Healing or temptation? The case of Ron Nachman and Anat Gov their memory is blessed

Ariel Mayor Ron Nachman passed away on Friday, after a long battle with cancer. Nachman and the playwright Anat Gov were patients of the same herbal healer, who received an uncritical stage while the two were still alive

At the beginning of 2009, Nachman became ill with bladder cancer. After the treatments apparently succeeded in overcoming the disease, it broke out again in full force. Metastases that were hidden in his body spread in the abdominal cavity and required Nachman to enter a regimen of strong chemotherapy, Nachman said in an interview with Tel Ariel Amir that was published On May 19, 2012 in Maariv.

The general media knew how to tell about the close friendship with the late playwright Anat Gov, who died a few months ago from colon cancer, due to delay and fear of the colonoscopy examination. "The two were partners together in a natural experimental treatment and in the common fight against the disease. Gov also passed away a few weeks ago. The exciting story about the special relationship forged between the playwright Anat Gov and Mayor Ariel Ron Nachman Against the background of both of them dealing with cancer, it was published on Channel 2, by Rina Misleh, few months ago." Author Zvi Singer on the megaphone.

Indeed, the same article was criticized by Yaki Mänschenfreund in his section "Let us not know" on the Seventh Eye website, who marvels at the fact that she didn't even try to understand how the medicine works: "This medicine, the article says, was developed by the Israeli "inventor" Hanan Elraz - who in retrospect turned out to be the real hero of the article - a man with no proven scientific education ("he barely finished 12 years of school ”, the announcement succeeds in admiration, as if the lack of formal education is something that should be credited to a person). Elraz was interviewed in the article in detail, and was presented as the "third side" in Gov and Nachman's company. Among other things, he declared that "the world of medicine has forgotten that all the medicines it has in hand are from plants. The plant can provide a solution for everything in the world" [!].

The term experimental therapy used by Singer is somewhat problematic. To try a medicine or any medical treatment, you need a scientific basis that it works, and then the medicine goes through endless toxicity tests, tests of its effect on cell cultures, poor animals, more complex animals and finally humans. In this filter that costs a fortune, many drugs fall that do not help the treatment of the disease and worse, are even harmful (the requirements of the FDA were tightened after famous cases such as thalidomide in the sixties and Viox in the previous decade). This is not the place to discuss the nature of the process, which, in addition to making the drugs more expensive, also causes the non-testing of the ability of generic drugs to affect patients with diseases other than their indication, and more, (and I advance a drug for a reaction), but it is certain that this process sifts the drugs, and should leave working drugs on the market.

There is no pharmaceutical company that would not want to develop the breakthrough medicine that, with 2-3 drops, will cure any type of cancer (as mentioned, these are different diseases). There are ways to protect the intellectual property of the inventor even during the tests at the pharmaceutical companies. According to the various publications, Hanan Elraz did not do this, and he chooses the easy way - to conduct the experiments himself, and apparently without criticism, placebo and the like because who would want to pay NIS 8,000 for a dose of medicine and receive a placebo?

Indeed, the Mako website, which published the embarrassing article by Mashilah, repented after Gov's death. On December 12, Yaren Mosley writes under the title: "Anat Gov did not survive the controversial treatment of Hanan Elraz" because both Gov and Nachman claimed an improvement in their condition after taking the drug.

Mosley writes: "In the article (by Mashileh AB) Gov told about dripping on the tongue three times a day. "Very carefully, I will say that it resulted in almost a kind of apparent stop," Gov testified about her situation at the time. Two days after the broadcast of the article, Elraz said: "There is crazy hysteria. Thousands call on the phone and also come to my house. They call at two, three in the morning. I only have two hands. I can only handle 10 to 12 people, no more than that. My ambition is to get a sponsorship umbrella of a hospital that will lift the glove or even an alternative medical center. Then I can produce the anti-cancer herbal extract in an orderly manner. It is about 1,500 to 2,000 dollars for treatment, because the ingredients are expensive. If there are people with disabilities, then I organize donations for them. Money is not what will prevent treatment. And in any case, if I manage to mass produce it, the treatment costs will also decrease."

Mosley later quotes the response of the Ministry of Health: "The Ministry of Health prescribes drugs as long as their safety and effectiveness have been proven for medical indications. The Food Service registers food and nutritional supplements that are safe, but does not test their effectiveness for medical indications, so supplements cannot be attributed healing properties. In order for a product to become a recognized drug, it must pass a series of tests and trials to ensure that it is indeed healing and is not just an eye test. There are clear scientific criteria for proving safety and effectiveness, and as long as no question has been raised, it is forbidden to attribute medical properties according to law in order not to mislead and mislead the public."

In conclusion, we will once again quote Munchenfreund's excellent article: "Mashleh's article is one of the most shameful examples of journalistic irresponsibility, and it is difficult to understand how we found an editor at the Channel 2 news company who approved its broadcast. From the scientific side, there was nothing there that could be held on to. What is actually in that mysterious "formula" that Elraz developed? How did Elraz come to the conclusion that cancer can be cured with it? Elraz himself did not tell, except that he tried the medicine on several of his associates (how many? He did not say), and was successful in the extent of about 80%."

I asked to interview Hanan Elraz for a response to this article, but the only contact he provided was a message center phone number, where the service representative assured me that a qualified representative would get back to me. I asked for Hanan himself, and explained that it was an interview. In her script there was no room for such a possibility, but only what disease it is, and whether I am the patient or I am calling on his behalf. In the above article in Mako, he chose not to comment because he is busy producing the drug for the many patients who want to try it. If I still get a response I will post it.
You should read the chapter on herbal remedies in the book "Healing or Temptation", published in Hebrew by Yediot Books and Attic Books in 2010, as well as the The interview I conducted with the two authors: Simon Singh and Edzard Ernst During their visit to Israel, precisely at the campus specializing in complementary medicine.