Category Archives: Cancer Research

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Interesting New Cancer Treatments

May 16, 2014 heavy

Cancer treatment is in a state of flux. The three cancer treatments – surgery, chemotherapy and radiation — that have dominated Western medicine for decades are finding much needed competition in interesting new cancer treatments. Recent genetic and cellular research has resulted in discoveries that are broadening our understanding of cancer and how cancer cells interact with the body’s immune system.

These fascinating revelations are refocusing our approach to cancer treatment as traditionalists begin to recognize the benefits of integrative medicine and immunotherapy in treating cancer.

Among the more interesting new treatment approaches are:

Strengthening immune response. Genome sequencing is being used to identify immune system cells that attack specific mutations in malignant cells. In a recent trial, billions of immune system cells were replicated in the laboratory and infused into the patient’s bloodstream. According to a New York Times article, the patient’s tumors began “melting away.”
Combining alternative and conventional treatments. Increasingly, alternative cancer therapies are being used hand-in-hand with conventional cancer treatments as oncologists recognize the value of taking an integrative approach to treating cancer. By combining immunotherapy with conventional treatment, patients are experiencing better outcomes with fewer problematic side effects.
Targeting cell processes. Advanced targeted therapies are being used to manipulate specific cell processes, allowing immune system cells to more effectively and efficiently attack cancer cells. Researchers are also experimenting with genetically reprogramming cells. While promising, early trials have also proven dangerous for the patients, as a recent Forbes article indicates.

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Cancer Research, Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy the Cancer Protocol for the Future

May 7, 2014 heavy

It’s not exactly a new procedure – researchers have been working on immunotherapy for decades in the fight against certain types and stages of cancer – but the protocol is getting renewed interest in the light of clinical trials and new treatments that show promise; cancer immunotherapy was even named Science magazine’s 2013 “Breakthrough of the Year.”

In the past, immunotherapy has shown uneven or unremarkable results. “But as the sophistication of our understanding of immunology increased,” Charles Link of New Link Genetics told MIT Technology Review, “new strategies evolved to attack the disease, and those strategies are turning out to work in the clinic.”

Today’s immunotherapy uses the body’s own immune system – the “T-cells” – to target and attack malignant cancer cells. When used in conjunction with chemotherapy, immunotherapy may serve to shorten and lighten the chemo treatment, which can dramatically reduce the unpleasant side effects and toxic complications of the powerful toxins.

A handful of major pharmaceutical companies have immunotherapy protocols in tests. In one early-stage trial of melanoma patients, half of those receiving high-dose immunotherapy had tumors shrink or disappear, and a year later the majority of those patients were still alive – a notable result, as late-stage melanoma survival rates are typically low.

T-cell protocols are just one of the new wave of cancer treatments that are making headlines. A form of cellular therapy, for example, trains a patient’s own immune cells to better recognize cancer cells, after which these powerful fighters are infused back into the patient. One pharma company is developing virus-based gene therapies that, according to MIT Technology Review, “selectively kill cancer cells while simultaneously making the cells better targets for the immune system.”

Cancer Research

Gut Bacteria Are Critical Factor in Colon Cancer Prevention

April 28, 2014 heavy

Eating a high-fiber diet is generally recommended to help prevent colon cancer, although there is debate within the cancer community about its effectiveness as a preventive measure.

A new study on mice adds to the debate by suggesting that cancer protection may have as much to do with the type of bacteria that live in your gut as with diet. In experiments with mice, researchers at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine found that consumed fiber was fermented into the chemical butyrate when a certain type of bacteria was present in a mouse’s gut. The formation of this chemical appears to be critical to colon cancer prevention – at least in mice.

Mice with the butyrate-producing gut bacteria had a 75% lower incidence of colon cancer tumors than mice whose guts did not contain the bacteria. In control experiments, neither a high fiber diet alone nor the combination of butyrate-producing bacteria with a low-fiber diet had any effect on reducing colon cancer.

“Our study shows that it’s not the high fiber in and of itself that has a protective effect against cancer, but it’s a combination of the fiber plus having the right types of bacteria,” Scott Bultman of the University of North Carolina told Fox News.

Bultman explained that healthy colon cells use butyrate for fuel. Because cancer cells use sugar glucose for fuel, not butyrate; researchers suspect that butyrate collects inside the cancer cells, eventually causing their destruction in some, as yet, unknown way.

