Suzanne Somers Breast Cancer - Iscador & Mistletoe

[Guest guest]

Iscador and Mistletoe

 

When Suzanne Somers announced on Larry King Live that she was using Iscador in

her breast cancer treatment, there was a surge of interest in mistletoe.

 

Iscador is a derivative of Viscum album, a mistletoe plant that grows in many

parts of the world. Medical mistletoe is the result of many years of painstaking

effort to explain the suggestion made by Rudolf Steiner (1981-1925) that

mistletoe could be rendered effective in the treatment of cancer.

 

This is the story:

 

Steiner was a mystic and founder of Anthroposophy, considered by some to be an

offshoot of Theosophy that came into being during the war years when

communications to the German-language world were disrupted. Steiner was not,

however, entirely derivative. He was, in many respects original.

 

The researchers who developed Iscador took their hints from the vision that

Steiner had that mistletoe could be emancipated from both Cosmic and terrestrial

forces. How so?

 

 

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. It does not grow in the soil (not the species

referred to by Steiner) but in the bark of trees. It grows perpendicular to the

branch in which it thrusts its sucker, and it does not obey many of the laws of

the plant kingdom. For instance, its berries ripen in winter, without warmth. It

stores up chlorophyll and is green all year long and is indifferent to light. It

is thus neither geotropic or phototropic and this is the fact that fascinated

Anthroposophical researchers Kaelin and Leroi.

 

While Steiner felt that mistletoe could replace the scalpel, Anthroposophical

doctors are quick to admit that Iscador is not there yet. They use Iscador in

conjunction with conventional therapies, such as irradiation, to protect against

injury. Iscador itself comes in many varieties. It is made by fermentation, not

the usual powder or alcoholic extracts.

 

 

The Doctrine of Similars

 

Steiner's statements did not make it easy for those who wished to make practical

use of his understanding. He suggested making a preparation of the winter and

summer Viscum album, a parasitic plant that grows on trees and may have some

behavioral characteristics similar to cancer. It took a number of Anthroposophic

doctors many years to develop a treatment based on mistletoe.

 

Mistletoe does not grow on healthy trees. When it does grow on trees, removing

the mistletoe results in the death of the tree. This is truly fascinating. The

mistletoe may actually be performing a service to the tree, but what would

happen to the mistletoe if the tree is healed?

 

 

 

Facts of the Somers' Story

 

Suzanne Somers was diagnosed with breast cancer in April 2001. The routine

mammogram had failed to reveal a 2.4 cm tumor; the mass was found using

ultrasound. Somers had a lumpectomy. The lymph nodes that were removed were

clean. The surgery was followed by radiation. Experts could not agree on whether

or not to recommend chemotherapy. She made the the decision not to undergo

chemotherapy—and she has gone to great lengths to emphasize that this was a

personal decision, not necessarily something she advocates for others.

 

In her announcement, Somers referred to the 1000-page book by Burton Goldberg.

Here are some relevant excerpts from the material on Iscador:

 

Iscador is " made from fermented extracts of European mistletoe, some forms of

which are combined with small amounts of metals to produce certain desired,

anticancer effects. "

 

Further down, there is a quotation from a a Dr. Richard Wagner of Stuttgatt who

says, " it is immediately apparent that patients given mistletoe treatment have

better survival quality (than those on chemotherapy), with the survival period

presumably the same. We would therefore always prefer mistletoe treatment in

this particular situation. "

 

Somers seems to believe that Iscador is a homeopathic remedy and has published

material on her choices on her web site. Her confusion may be due to the fact

that the doctor providing the treatment is a well-known homeopath; however,

Iscador—in the form developed in Europe—is not a homeopathic remedy.

 

 

Office of Technology Assessments

 

In a 1990 report, the OTA published the following:

 

Mistletoe has long been used in the treatment of a variety of acute and chronic

conditions. It was not widely used for treating cancer, however, until the

1920s, during the early development of Anthroposophy, a modern 'spiritual

science' applied to medicine and a variety of other disciplines. At present,

mistletoe is given to patients either as the central component of a complex,

broader treatment regimen in the practice of Anthroposophic medicine mainly in

Europe or as a single agent partially or completely removed from the overall

context of Anthroposophic care (e.g., in the United Kingdom and other

countries). At present, mistletoe preparations are advocated mainly by Swiss and

German physicians practicing Anthroposophic medicine, but are also used by other

European physicians not necessarily associated with Anthroposophy. A larger

group of researchers in Europe, and to a lesser extent in the United States, has

focused on the study of mistletoe's biological properties in various

experimental systems.

 

Iscador Treatment

 

Iscador is used extensively in a well-known clinic in Switzerland, the Lukas

Clinik. Taking its cue from Steiner, the clinic offers the following comments on

cancer:

 

Cancer can be many things - disease, destiny, opportunity, life drama or

tragedy, a biographical turning point. But it is always a biological process and

part of life.

 

It goes on to discuss the biological processes in a mixture of scientific,

philosophical, and poetic speculations. According to them, cells come into being

through a process of division, and they have a certain life expectancy based on

the genetic potential. The death of cells, apoptosis, is assumed to be subject

to the vagaries of fate and genes. Cells have a life cycle, birth to death, and

before death, they pass information to the new cell, basically explaining to the

new cells its functions as well as what it should look like, how it should

divide, and when it will die.

