Helixor Therapy
This is a general fact sheet explaining many aspects of Mistletoe therapy. All patients using Mistletoe should be under the care of a Medical Doctor familiar with using the product. As with all medications, there can be some serious side-effects and it is impossible to determine whether this medication is safe for you.
DOWNLOADABLE PDF: Integrative Care – Helixor
What is Mistletoe?
Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that grows and takes nourishment from a host tree. Eventually that host tree will die.. An extract is produced from mistletoe’s branches as well as sticks, leaves, flowers and berries.
The plant has bio-active lectin that has been found to work as an adjunct therapy in cancer treatment, especially chemotherapy. Mistletoe has been used as a remedy for cancer since 1917. One of the main advantages of Mistletoe therapy is how well it can be tolerated. There are usually no harmful effects so it can be used seamlessly alongside other therapies.
Most commonly, Mistletoe is used as a simple injection however, it can also be given as an intravenous injection, injected into a tumor and injected into the body cavities to reduce ascites.
Although Mistletoe therapy is not commonly used in Australia, Oncology wards in Germany prescribe Mistletoe as part of the patient’s overall cancer care. Mistletoe has been shown to reduce the risk of adverse effects from chemotherapy by 50%. This substance is not an alternative medicine, but used as part of a complementary system of healing, especially to support heavy therapies such as chemotherapy and radiation.
Why has my practitioner prescribed Helixor?
Using mistletoe as an adjunct therapy alongside chemotherapy and radiation can result in a significant reduction in anemia, neutropenia, thrombocytopenia, liver damage, nausea and vomiting. Mistletoe lectins are directly cytostatic, meaning they can block the growth of cancer cells.
For cancer to be able to obtain nutrients, blood vessels must grow to the tumor, this is called angiogenesis. Mistletoe extracts are what is called ‘anti-angiogenic’, meaning they can slow this growth down.
Mistletoe induces a process called ‘apoptosis’ in the cancer cell. In basic terms this means promotion of the cancer cells self-destruction. Apoptosis is part of a normal process in a healthy body and millions of dysfunctioning cells are removed in this process. The best thing about killing cancer by inducing apoptosis is that the cell contents remain inside the cell and the immune system comes to clean them up. This is favorable as the surrounding tissue is not affected. When chemotherapy or radiation is given, it produces a ‘necrotic’ kill and the contents of the cell are then spilled into the surrounding tissue causing toxicity and inflammation.
We know without a doubt that inflammation drives cancer. Cancer in and of itself can initiate and perpetuate inflammation. It is widely accepted that inflammation, especially high C-reactive protein levels, can determine a patient’s prognosis. As a rule, advanced, progressive tumors are accompanied by localised and systemic chronic inflammatory changes. Successful mistletoe therapy leads to a significant reduction in these inflammatory changes. Mistletoe extracts are distinctly anti-inflammatory.
For any cancer that has a potential viral origin, mistletoe therapy can help suppress the virus and activate the immune response against the particular tumor virus.
Immune modulation
We know that cancer has clever ways of evading the immune system. When a patient has a killing therapy such as chemotherapy, the cancer cells become damaged and then possibly recognisable to the immune system. The issue with this though is that chemotherapy also harms the immune system therefore a lesser attack can be waged.
What needs to happen is a fine-tuning of the immune system so it is then able to go and find its target. Mistletoe is what is called an “Immunomodulator ‘’ Immune modulation means that the immune system is regulated.. This medicine gets the immune system to attack and remove cancer.
In the cancer world, we hear about special cells that we need to help the cancer. Macrophages, cyto-toxic CD8 cells, T-lymphocytes and natural killer cells (to name a few) are some that you may know to be important. But can we hack the immune system so it process, activates and directs these cells to where they need to be? It can get very complex but put simply, Mistletoe may be able to increase what immune functions are needed and also decrease the ones that aren’t. Some cells such as T-regulatory cells can sit around the cancer cell and thwart any attack by other immune cells, therefore we would want to modulate these cells for a more favorable outcome.
Let’s talk about natural killer cells and how Mistletoe can assist these little superstars.
Natural killer cells are responsible for attacking cancer and they also play a huge role in keeping any potential cancer spread in check (metastasis). Natural killer cells can be harmed during chemotherapy therefore rendering the immune system less effective. Mistletoe can increase the number of natural killer cells as well as increasing their activity.
Chemotherapy is designed to kill fast-dividing cells, however, that can come at a cost. Bone marrow is destroyed as well as it also has rapid division. Bone marrow suppression can result in an immune system that is unable to work effectively and also lead to serious risk of infection and illness. Mistletoe works to protect the bone marrow therefore keeping blood cells higher.
