Therapeutic hyperthermia is a type of treatment in which living tissue is exposed to elevated temperatures. And this has a detrimental effect on cancer cells, causing them to be destroyed, or reducing the resistance of these cells to the effects of radioactive treatment or chemotherapy drugs. It is worth noting that temperature effects on atypical tissues do not belong to the group of radiofrequency ablation; this is a completely different technique. In combination with radiation therapy, the method of thermal exposure is called thermoradiotherapy.
Hyperthermia in oncology: what is it?
International oncology has not yet developed a common opinion regarding which temperature indicators are the safest and at the same time the most effective. During treatment, body temperature usually reaches a level between 39.5 and 40.5 ° C. However, other researchers define the boundaries of hyperthermia between 41.8-42 ° C, which is typical for Europe and the USA. Japan and Russia take the highest values - 43-44 ° C.
Temperature and exposure time are interrelated. Longer durations and higher temperatures are very effective at killing cancer cells, but they also seriously increase the risk of toxicity. Tumor cells with a disorganized and compact vascular structure are very difficult to remove heat, which helps stimulate apoptosis (a type of physiologically programmed cell death) in their relation or normal death. Whereas healthy tissues have better thermal conductivity, and therefore better withstand high temperatures.
Even if cancer cells do not die immediately, they may become more susceptible to ionizing radiation from cancer therapy or chemotherapy. Heat during local hyperthermia dilates the blood vessels of the tumor, increasing oxygenation (oxygen saturation) of the tumor, thereby making anticancer radiation therapy more effective. Oxygen is a powerful radiosensitizer, which significantly increases the effectiveness of a given dose of radiation by causing DNA damage. Tumor cells with a lack of oxygen can be 2-3 times more resistant to radiation damage than in a normal oxygen environment.
Hyperthermia has been shown to be highly effective when combined with chemotherapy. Published studies have shown improved 10-year recurrence-free and metastasis-free survival in bladder cancer patients treated with combined hyperthermia and chemotherapy. 53% of patients lived for 10 subsequent years, while chemotherapy alone ensured survival in only 15% of patients.
Intense heating causes denaturation and coagulation of cellular proteins, which quickly destroys tumor cells. Longer, moderate heating to temperatures just a few degrees above normal can cause more subtle structural changes in cells. Mild heat treatment in combination with other methods can lead to cell death due to stimulation of biological destruction.
On the downside, experts note many of the biochemical consequences of heat shock in normal cells, including slower growth and increased sensitivity to subsequent ionizing radioactive therapy.
Hyperthermia increases blood flow to the heated area, which can cause a doubling of blood flow to tumors. This phenomenon enhances the beneficial effects of chemotherapeutic agents in pathological areas.
Mild hyperthermia, which provides temperatures equal to the naturally high temperature of many infectious diseases, can stimulate natural immunological attacks on tumors. However, it also induces a natural physiological response called thermotolerance, which tends to protect the abnormal cells.
Very high temperatures, above 50°C, are used for ablation - the direct destruction of some tumors. The technique uses inserts in the form of a metal tube directly into the tumor, the tip of which is heated, which causes cell death along its perimeter.
It is worth emphasizing that the hyperthermic ablation technique in Russia is still at the research stage and is rarely used in practical medicine. However, the effectiveness of the tests predicts very good prospects for this method, including in our country.
Differences and features of local, regional and general hyperthermia methods
Therapeutic hyperthermia methods are used, as a rule, in three variants, depending on the indications and therapeutic possibilities.
- Local hyperthermia
A very small area is heated, usually within the tumor itself. In some cases, the goal of the method is to kill abnormal cells using heat without damaging surrounding tissue. Warmth can be stimulated by:
- ultrashort waves;
- high radio frequencies;
- ultrasonic energy;
- using magnetic hyperthermia.
Depending on the location of the tumor, heat may be applied to the surface of the body, within tissues, or deeper areas through the use of needles or probes. One relatively common type is radiofrequency ablation of small tumors. The therapeutic goal is easiest to achieve when the tumor is on the surface of the body (superficial hyperthermia), or if it is possible to insert needles or probes directly into the tumor (interstitial hyperthermia).
A large area of the body is heated, for example an entire organ or limb. Typically, the goal of the method is to weaken cancer cells so that they are killed by subsequent radiation or chemotherapy drugs. As with the previous method, regional hyperthermia can use the same superficial or interstitial methods or rely on blood perfusion. During the perfusion process, the patient's blood is removed from the body, heated, and returned to the blood vessels that lead directly to the desired part of the body. Typically, chemotherapy drugs are given at the same time.
