Despite all the genetic and epigenetic pressures, we don’t get cancer most of our lives because of our immune systems. Cancer is, in essence, a failure of the immune system to regulate abnormal cellular growth.
To understand cancer, you must first understand what cancer is not. Cancer is not a death sentence. Fear, anxiety, anger, and helplessness are all natural reactions when processing a cancer diagnosis. However, allowing these emotions to overcome you is counterproductive to the healing process.
At HHC, our goal is not to help you wage a destructive war against cancer. Instead, we help you rediscover the lost synergy of mind, body, and spirit as they work in tandem to heal you. All we ask from you is hope; do not dwell on what has happened, but rather embrace what you are about to do.
The derangement of the vital force occurs first at the general body level and then it eventually expresses itself at the local level in the form of a neoplasm or growth.
The susceptibility of the individual and his genetic history will predispose him to the disease in general, while the weakness or sensitivity of a part/system will lead to the localization of the disease in that area. The derangement proceeds from the functional to the structural level.
Carcinogenesis
Carcinogenesis or oncogenesis is a process by which normal cells are transformed into cancer cells. It is characterized by a series of changes.
Predisposition / Fundamental cause:Each individual is born with a predisposition which inclines him toward a particular illness (in this case, malignancy). This predisposition can be determined by a study of the patient’s past history and family history.
It has been observed by several homoeopaths, viz. Kent, Roberts, Charles Wheeler, Foubister, Kasad that the cancer patient usually has a very strong family history or past history of cancer, tuberculosis or diabetes mellitus.
Disposition:The individual who is thus born with a predisposition interacts with the environment thereby evolving mental and physical attributes which together form the disposition.
Diathesis:Diathesis is the phase wherein the individual has a strong tendency to develop a particular disease and during which a stressful environmental stimulus initiates the onset of the disease. An awareness and avoidance of probable environmental carcinogens can delay the onset of disease.
Disease Pre-clinical phase:the phase that extends from the inception of cancer to the time that it produces recognizable signs and/or symptoms.It takes several years after the onset of cancer for the cancer to bother an individual or come to the attention of the doctor. The pre-clinical phase may last from 2 – 17 years.
The pre-clinical phase also gives ample opportunity to the primary tumor cells to metastasize. Thus, by the time a tumor is detected there may already be widespread metastasis, or the metastasis may be detected before the detection of the primary tumor, which may at times remain undetected till the death of the patient.
This pre-clinical phase may be totally asymptomatic or certain general symptoms may be thrown up by the deranged vital force.
Clinical Phase:It is the phase where the disease expresses itself overtly through signs and/or symptoms.This phase is therefore the tip of the ice-berg and it would be grossly wrong to consider it as the entire disease.
Widely nicknamed “cut, burn, and poison,” therapies, conventional treatments refer to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy. These therapies have been the treatment standard for several decades. Despite wide application, these methods are notorious for lacking long-term effectiveness and are associated with several serious side effects. Although initial tumor size reduction may give patients an illusory sense of security, these methods don’t treat the root of cancer. Often, they result in the disease returning in more resistant and aggressive forms.
Even after decades of research and abundant monetary investment, conventional cancer treatment (surgery, chemotherapy, radiation) is still a long way from reaching its desired goal. On the contrary, cancer incidence and mortality have continued to see a steady and dramatic rise.
Because cancer treatment damages healthy cells and tissues as well as cancerous ones, it often causes side effects. Apart from the better-apublicised potential side such as nausea, hair loss, weight loss and weakness, there are a number of possible and very serious clinical complications you should be aware of before determining which treatment option is best suited for you.
Please note that this list of potential side effects is not exhaustive.
Radiation Side effects
Chemotherapy side effects
Alternative Cancer Treatments
By nature, the word “alternative” implies a different option. Ranging from ancient and time-tested practices to modern techniques on the cutting-edge of technology, alternative cancer treatments kill cancer cells but don’t cause toxicity. This approach developed as a result of the negative side effects and inefficiency associated with conventional methods. Not all alternative therapies are nature-made, but natural ingredients are an essential component of this approach. As a result, patients often enjoy a better quality of life during and after treatment when compared to conventional regimens.
Integrative Cancer Treatments
As suggested by the name, integrative cancer therapies combine conventional medicine with their more natural counterparts in hopes of improving effectiveness, reducing side effects, and improving quality of life.
What Are Alternative / Integrative / Conventional Therapies?
In the medical world, the terms alternative, integrative, and conventional often take on different meanings.
To understand the homeopathic approach to treating people with cancer, we must first clarify that homeopathic medicines not only treat the cancer but more importantly they treat the person with this cancer. The natural remedies individually prescribed, on the basis of the totality of a person’s physical and psychological symptoms, reduce that person’s susceptibility to disease. Once this concept is understood it becomes very easy to assist patients.
Homoeopathic medicines not only help to control the growth of cancer (if brought to the homoeopath in the early stages) but they also help to alleviate the other accompanying symptoms like loss of weight, difficulty in eating, pain, weakness, cough, etc.
Following are some of the aspects of Cancer management with Homeopathy:
One of the most distressing complaints associated with some varieties of Cancer is the agonizing pain. Conventional medicines can provide pain relief but only to a certain extent and these medicines are not without any side effects. Moreover there is always a restriction to the dosage that can be safely administered to the patient. The advantage of administering Homeopathic medicines in such cases is that there can be effective pain control without inducing any side effects.
Homeopathy can help in improving the general well being and vitality of the patient.
Conventional treatment options for cancer (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc) are associated with distressing side effects and homeopathy can play a definitive role to counter these side effects.
The diagnosis of cancer often leaves the patient with a sense of depression, anxiety and fear. The treatment may induce additional irritability, impatience and mood fluctuations. Homeopathy can influence the psyche of the patient and help him to deal with these emotions in a better way.
Homeopathic medicines may also have a role to play in controlling the pace at which the disease increases and spread of the disease to other organs.
Research Studies
https://bmccancer.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1471-2407-11-19
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1475491604000736
http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/acm.2005.11.21
Here at the HHC, we believe that each case is unique and requires individual guidance based on the type of cancer, location of the cancer and the overall health status of the patient. Based on these factors the HHC will advise homoeopathic medication along with or without conventional treatment. Both treatments act parallel but exclusive of each other and can under expert guidance be used side by side to assist treatment.
Dr. Master has been treating advanced pathologies like cancer using his extensive 36 years of experience in the field. He and his team of doctors here at the Homoeopathic Health Centre offer supportive care, understanding the delicate situation of the patient in this time of need. We offer phone and email assistance to all our patients round the clock, always trying our best to be available for their concerns.
What to Expect on the First Visit
At the HHC, we take a meticulous personal and family history. We seek to understand responses to stress and illness and to assess both medical, personal and lifestyle issues.
We review relevant current and past medical records, prescription and non-prescription medications, nutritional and herbal supplements and diet. Lifestyle factors are assessed including food and nutrition, exercise and fitness, sleep and relaxation and the ability to deal with life stress constructively.
We will also provide patients with educational tools and resources as well as referrals to other health care providers as is appropriate.
Modes of Treatment
Modes of treatment may include Iscador therapy, lifestyle, dietary and stress management recommendations. We will assist you in developing an understanding of how to create long term solutions to your problems and to develop self care skills that will keep you healthy and prevent the recurrence of health problems in the future. Any necessary laboratory tests will be ordered.
On the first visit, we will spend approximately 1-2 hours with you going over your health and lifestyle history in detail and discussing all of your concerns.
The first visit may or may not include a treatment, depending upon the complexity of your history and the nature of your concern. We will decide together what serves you best at that time.
Iscador is a cancer treatment formulation derived directly from the plant Viscum album (mistletoe plant). Ninety years ago, Iscador was first put to use in Switzerland. Today, thanks to ongoing scientific research and development, it is the most frequently used alternative treatment for cancer in the world.
The three most frequently prescribed cancer treatments are surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. Practitioners of these treatments are increasingly recognizing the effectiveness of complementary cancer remedies, such as Iscador as an essential component of an integrative treatment protocol.
One of the primary functions of Iscador is that it stimulates parts of the immune system that can slow the growth of cancer cells and does so with very limited side effects. For this reason, it is often used in conjunction with conventional therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Many patients treated with Iscador report an improved quality of life, feeling better and more positive and in need of less pain relief medications.
Advantages:
Extensive research and clinical experience demonstrate the vast array of health benefits that Iscador provides:
In early 80’s Dr. Master has been to LUKAS KLINIK, Switzerland where he learnt the art of Iscador Therapy.
His clinic in Bombay is officially recognized by the LUKAS KLINIK, Switzerland to give Iscador therapy.
The Homoeopathic Department in Kamalnayan Bajaj Cancer Centre, Ruby Hall Clinic – Pune, was started in 2006 by Dr. Farokh Master.
Here, Dr. Master consults on cases of cancer and advanced pathology for patients residing in Pune and other suburbs of Maharashtra. He has successfully, through the years, managed to establish the imprint of Homoeopathy through the repeatedly positive results.
The department is open on the 1st and 3rd Saturday of every month, from 10am to 1pm. For appointments please contact the reception of Ruby Hall Clinic.
IASP is the leading professional forum for science, practice, and education in the field of pain. Founded in 1973, the association is governed by an international Council composed of officers and councillors elected by the membership.
Their mission is to bring together scientists, clinicians, health-care providers, and policymakers to stimulate and support the study of pain and translate that knowledge into improved pain relief worldwide.
IASP organises a World Congress of Pain biennially. It is an international multidisciplinary program that comprises workshops, poster sessions and refresher courses.
The 14th World Congress in Milan The 15th World Congress in Buenos Airies
The 16th World Congress in Kyoto , Japan The 17th World Congress in Boston
Some Important Facts about Cancer
To take a lesson from scripture, “Know thy self, know thy enemy.” To overcome cancer, you also must understand how your body works and how cancer works.
We all get cancer, every day.
Our cells constantly deal with stressors that cause genetic damage. It only takes one altered cell to potentially grow into cancer.
Weakened body defenses lead to cancer.
A healthy immune system protects us from altered cells by identifying and killing them before they become a threat. A weak immune system, on the other hand, allows cancer the time it needs to entrench itself and start multiplying.
Cancer is an evasive escape artist.
Even when the immune system is reasonably healthy, cancer can sometimes find a way to slip past our body’s roaming immune system sentinels.
Cancer does not happen overnight.
Poor nutrition, over-eating, lack of exercise, stress, inadequate sleep, exposure to environmental toxins, and emotionally traumatic episodes are all daily stressors that take a toll on our body’s resources. Over time, these can overwhelm the immune system and impair functioning.
Cancer grows from stem cells.
You can trace every cell in your body, including cancer cells, back to an extremely powerful cell called a stem cell. Stem cells have the genetic ability to multiply and transform into any kind of cell, making them very difficult to identify and kill. This is why chemotherapy and radiation often result in recurrence. Although these methods destroy a sizable tumor mass, studies estimate 1 in every 100 tumor cells is a stem cell that can easily survive and spread.
Healthy cells comprise a large part of tumors.
Malignant cancer cells are experts at “recruiting” surrounding healthy cells. They are not solely dependent on cell division among their own kind for growth. This allows tumors to develop much faster and makes them harder to target.
Cancer cells create environments unfavorable to healthy cells.
Cancer cells absorb sugar and other nutrients 10 times faster than healthy cells, outcompeting them. They also resort to a primitive form of food metabolism, creating an acidic environment and making them resistant to the natural process of cell death.
Understanding these basic roots and behaviors of cancer empowers you as a patient. Although we can’t reverse the clock on what has happened, by changing a few key habits we can restore your body’s environment to favor health and well-being.
Centre and Cancer Clinics.
I generally practice in the morning hours only since it exhibits improved cognitive performance and helps capitalize on enhancing our mood and productivity.
