are also present in
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Essiac. Rene often emphasized in the 1970's that only four herbs
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were being used and this today is still the decoction that continues
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to help people. Rene's motto, which her patients firmly believe in,
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was, "If it works, don't change it."
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Q: How much Essiac can be made out of the entire dried mixture?
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A: Remember, as stated before, this amount was for a large-
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scale production to treat hundreds of patients in a short period of
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time. One might want to experiment by with one quarter of this
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recipe. Once the herbs are mixed well, the kitchen measuring cup
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can be used to find out just how many eight-ounce cupfuls are in the
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mixture. Each decoction makes up at least twelve 16-oz. bottles of
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Essiac. One quarter of the dried recipe should provide an eighteen
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month supply for one person if he were to take one ounce of Essiac
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every single night. Powdered herbs tend to lose their medicinal
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properties faster than cut or whole plants so it is wise to
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replenish your stock every year when possible.
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Q: Do we weigh the eight ounces of dried mixed herbs on a
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scale?
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A: No. Rene only used a kitchen measuring cup and filled it up
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to eight ounce line. If this amount were measured on the scale the
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decoction would be much stronger.
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Q: Is the herb being sold today as Sheep's Sorrel a substitute?
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A. The samples I have received from many outlets in Ontario and
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the United States appear to be an inferior quality of an
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undetermined herb which may or may not be related to the Sorrel
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family. Since this is the primary herb in Essiac, one must become
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thoroughly acquainted with its appearance, aroma and taste.
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Q: Are Dr. Glum's directions for taking Essiac correct?
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A: Dr. Glum obtained his directions from a physician who
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treated patients with Essiac under close supervision, so the dose is
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stronger than the one Rene recommended. Here are her instructions:
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1) Take one ounce of Essiac with two ounces of hot water every
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second day at bedtime, on an empty stomach two or three hours after
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supper.
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2) Do not eat or drink anything for at least one hour after
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taking Essiac.
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3) Continue the treatment every other day for thirty-two days,
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then take the treatment every three days.
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4) Always keep Essiac refrigerated but never in the freezer.
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For the novice this is a trial and error experience; nobody
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becomes a cook overnight. It should not be attempted when a life-
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Page 4
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threatening situation is involved because the desperate run to any
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available source for herbs they may know nothing about. The
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complete mixture is sold in many stores but how can one tell if the
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powdered herbs are correct and of good quality, or how old they are
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or if the amounts of each are accurate? Why waste precious energy,
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time, money and even the mixture itself if it proves to be inferior?
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The routine for making the recipe may be simplified with
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practice. Understand that no two decoctions are exactly alike as
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any chemist will confirm. Don't be concerned about the number of
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bottles you get out of each decoction because various things affect
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the amount of liquid that will be absorbed by the herbs. Rene used
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one quart (32 oz.) of local spring water. (Never use treated tap
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water!) for one ounce of mixed herbs (measured in the kitchen cup,
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remember?) Once people are comfortable about cooking this brew, they
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may want to harvest the Sheep Sorrel plant and Burdock Root.
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MANY BELIEVE ESSIAC HAS HELPED THEM
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Essiac is not a hoax or a fraud. To hear experiences described
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by the patients themselves cannot help but convince observers that
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dramatic and beneficial changes definitely took place in many but
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not all of those who received the remedy. Although the focus on
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Essiac has been as a cancer treatment, it alleviated and sometimes
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cured many chronic and degenerative conditions because it cleanses
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the blood as well as the liver and strengthens the immune system.
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It will continue to remain controversial until opened-minded an
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dedicated scientists and even lay researchers unveil and explore the
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unknow essences that create Essiac's healing magic.
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ABOUT SHEILA SNOW
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Sheila Snow has devoted much of her life to an investigation of
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the Essiac formula. Recently she was invited by the Consumer Health
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Organization of Canada to address its annual convention in Toronto
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on this topic. She has now prepared a small book for the layperson:
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The Essence of Essiace. Publication is expected later this year.
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CLOSE-UP ON THE ESSIAC CONSTITUENTS
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Of the four plants which were purportedly suggested by the
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Ojibwa Indians to Rene Caisse, only two, Arctium lappa and
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Ulmus_fulva have any recorded use by the Native people anywhere in
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North America. In fact, they are the only two indigenous plants.
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Rene must have added Rumex acetosella and Rhewn palmatum on her own
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initiative.
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Arctium lappa has a well established tradition on many
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continents for use as a depurative or 'bloodcleanser'. Mills calls
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it 'a general alterative remedy appearing to exert a cleansing
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effect on the tissues as such' and being a 'diuretic and mild
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laxative'. In moderm herbal practice, it is used primarily as a
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dermatological remedy, said to 'move the body towards a state of
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integration and health, removing such indicators of systemic
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imbalance as skin problems and dandruff. (Hoffman) A poultice is
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also applied to wounds and ulcers.