One specialized type of this approach is continuous peritoneal perfusion, which is used to treat complex intra-abdominal tumors, including primary peritoneal mesothelioma and gastric cancer. Hot chemotherapy drugs are pumped directly into the abdominal cavity to kill cancer cells.
The entire body heats up to a temperature of 39 to 43 °C and higher. The method is usually used to treat metastatic cancer. It involves the use of infrared hyperthermic domes, under which the patient's entire body is placed, with the exception of the head. Other methods include placing the patient in a very hot chamber or wrapping him in heated, damp blankets. Rare methods use special wetsuits with constant heating or immersion in hot wax.
What types of cancer can hyperthermia be used for?
Alone, hyperthermia has demonstrated a unique ability to treat malignancies. It is also known that the technique significantly increases the effectiveness of other treatment methods.
In combination with radioactive radiation, hyperthermia is especially effective in the presence of large amounts of oxygen, provided simultaneous exposure is not less than an hour.
In the last ten years, hyperthermia in combination with radiation has been used for therapeutic purposes in patients with the following diagnoses:
- early stage breast cancer;
- when cancer is localized on the head and neck;
Well-known scientific publications indicate an improvement in 38% of patients with bladder cancer in combination with chemotherapy, compared with chemotherapy alone. In breast cancer patients, the result showed an improved response in 18% of patients.
What other types of cancer are there that show significant improvement when treated with hyperthermia?
- Melanoma and skin cancer.
- Soft tissue sarcoma.
- Bladder cancer.
- Rectal cancer.
- Malignant tumors of the axillary region and chest wall.
- Metastases in lymph nodes.
Studies in Russia have shown interesting results with high hyperthermia of 43.5-44°C when the method was applied to:
- esophageal cancer;
- laryngeal cancer;
- liver cancer;
- for HIV infection and immune system disorders.
Ablation of tumors is one of the types of hyperthermia
Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is probably the most commonly used form of local hyperthermia. High frequency radio waves are used to increase the temperature.
- A thin needle probe is inserted into the tumor for a short time, usually from 10 to 30 minutes.
- The placement of the probe is adjusted using ultrasound, MRI or CT.
- The probe tip produces a high-frequency current that can create heat between 40 and 60°C, which causes cell death within a certain area.
- Dead cells are not removed and become scar tissue and dissolve over time.
RFA is most often used to treat tumors that cannot be removed by surgery or in patients that are inoperable for various reasons. The procedure can be performed on an outpatient basis. Repeat ablation is possible for tumors that are capable of recurrence. RFA can also be added to other treatment options, including surgical removal of the tumor, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, infusion therapy, alcohol ablation, or chemoembolization.
RFA can be used to treat tumors up to 5 cm in diameter. The technique is most effective for treating tumors in the liver, kidneys and lungs. Its use in other areas of the body is currently being studied. Long-term effectiveness following hyperthermic ablation treatment is not yet known, but early results are encouraging.
Recently, a lot of studies and research have been carried out on how substances found in vegetables and fruits can not only contribute to a healthy state of the body, but also treat diseases. Especially a lot of such research concerns the fight against cancer. More and more scientists are coming to the conclusion that completely ordinary products can be excellent means of prevention and treatment. It seems to me that you don’t even need to be a scientist to understand that what we are eating now is poison. And normal, real foods can normalize the functioning of the body. And when the body works normally, no mutants grow in it.
And to prove this, here are some research results showing what the simplest products can do.
Scientists believe that many specific proteins, enzymes and special coding in our immune system can be activated by certain substances to fight cancer cells. They believe that in nature, and our body in particular, there is no such thing as cancer cells, or any “wrong” cells in general that cannot be defeated by the human immune system. In the course of research, many scientists come to the conclusion that the “cancer pandemic” is due to the ineffectiveness of the proteins that we eat. There is little inefficiency, and also a lack of certain proteins. The ineffectiveness of proteins occurs due to damage to them through toxins present in food, through chemical contamination of food, suppressing the natural function of the immune system, leading to DNA mutation and subsequent defective (mutated) cell construction, which, in the absence of certain amino acids, experience uncontrolled growth. Plus, we don’t eat the right proteins, and we are constantly deficient in the 20 essential amino acids for building the “correct” cells of our body.
We must understand that in the case of amino acid starvation, cells are still built (that’s right, we don’t die right away) even with a lack of one, two or three amino acids. But they are built defective, or, as they say, mutated. Naturally, they also grow faster than full-fledged ones (because less building material is required). As it were, the causes of the occurrence and development of cancerous tumors are becoming a little clearer and, in principle, it is clear how to deal with them.