Studies on people have explored the effects of a high fiber diet on colon cancer with mixed results. Future studies will need to examine the potential impact of gut bacteria on colon cancer. Visit our website to find out how Issels integrative immunotherapy has successfully helped colon cancer patients achieve long-term remission.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

Resistance Training and Cancer Treatment

April 23, 2014 heavy

Exercise is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle, especially after a cancer diagnosis. It offers physical benefits such as boosting your immune system while fostering a positive mental attitude that’s so important to fighting cancer. Adding resistance training specifically targets some of the changes you may experience during treatment.

Resistance training uses weights, from either equipment or your own body, to supplement exercise moves. Its primary benefit is increasing muscle mass and tone. Cancer patients often lose muscle and gain fat as a side effect of treatment. Practicing resistance training can offset this tendency and help you maintain a better level of muscle tone.

This loss of muscle can be a contributing factor toward the fatigue suffered by patients in treatment. A 2012 study performed by Seattle’s Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center followed 221 cancer survivors in a 12-week strength training program. Participants showed major improvements in muscle mass along with blood pressure, body strength and flexibility.

Cancer can sometimes contribute to the development of osteoporosis. The disease itself can result in bone weakness, while radiation and hormone therapy can affect bone density. Weight training works your bones in the same way that it works your muscles, making it a powerful weapon against osteoporosis.

While aerobic exercise can be performed on a daily basis, strength training is best when done on a schedule that allows for intervening rest days. It’s a good idea to work with a trainer who can help you develop a program for maximum efficiency.

Resistance training benefits the mind-body connection that’s such an important part of the integrative immunotherapy provided at Issels alternative cancer treatment centers. Please contact us to learn more our individualized treatment programs.

Cancer Research, Stress Management

6 Things to Do If You Are Diagnosed with Cancer

April 23, 2014 heavy

If you are diagnosed with cancer, take a deep breath and follow these 6 steps:

1. Don’t panic. Cancer is not the death sentence it once was. Amazing advances are being made in cancer treatment that offer real hope. With the right treatment, your chances of beating cancer and living a long and happy life have never been better.

2. Knowledge is power. Learn everything you can about the type of cancer you have and the treatments available. While traditional Western medicine is beginning to embrace the benefits of integrative immunotherapy and other alternative cancer treatments, many physicians still cling to the old surgery-chemotherapy-radiation treatment trio. There are non-toxic treatment options and advanced targeted therapies available today that, for many patients, have proven to be more effective than traditional treatments.

3. Get a second opinion. Misdiagnosis and false positives have contributed to a culture of cancer overtreatment in the U.S. Get a second opinion to confirm your diagnosis and explore the complete range of treatment options.

4. Find the right cancer team. Choose a cancer team that takes a holistic approach to cancer treatment and will care for your physical, mental and emotional well-being.

5. Ask questions. The more you know and understand about the progress of your cancer and treatment, the more prepared you will be to cope with necessary changes to your daily life.

6. Strengthen your immune system. Your body’s natural defense against disease, your immune system plays a vital role in fighting cancer. Keeping your immune system strong with a healthy diet, regular exercise, adequate sleep and attention to other medical conditions can give your body the strength it needs to battle cancer. Issels integrative cancer treatment further boosts the immune system and has proven effective in fighting advanced and standard therapy-resistant cancers.

Alternative Cancer Treatment, Cancer Research

The History of Issels

April 18, 2014 heavy

Those frustrated with or questioning the viability of traditional cancer treatments are likely considering alternative cancer therapy. Throughout the course of your research for holistic cancer treatment options, the Issels cancer treatment will invariably appear. Its history as a successful natural cancer treatment is the reason for this prominence. To help you better understand this history and what the Issels natural treatment therapy is all about, this post will provide you more information.

In 1951, Dr. Joseph Issels founded the world’s first integrative treatment hospital with the mission of combining the enhancement of patient quality of life and cancer treatment. With nearly 90 percent of the hospital’s initial patients being failed by standard cancer treatment methods, Dr. Issels and his medical team were up against a tall task.

The alternative therapy treatments for cancer that they developed included various immunotherapy methodologies that are still in use to this very day. The results of the Issels alternative cancer therapy treatments have been astounding. A large portion of cancer patients who undergo this treatment successfully reach long-term or permanent remission. Those who had received traditional cancer treatment prior to receiving Issels alternative cancer therapy treatment have had especially great success, with an 87 percent success rate for preventing recurrence (up from 50 percent with traditional treatments only).

The success of the Issels holistic cancer therapy is not limited to cancers. It has also successfully been shown to mitigate or completely cure degenerative diseases such as arthritis, systemic lupus, Grave’s disease and Sjoegren’s syndrome.

To learn more about the history and benefits of Issels cancer therapy and other cancer treatments, contact us today.

The Issels News Blog