I usually work with eight to ten assistants to see around 3-4 new patients and 30 follow-ups.
Treatment starts with a comprehensive anamnesis that lasts around 90 minutes and includes the patient’s entire history up to the occurrence of the cancer. This is followed by analyzing and evaluating symptoms to find the constitutional homeopathic remedy and the patient’s acute remedy.
We search for remedies for possible miasmatic blockages and cancer-specific remedies. We monitor all iatrogenic damages caused by chemotherapy or radiation and try to find the correct remedy for the patients. When these problematic considerations are completed, an individual treatment is worked out.
We prepare a list of symptoms of the patient that are most acute and most troublesome, e.g., pain, ulcers, swollen lymph nodes, discharges from the wound, sleep disturbances, also appearance and extent of the tumor, psychic problems like anxiety and grief, etc. We also include laboratory values such as tumor markers, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, hemoglobin, blood pressure, CRP, Complete blood count,2D Echo, Cystatin c, HbA1c, etc.
After applying the homeopathic remedy, usually in LM-potency or very low potency, like 3x or 3c, we analyze the patient’s symptoms daily to check their reaction to the remedy. It is essential to assess the patient’s response to the LM-potency as the development of symptoms shows us how to proceed with their treatment. The significant advantage in the hospital OPD is that we can observe our patients regularly and investigate their reactions to the LM potency.
Many patients have been interested in having treatment at my OPD as well as at Homoeopathic Health Centre since the publication of several international scientific papers presented and many seminars conducted internationally as well as nationally, and also after the publication of my book ”HEALING CANCER -The Homeopathic Approach.
I see all my patients daily from Monday to Saturday from 9 am to 1 pm, together with my highly trained assistants. They are being asked to report in detail about the impact of our treatment and how their symptoms developed. Otherwise, each patient is asked to enjoy the soft instrumental music we play in the waiting room to reflect on their situation. In daily conversations by e-mail and WhatsApp, we look together for strategies to solve their problems.
I wish more homeopathic cancer departments were started in India, Europe, the USA, and worldwide!
The main problem in establishing a homeopathic cancer department in an allopathic hospital is a broader acceptance of homeopathy. Most health insurance companies and the private sector still refuse to pay the costs, even though homeopathy is much cheaper than conventional cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiation. I think outpatient clinics should be started first, where cancer patients can be treated without the necessary investment in hospitals.
Orthodox medicine and the pharma industry should be open to cooperation with homeopathic physicians. More and more oncologists successfully include alternative therapies in their treatment concepts.
Surveys have demonstrated that 80% of oncologists would not use the therapy they recommended to their patients if ill. Considering that the chance of a cure for metastasizing mammary tumors is much lower today than 20 years ago despite the introduction of polychemotherapies, the question arises as to what the pretended progress in cancer treatment constitutes.
Contrary to chemotherapy and radiation, we offer a therapy with homeopathy that supports the patient’s immune system. The basic approach of orthodox medicine is to consider the tumor as a local disease and treat it aggressively, which weakens the immune system. However, when analyzing all studies on cured cancer cases, it becomes evident that the immune system is always the decisive factor. When the immune system can recognize tumor cells, it can also combat them.
In the past, chemotherapy was thought to kill tumor cells directly, but this only happens to a limited extent. The DNA of the tumor cells is damaged, which is recognized by an intact immune system. Then, several apoptotic mechanisms induce the destruction of the tumor cells. However, the more aggressive the chemotherapy is and the longer it is applied, the more the immune system is weakened, and critical regulatory mechanisms for destroying tumor cells are deactivated.
Chemotherapy-resistant tumor cells proliferate and are much more aggressive. That’s why many tumor patients experience short-term remission, but their tumor grows more rapidly afterward. Usually, patients only come to our hospital or my clinic after their immune system has been destroyed by conventional therapies and their body is entirely of metastases. Unfortunately, this is our daily experience.
When homeopathic treatment successfully rebuilds the immune system and reestablishing the basic regulation of the organism, tumors can disappear again. I’ve treated more than 10,000 cancer patients homoeopathically, and we could considerably lessen the quality of life for several years in some advanced and metastasizing cases.
The aim of treating cancer came very early in my childhood when my father died of cancer of the spinal cord; that led me to solve the mystery of finding a cure for cancer. Slowly, I started to read many homeopathic books and literature on cancer. Many homeopaths considered this a fantasy, but I continued my studies; my mother firmly believed in homeopathy, which always fuelled my enthusiasm.
In my earlier days, I was studying homeopathy. But then I thought, if I have to criticize orthodox medicine, I should know more about it, so I enrolled myself as a advanced modern pharmacology course student at Government Grant Medical College and PhD in cancer from Bombay University. I only studied orthodox medicine because of homeopathy and had good fortune from the first month.
I also started learning the Calcutta method of practicing cancer treatment from various stalwarts and had excellent supervision from them.
Since 1986, I have given seminars on cancer, and since the publication of my book, more and more physicians feel confident treating cancer patients with homeopathy. Since 1988, I have led my homeopathic practice in an allopathic hospital and had several assistants support my work.
Under the guidance of senior physicians at Tata Memorial Hospital, I started presenting a scientific paper to the world. The results were so gratifying that I conducted a prospective study with homeopathic medicine.
Unfortunately, orthodox medicine requires a placebo-controlled double-masked trial to be used as assessment criteria. However, in homeopathy, the name of the disease is optional when choosing the remedy or treatment concept. Subsequent prescriptions depend on the patient’s reactions to the applied remedy, so these types of studies must necessarily fail.
In the last few years, I have seen that the cooperation of orthodox physicians is improving, as many oncologists have had positive experiences with homeopathy. We also work together with many oncologists all over India and the world, whose physicians often send us patients to treat the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. During the last few years, increasingly more physicians and oncologists ill with cancer come to visit my clinic. That’s either because they know the standard therapy and its results and look for alternatives or because all treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation, did not help, and we follow another therapeutic approach.
One thing I want all my patients to remember is that Orthodox medicine considers the tumor to be a mass of abnormal cells that must be combated. However, knowing that the immune system was disturbed long before the cancer appeared is essential. We try to activate the immune system and initiate an immune modulation through homeopathy. If this is successful, tumors can disappear again.
I have a very critical view of chemotherapy and radiation as the benefits are often minimal, and they diminish the chance of a natural cure. Radiation can be helpful in cases where metastases have invaded the spinal column, and there is a danger of fracture, or there are already some broken vertebral bodies.
Chemotherapy may be helpful in children who have leukemia, Hodgkins-Lymphoma, testicular cancer, and some forms of ovarian tumors. However, these types of cancer only constitute 6% of all tumors. In all other types of cancer, the benefit is more doubtful. We apply chemotherapy to gain some time in patients acutely affected by very rapidly growing tumors.
But how can chemotherapy or radiation cure a patient? Only the immune system can recognize the damaged DNA of the tumor cell and combat the tumor. However, the more chemotherapy patients receive, their immune systems weaken.
Finding the optimal way in such cases is challenging. We are also still seekers and wish to see better patient healing possibilities. Many patients in much-advanced cancer stages come to us whose immune system is already severely damaged by numerous chemotherapies but still expect a cure with homeopathy. In these cases, homeopathy can only be cured in a few instances. Nevertheless, it can ease symptoms and palliate patients for years, offering them an increased quality of life.
Even in incurable cases, homeopathy can help palliate without detrimental side effects. Even if our primary goal is to cure and prevent cancer, many patients are far beyond this stage. It may be hard to believe when patients were supposed to die for sure. But truth is incontrovertible; malice may attack it, and ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is. Many people are convinced of homeopathy once they have seen its beneficial effects. I think of Boenninghausen’s homeopathic cure from tuberculosis when he was already about to die or the conversion of such an inveterate allopath as Kent after his wife was cured by homeopathy. These then became homeopathy’s most ardent followers and have made significant contributions. Many of the masters also elaborated on different strategies for homeopathic cancer treatment, which you have investigated and applied in your practice. How do you judge their success rate?
Cancer treatment is undoubtedly one of homeopathy’s grand challenges. During the last 35 years, we have conducted extensive research to explore different homeopathic approaches and find the best methods for cancer treatment.
When patients come to us whose tumors have not been treated yet, we often get a clear picture of the general symptoms of the patient and the tumor symptoms. This allows us to find a remedy more easily. Experienced has shown that it is the best constellation in cancer treatment if the patient’s constitutional remedy agrees with the tumor remedy, i.e., if the remedy covers the current tumor symptoms and symptoms of the patient, including their historical symptoms. Unfortunately, most cases are more complicated, and we must work like detectives to understand the case.
In the treatment of advanced cancer, a very comprehensive anamnesis is necessary to develop a treatment strategy. It has to include the following points:
Constitutional anamnesis (a thorough first anamnesis to determine the totality of signs and symptoms of the patient and disease)
Miasmatic anamnesis (determination of the miasmatic background and active miasm, family diseases of several generations, warts, infections, vaccination damage, etc.)
Suppressions (such as skin eruptions suppressed by cortisone, surgically removed warts, vaccinations and the patient’s reactions to them, etc.)
Detrimental factors like noxa, viruses, diet errors, etc.
Former therapies and any patient reactions or sequelae (radiation, chemotherapy, drugs, surgery, etc.)
Only after all these points are considered does a treatment concept work out. It may be that a typical Phosphorous patient suffers from the side effects of chemotherapy and needs Arsenic Alb for some time to detoxify and before Phosphorous can act.
If a remedy was chosen according to the totality of symptoms but does not act, we search for a miasmatic or vaccination blockage and the remedy the patient needs, such as Carcinosin, before other remedies can act. However, other cases need to be treated with organotropic remedies because the tumor has already developed its own life. We also tried applying ointments as Eli G. Jones and Dr. Andre Saine recommended, which was partially successful.
The best strategy, however, is to consider the totality of symptoms and find the patient’s elemental remedy, which will help the most. However, many cases have shown that a tumor-specific remedy is needed long before finally returning to the constitutional remedy.
The dose size can be significant, especially when using LM potencies. I have been using the 5-cup method for years, and I just put one pill in the first cup.
Hahnemann wrote of poppy seed-size pellets. However, the globules prepared by the Indian manufacturer had a size of 1.6 mm, so the dose was too high. Hence, I prefer pill no 10.
We approach each case with a strong will and a deep conviction that there must be a way to help the patient. We often have desperate cases; sometimes, finding a solution takes days. Sometimes, we give acute remedies that move the case forward, and then new possible solutions unfold.
When we have a solid acute picture of a desperate patient, we take the last symptoms of the acute condition and prescribe a remedy to help the patient out of the crisis. However, there are many patients whose disease is too advanced, and their cancer continues to grow despite carefully chosen remedies.
I’ve accompanied many patients in their deaths, and what homeopathy can offer the dying patient is a blessing. When experiencing how patients full of anxiety and despair expect their death and then seeing them dying in peace after taking carbo animalis, one has to bow low to Hahnemann and the creator.
Humanity should recognize that modern life does not always agree with human needs. Many patients ask why they got cancer. Cancer has multifactorial causes; environmental pollution has increased dramatically this century, and the human organism is confronted with many new chemicals. The constant increase of electromagnetic fields due to mobile telephone systems, etc., strongly affects the immune system and induces changes at the cellular level. Our food is becoming increasingly denatured, and society promotes a fast-food culture and lack of exercise.
I can only wish that orthodox medicine starts to see the patient as a whole and understand that each cancer patient has their own life story and tale of woe. I would also like to see recognition of homeopathy’s value in preventing cancer. When analyzing case histories of cancer patients, we can often see that they had certain disease stages that finally manifested in cancer. In some of my patients, the tumor disappeared entirely with homeopathic treatment. I can reason that these patients would never have gotten cancer if they had been appropriately treated with homeopathy ten years earlier.