Whether this is true or not, I don’t know. But scientists now say that it is possible. Almost all “decent” (not bought by the food industry) scientists already say that by removing artificial sugar and refined foods from the diet and adding the necessary substances contained in natural products, we can fight.
Provided, of course, that we receive the full set of amino acids necessary for the body. And in addition to them are several more substances, which, as scientists have found, are able to suppress the growth and even completely kill cancer cells.
In addition to the benefits of certain substances, scientists in the course of research discovered a strange thing - healthy cells damaged by chemotherapy secrete more protein, which in turn increases the survival (!) of cancer cells. Scientists say that chemotherapy temporarily kills some cancer cells, but later they are much more resistant to modern treatments and multiply even more, “protected” by the normal cells surrounding them. Still, scientists do not say 100% that chemotherapy should be abolished, but they add that the fight against cancer cannot be complete without certain substances contained in some products. And with proper nutrition, treatment has every chance of success.
In a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, oncology scientists discovered a molecule called TIC10 that can activate the body's own defenses and launch a program to destroy cancer cells. The TIC10 molecule activates the TRAIL (tumour-necrosis-factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand) protein gene. For a long time, this protein has been the subject of research by scientists developing new drugs that are more effective than traditional methods of treating cancer.
The TRAIL protein, which is a natural part of the human immune system, prevents the formation and spread of tumors in the human body. That is why it is believed that increasing the activity of the TRAIL protein cannot have such toxic effects on the body as chemotherapy.
Another positive advantage is that TIC10 activates the TRAIL gene not only in cancer cells, but also in healthy ones. That is, it thereby connects healthy cells neighboring cancer cells to the process of fighting mutants, which is a fundamental difference from chemotherapy.
But why all these scientific calculations? And to the fact that a number of natural substances contained in seemingly simple products are also a trigger for the formation and activation of the TRAIL protein. Healthy cells receive a “push” to increase the number of cancer-killing TRAIL receptors.
Naturally, most of the research and experiments so far have been carried out mainly on animals, and we, as you know, are not very similar in our biochemical processes, but still these studies are very encouraging. Many of the substances being studied are only planned to be studied in humans, and I think that many cancer patients will agree to these studies. Therefore, we expect 100% confirmation of these studies.
In the meantime, nothing will stop us from consuming these products, what if they really work, and later we will receive scientific confirmation of this!
So.
Here are 9 products that are currently presented by scientists as products that promote the activation of the TRAIL protein, suppress the development of tumors in the human body and even destroy these tumors.
1. Turmeric
Curcumin Considered to be the most powerful antioxidant found in the popular spice turmeric, it has countless health benefits. A recent study led by a research group in Munich showed that curcumin may also prevent the formation of metastases.
It has been proven that curcumin has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative effects by inhibiting tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). It is hypothesized that its effect on endothelial function may be mediated by suppression of inflammation and regulation of oxidative stress via down-regulation of TNF-alpha.
A summary of one of the most comprehensive studies of turmeric to date has been published by respected ethnobotanist James A. Duke. He showed that turmeric is superior in its medical properties to many existing pharmaceutical drugs for fighting cancer, and in addition, as it turned out during the treatment of a number of chronic diseases, it does not have any side effects.
2. Sea vegetables
Nori, hijiki, wakame (Undaria pinnate), aram, kombu and other edible seaweeds are just a few of the varieties of sea vegetables that have powerful effects on cancer. They are a rich source of many wonderful nutrients, including magnesium, calcium, iron, biologically iodine, etc.
Newly discovered anti-cancer substances found in marine plants (not listed in the article) 
names of substances) have a huge positive effect during the treatment of colon cancer and for the prevention of some other types of cancer. These substances also play a huge role in the prevention of unwanted inflammation and chronic oxidative stress, which are risk factors for cancer development. Sea vegetables are already quite well studied as foods rich in anti-inflammatory and antioxidant compounds. Scientists say the importance of these foods in the fight against estrogen-induced cancers, especially breast cancer, is particularly noteworthy.
Substances contained in seaweed modify and regulate various aspects of a woman’s normal menstrual cycle in such a way that over a long period of time (tens of years) the secretion of “excess” estrogen in the follicular phase of the cycle is reduced.
3. Grapes and resveratrol
Recently discovered substance resveratrol is now the subject of much research. This phenolic compound, which is found in red grapes, is said by scientists to have enormous potential to become one of the most powerful antioxidants. Now they are already trying to create “pills” for cancer based on it.
