Mistletoe for Cancer Treatment

Report by Robert Zieve, MD, MD(H)

For some time now, controversy has swirled about the achievable medicinal properties of mistletoe, specifically in the region of oncology. Although mistletoe is currently broadly utilised in Europe as an adjunctive cancer treatment, the medical community in America has not however fully embraced it. Current studies shed a lot more light on this contentious concern.As our understanding of cancer progresses, we’ve also turn out to be more progressive in our thinking. Although many regions of medicine are embracing alternative medicine, cancer treatment has, in some instances, been slow to study and validate productive alternative therapies. Mistletoe is amongst the natural remedies being utilised for cancer therapy. Although it could come as a surprise to some, there’s actually a big contingent of physicians (the bulk of whom practice in Europe) who think that mistletoe is a helpful adjunct therapy. MistletoeMistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant grown in several countries, primarily in Germany. Host trees consist of apple, oak, maple, elm, pine, and birch. The plants are comprised of oval leaves and white berries. It is the extract of these berries which is usually employed for medicinal purposes.Medicinal ApplicationsAside from mistletoe’s centuries-old presence in culture and folklore, it also has a extended history of medicinal use. In Europe, mistletoe has been utilised for more than 90 years as a cancer therapy. Today, a high percentage of European cancer patients get the extract. Mistletoe has also been used and investigated in America nonetheless, the American medical community is a lot more skeptical about its use.The theory is that mistletoe (administered through an injection, intravenously, orally, or straight into a tumor) boosts the immune system, kills cancer cells, and prevents the growth of new blood vessels that “feed” the tumor. Some help for this theory has been demonstrated in the laboratory setting, as nicely as in animal scientific studies.Current Scientific studiesOne of the more recent laboratory studies, conducted in Switzerland, investigated the use of mistletoe to combat the adverse effects of cyclophosphamide, a drug used to slow or stop cell growth in cancer patients. The researchers pre-incubated regular white blood cells as well as a T-cell leukemia cell line with mistletoe extract. Then, they added the cyclophosphamide. Monitoring the cells, they found that the mistletoe stimulated the wholesome cells, but not the malignant cells. The mistletoe also partially protected healthy cells from the harm of cyclophosphamide, without having stopping the cyclophosphamide from treating the malignant cells.The Future of MistletoeIt really is hard to predict what effect, if any, these research will have inside the American and European medical communities. However, they do seem to indicate that further research into medicinal utilizes for mistletoe is warranted. The common consensus is that mistletoe alone is not a remedy for cancer, but more evidence could establish it as a helpful adjunct therapy.A Homeopath’s PerspectivePersonally, I’m quite interested to see the results of ongoing analysis. At the Arizona cancer center exactly where I practice, our emphasis is on cancer treatment options. We’ve noticed the harsh effects of classic possibilities. Although they can be efficient, these traditional treatments (such as chemotherapy) ravage the body, leaving patients depleted and riddled with side effects. In Medicine, the therapy ought to in no way be worse than the illness. We think there is a better way.We continuously seek homeopathic and holistic approaches to increase the experience of men and females with cancer, in addition to curing the underlying illness. At EuroMed Foundation, we have discovered mistletoe to be productive when utilised in conjunction with our protocols.