Use

Mistletoe preparations can be used in many tumour diseases. They are offered in the form of ampoules for injection and are not available as tablets or capsules for ingestion because they could lose their efficacy in the digestive tract..

There are different forms of injection:

Each mistletoe therapy is conducted on an individual basis. The ampoules are usually injected under the skin and it is mostly started with a gradual dosage in very low concentration. This will be increased until a local reaction accompanied by reddening of the skin (erythema) is visible.

The first injection should be performed under the supervision of a doctor to observe the reaction to it. Later, you can administer the dose by yourself at home or have it be given to you by your partner or another helping person.

Other forms of application – into the vein, into the tumour, into body cavities – are currently still off label, which means they have not yet been approved for this type of use by the authorities and should only be carried out by specialised doctors. The intravenous application is gaining importance [71].

You can start mistletoe therapy as soon as you know you have cancer, even before surgery, as well as before or during chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy or antibody therapy. Usually these conventional therapies are better tolerated when mistletoe is applied.

The following links will render further information Information on the use of mistletoe therapy in children and the correct storage of the injection ampoules.

 

Last update: June 2nd, 2022

Please note!

If mistletoe therapy is carried out in parallel with radiotherapy, the injection must not be carried out in the irradiated area as this would increase the risk of severe inflammatory reactions of the skin. 

Before and after surgery, injections should not be carried out in or near operating field in order not to impair wound healing.

Injection should also not be performed on or into existing scars.

Good compatibility

Mistletoe therapy can be combined with chemotherapy or radiotherapy as well as with hormone or antibody therapy. It is precisely in combination with conventional treatments that mistletoe has proven itself because it can alleviate the often very unpleasant side effects of these therapies without impairing their effectiveness and may result in maintaining the dose of standard therapy and not discontinuing it prematurely. The duration of mistletoe therapy is individual. In cases of long-term therapy, treatment pauses are possible which can be prolonged with increasing therapy duration. 

When suffering from a feverish infection, mistletoe should be discontinued until the infection has subsided and body temperature has normalised.

Every mistletoe therapy is an individual therapy – there is no general scheme that applies equally to all cancer patients. Some people may react strongly to very low dosages while others may need a higher dose or a particularly high lectin-rich preparation to show the desired reaction. The following reactions may indicate the individually optimal dosage:

  • You feel significantly better and stronger, have appetite again, can better sleep in and through the night, feel warmed up and efficient. 
  • The physiological oscillation ability of body temperature returns: In the morning your temperature is about 0.5°C lower than in the evening while your overall body temperature is no longer decreased.  
  • The blood count shows an increase in white blood cells.  
  • The redness at the injection site doesn’t exceed a maximum of 5 cm in diameter. 

In addition, knowledge and experience of the treating physician are important in choosing the right mistletoe preparation. 

The course of the disease or the reaction to a mistletoe preparation may make it necessary to switch from one product to another during treatment, so that a general commitment to a single preparation is not advisable.

 

Last update: December 10th, 2020/AT1

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