Immune Stimulating Therapies

One of the hallmarks of cancer is the ability of cancer cells to evade destruction by the immune system. Even more insidiously, cancer can co-opt your own immune system, and trick it into inhibiting the production and function of immune cells.  

Both actions allow tumors to develop, proliferate and metastasize. For those reasons, it is important for people with cancer to maintain competent immune function in order to improve their outcomes.  

Conventional therapies such as surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy have been found to weaken and suppress the immune system. One of the common reasons that chemotherapy need to be stopped early is due to low white blood counts (most often a white blood cell called a neutrophil) commonly known as neutropenia. Many individuals receive white blood cell boosters while undergoing conventional care to help maintain their white blood cell count - often this is done to prevent infections.  

Clearly, it's important to maintain intact immune function while undergoing conventional therapy to fully take advantage of their anti-cancer effects. 

The use of botanicals, nutraceuticals, IV’s, injection therapies, and targeted diet adjustment have been found to have a profound impact on the function of the immune system.  

Because the immune system is such an integral component of cancer prevention and treatment, it is always something we address in association with cancer. Each person we see is assessed on an individual basis to decide which immune-stimulating therapies are right for them.

A few immune function modulating therapies that we use include:


Mistletoe

One of the frequent reasons we use mistletoe therapy is due to its ability to stimulate the immune system.

When first beginning therapy, mistletoe activates the innate/nonspecific immune system. Continued use of mistletoe stimulates the adaptive immune response which results in the induction of cytotoxic T cells and memory T cells. This may result in long-term immune stimulating effects towards cancer.

The main immune stimulating effect of mistletoe has been found to be stimulation of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC’s). It also increases the number and function of natural killer (NK) cells. Furthermore, it stimulates the production of hematopoietic progenitor cells.

Over time, mistletoe has been found to train the adaptive immune response and increase levels of CD4+ T lymphocytes.

Mistletoe has also been found to protect immune cells from the cytotoxic effects of chemotherapy. Subsequent injections have been found to increase the levels of T-lymphocytes.

At the Center for Integrative Healing & Wellness, we have developed an easy to follow protocol which maximizes the immune response from mistletoe.


Low Dose Naltrexone (LDN)

Naltrexone is an opioid antagonist commonly used in opioid and alcohol addiction. It blocks the opioid receptor preventing these substances from attaching.  However, it is used at significantly higher does during these situations (50-150 mg vs 1.5-4.5 mg) hence when we use it, it is called low dose naltrexone. 

At low doses, naltrexone reversibly and transiently binds (for 3-4 hours) to the opioid receptor. The body senses that it has low levels of opioids and so increases the production of endogenous opioids also known as endorphins and enkephalins.  

It also upregulates the number of opioid receptors in the body and the sensitivity of these receptors.  Many of our cells, including immune cells, have opioid receptors on their surface.  One of the endorphins produced is known as Opioid Growth Factor (OGF) or Met-enkephalin. OGF binds to the Opioid Growth Factor receptor (OGFr) that is found on many cells.  

Once bound it has a multitude of effects. The use of LDN has been found to:

  • Inhibit cellular proliferation

  • Reduce inflammation and oxidative stress

  • Balance the TH1 and TH2 immune response

  • Enhance the function of cytotoxic T and natural killer cells

  • Increase the number of dendritic cells

  • Increase the levels of T-helper/CD4 immune cells.

This is beneficial in many conditions which include autoimmune disease and other inflammatory conditions as well as cancer. 

There are numerous studies and case reports of the benefits of LDN in patients with cancer. A combination of LDN and ALA has been used to good effect in the treatment of patients with pancreatic cancer and LDN has been used as a monotherapy for a person with lymphoma.  

LDN has been found to have efficacy in ovarian, breast, colon, renal, neuroblastoma, glioblastoma, and squamous cells carcinomas.   It exerts its effects by directly inhibiting cancer cell growth, inhibiting angiogenesis, and stimulating the immune system.   Use of LDN has also been found to reduce the side effects of common chemotherapies such as cisplatin.


Low Dose Metronomic Chemotherapy (LDM)

The toxic effects and chemo-resistance represent one of the major hurdles in today’s standard chemotherapy. To avoid these problems caused by traditional chemotherapeutic regimens, a new modality of drug administration called “metronomic chemotherapy” has emerged. This regimen involves the frequent administration of conventional chemotherapeutic agents at very low doses to target activated endothelial cells in tumors. The advantage of metronomic chemotherapy is minimal adverse effects and a rare chance of developing acquired drug resistance. Initially it was thought that this form of therapy acted by targeting angiogenesis, but additional mechanisms have now been been discovered, including enhancing the anti-tumor immune response, which has established metronomic chemotherapy as a type of multi-targeted cancer therapy.

The major benefits found in using LDM include the lack of major toxicities or complications as compared to conventional chemotherapy regimens and significantly improved quality of life.

Botanical & Nutraceuticals

Many botanicals and nutraceuticals have been found to be effective in inhibiting growth of various cancers in human clinical trials. Please keep in mind that because these nutraceuticals are naturally derived substances, large doses often must be ingested to derive clinical benefit. Botanicals and nutraceuticals can impact the immune system in multiple different ways. For instance, they can:

  • Stimulate & modulate the immune system

  • Act as antimicrobials

  • Stimulate lymph flow

  • Decrease inflammation

The following are just a few of the botanicals and nutraceuticals we commonly use:

  • Melatonin

  • Curcumin

  • Avemar (fermented wheat germ extract)

  • Modified Citrus Pectin (MCP)

  • Trametes versicolor (Turkey Tail)

  • Resveratrol

  • Vitamin D3

  • EGCG (from green tea extract)


Finding the correct product quality and dosing can be an issue. Many products readily available to the general public are produced in capsule sizes and suggested dosages that may be too small to produce an intended or desired effect. Additionally, combining one botanical or nutraceutical with another may cause unexpected or unwanted effects.  

Knowledge about mechanisms of action, product combining, achieving the desired effect, and creating a sufficient dosing schedule is a complex calculation and it is advisable that people speak with a certified integrative medical doctor before attempting to develop a plan involving nutraceuticals on their own.

Furthermore, since many nutraceuticals are derived from food or botanicals, we will often discuss or prescribe a diet therapy to complement or enhance the encapsulated products. Dietary strategies which enrich for specific nutrient components combine well with nutrition-based targeting agents, such as nutraceuticals and can often deliver a broader range of supportive agents, holistically.  

With the help of a skilled integrative physician, botanical and nutraceutical protocols can be highly effective.