Resveratrol is not only an antioxidant and antimutagen, but it also reduces oxidative stress, which is the cause of cell death (juvenile apples, it turns out, are grapes). Resveratrol, as was found in studies, inhibits the formation of nitric oxide and TNF tumor necrosis factor lipopolysaccharide-stimulated Kupffer cells.
*Kupffer cells are macrophage cells produced by the liver. Chronic overproduction of nitric oxide and TNF-A due to chronic infection can lead to severe liver damage.
The disease sarcoidosis, the causes of which are still unclear, is perfectly prevented by resveratrol, according to scientists.
Perhaps the most important property resveratrol is its ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (CoX-2). This substance CoX-2 is associated with the formation of cancer and abnormal tumors in the gastrointestinal tract. Natural CoX-2 inhibitors such as resveratrol, as was proven in the study, can reduce the risks of cancer and precancerous tumors.
A very large study with a very large bunch of abstruse terms. But its essence is that resveratrol is an excellent preventive agent against the formation of cancer and various mutational tumors, kills cancer cells, fights oxidative stress that “aging” ordinary cells (that is, affects the youth of the body) and also has an innumerable mass of beneficial properties. One of the scientists says: “We are trying to create drugs based on resveratrol, but if red grapes already contain it, then, as I understand it, it is enough to consume it daily to successfully prevent many types of diseases, and not just cancer.”
Naturally, we do not forget that we are talking about natural grapes. By the way, as I already wrote in a post about, resveratrol It is found not only in red grapes, but it is also found in blueberries, peanuts, cocoa beans and the medicinal plant Sakhalin Polygonum.
4. Chlorella
Scientists in South Korea recently discovered that carotenoids from chlorella can be effectively used to prevent cancer in the human body. They are studying C. Ellipsoidea, whose main carotenoid is violaxanthin, and C. Vulgaris, whose main carotenoid is lutein.
Scientists examined the activity of semi-purified extracts of these carotenoids against human cancer and found that they inhibited cancer cell growth in a dose-dependent manner.
Chlorophyll neutralizes environmental toxins and pollutants. It helps to carry 
oxygen in the blood to all cells and tissues. Cancer cannot thrive in cells that are well supplied with oxygen. Chlorophyll plays an important role in Chlorella's ability to detoxify heavy metals, and is a natural wound healer (think of our plantain!). There is evidence that chlorophyll reduces the ability of carcinogens to bind to DNA in major organs. Its anti-mutagenic properties make it a “protector” against toxins found in many pharmaceutical drugs.
I’ll make a small addition: the plant carotenoids that scientists talk about in this study (p-carotene, lutein, violaxanthin, neoxanthin, zeaxanthin), in addition to algae, are mainly found in the chloroplasts of higher plants. They constitute up to 98% of the total carotenoids in green leaves.
Tell me, where does folk wisdom come from? Herbal medicine has always been one of the important medicinal folk remedies.
That is, it turns out that by eating right, properly saturating the body with oxygen (the vast majority of mutant cells are born and develop in an anaerobic environment) and by giving the body some “auxiliary” substances, we can live a very long time, remaining healthy and young!
By the way, my water bottles, which I structure with various stones, seem to be overgrown with this chlorella.
Okay, let's move on
5. Green tea
A huge layer of substances studied by scientists consists of catechins related to flavonoids. Green tea has come under close attention. Of particular interest to researchers is epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), the main catechin green tea.
For example, South Korean researchers found that EGCG blocks TNF by naturally interfering with certain pro-inflammatory chemicals in the body, mainly in the smooth muscle tissue of the vascular system.
A 2009 study by Chonbuk National University Medical School noted that EGCG's main mechanism of action in blocking TNF is by inhibiting fractalkine, an inflammatory agent that is involved in the formation of atherosclerosis and affects the strength and elasticity of arteries.
6. Cruciferous vegetables
Besides the fact that cruciferous vegetables contain vitamins, minerals, nutrients, etc., they also contain many chemicals called glucosinolates. These chemicals, when metabolized in the body, are broken down into several bioactive compounds that are already well known to have anti-cancer effects. Arugula, cabbage, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kohlrabi, all types of lettuce, watercress, rapeseed, horseradish, radishes, turnips, rutabaga, Chinese cabbage, mustard seed and greens are just some of the different types of cruciferous vegetables rich in nutrients, including the aforementioned carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, violaxanthin, neoxanthin, zeaxanthin).
Biologically active compounds such as indoles, nitriles, thiocyanates and isothiocyanates in these 
Vegetables prevent cancer by protecting cells from DNA damage, helping inactivate carcinogens, causing the death of cancer cells, inhibiting tumor formation of blood vessels (angiogenesis), and also preventing the migration of tumor cells (necessary for metastasis).