My greatest wish is to prevent cancer by treating children and subsequent generations with homeopathy. Unfortunately, cancerous diseases have increased during the last few years despite intensive scientific research. It is time to rethink and go in new directions with homeopathy!
Cancer has become one of the most feared ailments since the last century. Conventional medical treatments are aimed at killing the cancer cells, but this is in no way proving effective enough. The many-headed monster often rears its dreaded head again within a short while.
Alternative systems of medicine take a more holistic approach. With this approach, one realizes that the cancer cells are not the villains. They are just the manifestation of something going wrong within the body’s defense mechanisms.
It is now known that tumor development is preceded by a pre-tumor phase which may persist for decades. There is a gradual failure of the immune system, with the system becoming unable to distinguish between self and non-self. A healthy organism with a fully functional immune system identifies malfunctioning cells as alien and destroys them.
Plenty of such cells arise from time to time in every individual. Failure of the monitoring system may result in de-differentiation of cells in specific organs, which are no longer under central control. These cells begin to program their own ‘circuit diagram’, and it is then possible that they may increase without any control.
The code of those deviant cells no longer connects with the ‘human being’ program. This is the view now taken by modern molecular biologists, and confirms the statements made many years ago by Rudolf Steiner*, the founder of Anthroposophy.
In the early part of the 20th century, it was Rudolf Steiner, PhD., an Austrian natural scientist and philosopher, who established Anthroposophic Medicine as one of many developments for which he gave impetus. The word Anthroposophy is derived from the Greek words anthropos=man and sophia=wisdom.
Anthroposophy represents a holistic way of dealing with science and life issues in general. It incorporates all fields of modern science into a spiritual and understandable approach. Rudolf Steiner was not a physician. Therefore, he founded Anthroposophical Medicine and the Medical Section at the Goetheanum (in Dornach, Switzerland) with the Dutch physician Dr. Ita Wegman (1876 – 1943).
As early as 1917, Rudolf Steiner suggested the injection of mistletoe extracts for the treatment of cancer. It was Ita Wegman who, in the early 1920s, introduced the mistletoe preparation Iscador into actual cancer treatment.
Anthroposophic medicine is based on the spiritual-scientific view of a healthy human being in close harmony and interaction with the different levels of creation and has lost this when in a state of ill health. This involves a holistic approach and, hence, is compatible with other holistic systems of medicine.
Training in Anthroposophic medicine is available only to doctors already trained in conventional or alternative systems of medicine. The substances from which anthroposophical medicines are prepared are natural and taken from the mineral, plant, and animal kingdoms. Medicines are prepared according to homeopathic principles; hence, anthroposophic medicine and homeopathy quickly go hand in hand.
Iscador is the trade name of a group of anti-cancer treatments, all prepared from different types of mistletoe extracts. Treatment with Iscador aims at intensifying the body’s forces against the cancer cell’s tendency towards autonomy. Iscador is a complementary rather than an alternative medicine.
It is frequently prescribed in Europe by medical doctors, including oncologists, in addition to conventional cancer therapies, radiation, surgery, and chemotherapy. Nowadays, mistletoe is a key component in conventional cancer therapy in Europe.
In Arlesheim, Switzerland, a specialised clinic, the Lukas Klinik, is available for treating and after treating tumor patients. In this clinic, apart from the medical therapy with Iscador, treatment of the whole person is also carried out for cancer patients and at-risk persons. Art therapy, sculpture therapy, and Eurythmy are all part of holistic healing.
Today, doctors in many countries treat their patients with Iscador. In India, following training in anthroposophic medicine, homeopaths have begun to use Iscador for cancer cases. Iscador is available in the U.S. under the brand name Iscar. It is manufactured mainly in Switzerland and Germany and is then exported.
There are about 1400 mistletoe species around the world. They all have in common that they do not root in the mineral soil but live on other, generally woody, plants. Only white-berried mistletoe (Viscum Album) is used to treat cancer.
Mistletoe contains, among other things, two groups of toxins: viscotoxins and mistletoe lectins. Viscotoxins and mistletoe lectins are proteins capable of being broken down in the digestive tract. The molecular structure and pharmacological actions of viscotoxins are closely related to those of snake venoms.
They have cytolytic action, i.e., they dissolve cancer cells. The mistletoe lectins are related to castor-oil plant lectins. They have cytostatic properties, i.e., they inhibit the growth of cancer cells.
THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS
Early malignancies. It has the greatest scope here, especially in Stage 0, i.e., Carcinoma-in situ.
Advanced malignancies. Here, it is of considerable help in inoperable tumors, recurrences, widespread metastases, and in terminal cases, palliation.
It is used as a prophylactic for malignant lesions in pre-cancerous states, where lesion regression occurs.
Benign neoplasms.
Surgery – Inoperable tumors become operable through delineation of the tumor by Iscador therapy. During the operation, it helps prevent the dissemination of the tumor. Post-operatively, it hastens a smooth recovery. Early follow-up treatment by Iscador results in a significant reduction in the incidence of recurrences and late metastases by about 30-40 %.
Concurrent with chemotherapy and radiation, Iscador prevents or reduces toxic side effects promoting tolerance and dispersion of the tumor.
Cancer patients treated with Iscador and followed up for a long time with regular laboratory investigations show no toxic symptoms apart from the desirable rise in body temperature, transient rise in leucocytes, and lymphocytes. No harmful side effects have been reported. Even if Iscador is given intensively for many years, there is no depression of the bone marrow, unlike with chemotherapy and radiation.
Iscador therapy stimulates the form-giving processes and forces in the human organism against the tendency to unregulated cell proliferation, which is seen in cancer.
Iscador preparations are classified according to the host tree of the mistletoe used in their preparation. Depending on the localization of the primary tumor and the sex of the patient, the type of Iscador preparation is selected. Metastases are treated with the same preparations as the primary tumor.
Unique metal combinations are used to increase and potentiate the action of Iscador on specific organs. Each preparation is available in several strengths. The different strengths permit variation in the intensity of the treatment, depending upon the patient’s clinical state.
The route of administration is usually subcutaneous; only in the case of intracranial tumors is the oral route traditionally used. The administration time is generally in the morning, which is the time of the physiological rise of temperature. The frequency of administration varies according to the tumor’s type and location and the physician’s judgment.
The duration of the treatment is quite long, extending over several years. The changes in the type of Iscador preparations, dose, frequency, etc., are managed by assessing the clinical response and the laboratory data.
REACTIONS UNDER ISCADOR THERAPY
Inflammatory reaction with increased flow of blood and swelling in the tumor region is seen occasionally with usual subcutaneous injections. This passes off in a few hours.
A slight increase in body temperature occurs, which is desirable as a curative process.
Transient increase in the neutrophil component of white blood cell count, which persists for some hours.
Immune stimulation as a whole and consequent inhibition of tumor development leads to :
1) improvement in the general condition
2) increased appetite
3) gain in weight
4) improved sleep
5) decrease in fatigue and depression
6) stimulation of urinary and bowel functions
7) reduction or disappearance of pain
Increased tolerance to irradiation and chemotherapy
Relief of pain and subjective improvement in the patient are most striking even in advanced stages of cancer and despite the progressive course of the tumor
Very rarely, allergic reactions or anaphylaxis are seen after the administration of Iscador. In such situations, desensitization must be carried out before Iscador can resume.
See also-Homeopathy in New Zealand in the 1800s
COURSE OF TUMOUR UNDER ISCADOR THERAPY
Stationary for some time
Occasional regression of the tumor
Slowing down or cessation of tumor growth
Reduced incidence of metastases or secondaries or prevention of extension
Reduced incidence or recurrences after operation and radiation
Iscador medications are imported into India and are relatively expensive, though much cheaper than the costs of conventional cancer treatments. It should be remembered that Iscador has to be continued for several years, with gaps in between, as suggested by the treating physician.
Iscador potentiates the action of Homoeopathic therapeutics, as both act on the immune mechanism. When understood and practiced, these therapies become limitless in their possibilities for development and their power to treat millions of sick people worldwide.
Footnote:
* Rudolf Steiner, PhD, an Austrian natural scientist and philosopher, was the Founder of Anthroposophy. He was born on February 27th, 1861, in what used to be Hungary then. He entered the University of Vienna at age 18 and studied natural history, mathematics, and chemistry. He did extensive philosophical reading and attended philosophy lectures by Karl Julius Schroeder, a leading philosopher and scientist of that time. Through his professor, Karl Julius Schroeer, Rudolf Steiner began, at age 22, to edit Goethe’s Natural Scientific Writings. At age 25, he wrote his Theory of Knowledge Implicit in Goethe’s World Conception. From 1890 to 1897, Rudolf Steiner lived in Weimar, Germany, where Goethe lived a major part of his life and where most of Goethe’s writings were kept in archives. In 1891, Rudolf Steiner received his PhD at the University of Rostock. His thesis was Die Grundfrage der Erkenntnistheorie (The Fundamentals of a Theory of Cognition). Rudolf Steiner became a leading scientist in Erkenntnistheorie (Theory of Cognition). In 1894, Steiner wrote his first “anthroposophical” book, “Philosophie der Freiheit,” or, as it is currently translated, “Intuitive Thinking as a Spiritual Path.” Also, in 1894, a series of personal meetings with Friedrich Nietzsche at his home in Berlin took place. Rudolf Steiner died in his small studio in Dornach, Switzerland 1925
References:
– Introduction to Anthroposophical Medicine – Robert Gorter, MD.
– Directions to the use of Iscador in treating Cancer – HISCIA and Lukas Klinik publication.
– Cancer as a Disease of Our Times – W. Bühler and R. Leroi. Translation by Dr. R. Goldberg, M.D., 1979.
– The Mistletoe Preparation Iscador in Clinical Use – Rita Leroi, MD.
– Iscador – Mistletoe preparations used in anthroposophically extended cancer treatment – Robert W. Gorter, MD.
– “The Essential Steiner” by Robert A. McDermott
Cancer :Dignosis
Hardly any event changes the lives of those affected as profoundly and permanently as a cancer diagnosis. How do you handle it? What can you do yourself? Where can you get help? There are many organizations for support, but some questions can only be answered by yourself.
How does cancer develop?
Each day, millions of cells die inside the body, while new cells are formed, as dying cells first divide and give rise to the next generation of cells to sustain the body’s integrity. The point of time the cell dies (apoptosis) is already determined in its genetic make-up when it is created. When it divides, it passes on these attachments along with all other information to the newly developing cells: e.g. their look, their function, how often they are designated to propagate, and also when they are supposed to die.
Mistakes in this highly complex division process will result in degenerate or faulty cells. A degenerate cell may simply die, or in special cases, it may continue to divide and produce more degenerate cells. This is how a tumour develops, which is actually just a collection of degenerate cells. People with an increased risk of cancer due to genetic reasons may seek genetic counseling to help assess this risk and to provide insights into possible means of prevention.
Considering the fact that every day millions of cells follow their predetermined path of division and death, it becomes clear that “accidents” can also happen somewhere in the body every day and degenerate cells can arise. However, under normal circumstances, our immune system is able to handle the situation. For example, white blood cells (leukocytes) have the task of recognizing and destroying “cellular waste” by literally “eating up” degenerate cells. Only if degenerate cells “flood” the body or the immune system is weakened, cancer will result from these “faulty” cells.
Due to their altered functioning, cancer cells will not respond to growth-modulating signals. They allow themselves to be fed by blood vessels so that they can multiply unhindered. This resulting carcinoma can increasingly press on neighbouring organs and ultimately damage them as well. In addition, cancer cells can leave their site of origin and and migrate throughout the body, resulting in metastases in remote organs or body parts, and affecting their functions.
Numerous different types of cancer are known, most of which differ considerably in terms of their severity and treatment options. There is usually no clear cause/effect relationship. However, the development of a tumour can be promoted by many factors. External factors such as reduced micronutrient intake (vitamins, minerals, trace elements), alcohol, nicotine, pollutants in food, environmental toxins, radiation and viruses, for example, can have an unfavourable influence on cell division.