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But because of its action as a bitter, there is certainly
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stimulation of the digestive system and of the liver. James Duke
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Page 5
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records Shemluck's contention that the Chippewa used the root of
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Arctium as a, 'blood medicine' and Virgil Vogel notes that the
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Ojibwa used the root as an anodyne, stomachic and tonic.
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The native use of Ulmus fulva as a poultice for hard tumours
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and swellings was observed by Samuel Stearns and recorded by Virgil
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Vogel.(2)
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There is also some mention of its use in spitting blood from
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the lungs. This is, of course, a sign of one form of cancer.
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However, according to the BHP, Ulmus is a demulcent, emollient,
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nutritive and antitussive and although it is specifically indicated
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for gastric and duodenal ulcers because of these soothing qualities,
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one can see little reason to assume that it would have much more
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than an palliative action in a cancerous state.
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Rumex acetosema is a European alien 'traditionally used for
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fevers, scurvy and inflamaution. The fresh leaves poulticed (after
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roasting) were used for tumors, -and wens (sabacious cysts). The
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leaf tea was considered a folk remedy for cancer, according to Duke.
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3 There is, however, no modern scientific evidence of this and its
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use by modern herbal medicine is virtually unknown. Due to its high
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oxalic acid content, this species should be avoided if one is
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suffering from arthritis or kidney disease. (McIntyre)
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Rheum palmatum Radix contains anthraquinone glycosides and
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sennosides which act as laxatives and, in larger doses, purgatives.
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In China, Rhubarb is an important ingredient in many prescriptions
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to treat high fevers. According to McIntyre, it should be avoided
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by persons suffering from arthritis, kidney disease or urinary
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problems and during pregnancy. It is likely to be of benefit for
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someone suffering from constipation, which is a common complaint
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among cancer patients.
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Given these actions, it is not impossible to accept that such a
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combination might have some benefit for some people suffering from
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some types of cancer. And there is certainly little reason to
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believe that, if taken according to the originator's instructions,
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there is much possibility of harm or injury resulting.
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TREATING THE WHOLE PERSON
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However, any 'formula' for cancer makes a mockery of modern
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scientific phytotherapy. Research has moved forward a long way since
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Bracebridge,,e in 1922. We now know that cancer patients, even if
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taking chemotherapy or radiotherapy, can benefit enormously from
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herbal treatment. There are many more efficient herbs to help the
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liver cast off accumulated toxins. We now know of plants capable of
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boosting the immune system, plants which have been shown to inhibit
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metastases, plants which have an anti-tumoral effect and still other
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plants which work directly as cleansers for the lymphatic system.
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The danger of limiting oneself to a single 'formula' to treat cancer
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is this: there are many forms of cancer and they affect 'the body
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and its systems in many different ways. By receiving personal
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attention from a trained professional herbalist, there is a much
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greater probability that appropriate herbs can be chosen which are
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especially suited to the particular sufferer. Moreover, the wholis-
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tic herbalist is committed to looking beneath the symptoms, to
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correcting the faulty or destructive diet or lifestyle which
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Page 6
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underlies the body's final protest, to working with the patient in
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all aspects of his mental and spiritual struggle: in short, to treat
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the person as a whole, not the disease entity. Because of our
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obsession with a formula, we may well have overlooked this aspect of
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Rene Caisse's work. K.S.
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REFERENCES
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I Snow, Sheila. 'Could Essiac Halt Cancer'. [Ed.]
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2 Vogel, Virgil J. American Indian Medicine. New York:
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Ballantine Books, 1973 by arrangement with the University of
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Oklahoma press.
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3 Duke, James A., & Foster, Steven. Easter-nlCentral Medicinal
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Plants. The Peterson Field Guide Series. Boston: Houghton
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Mifflin Company, 1990.
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====================================================================
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Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1993 10:26:22 EDT
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From: John Hoernemann <JOHNH@VTVM1.BITNET>
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Subject: ESSIAC
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I just received a package of mixed herbs and a sheet of instructions
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for preparing Essiac. It was from: Auburn Nutrition Center, Inc.
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13112 Lincoln Way
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Auburn, California 95603
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They have a catalogue, which I was told about but have not seen.
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If you have comments or other information relating to such topics
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as this paper covers, please upload to KeelyNet or send to the
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Vangard Sciences address as listed on the first page.
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Thank you for your consideration, interest and support.
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Jerry W. Decker.........Ron Barker...........Chuck Henderson
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Vangard Sciences/KeelyNet
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If we can be of service, you may contact
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Jerry at (214) 324-8741 or Ron at (214) 242-9346
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Page 7
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