As always, the Japanese are ahead of the rest. They know a lot of things and quietly hide them from the rest of the world. According to the latest data, the Japanese, on average, consume 120 mg. glucosinolates, and the average European is only 15 mg.
Who are the longest-livers on our planet and have the least number of people with cancer? It's worth thinking about.
7. Tomatoes
Many studies have found that regular consumption of tomatoes significantly reduces the risk of certain types of cancer, and is also an excellent preventive measure for cardiovascular diseases, in particular coronary heart disease. Healing properties are attributed to many substances found in tomatoes; one of the carotenoids is especially closely studied - lycopene(which is also found in the already mentioned algae).
Moderate exposure to regular consumption of tomato juice (natural!) provides the necessary amount of carotenoids, which influence the production of inflammatory mediators such as TNF-alpha and TRAIL protein.
Also, in many ongoing studies of carotenoids, it has been established that many of them (listed above) significantly affect not only the risk factors for cancer, but also contribute to the overall rejuvenation and healing of the body, by including “anti-aging” factors.
8. Medicinal mushrooms
History says that for more than 5,000 years, mushrooms have been used for medicinal purposes as an excellent medicine. Currently, anti-viral and anti-cancer substances found in 57 species of mushrooms are being actively studied (the names of the mushrooms, again, are not indicated). And in China and Japan, 270 species of mushrooms are still used for medicinal purposes.
Several studies, according to MSKCC, have already examined six components of various mushrooms for their activity against human cancers: lentinan- shiitake component, schizophyllan, active hexose correlated compound (AHCC), D-fraction Maitake mushrooms and two components of Coriolus versicolor mushrooms.
Coriolus versicolor (Trametes) is an extremely common tinder fungus that can be found throughout the world. As a medicinal mushroom in Chinese medicine, it is called Yong Zhi.
Trametes contains two rare polysaccharides: polysaccharide K (PSK) And polysaccharide peptide (PSP), 
increasing the body's defenses. This is especially important for cancer. Preparations from the Trametes versicolor mushroom have been approved by the Japanese Ministry of Health since 1991 (so long ago (!), and we still don’t know anything) and have been successfully used in medical practice, as main anticancer drug. Research in recent years has shown that TRAMETES is a very promising drug, as it has shown numerous anti-cancer effects on the body and exhibits a pronounced increase in the activity of the chemotherapeutic properties of currently existing drugs. Currently, these drugs are widely used in Japan as a mandatory additional drug in the treatment of breast cancer, lung cancer, esophagus, stomach and rectal cancer.
Polysaccharide K (PSK) is characterized by the highest anticancer activity, both in preliminary studies in vitro in vitro, and in vivo, and in clinical trials in humans. Preliminary studies currently underway in other laboratories (and meanwhile, the Japanese have been using this for 25 years) have shown that K (PSK) can significantly reduce the emergence and growth of mutagenic cells, cancer cells resulting from radiation, as well as the growth of existing cancer tumors and their metastasis.
Lentinan, the substance contained in shiitake mushrooms is a B-1,6-1,3-D glucan molecule that has a polyvalent effect on the body: increases the rate of maturation of Macrophages, NK cells, and Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes (CTL); increases their life expectancy; induces and enhances the lytic activity of macrophages, natural killer cells and CTLs (Cytotoxic T-lymphocytes).
B-1,601,3-D glucans activate white blood cells so that they more actively and “skillfully” attack and destroy cancer cells. Lentinan stimulates the production of tumor inhibitors (cytokines, TNF, IL-1) by these cells.
When Lentinan stimulates CTLs and NK cells, the destruction of foreign cells is activated with the help of perforin and granzyme proteins. When they are recognized, leukocytes come close to them and release perforins onto the cell surface, which are instantly integrated into the outer membrane. This creates gaps through which the cell loses fluid and dies. When perforins are insufficiently effective, granzymes are released, which destroy the cancer cell nucleus.
So everything is complicated, but the essence is simple - mushrooms, or rather the substances contained in them, kill cancerous tumors.
Laboratory studies show that the polysaccharide Lentinan is absolutely non-toxic, it enhances the body's immune responses, stimulates tumor regression and even its disappearance within five weeks in ascites hepatoma, sarcoma, Ehrlich carcinoma, and other tumors modeled in laboratory conditions, in addition, it prevents chemical carcinogenesis. Shiitake is particularly effective against tumors of the skin, lungs and gastrointestinal tract. Suppresses tumor growth and prevents the formation of metastases. In Japan Lentinan has been used for more than 40 years (it is not said exactly how long, but I think if they did not die out after the atomic bombings, and also became the longest-living people on the planet, then for a very long time).
