Suzanne Somers and Steve McQueen

• The actress Suzanne Somers was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. After surgery and radiation therapy, she decided against a course of chemotherapy. Instead, she chose the alternative therapy Iscador, an extract of European mistletoe. She does not recommend that other people make the same decision. Somers apparently is healthy today.
  
  Steve McQueen was not so fortunate. He died at 50 as a result of mesothelioma, which he believed he contracted as a result of exposure to asbestos while serving in the Marine Corps as a young man. When doctors in the United States told him they couldn't help him, he went to a clinic in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, for an unorthodox treatment of coffee enemas and Laetrile. Also known as amygdalin or Vitamin B-17, Laetrile is made from apricot kernels. Laetrile has been studied in clinical trials but is not approved in the United States. Please see the Resources section for links to mesothelioma treatment options.
  
  

Grape Cure and Other Special Diets

• The grape cure was developed in the 1920s by a South African woman, Johanna Brandt. She claimed to have cured her own stomach cancer with the grape cure, but she did not recommend it for people whose blood sugar was too high or too low. The grape cure may be more beneficial as a weight loss and/or detox regimen, with the same caveats.
  
  The Hallelujah diet, sometimes recommended for cancer and fibromyalgia patients, includes raw fruits and vegetables, distilled water, carrot juice, and herbal supplements.
  
  Hoxsey therapy is an extremely strict anticancer regimen, said to be especially effective in skin cancer. It consists of herbal elixir and absolutely no pork, tomatoes, vinegar, carbonated drinks, or alcohol. Hoxsey therapy stresses a positive mental outlook.
  
  

ImmunoStim, Immuno-Stim, and ImmuStim

• ImmunoStim was supposedly a cancer treatment, but laboratory analysis revealed that it contained toilet bowl cleaner and dishwashing detergent.
  
  Immuno-Stim is an herbal preparation to be taken during the cold and flu season. It does not purport to be a cancer treatment at all. This product is available from the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, Pennsylvania.
  
  Immu-Stim was supposed to cure multiple sclerosis, cancer, and spinal cord injuries, but it was found to contain procaine, lidocaine, and other substances.