Intravenous Nutritional Protocols

The comprehensive Issels Treatment program integrates a variety of intravenous nutritional protocols according to individual requirements. They include:

• IV Vitamin C (IVC) - Vitamin C has been shown by researchers of the National Institutes of Health to kill cancer cells if administered intravenously in high doses. It is proven to be beneficial in the treatment of a variety of diseases from the common cold to the flu, and from hepatitis to HIV.
   
• IV Antioxidants - Substances such as glutathione can be administered to help counteract the effects of free radicals and also to promote effective detoxification through the liver. Maintaining healthy antioxidant levels is important in any disease state and especially indicated in cancer.
   
• IV Amino Acids - these are the "building blocks" of the body. Besides building cells and repairing tissue, they form antibodies to combat invading bacteria & viruses; they are part of the enzyme & hormonal system; carry oxygen throughout the body and participate in muscle activity.

Laetrile

Laetrile, also called Amygdalin and Vitamin B17 is a natural substance that is found in over 1,200 plants, particularly in the seeds of common fruits such as apricots, peaches, plums and apples.

It is a diglucoside with a cyanide radical that is highly "bio-accessible." It penetrates through the cellular membrane, reaching high intra-cellular concentrations easily. In high doses this cyanide radical can be toxic. However, for therapeutical purposes laetrile is administered in very low doses and is “neutralized” by the enzyme rhodenase present in healthy cells of our body. This enzyme prevents the laetrile from releasing cyanide. In this case laetrile serves as glucose to healthy cells, which provides energy when metabolized.

Malignant cells do not contain the rhodenase enzyme. In the absence of rhodenase, laetrile is activated and the cyanide radical is released within malignant cells and has shown to contribute to tumor destruction.

An additional benefit of laetrile therapy is the following: As laetrile attacks unhealthy cells, it transforms into a salicilate like aspirin and contributes to pain control.

Research studies suggest that laetrile affects cancerous cells and leaves normal cells unharmed. During many years of clinical experience laetrile has been shown to have anti-cancer properties without the toxic side effects typically encountered with chemotherapy.

Personalized treatment protocols of the Issels Treatment Center integrate laetrile when indicated.

Nutraceuticals

Nutraceuticals are natural bioactive compounds with medicinal properties that are used to promote health and prevent disease. They are sometimes referred to as phytochemicals or functional foods.

Nutraceuticals have shown to be beneficial adjuncts to the treatment of cancer, chronic degenerative diseases and immune disorders by supporting the complex mechanisms of the body’s immune system.

There is a great variety of nutraceuticals with different functions. According to various studies nutraceuticals can assist in

• enhancing natural killer cell function;
• enhancing macrophage activity;
• enhancing production of tumor necrosis factor;
• neutralizing oncogenes (cancer promoting substances);
• re-differentiation of cancer cells (transforming cancer cells to normal cells through re-establishment of cell cycle controls);
• inducing programmed cell death (apoptosis).
• The Fishy Benefit of omega-3s
  Probably the best known of the nutraceuticals, the omega-3 fatty acids, are also the most intensively studied. Like all fatty acids, the building blocks of fats and oils, omega-3s are linear molecules with a carboxylic acid “head” at one end trailing a “tail” of linked carbon atoms. Those links can be made with either single (saturated) or double (unsaturated) chemical bonds. “Omega-3” simply refers to a double bond in the third position from the end of the carbon tail. Starting with alpha-linolenic acid (ALA, an essential nutrient common in many nuts and vegetable oils), our bodies can synthesize all the omega-3 fatty acids they need to build cell membranes and carry out a host of cellular functions.
• Co-Enzyme CO-Q10, has become known as powerful anti-oxidant. It has shown a strong anti-tumor effect in a breast cancer trial in Copenhagen, Denmark. Principal investigator Karl Folkers reports regression of liver and lung tumors in a current German trial.
  Recent studies conducted at the University of Miami's Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine suggest, according to research director Niven R. Narain, that CO-Q10 restores apoptotic potential (programmed cell death) to cancer cells without harming the healthy cells.
  In 2005, the National Cancer Institute in Washington (NCI) analyzed reports on CO-Q10 that appeared in the peer-reviewed scientific literature. The reports reveal that CO-Q10 has been shown to lengthen the survival of patients with breast, prostate, pancreatic, lung, and colorectal cancer

Melatonin

Melatonin is a neurohormone secreted at night by the pineal gland in the brain. It is important in the regulation of many hormones in the body. Among its key roles, melatonin controls the body's circadian rhythm, an internal 24-hour time-keeping system that plays an important role in our sleeping pattern. Darkness stimulates the release of melatonin and light suppresses its activity. Normal melatonin cycles are disrupted when we are exposed to excessive light in the evening or too little light during the daytime.

Melatonin also has strong antioxidant properties and improves immune system function. Research studies found that melatonin levels in the body play an important role in cell mediated immunity. Melatonin has been shown to stimulate the production of Interleukins, among them IL-2 which constitutes the main anti-tumoral cytokine in humans.

Several studies indicate that low levels of melatonin may be linked with an increased risk of various chronic degenerative diseases and cancer, especially Breast and Prostate Cancer. Laboratory experiments have found that low levels of melatonin stimulate the growth of certain types of breast cancer cells and adding melatonin to these cells inhibits their growth. Laboratory and clinical evidence has shown that melatonin may enhance the effects of some chemotherapy drugs and reduce their toxic side effects. It improves quality of life and in synergy with anti-cancer treatments it increases the chance of survival of cancer patients. Melatonin prescribed according to individual needs, is an important complementary component of a comprehensive cancer treatment program.

The health-conferring benefits of walnuts have been widely studied, but new research has shown that they are a source of the antioxidant hormone melatonin. It indicates that consumption of walnuts can boost blood levels of melatonin and antioxidants in rats.

The procedure may also boost the person's vitality. It is mostly used to bolster immunity; to treat bronchitis, allergies, fungal infections, rheumatic ailments, skin inflammations and eczema; to aid in smoking cessation; and to hasten recovery after a long illness.

Enzymatic Therapy

Enzymatic therapy, or enzyme therapy, plays an important part in many chronic degenerative diseases and immune disorders, including cancer.

Enzymes are catalysts for virtually every biological and chemical reaction in the body. For example, digestive enzymes such as lipases and proteases are essential for the breakdown of food into molecules the body can absorb.

Proteins, fats, and carbohydrates cannot be fully digested without sufficient digestive enzymes. Important minerals and fat-soluble vitamins may also not be fully utilized without adequate levels of digestive enzymes present.

Various digestive enzymes are produced in different parts of the digestive tract, ranging from the salivary glands in the mouth to the small intestine. Several of the most important enzymes are produced in the pancreas. If the pancreas is chronically infected or damaged, the result may be severe mal-absorption, diarrhea, and malnutrition. In such cases, enzyme supplements can be used to supplement the body while starting the healing process.

Similarly, if the small intestine fails to produce enough of its own the digestive enzymes, such as lactase, the milk sugar called lactose will move down the intestinal tract unabsorbed, causing gas, bloating and diarrhea. If partially digested protein molecules are absorbed into the bloodstream, they can be mistaken as foreign invaders and attacked by the immune system. The resulting circulating immune complexes (CIC's) can provoke inflammation, arthritis, allergies, ulcers, sciatica and a variety of pains.