Internal factors such as stress and psychological strains can also have a similar effect. Last but not least, it is also known that certain forms of cancer come with the risk of genetic transmission.
Early detection examinations and cancer warning signs
The earlier cancer is detected, the better the chances for recovery. For some cancers, such as breast, uterine, colorectal, skin, and prostate cancers, screening tests are offered with the goal of finding tumours at the earliest possible stages of development. Early stages can usually be treated more successfully and more gently than late stages, in which metastases may already have developed. Nevertheless, screening tests are also viewed critically due to some disadvantages. Therefore, it makes sense to consider and weigh the pros and cons for each procedure. At the end of such a risk-benefit assessment, a decision can be made on whether or not to perform a cancer screening examination. It is also often useful to obtain a second opinion.
If any of the following signs of illness are noticed, the attending physician should be consulted as soon as possible. Only through a thorough examination, it can be clarified whether a tumour or some other disease is the cause:
Non-healing or persisting wounds and ulcers
A lump or thickening in or under the skin, as well as unusually swollen lymph nodes, especially in the area of the mammary gland.
Changes in a wart or mole
Persistent stomach, intestinal or swallowing problems
Persistent cough or hoarseness
Unusual secretions from body orifices such as blood in stool or urine, coughing up blood
Irregular menstrual bleeding or vaginal discharge stained with blood as well as bleeding or staining after the menopause
Unintentional weight loss
A tumour can be benign or malignant. However, this may remain unclear until it has been surgically removed and examined. For cancer medicine, however, only malignant tumours are the target of treatment. A patient is considered “cured” if a successfully treated cancer does not reappear within a period of five years. Unfortunately, during the course of cancer, cells will detach from the original or primary tumour and migrate through the body via the bloodstream or the lymphatic system. If it is not destroyed by the immune system, it may settle somewhere else in the body and form a secondary tumour or metastasis. One tumour can thus become a second one.
Tumor classification
Since there are different types of tumours with different characteristics, it is useful to classify a tumour. Characteristics considered for classification are malignancy, location, size and spread of the tumour.
The degree of malignancy (malignancy grade) of the examined tumour tissue is determined by comparing the tumour cells with the healthy cells in their tissue of origin (e.g. liver cells, skin cells, etc.). The various characteristics and functions of a healthy cell are also referred to by the term of “differentiation”. The more characteristics and functions a tumour cell still shares with its original tissue, the higher its degree of differentiation and the lower the malignancy Conversely, malignancy increases as the degree of differentiation decreases and tumour cells lose almost all characteristics and functions except for an unnatural and useless capability to replicate.
Histological classification of tumour cells
Histological classification (grading) of tumour cells (according to UICC = Union Internationale Contre le Cancer)
Grade 1 (G1): well-differentiated malignant tissue (“low-grade”), many shared characteristics with tissue of origin
Grade 2 (G2): moderately differentiated malignant tissue
Grade 3 (G3): poorly/lowly differentiated malignant tissue
Grade 4 (G4): non-differentiated or undifferentiated or anaplastic malignant tissue (“high-grade”), so that the tumour sometimes can no longer be assigned to a specific initial tissue or can only be assigned by immunohistochemical examination
Grade 9 (G9): the degree of differentiation cannot be assessed
TNM Classification
As soon as possible, the physician will try to classify the tumour not only by examining a specimen of representative cells but by assessing it in its entirety. Often an accurate classification can only be made after surgery. The most common system for classifying tumour diseases is the internationally valid TNM scheme. The classification allows physicians to summarize the essential data about the tumour using a short letter/number combination. Thus, this information is usually found in case reports and patient records.
The letters are abbreviations of the words “tumour” (tumor), “node” (lymph node) and “metastases”
T = tumour: size and spread of the original tumour, also called “primary tumour”.
N = lymph nodes: Quantification of cancer cells in adjacent lymph nodes. These are called lymph node metastases.
M = Metastases: Detection of cancer cells in other parts of the body or organs. One then speaks of “distant metastases”.
TNM figures
In order to be able to specify the extent of the disease more precisely, each letter is accompanied by a number. Possible are T1 to T4, N0 to N3 as well as M0 and M1. The use of zero (N0, M0) indicates that lymph node or distant metastases are not detectable.
T1 to T4 for the primary tumour
For category T, the numbers 1 to 4 describe the size and spread of the primary tumour. For some tumours, experts subdivide even more precisely. The T-digits are then supplemented with the lowercase letters a to d. In prostate cancer, for example, there are not only stages T1 to T4, but also stages T2a to T2c and T3a and T3b in between. The criteria for category T classification depend on the tumor type.
N0 to N3 for the lymph nodes
N-category numbers are based on the number and location of “regional” lymph nodes affected by cancer cells. Lymph nodes are like filter stations within the lymphatic system. Regional is the name given to lymph nodes associated with the lymphatic drainage system of an organ or region of the body. Thus, when cancer cells detach from a tumour or travel through the lymphatic system, they can often be first detected inside the lymph nodes in the tumor’s immediate vicinity. For example, breast cancer surgery usually includes removal of the axillary lymph nodes, as these are the closest lymph nodes in breast cancers to be examined for tumor metastasis.
N0 means that no cancer cells could be detected in the regional lymph nodes of the organ affected by the tumour. N1, N2 and N3 describe the involvement of more and more regional lymph nodes or of those that are located further away from the tumour. The criteria for category N classification also depend on the tumour type.
M0 and M1 for distant metastases
Category M only distinguishes whether distant metastases have been found (M1) or not (M0). For instance, the classification “breast carcinoma, T1N1M0” means that in this case of breast cancer, the tumour is up to 2 cm in size (which is the definition of T1 for breast cancer), in at least one lymph node, cancer cells have been detected, but no metastases have been found. Based on this classification, a prognosis can be made. It is a prediction about the course of the disease.
The prognosis is based on worldwide experience and statistics on cancer. Perhaps phrases such as “The prognosis is good” or “It is unfavourable” will be dropped; perhaps more specific clues will be given, such as an expected survival time. Thus, there are statistical cure probabilities, survival rates and survival times for all types of cancer. For the “T1N1M0 breast carcinoma” example above, this means that the 5-year statistical survival rate is between 83 to 87% and the 10-year survival rate is about 82%.. Thus, after 10 years, more than 80% of patients will still be alive after this type of breast cancer diagnosis, indicating that the chances of a cure are high.
However, it must be remembered that statistics only make a statement about probabilities. After all, no one can predict whether a patient with a tumour that has a 99% unfavorable outcome will not count among the 1% that will survive.
In any case, the following applies: The statistical prognosis of a cancer disease is always only a statement about the totality of all patients and has only limited significance for the individual situation.
Effects of cancer
Physical well-being
The effects of cancer are not limited to the body or a single organ, respectively – rather, it affects the whole person and their general sense of well-being. Cancer patients often feel physically weak and fatigued. They are more prone to suffer from so-called “trivial infections” such as colds, which they cannot overcome as quickly as a healthy person.
This is due to the fact that cancer patients suffer from a weakened immune system that can no longer sufficiently perform its tasks, thereby severely affecting the general condition. The effects on general well-being are not limited to the physical plane, but also have a mental, spiritual, and social dimension, as all of these interact closely.
Very often, cancer patients report that after receiving their diagnosis, their “world collapsed” and they “fell into a black hole”. At this point, many questions may arise simultanously: How far has the cancer progressed? Are there metastases already? What are my chances of recovery?
Unfortunately, there is no certain answer to the most important question, about the chances of success of the treatment, but only estimates based on experience and statistics. However, the chances of a cure are greater the earlier the cancer is detected and treated. Affected persons should also not hesitate to inquire until they have received sufficient answers and explanations to all their questions. Furthermore, one should not feel pressurized; rather, it is important to develop the conviction that the proposed therapies will be effective.
Mental well-being
As the disease progresses, additional burdens on the general condition may appear. Physically, the treatment can stress a person to the limit, which in turn has a psychological effect. Cancer patients often suffer from strong mood swings between euphoria (“I’ll make it”) and resignation (“After all, I only have a few weeks to live”). If we now consider that moods, for their part, have a major influence on the physical factors of general well-being, it becomes clear that cancer is much more than just a tumor. Cancer patients need understanding and support.
Perhaps the following situation is familiar: A previously healthy friend or work colleague is suddenly told that he has cancer. You want to visit him, to show your support, but suddenly you become uncertain: Should you bring up the subject or wait for him to come up with it on his own? Should you talk about death, about pain, or should you keep the conversation on a light level and not bring up the disease at all? Everyone has this insecurity when dealing with the seriously ill, and even doctors often fail to find the right tone.
Of course, a patient immediately notices that those around him are suddenly inhibited and sometimes even avoid him because of their own insecurity. He feels excluded and left alone. Treatment can exacerbate this feeling, because a patient who loses a lot of weight and hair during chemotherapy may suffer to an even greater extent from people’s reactions to these physical changes (such as staring) than from the already severe physical side-effects of the treatment.
Both the physical and psychological stress of cancer weakens a person’s general condition without the carcinoma being directly responsible. Everyone knows that illnesses are generally better dealt with when one is “mentally stable.” Unfortunately, cancer in particular can throw even an otherwise very balanced person out of mental equilibrium, as the disease often requires radical life changes.
The field of psycho-oncology deals with the impact cancer may have on one’s life. It offers patients and their relatives targeted support in coping with the new life situation. It is also important to find a therapist you trust. But every patient will have to decide for themselves what distinguishes a “good doctor” and the right therapies.
Social and mental health
Every year, tens of thousands of people in Germany have to leave the workforce due to cancer. Therefore, cancer is also a social problem. This points to another dimension of general well-being: the social one. Cancer patients tend to withdraw from other people. Then again, we live in a society of the healthy, in which there is less and less room for the sick. This makes it difficult for those affected to maintain social relationships and the essential feeling of being valued by those around them. If this feeling is suddenly lost due to cancer, the psychological basis for coping with the disease can be lost. However, those who have a trusting relationship with their social peers or their employer may eventually assess if and when an open word about the illness may be appropriate.
Intellectual engagement and devoting oneself to topics of one’s interest is another important part of life. While confined to the hospital bed, a patient with a broken leg may use her time to read a lot, for example, Cancer patients though, on the other hand, often report severe concentration problems and a feeling of being mentally drained, unable to process information and to perform intellectually. This way, cancer affects the mental dimension of general well-being as well.
Summary
It is necessary not only to work on eliminating the tumour, but also to strengthen the general condition. This aspect is crucial for a successful cancer treatment. If, apart from the carcinoma, the patient is physically in a good condition, mentally balanced and active, the prospects are far better. This is where holistic or integrative cancer treatment starts.
There are many ways to support a patient. Sometimes it is enough to be mindful of frequently recharging one’s own batteries so that everyday life will not be dominated by the illness. The mood can often be brightened by small pleasures. Anything that can be enjoyed without impairing one’s health is allowed!
For some people, it helps to get comprehensive information. Knowledge about one’s own disease may dispel fears and empower informed decisions. Self-help groups offer the opportunity to exchange experiences with others in a similar situation and to learn how to cope with everyday challenges.
Many people benefit from relaxation techniques in order to better deal with particularly stressful situations. Courses or therapies provide a safe space for processing negative and depressing thoughts or to discover and access one’s creativity.
Psychosocial counselling and social services at the hospital or cancer counselling centres can also be a valuable support.
Exercise and sport in cancer
Exercise and sport play an important role in cancer prevention. Studies show that people who exercise a lot have a lower risk of developing colon cancer. For post-menopausal breast cancer and uterine cancer, researchers also see a clear link between lack of physical activity and tumour incidence. Exercise could also have a risk-reducing effect on pre-menopausal breast cancer, prostate cancer, lung cancer and ovarian cancer.
