Which kinds of mistletoe are being used?

At the Paulina Medical Clinic we use primarily Iscador and Viscum (Helixor) in injectable or for intravenous delivery as well as special Viscum drops for oral use.  Each one of the mentioned types of mistletoe comes from a different manufacturer and additionally there are many different forms of mistletoe coming from each manufacturer depending on the host tree from which the mistletoe plant was collected.  For example as a general rule mistletoe from the apple tree is used more often for breast cancer while mistletoe from the oak tree is used more often for colorectal cancers.  Your doctor will specify which one is appropriate for you – and like absolutely all the other comments that are made in this “frequently asked questions “page the doctor’s recommendations can change depending on patient and situation.  The mistletoe therapy is a very individualized form of complementary therapy.

Do we use injections, oral drops or intravenous infusions?

We use all three forms depending on the severity of the illness or whether the mistletoe therapy is used as a preventive measure.  As a general rule we recommend the mistletoe drops to be taken on a daily basis; the injections every other day with occasional longer pauses; and intravenous infusions once a week or space farther apart.  (It needs to be strongly emphasized again that the drops that we recommend have been especially manufactured in order to be active against cancer and in stimulating the immune system.  They are not similar at all to the drops that you can obtain on Amazon or at the health food store.)

How are the mistletoe preparations to be stored?

Irrespective of the manufacture the injectable material comes in closed ampules in small boxes.  These boxes should in general be kept refrigerated–absolutely not frozen or overheated.  They will however not be damaged if kept outside on the shelf, counter or in a traveling bag for short periods of time (even weeks). Bottles with drops can be kept permanently on the shelf. 

What can be expected as reactions to injections? 

Local reactions at the site of injection are common and desirable.  The needles are placed at 45° to the skin and inserted in such a way that the injectable material will be placed right under the skin.  Several hours to a day later a red spot will form that can be quarter-sized or more in dimension.  There can be local itching, some pain, and inflammation.  Occasionally the reactions can be palm-sized or rarely even bigger.  These reactions are not allergic reactions.  A typical allergic reaction would be at the site far away from the injection.  Allergic reactions to the mistletoe preparations are extremely rare.  It would definitely be worrisome however if after an injection or oral drops (not to mention the intravenous infusions) one should notice swelling of the lips or tongue and difficulty breathing.  This would require immediate attention.

More on this can be found on the cancer page under the Instructions article.

What can be expected reactions to oral drops?

There are no known side effects to the oral mistletoe drops that we are recommending at the clinic (manufactured by the True Botanica company.)

What are some of the protocols with the mistletoe therapy?

Here are some examples–although many more variations are possible:

1.       The same injection can be given every other day for many months before pauses are being made.  This is applied if the cancer has been detected at a very early stage and a less than intensive therapy is desired.

2.       Injections of a lower dose can be followed by injections of increasing doses if no sustained reaction is observed.

3.       Several injections can be given in different parts of the body at the same time if giving the entire desirable dose in one place is unacceptable due to local reactions.

4.       Pauses in injections can be made if other therapies have precedence and the patient and the doctor agree that one does not wish one therapy to interfere with another.

What can be expected as reactions to intravenous infusions?

A more pronounced reaction in the form of temperature increase the next day can be expected after an IV rather than after a sub cutaneous injection. This is desirable. There should be no other adverse reactions to intravenous infusions of mistletoe since every patient would have had subcutaneous (under the skin) injections of the same kind of mistletoe that would then be given as an intravenous infusion and if an adverse reaction would have been noted no IV would have been recommended.  However, nevertheless, in 30+ years we have had two questionable adverse reactions that were unexpected.  The patients recovered well but did require stopping the infusion due to a fall in blood pressure.  The reactions stopped immediately once the intravenous infusion was stopped.

How frequently are injections to be given?

We usually recommend injections every other day however protocols are very individualized.  If there are strong local reactions, palm-sized or above or very severe in terms of pain itching or local inflammation we recommend that the next injection not be given until that previous local reaction has subsided almost completely.  The injections are typically given by the patient’s themselves either into the abdomen or in the upper part of the thighs.  A strong reaction over the abdomen has rarely cause abdominal cramping in which case clearly the injections have to be stopped until the local reaction has abated; reactions given into the legs have very rarely cause enough pain and inflammation that the movement was impaired and then the same rationale applied as explained above.

Can mistletoe therapies be given with conventional therapies?

Definitely yes.  Mistletoe therapies have been shown to increase sensitivity to chemotherapeutic regimens; decrease side effects to chemotherapy or radiation; prevent lowering of white blood cells due to other needed toxic modalities.

When should mistletoe injections be given?

Preferably around 3-4 PM or in the evening.

Are temperature reactions expected?

Ideally a small 1-1.5° in temperature increase would be noticed in the evening of the day when the injection was given.  On day 2, again ideally, the temperature should rise sometimes to 100 -101° and then fall back towards normal in the evening of the second day.

Very often patients that are in a weakened state or have received chemotherapy or radiation will not react with a temperature increase which does not mean that the mistletoe therapy is ineffective.  Temperature increase will be noticed more pronounced after the first or second intravenous infusion is given but even then there will not be a noticeable temperature increase after several more infusions have been given.  A very desirable situation would be also in the case when even a minimal rise and fall in temperature is observed.

We encourage our patients to take to her temperature 3 times a day morning lunch and evening on the day and the following day of an injection or intravenous infusion.  However, it is understandable that very often that will not be possible if the patient is still working, traveling etc.

How to order mistletoe injections?

We will explained in the office depending on which type of mistletoe is being used how to obtain it on line or through a compound pharmacy.

Are Other Tests Recommended?

We recommend additional testing to ascertain that there are no nutritional deficiencies, toxic metals, endocrine problems, and more, present which could interfere with the effectiveness of the mistletoe therapy.

Are ancillary therapies recommended during the mistletoe therapy?

Over the years studies have shown that accompanying the mistletoe therapy with other supplements that further improve the immune system has made a great difference.

Is there a diet recommended with the mistletoe therapy?

We recommend in general a diet that is oriented in the ketogenic direction with especially a low plain sugar and processed carbohydrates amounts.  Additionally European experience has tended to agree that night shades in the form of raw tomatoes should be avoided.  We also recommend a relatively low amount of red meat.  Of course we recommend that all foods be as much as possible organic or even better by dynamic.

How do we monitor the mistletoe therapy?

Lab tests like eosinophil counts; “blood crystallization” tests; temperature monitoring; conventional tumor markers, imaging, reports from referring doctors.

What else is important with the mistletoe therapy?

Warmth, warmth, warmth!

Are mistletoe therapies FDA approved?

Mistletoe therapies have been shown to clearly prolong survival in cancer patients; improve the immune system; increase to well-being of the patient burdened with illness; and obviously kill tumor cells.  Nevertheless, this is not an FDA approved therapy and as such is not covered by insurance.

How long have mistletoe therapies been done at the Paulina Medical Clinic?

As mentioned above the doctors Rentea have been involved with mistletoe therapies since the 1970s when they received training in cancer treatment with mistletoe extract at several European clinics.  They continued administering multiple forms of mistletoe in Chicago since opening the clinic in 1983.