Various studies mention the following mushrooms: Chaga, Shiitake (Lentinula edodes), Meitake (Grifola frondosa), Reishi (Lingzhi), Coriolus Versicolor, Trametes versicolor, Saffron milk caps (Lactarius salmonicolor, Russulaceae), in some studies even edible morel (Morchella esculenta ( L.) Pers.) and summer honey fungus (Kuehneromyces mutabilis).
9. Garlic
A study published in the journal Cancer Prevention Research notes that Chinese medicine has been using garlic since 2000 BC (and Russians are generally stereotyped as always smelling like garlic). The study authors suggest that the main active ingredient in garlic diallyl disulfide (DADS), in addition to its widely known and well-studied antiseptic, antiviral, antibacterial properties, it also has a wide range of anti-cancer properties.
A number of scientists from different countries have begun research into the effects of diallyl disulfide for cancer. Scientists from several cancer research institutes, almost simultaneously, discovered that diallyl disulfide (DADS) suppresses proliferation (Proliferation is the growth of body tissue by cell multiplication by division) of mutagenic cells in many cell lines. The ability is also being studied diallyl disulfide (DADS)“kill” various endogenous and exogenous forms of free radicals. Scientists have discovered that a gene known as the p53 suppressor is activated when exposed to diallyl disulfide (DADS). Activated p53 gene kills cancer cells after just 24 hours of exposure diallyl disulfide (DADS). The research is still only laboratory. 
Allicin- another active substance in garlic (it, in fact, gives garlic its aroma and taste) - acts as one of the most powerful antioxidants known today.
The most amazing thing about research allicin this is that it only works in natural forms, while synthesized artificial forms (or mixed with other chemicals) lose almost all of their magical properties. Research has begun on the anticancer properties of allicin.
What would you like to say in conclusion?
All these studies prove only one thing - if we eat properly, NATURAL, varied foods, we will be healthy and young for a very long time! Whether God or nature created everything necessary for our healthy life, we have all the medicines at hand in the simplest food!
Like this.
Yul Ivanchey
Sometimes, when we apply ice to the bruised area, and after a couple of days - a heating pad for better resorption of the bruise, we do not even consider this as treatment. Meanwhile, cold and heat have very definite therapeutic effects, which, like other drugs, depend on the dose.
The effect of heat or cold on the body and individual organs for medicinal purposes is today commonly called thermo- or cryotherapy. However, it was used back in antiquity. Roman patricians went to the baths - Roman baths - to harden themselves, treat colds and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. In ancient India and China, even tumor diseases were treated with heat. It would seem that what could be new here? But more recently, fundamentally new technologies for the use of thermo- and cryotherapy have emerged. For example, in order to destroy cancer cells using heat, doctors use nanoparticles, and to fight AIDS, they heat the human body using a unique technique to temperatures that are prohibitive by biological standards - 43-44°C.
Warm or freeze?
The most accessible type of heat therapy, familiar to many, is the application of a hot heating pad. Local reactions of the body are manifested in improved blood and lymph circulation, and as a result, the processes of metabolism, regeneration and resorption of tissue decay products are accelerated. General heating of the body increases the pulse rate, lowers blood pressure, increases sweating and increases the motor functions of the gastrointestinal tract.
Exposure to cold leads to the opposite effects: blood vessels constrict, the level of tissue metabolism and oxygen consumption decreases, and allergic reactions are suppressed. Often thermotherapy and cryotherapy are used to strengthen the immune system, and sometimes they are successfully combined - for example, after a steam bath they plunge into an ice hole. A sharp short-term increase and decrease in temperature is stress for the body, and it helps to mobilize the defense system.
Bavarian pastor Sebastian Kneipp (1821-1897), thanks to whom cold treatment became widespread throughout the world, considered cold water procedures to be the most beneficial. But the famous Russian physician and follower of Kneipp, Abram Zalmanov (1875-1964), believed that due to industrial development and environmental pollution, thermal procedures are especially useful for modern people. He explained this by a decrease in oxygen content in the air, which leads to a slowdown in biochemical reactions. Zalmanov believed that the body of a modern city dweller is unable to respond by expanding blood capillaries to the effects of cold water procedures, so he needs hot procedures.
Chicken immunity
If necessary, the human body itself resorts to hyperthermia, that is, an increase in body temperature. The protective function of elevated temperature was first confirmed by the founder of modern microbiology and immunology, Louis Pasteur (1822-1895).