Exercise and sport are also important for people already suffering from cancer. Some consequences of disease and treatment can be reduced or avoided altogether through specific exercises. This includes, for example, the prevention of limited mobility, which many people experience after cancer and cancer-related therapies, or cancer-related fatigue. Research has shown that patients who exercise regularly tend to feel less exhausted and fatigued.
For many patients, physical activity adapted to the physical status and form of treatment can also have an overall positive impact on quality of life. Whether exercise or sports are suitable during or after cancer therapy should always be discussed with the attending physician, as there are no standard recommendations and the situation needs to be assessed individually. It is important to listen to one’s own body and focus on activities that add to one’s personal well-being.
Research is still out on the question of whether regular exercise can also minimize the risk of relapse and/or metastasis. However, some study results suggest that breast cancer patients at a later age, with considerable overweight and little or no exercise, seem to have an increased risk of tumour recurrence.
Diet and cancer
A healthy diet can help prevent a variety of diseases. Nutrition may also play a significant role in the development of cancer. It is not only important what you eat, but also how much you eat and how much energy you consume each day. Whether diet can influence pre-existing cancer is far less understood than its role in cancer prevention.
The German and Swiss Societies for Nutrition (DGE, SVE) have established recommendations for a diet to reduce the risk of cancer and also prevent recurrences:
1. Diversify your diet: A wide variety with appropriate combinations and adequate amounts of nutrient-rich and low-energy foods, preferably organically produced, can prevent cancer development and the risk of recurrence. A plant-based diet has been shown to be especially favorable.
2. Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables (5 a day): Five servings of vegetables and fruits a day are recommended, preferably fresh and cooked only briefly or as a serving of juice. This ensures the supply of vitamins, minerals, fiber and secondary plant substances (e.g. carotenoids, flavonoids).
3. Eat cereal products, legumes and potatoes regularly:
Bread, pasta, cereal flakes, rice – preferably made from whole grains – as well as legumes and potatoes contain hardly any fat, but plenty of vitamins, minerals, fiber and secondary plant compounds. The recommended amount of fiber is 30 grams and should come primarily from whole grain products.
4. Have enough milk and dairy products, but only a little meat: It is recommended to consume milk and dairy products, as well as fish frequently throughout the week. On the other hand, meat and sausages should only be eaten in moderation. Milk and dairy products as well as fish contain valuable nutrients such as calcium, iodine, selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Meat is beneficial because of its high content of iron and vitamins B1, B6 and B12. However, quantities of 300 to 600 g of meat per week are already sufficient to meet the general needs for these micronutrients. White poultry meat is rated more beneficial than red meat (beef, pork).
5. Use fat and high-fat foods in moderation: Fat provides vital (essential) fatty acids, and fatty foods also contain fat-soluble vitamins.
6. Reduce the use of salt and sugar: Sugar and foods or beverages made with different types of sugar should be consumed only occasionally. A creative use of herbs and spices is recommended, using only a little salt.
7. Drink plenty: drink at least 1.5 litres of fluid per day, preferably water. Beverages containing sugar should be cut back or avoided as elevated blood sugar levels will increase the energy supply to cancer cells as well. Alcoholic beverages should be consumed only occasionally and only in small quantities.
8. Be mindful when preparing your meals: Food should be cooked at the lowest possible temperatures and with as little water and fat as possible, as this preserves the natural taste, protects the nutrients and prevents the formation of harmful compounds. The ingredients should be as fresh as possible.
9. Be mindful: Taking the appropriate time to taste and enjoy your food not only enhances the appreciation for what nourishes you, it also promotes the feeling of satiety, reduces cravings and over-eating, and adds to the overall quality of life.
10. Watch your weight and keep moving: A balanced diet and plenty of physical activity or exercise (30 to 60 minutes a day) go hand in hand and help regulate body weight.
Diagnostic Methods
Our body is made up of many different types of cells. Therefore, many different types of cancer can occur. Some types grow rather slowly and do not “spread” (they do not form metastases), some grow at great speed and spread a lot, while others do not form solid tumors, such as the blood cancer (leukemia) or lymphatic cancer (lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease). Once a cancerous disease has been diagnosed, thoughtful action is required.
For this purpose, various diagnostic procedures are used depending on the type and location of the tumour.
Laboratory examinations
The examination of a blood sample in the laboratory provides essential information. Physicians define the immune status by determining the type and number of immune cells in a blood sample. Our immune system reacts to certain tumours, for example, by producing more than the usual count of a special blood cell population. Most tumours also have specific characteristics and reveal themselves through so-called tumour markers. These are substances such as hormones or proteins. These tumour markers are either produced by the tumour itself and released into the blood, or the tumour causes the body to produce them.
Imaging procedures
Imaging procedures are very important in the diagnostics of cancer. X-rays were the first type of imaging technique to be discovered. Classic X-ray technology is still indispensable in many clinical situations today. Equally important nowadays are ultrasound, computed tomography (CT- or CAT-Scan), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), scintigraphy and positron emission tomography (PET).
Radiographic examination
X-rays enable the radiologist to look inside the body because X-rays can penetrate it. Some organs allow the rays to pass through, while others slow them down to a greater or lesser extent, casting a visible “shadow” on the X-ray image. In cases of suspected cancer, classic radiographic diagnostics have now mostly been replaced by more sophisticated procedures allowing for greater details.
Ultrasound examination
Ultrasound diagnostics, also known as sonography, use sound waves to generate images of the inside of the body. The examining physician can view them directly on a connected monitor and thus detect changes in organs and tissues, such as tumours or metastases. there is no radiation exposure for either doctor or patient while using sonography. Ultrasound examination is therefore used frequently, usually in addition to other methods. However, ultrasound alone is usually not sufficient to fully diagnose a tumour.
Computed tomography
Computed tomography (CT or CAT-Scan) is a modern technique based on X-rays which allows a much more detailed look inside a person’s body, In this way, changes can be detected more precisely than by conventional X-ray imaging. In cancer therapy, computed tomography is used to validate the presence of a tumour or to monitor its progress during treatment.
Magnetic resonance imaging
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) uses a combination of a strong magnetic field with radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. In cancer diagnostics, MRI thus provides information about the location and size of a tumour.
Scintigraphy
In scintigraphy, a low-level radioactive substance can be used to visualize metabolic processes in the body. Before the examination, this radioactive substance is injected into the bloodstream. Metabolic processes cause it to be deposited in the body to varying degrees. Certain tumours and metastases will uptake and store the substance to a greater extent than healthy tissues, but sometimes also less. A special camera and a connected computer calculate images based on the different degrees of radiation emitted by the various body tissues. This way, tumours and metastases can be detected.
Positron emission tomography
Positron emission tomography (PET) can also be used to visualize metabolic processes in the body. For this purpose, radioactively labeled glucose or other substances known as “tracers” are used, which are injected into the bloodstream. Since tumors and metastases often have a different metabolism than healthy tissue, they may accumulate substances to a different degree. A measuring unit and a connected computer calculate PET images from the emitted radiation, producing visualizations on which tumours and metastases are clearly distinguishable.
Biopsy
In most cases, a palpable swelling, changes in lab parameters or a swollen lymph node are the results of benign changes, such as an infection. However, such symptoms can also be signs of tumour disease. In order to rule out the presence of a malignant tumour with certainty, it may be necessary
to examine cells or tissue directly collected from a suspicious area. The process of collecting such a tissue specimen, which usually only involves a minor surgical procedure, is called a biopsy. The specimen is further examined through microscopy by pathologists in a specialized lab, leading to what is called a histological finding. Doctors may advise patients to undergo a biopsy in the following cases:
Detection of a lump in the chest of unclear dignity
Changes in the mucous membranes of the digestive tract or the bladder
Cellular changes in the female cervix
Conspicuous palpation of the prostate accompanied by an elevated PSA reading
Nodules of the thyroid
Skin lesions of unclear dignity
If the tissue changes are small, it may be appropriate to remove the entire suspicious area right away rather than just taking a sample. This applies, for example, to smaller conspicuous moles and other skin changes. Doctors take a similar approach when testing lymph nodes for tumour cells, which are also completely removed and not biopsied. Another example is intestinal polyps, benign precursors of colon cancer, which are also removed completely, if possible immediately, during a colonoscopy.
What does integrative cancer treatment mean?
Over the past decades, tremendous progress has been made in the field of standard conventional therapies. Nowadays, cancer therapies are far more effective and specific than just a mere decade ago. However, affected individuals often continue to suffer from the side effects of these therapies for a long time, and their quality of life can be significantly impaired. In a holistic or integrative therapeutic approach, various procedures are combined, such as conventional medical treatment methods, naturopathic treatments, anthroposophic medicine, psychooncology, etc.
This allows for a cancer therapy tailored to the needs of each patient individually, often resulting in a tremendous improvement of the overall quality of life. The patient is always the center of attention. In terms of this holistic or integrative medicine, cancer can be treated comprehensively and individually at the same time, as all useful therapeutic measures are combined.
What are conventional cancer therapies (standard therapies)?
Complete tumour removal is the first and most important goal of conventional cancer treatment. Conventional cancer treatment consists of the three “classical pillars” of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy, which are often combined. There are decades of experience with these methods worldwide. The efficacy of chemotherapeutic agents in particular has been repeatedly tested in clinical trials.
Surgery
For most types of cancer, surgery is the most important form of treatment. It ranges from a small incision to remove a suspicious skin lesion, to extensive surgery. Surgeons remove not only the entire tumour, but also lymph nodes and surrounding tissue. If the tumour can be completely excised, this is always done “within a surgical margin”. This means that the tumour is removed with a small margin of healthy tissue in order to reduce the risk of tumour cells being left behind.
If lymph nodes are affected, these are also removed. Often the lymph nodes surrounding the tumour are also removed as a precaution. Tumours can occur in any part of the body and sometimes may be difficult to access surgically. In such cases it can make sense to reduce tumour size through chemo- or radiotherapy before operating. In this approach, the chemotherapy or radiation treatment is called “neoadjuvant”.
Conversely, a tumour that cannot be completely removed surgically can first be reduced by surgery in order to provide a better starting point for subsequent chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Wherever possible, physicians use methods that will only cause minor injury to the skin and soft tissues. These procedures are called “minimally invasive.” Only a few small incisions are made to insert tubular instruments (this procedure is called “endoscopy”), containing a camera and tiny surgical instruments. This way of operating is also known as “keyhole surgery”. Some endoscopic procedures can be performed without a skin incision at all, such as the removal of colon polyps during a colonoscopy. However, such small operations are not always the method of first choice as the aim of cancer surgery is the best possible removal of the tumour.
The “three classical pillars” of cancer treatment are often combined to optimize treatment outcome. If radiation therapy or chemotherapy is performed after surgery, this is called “adjuvant” (supportive) treatment. Its purpose is to ensure that the tumour and any tumour cells are completely removed.
Radiation therapy (Radiotherapy)
Radiation is another therapeutic strategy in conventional medicine to destroy the tumour. It is applied and acts only locally in the irradiated tissue. Radiation damages the DNA cells. As opposed to healthy tissue, tumour cells are unable to repair these damages and die off. Radiation therapy can be applied following surgery in order to destroy any remaining cancer cells. In some cases, radiation is applied to tumours that are not accessible to surgery. Other types of localized tumours may be treated by radiation therapy alone. Palliative radiotherapy is used to relieve pain and other symptoms of advanced cancer.
Many different types of radiation are used in cancer treatment today: X-rays, gamma radiation, and electron radiation are just a few. They all share the ability to damage the body tissue they penetrate. Medical specialists (radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists) will therefore devise an individual radiation plan for each patient with the aim to ensure the best possible effect on the tumour while minimizing the damage to the healthy tissues.
