Improve quality of life - strengthen the immune system
Background
In Switzerland, two thirds of patients suffering from cancer use complementary medical therapies, mostly herbal remedies. In German-speaking Central Europe, mistletoe therapy is used most frequently.
Effectiveness
In integrative oncology, mistletoe preparations based on anthroposophically extended medicine are used as a complementary treatment for cancer. They have been in clinical use for decades, are constantly being further developed and are applied with great experience.
The following effects are described:
- Several studies have shown that the simultaneous use of mistletoe preparations reduces the side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy and thus contributes to an improvement in general well-being and quality of life.
- Mistletoe preparations stimulate the immune system and improve the body's own defenses. This can reduce the risk of infections.
- Psychological symptoms such as mood swings are often positively influenced/stabilized.
- In long-term studies and well-documented individual case observations, the progression of cancer has been halted. Tumor regression has been documented in individual cases. In some studies, there is evidence of increased survival rates with mistletoe therapy.
Research
To date, over 130 clinical studies have been conducted on the efficacy of mistletoe therapy for cancer, 39 of them with scientifically high-quality ("prospective-randomized") methodology. The mode of action of mistletoe extracts in the body and as a drug has been extensively investigated. Several active components (mistletoe lectins and viscotoxins) have been found.
The killing and growth-inhibiting effect of mistletoe lectins and viscotoxins on a large number of cancer cells was particularly striking.
Mistletoe extracts are also known for their stimulating effect on the immune system. Studies have shown that they activate various types of immune cells, which are of great importance for the body's own cancer defense.
A comprehensive compilation of research papers and study results can be found at www.mistel-therapie.de.
Therapeutic application
Mistletoe extracts are obtained from the European white berried mistletoe (Viscum album) and contain a variety of ingredients.
Anthroposophic pharmacology uses extracts from the entire mistletoe plant and takes into account the different properties of mistletoe throughout the year. During production, aqueous extracts of summer and winter mistletoe are mixed in a special technical process.
The ingredients of the mistletoe plant are characterized by their respective host tree (e.g. oak, apple tree, pine, elm, fir). Host tree-specific mistletoe preparations are produced by processing the different mistletoe varieties separately.
Mistletoe extracts are usually injected subcutaneously (i.e. under the skin). In special situations, intravenous administration and/or direct administration into the tumor or body cavities (into the chest cavity, abdominal cavity or urinary bladder) is also possible.
Mistletoe preparations are initially given alongside chemotherapy or radiotherapy to improve the quality of life during treatment. This is usually followed by medium to long-term mistletoe therapy to strengthen and stimulate the immune system. The dosage of mistletoe preparations is individually adapted to the patient. As a rule, therapy begins with a low dose, which is then increased over the course of treatment.
Mistletoe treatment can trigger a fever, which subsides without complications. This fever is an intended therapeutic effect and not an undesirable side effect.
Preparations
Various preparations are available for mistletoe therapy: Iscador® and Helixor® (both preparations are covered by basic insurance in Switzerland), Abnobaviscum®, Iscucin® and others.