Pasteur proved that the reason for the immunity of chickens to anthrax is that the body temperature of birds is 6-7°C higher than that of humans. Using water, he cooled the chickens to 38°C and infected them with anthrax. Only those birds that continued to be kept in cold water fell ill and died. If the infected person was taken out of the water, she either did not get sick or recovered.
The protective mechanism is explained not only by the fact that some bacteria and viruses die at temperatures above 38-39°C. Hyperthermia also increases the activity of immune cells designed to fight infection. Therefore, modern doctors do not recommend reducing fever in infectious diseases unless there are contraindications - a tendency to seizures, severe heart and respiratory diseases, for example.
And, conversely, in chronic inflammatory processes the immune response is weakly expressed, which means that in some cases it makes sense to aggravate the disease. For example, for genitourinary tract infections, an artificial fever is induced using special medications or using hot baths.
Ice and fire
The use of heat and cold in medicine consists of three areas: cryo- and thermotherapy to restore organ functions and improve the health of the body as a whole, the use of cauterization or freezing in surgery to remove pathological tissues, and controlled hyper- and hypothermia, which allows one to increase or decrease body temperature by 5 -6°C.
The development of cryotherapy in the twentieth century was facilitated by new methods of liquefying gases and storing them in Dewar flasks. Already in the period between the world wars, cauterization with liquid nitrogen was used to treat many skin diseases - from warts to seborrhea. The applicator, invented in 1961 by Irving S. Cooper (1922-1985) and his colleagues, made it possible to provide local cooling of even internal organs with liquefied gas.
On the verge of a foul
As for the third direction - controlled hyper- and hypothermia - when using them there is a high risk of serious side effects, so this is a treatment on the verge of a foul. Scientific data is contradictory: for example, there is information about the positive effect of hypothermia in restoring the body after a stroke. The patients were covered with a thermally insulating blanket into which cold air was pumped. As a result, body temperature dropped from an average of 36.8 to 35.5 ° C and was maintained at this level for six hours. When compared with the results of the control group, it turned out that hypothermia doubled the survival rates of patients. The effect was explained by the flow of cold blood to the brain, which prevents further disorders. However, the use of cryotherapy in children and adults with traumatic brain injuries gave disappointing results - patients died more often or suffered various complications.
Generalized hyperthermia, in which body temperature is artificially raised by several degrees, can be deadly. However, cancer cells, bacteria and viruses die at high temperatures. A group of scientists led by Doctor of Medicine Alexey Suvernev managed to develop a method of chemically protecting the body from heat shock. During the procedure, performed under general anesthesia, the patient’s body temperature reaches 43-44°C; this temperature reduces the number of human immunodeficiency viruses in the blood by hundreds of thousands of times.
Similar studies are now being conducted all over the world. So, perhaps, doctors will soon be able, using the latest developments, to tame heat and cold and use methods known for centuries more effectively.
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An incident brought me together with a woman who was cured of uterine cancer literally while lying on the stove. The disease was extremely advanced, in the fourth stage. Doctors believed that she would live no more than a year. The patient refused chemotherapy and went home to the village. She spent most of her time sitting near the Russian stove or lying on it. For several hours in a row she withstood the maximum temperature, and even wrapped her back in blankets. Four years later, when we met again, she felt healthy. This case interested me extremely. After all, it is well known that any thermal procedures are considered unacceptable in official oncology.
However, the idea of treating cancer with heat is not new; it has long been discussed in the literature. Proponents of this idea proceed from the fact that cancer cells are very sensitive to elevated temperatures - at 40° they stop developing. Healer Alexander Vinokurov claims that when the body is exposed to this temperature for 10 days, cancer cells die, while normal cells do not change, completely retaining their functions.
The best results using hyperthermic procedures have been obtained for breast tumors, malignant lymphomas, cancer of the colon, prostate, larynx, thyroid gland, kidney, stomach and intestines, and sarcomas. According to studies, of 1,400 patients treated with such procedures for five years, approximately 80% showed noticeable improvement - stopping the growth of primary and metastatic tumors. After the first session, everyone’s pain stopped. In more than 60% of patients at stage IV of the disease, after several treatment sessions, metastases and symptoms of intoxication disappeared. The inclusion of general hyperthermia in the complex of therapeutic measures after radical operations significantly reduces the number of relapses and reduces the threat of cancer recurrence.
Let's try to understand the mechanism of the effect of high temperatures on cancer cells.
According to one theory, cancer is associated with the introduction of viral RNA into the genome or cytoplasm of the cell. There is reason to assert that hyperthermic procedures lead to the separation of the virus and foreign RNA from the mother cell. Forced to come out, they become prey to immune cells. Their further fate depends on the level of immunity. Therefore, one of the most important areas in cancer treatment is strengthening the immune system.