It is impossible to predict if a patient will expect side effects from radiation. The radiation effect depends on the dose, the size of the irradiation field and the sensitivity of affected tissue. A patient’s general condition and the state of progression of the tumour also have an effect. Radiation damage is suffered primarily by the skin, which will react to radiation with symptoms similar to sunburn. Irritation, redness, tanning effects, and hair loss in the irradiated areas are the most common undesirable side effects of radiation therapy. Many patients experience fatigue and a general feeling of illness with loss of appetite, fatigue or headache after a few days. However, most symptoms disappear quickly after treatment ends, as healthy tissue is able to heal the radiation damages.
Chemotherapy
The third pillar of conventional cancer therapy is chemotherapy with certain drugs known as cytostatics. The word “cyto” stands for “cell” and “static” for “stop,” indicating that cytostatics can stop cells from multiplying. They also have a “cytotoxic” effect, meaning that they act in a toxic manner on rapidly dividing cells.
Tumour cells multiply faster than healthy cells. This is where the active principle of chemotherapy comes in: Cytostatic drugs damage the DNA of cells that are in the process of dividing and multiplying. However, this means that healthy tissues with a higher rate of cellular division than others will experience side effects from chemotherapy. Oncologists supervising chemotherapy protocols will therefore try to specifically affect tumour cells through the precisely calculated combined application of cytostatic drugs while minimizing the impact on the healthy body cells.
In certain types of cancer and especially in those that do not form solid tumours (e.g., leukaemia or Hodgkin’s lymphoma), chemotherapy has proven to be extremely effective. While there are often significant side effects from cytostatic drugs during treatment, the prospects for cure can be very good.
As cytostatic drugs primarily attack cells that frequently divide and renew themselves, healthy tissues with similar characteristics like the hematopoietic system, hair root cells, skin cells and mucous membranes are particularly prone to experience side effects.
Side effects are also the reason why some physicians carefully weigh the use of chemotherapeutic agents. Ultimately, it must be a shared decision between patient and the treating physician. In addition to the physical side effects, patients may experience impairments such as fatigue, chronic exhaustion and depression. These may last for years after chemotherapy and are thus referred to as late effects. Nevertheless, chemotherapy has a firm place in cancer treatment.
Anti-hormone therapies
Hormones or messenger substances control important processes in the body, for instance blood sugar levels, reproduction or growth. Some tumours also grow under the influence of hormones. This can be the point of action of an anti-hormone therapy. Anti-hormone therapy by block the body’s own hormones or keep them from interacting with the tumour, thereby blocking its growth.
Examples:
Breast cancer cells often grow in response to female hormones. These are primarily oestrogens and in some cases progesterone, which will bind to specific receptors on the tumour cells, signalling them to multiply.
Various anti-hormonal therapies can either suppress the body’s own hormone production or prevent their action by blocking hormone receptors on the cancer cells.
Anti-hormones are administered as tablets or by injection and are thus distributed throughout the body. In this way, they are able to reach tumour cells that may have gone undetected during examinations and prevent them from growing. Like chemotherapy, hormonal therapy is a “systemic” treatment, i.e. it is effective throughout the body.
Use of anti-hormonal drugs depends on several factors, like for example, the stage of the disease. It must also be determined whether a patient’s tumour cells react to hormones at all. The report of the findings will then state, for example, the tumour to be “hormone receptor-positive”. Hormone withdrawal
is also a treatment option for prostate cancer, the growth of which is promoted by the male hormone testosterone. However, since at least at the beginning of the disease in all men the tumours grow in a hormone-dependent manner, there is no need for targeted receptor determination – unlike in women with breast cancer.
Targeted therapies
Different tumours can have different characteristics and properties. For example, tumour cells are often stimulated to divide by special substances produced naturally in the body, such as so-called growth factors. These substances are part of specific molecular signalling pathways that responsible for growth, metabolism or the blood supply to the cells. Targeted therapies intervene in such processes and inhibit the metabolism or cell division of the cancer cells. For this purpose, prior to treatment, it is determined whether the tumour has the characteristics suitable for a targeted therapy. Since healthy cells can have these specific characteristics as well, side effects can also occur with targeted therapies.
There are a large number of different targeted drugs that are used to treat a wide variety of cancers and may be combined with other therapies for this purpose.
Immunotherapies
Immunotherapies do not target cancer cells directly, but rather help the body’s immune system fight the cancer. Cancer cells often change in such a way that they are no longer recognized by the immune system and can therefore continue to grow and spread. Other cancer cells actively suppress the activity of the immune system. Immunotherapies are designed to reactivate the body’s immune defences against cancer cells.
Monoclonal antibodies
Antibodies are protein molecules that bind specifically to structures the immune system identifies as foreign or somewhat “altered”, so-called antigens, and designate these structures for destruction by the immune cells. Monoclonal antibody therapy uses artificially produced antibodies directed against specific proteins on the surface of cancer cells, thereby inhibiting their growth. One such antibody is trastuzumab. It binds to the Her-2/neu receptors, which are binding sites for growth factors present in the cancer cells of 25% of women with breast cancer.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors are also monoclonal antibodies.
Immune checkpoint inhibitors
A recently developed group of pharmaceuticals can target specific checkpoints, the “brakes” or “checkpoints” of the immune system. These checkpoints normally prevent the immune system from overacting against healthy cells. However, some tumours can activate such “immune checkpoints” thereby suppressing the activity of immune cells that could actually recognize and fight the tumour. So-called “checkpoint inhibitors” stop this mechanism, enabling the immune system to once again attack the tumour with greater vigour.
Cytokines
Cytokines are messenger or signal substances that have a stimulating or inhibiting effect on the immune system. Cytokines such as interferons or interleukins are also used in cancer therapy. They can inhibit tumour cell division or activate certain immune cells. With cytokine therapies, it has been possible to treat some forms and situations of disease successfully. However, they are increasingly being replaced by other, more effective immunotherapies.
Tumour vaccines
In recent years, various therapeutic vaccination strategies against cancer have been developed. The goal is to train the immune system to better recognize and attack cancer cells by exposing it to cancer-specific molecules, so-called tumour antigens, in a vaccination in order to prevent the growth of tumour tissue.
However, since such vaccines are difficult to develop, current strategies aim to give patients only fragments of such antigens hoping their immune system will respond in the desired way. In most cases, very small proteins, so-called peptides (peptide vaccines), are used. Most of the vaccines for cancer therapy are still in the clinical trial phase.
Prophylactic tumour vaccines are used to prevent the development of certain types of cancer. Examples include the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine to prevent cervical cancer, or the hepatitis B vaccine to prevent hepatocellular carcinoma.
CAR-T cells
CAR-T cells (chimeric antigen receptor T cells) are the body’s own immune cells that are genetically modified in a lab in order to recognize and attack cancer cells based on specific target structures, the tumour antigens. After preparation in the lab, the CAR-T cells are reintroduced into the patient’s body via an infusion. CAR-T cell therapy is currently used to treat leukaemia and types of lymphoma. It is a very complex and expensive therapy.
What are complementary therapies?
Complementary therapies are treatment procedures used to supplement conventional therapies. Complementary therapies are not limited to alleviate physical symptoms, but can also strengthen and support people on the levels of vitality, mind and spirit, meaning they have a holistic effect. Complementary medicine is an integral part of the treatment of many cancer patients and offers them valuable support.
Here we present some examples of therapies that, according to our experience, are often used in addition to the three classical pillars of conventional cancer therapy.
Anthroposophic medicine
Anthroposophic medicine combines conventional medical therapy approaches with humanistic knowledge about the human being. It thus sees itself as a complement to conventional medicine with a holistic or integrative medicine resulting from the union of the two approaches. It is based on the teachings of anthroposophy by Dr. Rudolf Steiner, whose goal is the study of the physical, mental and spiritual phenomena of the human being in relation to nature and the universe.
In anthroposophic medicine, modern diagnostic methods and therapies are used and supplemented with special preparations of mineral, plant or animal origin, as well as with artistic therapies and speech therapies, or with physical measures such as rhythmic massages. They act on the four members of the being, the physical body (form level), the etheric body (life force level), the astral body (soul) and the ego organization (spirit). Thus, the self-healing powers of the human being are activated and the human being is guided to take up responsibility for his or her health.
In this sense, anthroposophic medicine is based on a salutogenetic approach, which is concerned with staying and becoming healthy and not only with eliminating diseases or their symptoms.
Eurythmy therapy, artistic therapies and rhythmic massage are considered non-medicinal therapies. Mistletoe therapy also originated in anthroposophic medicine.
Mistletoe therapy
Mistletoe therapy is mainly used as an adjunct to standard oncological therapy with the aim to improve the quality of life of cancer patients. During mistletoe therapy, many patients experience a noticeable improvement in their general well-being, a normalization of sleep patterns, and an increase in appetite and performance. Tumour-related pain can be alleviated, the immune system strengthened, and the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation therapy reduced. It has also been shown that treatment with mistletoe preparations can lead to an improvement in general condition and thus to a prolongation of survival.
Here you can find more information about mistletoe and about mistletoe therapy .
Eurythmy therapy
Eurythmy is an art of movement and means “the beautiful rhythm”. It is based on a view of the human being having a body, soul and spirit. Eurythmy therapy is a special therapeutic form of eurythmy. It aims at bringing the human being back into balance, both internally and externally. In eurythmy therapy, words, sounds or music are translated into movements in order to harmonize the organism and stimulate the vital forces.
Eurythmy therapy also has a meditative aspect and can help to “restructure oneself”. Patients whose lives have become uprooted because of their illness can regain their composure. In eurythmy therapy, they can find a way to actively participate in the recovery process themselves, as their physical and mental state is harmonized. In this way, physiological functions are strengthened and psychological imbalances are calmed down.
Art therapies
In anthroposophic medicine, art therapies such as therapeutic sculpting, speech therapy, painting and music therapy are used to help patients to regain their own creative abilities. This way, a cancer patient can again be stimulated to actively and creatively engage with his or her environment and gain new energy to shape their life. The joy of artistic activity and the results of one’s own work have a positive effect on the patient’s self-healing powers.
Rhythmic massage according to Dr. Ita Wegman
Rhythmic massage primarily affects the fluid flow and respiration of the entire organism. Blood and lymph carry the body warmth. Through specially and intensively trained hands, Rhythmic Massage stimulates the fluid currents in the body via the subcutaneous tissues, can loosen solidified and compacted structures and bring them back into flow. As a result, the patient feels lighter, parts of the body with reduced blood circulation are revitalized and warmed up, shallow breathing deepens, exhalation is promoted and pain and tension can be eased.
In addition, the rhythm underlying all living functions is restored to normal. The self-regulation of functional circuits such as sleeping (regeneration) and waking, appetite and elimination are stimulated. In addition, processes that have fallen into passivity can be reactivated and disharmonies can be balanced. The person thus regains his strength and energy.
Rhythmic massage thus aims to stimulate the self-healing powers through positive skin stimuli. It is particularly suitable as a complementary therapy for patients whose immune system is weakened, e.g. due to ongoing or recently completed chemotherapy.
Homeopathy
Classical homeopathy is a method of treatment in which potentized preparations are used with the aim of stimulating the patient’s self-healing powers. The medicines are selected individually according to the principles of homeopathy proposed by Samuel Hahnemann. Symptoms or disturbances of the vital force on the physical, psychological and emotional level are addressed.
The combination of homeopathic medicines with conventional methods such as radiotherapy or chemotherapy often serves to alleviate side effects such as nausea and vomiting, diarrhoea and constipation, as well as to improve the quality of life and strengthen the mental health of patients. The homeopathic treatment itself does not cause any side effects.
Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Acupuncture
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) , illness and discomfort are seen as imbalances of the body’s energies. The aim is to rebalance these and thereby strengthen the self-healing powers. TCM includes therapeutic measures in terms of nutrition, exercise, herbal medicine and physical therapy methods, which are individually tailored to the patient.