How do I work out where to start?
After some basic training, most patients will be able to administer mistletoe themselves. The injections are a simple subcutaneous injection (under the skin) given with a small syringe and small needle. Mistletoe is not your average injection. When a small dose is injected under the skins surface, the body’s immune cells are standing guard. What we want to see after the injection is a local skin reaction. This tells us that the mistletoe is working on the immune system. The rash will look like an allergic hive or welt.
Mistletoe injections can provoke a mild fever, you can expect a 1 degree rise on average. This is not a bad thing, fever is very useful in cancer therapy as it tells the immune system to ‘act now’.
The injections are usually given Monday, Wednesday and Friday – this is just for ease of remembering. You may coordinate them to suit your schedule. You may also need to stop for a few days if the reaction is too pronounced.
If the reaction to the mistletoe has ceased, please let us know. This may mean that we need to increase the dosage or change the type of mistletoe that you are using
Below is a picture of a normal local reaction post Helixor Injection
Image Credit: www.helixor.com
The reaction usually goes down completely within a few days. On occasion, this localized reaction may persist for 1-2 weeks.
How to determine your dose
The local reaction is best checked immediately prior to the next planned injection.
As a general rule | Please check in with your practitioner for their preferred dosage management.
If the reaction is 1 cm across or less, the next dose can be increased.
If the reaction is 2.5 cm or more across then the next dose will be lower.
Note – Wait for the local reaction to subside before administering the next injection.
Guidelines for injection
- Injections should be into the abdomen or thigh.
- Do not inject near inflamed skin areas, areas intended for surgery or fresh surgical scars.
- Rotate injection sites each time. When you start Helixor therapy it is important to monitor the local reactions in order to determine the strength of the next dose.
- During maintenance therapy it is recommended to administer the injection near the primary tumor. You still must rotate injection sites.
Injection technique
You will most likely be given starter packs of Helixor. These pack come with varied doses. You can then have flexibility in finding the correct dosage for you. For example, Helixor Series 1 box contains 7 ampoules.
- 3 x 1 mg ampoules
- 3 x 5 mg ampoules
- 1 x 10 mg ampoule
You will start with the 1mg injection, keep going through the box of ampoules until you experience a local reaction. It really depends on each individual as to how they will react to the Helixor. Once you reach a higher dosage, ie 50mg, you can purchase larger boxes of Helixor with this dosage. Please check www.helixor.com for the available products.
Adverse effects and contra-indications
Do not inject the Helixor if the fever is over 38 degrees C.
Do not inject until the previous immune reaction has disappeared or almost gone.
The usual symptoms can be nausea, chills, fever, general aches and pains at the site of the cancer lesion
Because mistletoe excites an immune response to the tumors, there can be a phenomenon whereas tumors may increase in size. This can be problematic if the tumors are situated within a confined space, such as a brain tumor. Please be guided by your doctor in cases such as this.
Equipment
Your clinic may provide needles for you.
- You will need a syringe that can hold 1 ml, this can be an insulin syringe or a 1 ml or 2ml normal syringe. The needle size should be 25 gauge.
- Alcohol wipes
How to inject Mistletoe
- Wipe the ampoule over with an alcohol wipe.
- Hold to top of the vial and swirl, without tipping the ampoule. The idea of this is to get all the liquid into the bottom of the ampoule ready for drawing up.
- Put your thumb on the coloured dot and break the top of the ampoule away from you,
- Place the open ampoule of the work surface while you prepare the syringe.
- Push the plunger of the syringe all the way in.
- Carefully insert the needle into the ampoule. Tip the ampoule slightly on its side so you can draw up the liquid.
- Put the needle tip into the lowest point in the ampoule. The needle and the ampoule will make a V-shape. Keep the needle tip under the liquid surface at all times to avoid drawing up air.
- Pull up on the syringe plunger and withdraw the liquid. It should be 1 ml.
- Point the needle straight up, tap the barrel and gently push the plunger up until all air is expelled.
- Wipe the skin with alcohol. The tummy area is best and make sure you rotate the injection sites. It is best to inject on one side of the navel and then the opposite side next time
- Insert the needle at a shallow angle, ½ the length of the needle.
- Push the medicine, place a cotton ball over the site and remove the needle.
- Dispose of the needle in a sharps container and never in the bin.
- Report the first reaction to your practitioner. With some guidance, you will be a master in no time!
Heidi Dahlenburg RN.
integrativecare.com.au
Email: he***@*****************om.au
