THE WESTERN medical axis is uncomfortable with holistic practitioners — especially those working without licenses or degrees — but that doesn’t bother Jordan. "I never cared about the ‘paper’ after I found my way to my Cherokee Healing path," he writes in an e-mail. "I felt I had no use for the misguided, misinformed way of science."

MDs, loaded with degrees and credentials, have already seen most of Jordan’s patrons. The folks Jordan counsels tend to be teetering on the precipice of death — old women with their stomachs eviscerated, men missing their lungs, patients eaten by tumors — people desperate enough to listen to a fey fella who talks to trees. "Cancer, MS — he sees people with serious problems," says Roger Moreau, owner of Lexington’s Whole Health Pharmacy, who’s referred hundreds of patients to Jordan. For many, Jordan is a last resort. "I work with people who are dealing with catastrophic illnesses," he says solemnly. "It’s the worst part of my job. I see the undiagnosed cases and the can’t-do-nothing-else-for-you cases. The we-give-up-on-you cases."

A "nasty case" of prostate cancer, for example, had John from Cambridge, a 57-year-old antiques dealer, in its blackened grip. (John asked that his last name not be used because his kids still don’t know about his cancer.) One way physicians test for prostate cancer is through a blood test measuring prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a protein produced by the prostate that, at elevated levels, may indicate the presence of cancer cells. A score of four is typically cause for further testing. John’s count was 27. "The highest I’ve ever heard," sighs the Cambridge resident.

A friend who discovered John’s predicament suggested that his ailing chum meet Jordan, whom he described as an eccentric, garrulous guy who’d supposedly helped other cancer patients. "When you come across the C-word, you want the right reactions from people," John from Cambridge says. "When I met Byron and explained my situation, he looked me right in the eyes and told me he could help me."

Jordan prescribed an all-natural regimen, plus doses of Essiac, an herbal tea Jordan termed a "tumor shrinker." Simultaneously, John underwent radiation therapy, but abided by Jordan’s routine the entire time he "got zapped."

A common side effect of radiation therapy is chronic fatigue — yet John says he never experienced exhaustion. The high-intensity X-rays never sidelined the antiques dealer professionally: he worked throughout the course of his radiation program.

Three months after the treatments, doctors retested John’s PSA. The resulting levels, he recalls, were "undetectable." John believes it’s a "near miracle," and credits Jordan’s natural regimen with catalyzing the treatments’ success. To this day, John says his PSA count is still below one.

Ted Mcalarney, a seventysomething friend of John’s, had a similar experience. "When I was diagnosed for the prostate cancer, the PSA was 6.8," he says. "Right away, I started on the regimen. In the meantime, I made an appointment to see a doctor at the Dana-Farber, and it might’ve been a month or two before I had the appointment with the doctor. By then, my PSA had dropped down to 4.2." Mcalarney also received radiation treatments from the same doctor who treated John. These days, Mcalarney’s PSA hovers around 1.2.

Other stories about Byron Utah Jordan are a lot like that, tales that sound too good to be true, extolling him as a "healer," a "blessing," or a "gift." Jordan keeps a book of testimonies, letters from clients filled with exclamation points and proclamations like, "I’m forever grateful for the day I met you" and "I’m so grateful my family insisted on meeting you!" Among the first-person accounts are two notes, one typed from a mother and another handwritten by her epileptic son:

9/24/98

Byron,

Eight weeks ago when we met, Derek was a different person than he is today. He had developed very noticeable tics. His entire life he had been lethargic, spacey, suffering from significant learning disabilities ... We started the Earth Medicine regimen the very next day. In a few short days, we saw the frequency and the severity of the tics beginning to decrease. And now, eight weeks later, all that’s left are some slight facial twitches.

— CR

9/21/98

Byron,

Lately, I’ve felt on target and very focused, and I think that its all from the Green Magma I’m taking. Last year in 7th grade, I had a very, very difficult time paying attention ... but all that’s changed. Now this year in the 8th grade, I’m doing so much better ... At first I was scared to go into the 8th grade, because the tics were so bad that I thought that kids were going to laugh at me. But with your help, the tics have gotten better... I may really hate this diet, and I may think its really stupid, but ... it has helped me with my epillepsy [sic].

Sincerely,

DR

Dr. Guy Pugh, medical director of the Marino Center for Progressive Health, a Cambridge facility offering a form of integrative care that Pugh describes as "mainstream unconventional," understands the appeal of these stories. "Anecdotally, I’ve had patients who’ve seen radical practitioners from all over the country," he says. "Some of them have had remarkable results in the changes in the course of their cancers. But you can’t really draw conclusions about the efficacy of a treatment overall by looking at the individual response. You can find one, five, or 50 cases of people who’ve had their tumors evaporate, but unless they were controlled carefully, it would be very difficult to draw any conclusions." He pauses and then adds: "Although we as people find those stories very compelling, we as clinicians try our best to see them with the most objective light possible, so as to maintain a scientific balance."