Acupuncture as part of Traditional Chinese Medicine is a widely established treatment modality. Acupuncture (Chinese “zhen jiu”) means “burning and pricking”. It involves inserting very fine steel needles into clearly defined anatomical points or areas of the body called acupuncture points. It is also possible to stimulate the acupuncture points by other techniques such as plucking, heating or electrical stimulation. In addition to classical Chinese acupuncture, there are other forms such as ear acupuncture.
Acupuncture and TCM are also used as part of holistic cancer treatment to alleviate the effects of surgery and improve tolerance of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Symptoms such as fatigue, pain, loss of appetite and sleep disturbances may respond to these methods.
Phytotherapy
Phytotherapy or herbal medicine uses the healing properties of medicinal plants and herbs to alleviate physical and mental complaints. Active ingredients extracted from medicinal plants are used, which are processed into teas, tinctures, ointments or oil. Medicinal plant extracts can be applied internally and externally. Many medicinal plants such as chamomile, calendula, arnica, sage and rosemary are well known as folk remedies.
In oncology, phytotherapeutic remedies can be used to alleviate therapy-related side effects and disease-related complaints. For example, there is good experience with ginger for the prevention and treatment of nausea and vomiting, calendula extracts are successfully used to prevent radiation dermatitis, and black cohosh is used to relieve post-menopausal symptoms due to anti-hormone treatment.
Hyperthermia
The idea of treating tumours by means of overheating (hyperthermia ) is about 100 years old and is now systematically applied and researched. It has long been known that cancer cells react more sensitively to heat than “healthy” cells, especially when heated to more than 42°C. The term “hyperthermia” includes various procedures in which the body temperature can be raised to temperatures up to 43° C on small or larger tissues areas. Hyperthermia has proven helpful as an adjunctive treatment for large, inoperable tumours, or, when there is insufficient response to conventional procedures, to improve their effectiveness. In local or surface hyperthermia, superficial tumours or metastases are heated by a targeted external application of ultrasound, microwaves or radio waves. Deep hyperthermia, on the other hand, also heats larger regions of the body, reaching deeper tumours and metastases.
Mind-body medicine
Mind-body medicine (MBM) is a medical concept based on an inseparable connection between mind, soul and body. It aims to awaken and strengthen the health-promoting potential that naturally exists in every human being. The goal is to build people’s self-efficacy in the long term and to motivate them to initiate changes that will lead them to a health-promoting lifestyle.
Thus, mind-body medicine focuses on factors that strengthen the development and maintenance of health (= salutogenetic approach). These factors are very diverse and include the areas of nutrition, exercise, relaxation, stress management, mental training and attention training. High scientific standards are applied to the methods used, corresponding to the currently valid scientific standards of conventional medicine.
What is mistletoe therapy?
Mistletoe has become the focus of attention in a new way over the last 100 years. The Celtic Druids revered it as the “all-healing plant”. In the Middle Ages it was used to treat liver diseases and later to lower blood pressure. At the beginning of the 20th century, a new interest in mistletoe arose. Around 1907, the Munich botanist Karl von Tubeuf began to collect all the knowledge available at the time from the natural sciences, mythology and cultural history of mistletoe, which he published in 1923 as the “Monograph on Mistletoe”.
As early as the autumn of 1904, Dr. Rudolf Steiner, the founder of anthroposophy, began to talk about mistletoe as part of his spiritual science teaching and research activities. His ideas were taken up by the doctor Dr. Ita Wegman, who together with the pharmacist Adolf Hauser developed the first mistletoe preparation for injection. As early as 1917, she was using it to treat cancer patients in her Zurich gynecological practice with good success. By 1920, the basic principles of mistletoe therapy had been developed to such an extent that it could be presented at the first anthroposophical specialist course for doctors in Dornach, Switzerland.
In 1935, Dr. Ita Wegman founded the Cancer Research Association together with colleagues in Arlesheim, Switzerland, whose task is still the continuous development of mistletoe therapy. Today, mistletoe preparations are the most commonly prescribed medicines in complementary or integrative cancer therapy. They have thus become a standard biological therapy.
The primary goal of mistletoe therapy is to improve the quality of life of patients. Many sufferers experience a rapid improvement in their general well-being during mistletoe therapy, a normalization of sleep patterns, and an increase in appetite and performance. Tumor-related pain can be alleviated, the immune system strengthened, and the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy reduced.
Botany of Mistletoe
The myths surrounding mistletoe can be explained in part by its botanical properties. Mistletoe is indeed a strange plant. It grows as a semi-parasite on other trees and shrubs, but cannot form roots in the soil. The berries do not contain seeds, but a core of nutrient tissue with usually two plant embryos, which must be supplied with light throughout the winter in order to maintain their ability to germinate. Bird species such as the mistle thrush and the waxwing eat the white berries and excrete the seeds, which then stick to a branch. The blackcap uses its beak to stick the seed directly to the branch it is sitting on. The embryos form what are known as sinkers, which are slowly surrounded by the wood and anchor the mistletoe seedling in the tree. The sinkers supply the germinating mistletoe with water and nutrients.
Mistletoe grows very slowly and takes years to acquire its typical spherical shape. Mistletoe only begins to bloom after five to seven years. When it is 10 to 15 years old, it can be harvested and then processed into a medicine. Only white-berried mistletoe ( Viscum album L.) is used in cancer therapy; it owes its name to its white, translucent fruits.
In Central Europe it occurs in three subspecies: deciduous tree mistletoe, pine mistletoe and fir mistletoe. Deciduous tree mistletoe grows particularly frequently on apple trees and poplars, but it can also be found on maples, birches, linden trees, almond trees, robinias, willows, hawthorns and very rarely on oaks and elms.
Ingredients and their effects
Mistletoe extracts have a wide range of effects. They can stimulate the immune system, damage tumor cells and, in turn, protect the genetic material of healthy cells from damage. In addition, mistletoe therapy can reduce the side effects of chemotherapy or radiotherapy and thus improve the quality of life of patients. Tumor-related fatigue syndrome can also be significantly reduced by mistletoe therapy. Mood-enhancing and pain-reducing effects can also be observed, which is attributed to an increased release of the body’s own beta-endorphins.
The observed effects are based on a variety of different substances. Mistletoe extracts contain over 600 proteins, with mistletoe lectins and viscotoxins being among the most pharmacologically important components of mistletoe. The content of the various ingredients depends on the season, the stage of development of the plant, the time of harvest, the location and the host tree on which it grows.
Mistletoe lectins are sugar-containing protein compounds that inhibit the growth of cancer cells or kill them under experimental conditions, i.e. they have a cytostatic and cytotoxic effect. One of the possible ways to kill certain cancer cells is through programmed cell death, known as apoptosis, triggered by mistletoe lectins. Mistletoe lectins also influence the immune system (immunomodulation).
Viscotoxins (from Viscum) are small protein molecules whose effects have (so far) been studied in less detail than those of lectins. It is known that viscotoxins dissolve cancer cells in experiments by destroying their cell walls (cytolytic effect, necrosis). In addition, like lectins, they can stimulate the immune system. Above all, they increase the activity of “natural killer cells” and granulocytes.
In summer, the mistletoe plant has a high viscotoxin content, while in winter the mistletoe lectin content is particularly high. This is one of the reasons why the mistletoe plant is harvested twice a year, in June and December, sorted and processed into plant juices using lactic acid fermentation. These extracts from the summer and winter mistletoe are then mixed in a special process. The manufacturing process also ensures that the preparation also contains other ingredients of the mistletoe in sufficient quantities.
The phrase “The whole is more than the sum of its parts” (Aristotle, 384 – 322 BC) is particularly true for mistletoe therapy. Therefore, only the total extract from equal parts of summer and winter mistletoe juice develops the broad spectrum of effects in complementary cancer therapy. Since mistletoe therapy has an “immunomodulating” effect, i.e. cells of the immune system are activated, the body’s defenses are also increased at the same time.
This can be useful in cancer therapy in three ways:
An immune deficiency can be counteracted, which in turn contributes to improving general well-being.
Surgery, radiation and/or chemotherapy significantly weaken the immune system. If it is strengthened with the help of mistletoe therapy, it can better defend itself against other diseases, such as infections. And patients recover more quickly.
An intact immune system helps prevent relapses in the aftercare phase. Mistletoe therapy should therefore be continued for a longer period of time even after the actual cancer therapy.
Mistletoe preparations have a holistic effect
It can often be observed that mistletoe activates, awakens the spirit and frees one from the paralyzing fear that often determines thoughts, feelings and actions after a cancer diagnosis. It helps to distance oneself from the shock of the diagnosis, to find a way out of the feeling of helplessness and thus to approach life positively again.
In addition, mistletoe therapy also has a warming effect by normalizing body temperature, which is closely linked to the functioning of the immune system. Many cancer patients find this particularly pleasant, as they often feel cold and shiver because they cannot regulate their body temperature like healthy people due to illness and chemotherapy.
Mistletoe therapy allows patients to find a new way of accessing their bodies. They learn to listen to them better, to perceive and understand their signals. In cases of serious illness, mistletoe therapy helps to improve the quality of life.
Application
The mistletoe extract is administered as an injection. Similar to an insulin injection, it is injected into the subcutaneous tissue (subcutaneously), which the patient can also do themselves. It is important to note that at least the first injection should be carried out together with the treating therapist. He can also show where the injection should be made and what else needs to be done. The mistletoe preparation is usually injected two to three times a week. It has proven to be a good idea to give the injection in the morning.
What should be taken into account when injecting?
Mistletoe preparations should be stored in the refrigerator. It is therefore advisable to warm the required ampoule of mistletoe extract briefly in your hand before use. When injecting, a strictly subcutaneous injection technique must be used, i.e. it is injected under the skin at an angle of between 30 and 45°. Suitable places for this are the abdominal region and the outer side of the thigh.
Redness around the injection site (up to a maximum of 5 cm in diameter) can occur temporarily and is not a cause for concern, but rather an indication of a normal reaction to the mistletoe extract. This local reaction usually subsides by the time of the next injection. It is important to change the injection site regularly to avoid additional skin reactions. Care should also be taken not to inject into inflamed skin areas or surgical or radiation fields.
Biology of Mistletoe
Habitat
Mistletoe is a flowering plant without roots on the ground. It lives on trees or bushes and receives water and nutrients from its host plant. There are over 1,000 mistletoe species worldwide. The white mistletoe (Viscum album L.) found in Central Europe is the one that can establish itself on most different host trees. It occurs in three subspecies: as hardwood mistletoe (on deciduous trees such as apple trees, elm, oak), as pine mistletoe and as fir mistletoe.
hardwood mistletoe (V. album ssp. album) on various deciduous trees such as apple, oak, elm, poplar, maple, lime, birch
pine mistletoe (V. album ssp. austriacum) on pine trees
fir mistletoe (V. album ssp. abietis) on fir trees.
The subspecies of white mistletoe differ not only in some morphological characteristics but also in their pharmacological properties.
Morphology and development
Mistletoe differs from other flowering plants in many botanic properties. Especially remarkable is the slow growth of the ball-shaped mistletoe bushes. Like all other mistletoe species, European mistletoe has no roots to absorb water and minerals from the ground. Instead, the mistletoe germ develops a so-called “haustorium” or “sinker”, through which it attaches itself to the branch of the host tree’s water transport system, which allows it to obtain water, minerals and certain organic substances.
In comparison to most other flowering plants, shoot development is strongly inhibited in European mistletoe. Instead of growing as many leaves as quickly as possible for optimal photosynthesis during a vegetational period, the buds merely grow one stem with just a couple of plain leaves. Large mistletoe bushes are therefore often over 10 years old.
Characteristic for the European mistletoe are its white berries which develop from inconspicuous flowers.
Agents
Mistletoe contains a variety of different mineral and organic substances, two of which are of particular pharmacological interest: viscotoxins and mistletoe lectins.
