We are all becoming more comfortable with alternatives to traditional, “western” medicine to cure all that ails us. Heck, the poultice we whipped together from herbs and Half Moon Lake scum took care of some warts that were going around the office lickety-split. But if you are after non-traditional, revolutionary, and pointedly controversial alternative medicine, the Ramada will be hosting a conference on December 6 that is worth checking out. The evening will feature two proponents of nutrition as the singular key to health. Shan Stratton is a nutritionist who has worked with hundreds of professional athletes, and Dr. Patrick Vickers is a purveyor of a type of cancer and terminal illness treatment called Gerson Therapy (named after early 20th century doctor Max Gerson), which focuses on diet and nutrition in the treatment of disease, and claims survival success stories for patients who had been written off by modern cancer therapy. Dr. Vickers’ methods are not licensed and thus cannot be practiced in America, thus the controversy. Gerson proponents claim the greedy big business of medicine has kept an effective, yet un-patentable, type of treatment from desperate patients, while the American Medical Association and the American Cancer Society have research of their own that claims that not only is the therapy ineffective, but it can also be dangerous to patients. Like all good controversies, the camps on either side are extremely passionate about their claims, and the conference on December 6 will undoubtedly be engaging, whatever your health needs.

An Evening With Shan Stratton & Patrick Vickers • Dec. 6 • Ramada Inn & Convention Center, 205 S Barstow St., Eau Claire • 6:30pm • $25, $15 student • 299-5070