 

There is really nothing new about this theory except the assumptions about how

information is transferred. We all know that cells divide and that when they do,

they may be absolutely normal or deformed. Some abnormal cells die and others

replicate. Basically, cancer is a disease characterized by excessive

reproduction of abnormal cells. The theories that affect why a cell mutates

during the course of division are numerous: alcohol, tobacco, infection, pH

imbalances, radiation, toxicity, nutrient deficiencies, message errors, and, of

course, the catchall: stress. One theory is that the more deviant the cell is,

the faster it reproduces; however, in the case of healthy individuals, these

cells have a lower survival potential: they die and are consumed by white blood

cells.

 

 

Development of Medicine from Mistletoe

 

With the thoroughness of German scientific inquiry, a botanist named Karl von

Tubeuf began in 1907 to collect all that was known about mistletoe, this from

science, mythology, and cultural traditions. He published a monograph in 1923.

Both von Tubeuf and Steiner were fascinated by the anomalies of the plant.

 

Mistletoe has little white berries that are quite toxic to humans, but birds

enjoy them. The birds either eat only the pulp and leave a sticky seed in the

tree or they eat the whole berry, seed and all, and deposit the sticky payload

when they eliminate the undigested seed when they pass fecal material. The seed

sinks a sucker rootlet into the tree from which it derives water and nutrients.

This is why it is called a parasitic or semi-parasitic plant, but the European

species seldom cause the death of their hosts.

 

The growth process of the ball-like mistletoe plant is slow. It flowers after

5-7 years but is only harvested for use in medicines after 10-15 years. The

first " Anthroposophical mistletoe medicines " were made by a Dr. Ita Wegman in

1917. Working with a pharmacist, she developed an injectible form of mistletoe.

Scientific papers were presented at an Anthroposophical conference in 1920 and

then in 1935, Dr. Wegman established the Society for Cancer Research in

Arlesheim. Production of Iscador was first carried out by the highly respected

Anthroposophical firm, Weleda AG, but it is now produced by the Hiscia Institute

which belongs to the Society for Cancer Research. The name Iscador comes from

the Greek for mistletoe, ixos os ixia.

 

 

Author's Remarks

 

Steiner used complex metaphysics to express his understanding, in general as

well as specifically when applied to mistletoe. He felt that science and

spirituality could work together to create medicines of the future. Where cancer

is concerned, he felt that there are various organizing forces that result in

degrees of chaos or order. His theories are basically nearly impossible to

address with the tools of modern medicine. It is therefore necessary to look at

results rather than mechanisms for action.

 

Iscador is not seen by those who use it as a cure for cancer. It is a treatment

that most often is used in conjunction with other conventional treatments,

especially radiation but also surgery. It is given both before and after these

procedures so as to promote rapid recovery and reduce adverse reactions, such as

metastasis. Different studies seem to suggest different assessments of the

treatment. When used instead of chemotherapy, the quality of life is

significantly better for patients being treated with Iscador than for patients

undergoing chemotherapy. For those who are treating localized tumors, especially

of the breast but also of the cervix, ovaries, breast, stomach, colon, and

lungs, survival may be as much as 40% longer for patients using Iscador than

those going a 100% conventional route. As this OTA statement suggests, no one

who has studied the results refers to Iscador as a cure, merely as a treatment.

 

Treatment with Iscador is generally not claimed to result in dramatic

destruction of tumors. Instead, it is thought to slow the growth of tumors or

even stop tumor growth altogether, and then lead to gradual tumor regression. It

is believed that tumor cells may undergo a transformation from malignant forms

to semimalignant forms, then to chronic inflammation, and finally to normal

forms.

 

Having devoted more than three decades to medical philosophy and alternative

treatments, it is with some reticence and yet support that I wish to note that

many of the serious investigations of unusual protocols have been carried out in

Germany where: (1) holistic medicine is not a step child but rather an optional

pursuit in normal medical schools, and (2) mysticism and medicine have found an

alliance, not only in Anthroposophical medicine but Hildegard medicine and

Father Kneipp's therapies. I said " reticence " not because of any personal

hesitation but rather awareness that science invariably wishes to prove matters

on its own terms.

 

Copyright by Ingrid Naiman 2003

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For more information on Iscador:

 

The summary of what is known about medicine made from mistletoe from the

National Cancer Institute is as follows:

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant that has been used since ancient times to treat a

variety of human ailments.

Extracts of mistletoe have been shown to kill cancer cells in the laboratory and

to stimulate the immune system.

Three components of mistletoe (lectins, alkaloids, and viscotoxins) may be

responsible for its biologic effects.

Mixed results have been obtained in animals studies that have investigated the

ability of mistletoe extracts to slow tumor growth.

There is no evidence from well-designed clinical trials that mistletoe or any of

its components are effective treatments for human cancer.

Mistletoe plants and berries are toxic to humans, and mistletoe extracts are not

sold commercially in the United States.

Referenced studies:

 

http://naturalhealthline.com/newsletter/1apr01/iscador.htm

 

http://iscador.com/pressrelease.asp

 

 

http://www.suzannesomers.com/Products/Tapes/Health.asp

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