Since mistletoe is connected to the water transport system of its host tree, it absorbs the minerals dissolved in the water drawn up from the ground by each type of tree in its respective specific composition. Especially in spring, the organic substances drawn up by the tree in the ascending sap are absorbed by mistletoe. These include amino acids, low-molecular sugar as well as secondary metabolites of the plant, which form the basis for host-depending qualities of the mistletoe together with the minerals.
Viscotoxins and mistletoe lectins, however, are proteins produced by mistletoe. Their concentrations vary among the different mistletoe subspecies and depend on the host tree on which they grow. Viscotoxins reach their highest concentration in the young leaves during summer, while the highest concentration of mistletoe lectins can be found in the older stems during winter.
Cultivation of mistletoe
For a long time the cultivation of mistletoe on certain types of host trees only rarely found in nature, such as mistletoe-bearing oaks and elm trees, has been regarded as an ambitious challenge.
It is imperative for sustainable mistletoe cultivation on oak and elm trees to pick sites with a suitable climate and optimal soil conditions. This way selected trees can fully develop their disposition for mistletoe and can grow under the most natural and protected conditions possible.
At first, mistletoe seeds are placed on young branches along the treetop’s periphery, where mistletoe bushes are able to steadily grow and fully develop over many years. Later on, birds may take over the further spreading of the mistletoe.
Rhythms of mistletoe
The temporally and spatially inhibited growth of mistletoe is subjected to specific rhythms during the course of the seasons. While growing, the young mistletoe branches demonstrate synchronous swinging motions from late May until late June. These loosen the annual shoots from their original vertical orientation, after which they align with the center of the mistletoe bush.
At the same time the organs of new mistletoe branches are produced in the lateral buds which will develop the following spring. After the growth of a pair of leaves the vegetative development stops in mid-June with the growth of a flower head instead of additional leaves.
The berries reflect this change by accumulating nutritive tissue in the mistletoe seed until the end of June, followed by the development of mistletoe embryos in July. Rhythmic changes in the shape of the developing mistletoe berry indicate that the mistletoe’s growth also correlates with the path of the moon across the zodiac constellations.
Mistletoe fauna
Mistletoe has a complex relationship with the fauna: birds spread it, insects pollinate it and many natural antagonists regulate the mistletoe stock.
Mistletoe embryos cannot free themselves from the fruit. They rely on certain types of birds which feed on its berries during the winter and thereby free the sticky mistletoe seed. The mistle thrush and the Eurasian blackcap are the most important species that spread mistletoe. Waxwings also play a role.
Mistletoe is dioecious. Male and female mistletoe flowers develop on different mistletoe bushes. Since the wind is unable to carry mistletoe pollen to the stigma of the female flower, certain species of winter-active insects are responsible for the pollination of mistletoe.
The host trees of our mistletoes
There are over 1,000 species of mistletoe worldwide. The white-berried mistletoe ( Viscum album L.), which is found in Central Europe, is the one that can establish itself on the most different host trees. It occurs in three subspecies: as deciduous mistletoe on various deciduous trees (e.g. apple trees, elms, oaks), as pine mistletoe and as fir mistletoe.
Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman were already studying mistletoe from various host trees, from apple trees to pine and fir trees and even oak trees. These are the trees that we still focus on today when making our preparations, supplemented by the rare and now almost extinct mistletoe from elm trees, which was added later.
The mistletoe does not form its own roots, but connects itself to the tree’s water-conducting system. In this way, it takes on the substances transported in the channels, which the tree absorbs as minerals from the earth or produces itself as organic substances and stores in the roots. The tree thus provides the mistletoe with nutrition. According to Rudolf Steiner and Ita Wegman, the influence of the respective host tree on the mistletoe also explains its suitability for specific types of tumors.
Apple tree
Deciduous trees dynamically convert substances, which can also be seen in the falling leaves in autumn, and therefore show an affinity to the human metabolic area. The lovely blossoms and round, colourful fruits of the apple tree also indicate a strong connection to reproduction processes. These details are significant for the use of this host tree.
For many people, the apple tree with its blossoms in spring, its green leaves in summer and its ripe fruits in autumn also symbolizes the essence of rhythm and life, of awareness and decision. Apple tree mistletoe was the first to be used in gynaecology by Ita Wegman in 1917, and thus draws from the longest-standing experience in integrative cancer treatment.
Subspecies: Hardwood mistletoe
Host tree: Apple tree (lat. Malus)
Scope of ingredients: Apple tree mistletoe shows a balanced ratio of lectins and viscotoxins.
Elm
The elm’s protruding crown appears light nonetheless. Its branches resemble those of the lungs and bronchi, reflecting its kinship with the respiratory tract.
Elms are extremely sensitive and susceptible to disease, though. As elm mistletoe is practically extinct in nature, we treat the young elms on our cultivated sites very carefully and study them closely to understand their needs in adaption to climate change. With its subtle power, elm mistletoe is also well suited to support particularly sensitive people.
Subspecies: Hardwood mistletoe
Host tree: Elm (lat. Ulmus)
Scope of ingredients: Contains a high concentration of mistletoe lectins and viscotoxins.
Fir
Fir trees impress with their mighty main trunk and their dense, dark green needles, which survive several winters. As evergreen trees, they embody the idea of eternal life and are a symbol of birth and resurrection in many cultures. Fir trees embody a strong sustentative power. Their needles are flat, unlike pine trees, and bear witness to a strong affinity to sun and light.
Subspecies: Fir mistletoe
Host tree: Fir (lat. Abies)
Scope of ingredients: Fir mistletoe is rather low in lectin and higher in viscotoxins, which makes it generally well tolerated.
Oak
In contrast to the apple tree, which has roots that mostly stay close to the surface, the oak strives deep into the ground with its taproot system. Strongly connected to the earth, it is also considered a “tree of life”: Oaks become very old and are therefore a symbol for eternal life. They convey a sensation of strength and resilience. Their vast crowns create a habitat for many different animals.
Very few oak trees are friendly towards mistletoe, which presents a major challenge for the cultivation of oak mistletoes. Thanks to decades of research and experience, we are now able to cultivate a large number of mistletoe-friendly oaks. They thrive under optimal soil conditions making it possible to harvest mistletoe from them regularly.
Subspecies: Hardwood mistletoe
Host tree: Oak (lat. Quercus)
Scope of ingredients: It shows a high content of lectins and viscotoxins.
Pine
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Pines grow quickly, have little demands regarding their environment and can become quite old. With their tall, slender shape, they also leave enough space for the other forest dwellers and like to take themselves back a little. Their wood is stable and they are resistant to adverse conditions
With this modesty, the pine is venerated throughout Asia as a symbol of endurance and longevity, but also of great strength and patience. Thanks to its durability and resilience, however, pine mistletoe is very versatile and can be used for treating various types of tumours.
Subspecies: Pine mistletoe
Host tree: Pine (lat. Pinus)
Scope of ingredients: It contains low levels of viscotoxins and lectins and is therefore usually well tolerated.
Some Questions on Iscador Therapy Answerd
What is Iscador?
Iscador is a fermented mistletoe extract that is used as a herbal preparation in mistletoe therapy to treat cancer. Iscador is made by Iscador AG, a pharmaceutical company that researches and manufactures plant-based preparations for integrative cancer treatment. The extract is made from white-berried mistletoe that is freshly harvested from trees like oak, apple, pine, elm, fir, and ash.
What are the benefits of iscador?
Results of the 2 randomized matched-pair studies largely confirmed the results of the non-randomized studies. Conclusion: Iscador treatment can achieve a clinically relevant prolongation of survival time of cancer patients and appears to stimulate self-regulation.
Does mistletoe have any health benefits?
Mistletoe is a semiparasitic plant that grows on many types of trees, including apple, oak, maple, elm, pine, and poplar. It has been used for hundreds of years to treat medical conditions such as epilepsy, asthma, hypertension, headaches, menopausal symptoms, infertility, dermatitis, arthritis, and rheumatism
What are the side effects of Iscador therapy?
Side effects
A slight reddening and possible itching or localized discomfort at the injection site as well as a slight increase in body temperature are expected reactions. They indicate the activation of the immune system.
What are the uses of Iscador?
Survival: Some studies suggest that Iscador can prolong the survival time of cancer patients. In one study, the mean survival time for patients treated with Iscador was 4.23 years, which was about 40% longer than the control group’s 3.05 years. Another review suggests that Iscador can be an effective second-line treatment for cancer patients.
Quality of life: Clinical trials have shown that Iscador can improve the health-related quality of life of breast cancer patients.
Remission: Iscador may also have a positive effect on remission rates.
Chemotherapy reduction: Iscador may reduce the need for chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.
What is the dosage and how it is given?
. Generally, ISCADOR is injected two to three times per week. The best time to apply the injection is in the morning. 1 ml ISCADOR is injected subcutaneously 2 to 3 times a week with increasing strength according to the composition of the series. The response to the last three ampoules of the serial pack determines the further procedure. One serial pack contains 7 ampoules in increasing dose strength.
What should you keep in mind for the injection?
ISCADOR ampoules must be stored in the refrigerator.
What are the side effects of Iscador therapy?
Side effects
A slight reddening and possible itching or localized discomfort at the injection site as well as a slight increase in body temperature are expected reactions. They indicate the activation of the immune system.
Who should not take Iscador ?
Do not take European mistletoe without the advice of your homoeopath who is trained in Lukas Klinic. Pregnancy: European mistletoe is likely unsafe when taken by mouth during pregnancy. It might stimulate the uterus and cause a miscarriage.
Does mistletoe increase blood pressure?
Mistletoe’s other uses have been less rigorously studied. Preliminary trials carried out using oral mistletoe have found it can reduce the symptoms of high blood pressure, particularly headaches and dizziness. However, mistletoe has a small (if any) effect on actually lowering blood pressure.
Links
Use of Iscador, an extract of European mistletoe (Viscum album), in cancer treatment: prospective nonrandomized and randomized matched-pair studies nested within a cohort study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11347286/
Prospective controlled cohort studies on long-term therapy of breast cancer patients with a mistletoe preparation (Iscador)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17057389/
Randomised and non-randomised prospective controlled cohort studies in matched-pair design for the long-term therapy of breast cancer patients with a mistletoe preparation (Iscador): a re-analysis
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17182361/
Prospective controlled cohort studies on long-term therapy of cervical cancer patients with a mistletoe preparation (Iscador)
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17596694/
Immune modulation using mistletoe (Viscum album L.) extracts Iscador
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16927532/
Immunostimulatory properties of mistletoe extracts and their application in oncology
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25380204/
Use and safety of intratumoral application of European mistletoe (Viscum album L) preparations in Oncology
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25552476/
Immune-related and adverse drug reactions to low versus high initial doses of Viscum album L. in cancer patients
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29157828/
Efficacy and safety of long-term complementary treatment with standardized European mistletoe extract (Viscum album L.) in addition to the conventional adjuvant oncologic therapy in patients with primary non-metastasized mammary carcinoma. Results of a multi-center, comparative, epidemiological cohort study in Germany and Switzerland
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15460213/
Safety and efficacy of the long-term adjuvant treatment of primary intermediate- to high-risk malignant melanoma (UICC/AJCC stage II and III) with a standardized fermented European mistletoe (Viscum album L.) extract. Results from a multicenter, comparative, epidemiological cohort study in Germany and Switzerland
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15727163/
Systematic evaluation of the clinical effects of supportive mistletoe treatment within chemo- and/or radiotherapy protocols and long-term mistletoe application in nonmetastatic colorectal carcinoma: multicenter, controlled, observational cohort study
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19883529/
Complementary cancer therapy: a systematic review of prospective clinical trials on anthroposophic mistletoe extracts
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17507307/
Mistletoe therapy in oncology
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18425885/
Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19370613/
Extracts from the Cochrane Library: homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19643245/