But let's return to the effects of high temperatures on cells. It was found that at a temperature of 43.5°, cancer cells die. However, this critical temperature can only be maintained for a short period. Therefore, in my opinion, methods focused on 40-42°, but with long-term exposure, are more acceptable.
Scientists who developed hyperthermic treatments also took into account the ability of tumor cells to vigorously consume glucose. Constant glucose deficiency is a natural limiting factor for the growth and division of cancer cells. It was suggested that if you specifically saturate the blood with glucose, then cancer cells will begin to absorb it without any restrictions, leading themselves to a state of energy oversaturation.
This process intensifies with increasing temperature. Cells that actively consume glucose after temperature stimulation begin to experience a crisis in the utilization of waste products for energy production from glucose. Organic acid molecules accumulating in them cause a sharp shift in the acidity of the environment, incompatible with the resistance limits of cell membranes. This works like a detonator - spontaneous combustion of active cancer cells occurs. Therefore, during thermal procedures, it is advisable to give the patient glucose (for example, in the form of honey).
However, theoretical predictions were not entirely consistent with the results of practical research. It turned out that the cancerous tumor is heterogeneous in structure. Not all cells in it are in a state of active division and abundant absorption of glucose. Each tumor has privileged pools of actively growing cells and peripheral cells pushed away from the lymphatic and blood vessels. For the time being, the peripheral layers of the tumor are in relative peace.
Experimental practice has confirmed that hyperthermia in combination with hyperglycemia (excess sugar) actually ensures the destruction of tumor tissue. But at the same time, it turned out that some small part of the tumor cells still does not die, despite extensive necrosis of its main mass. Because of this, a relapse of the disease soon occurred. The source of the relapse turned out to be displaced cancer cells that had previously been dormant. After the destruction of their wealthy neighbors, these cells woke up and began to grow.
So, hyperthermic exposure beyond the optimum (43 ° or more), leading to necrosis of active cancer cells, does not affect the resting layers of the tumor at all. Temperatures within the optimum range (up to 42°) transfer them from a resting state to a more active one, and therefore to a more thermosensitive one. All that remains is to select the desired mode of exposure cycles so that the tumor begins to disappear not only in its actively growing center, but also along the periphery.
Many healers believe that the tumor should not necrotize (die), but slowly dissolve. To do this, you need to adhere to very narrow limits of optimal temperature exposure. Beyond the upper limit, tumor necrosis begins. Within the optimal boundaries, slow resorption of the tumor occurs, which is also facilitated by strengthening the immune system. Therefore, during the period of hyperthermal therapy, it is very advisable to use such effective immunomodulators as T-activin or diucifon - drugs that strengthen the immune formula, increase the number of lymphocytes in the blood and lymph, as well as T-cells, killer cells, destroying cancer cells and microorganisms during internal environment of the body. Temperatures below these limits do not suppress cancer cells, and perhaps even stimulate them. It is these temperatures that are considered contraindicated in official medicine for cancer. When oncologists say that heating can increase the progression and metastasis of tumors, they do not take into account the effects of ultra-high temperatures.
However, ultra-high temperatures, as already mentioned, do not exclude relapses of the disease. It seems that the failures of some researchers are explained by the fact that they set the maximum temperature during treatment and paid insufficient attention to the duration of exposure to tumor cells. It seems to me that the most effective treatment for cancer is the use of milder temperatures (40 -42°) with a longer, and therefore deeper and more uniform effect.
The home sauna proposed by Alexander Vinokurov is perfect for this purpose (see picture).
The temperature in a home sauna is maintained by an electric heater (for example, an ordinary household stove with a power of 1.5 kW), which heats 2-3 jars of water lined with stones. The water boils and evaporates, forming soft steam. This whole simple device is placed on a wooden shelf attached to the back of the chair. The internal walls of the shelf are insulated with aluminum sheets. You can also use an aluminum freezer from an old refrigerator. The electric heater should be lined with stones on the sides. It is important that it does not touch the walls of the shelf.
The patient is seated in a chair and wrapped in a blanket along with the chair. It is desirable that there is an electric thermostat inside this “cocoon”, which would ensure a constant temperature. A special thermometer is used to monitor the temperature.
If a chair with armrests is used for the sauna, then special arches must be installed above them so that a small space remains inside the “cocoon” for air circulation. The back of the chair should not be solid.
If desired, the hands can be moved outside, for which a coat is put on top of the patient instead of a blanket and fastened with buttons, and a blanket is wrapped below the waist. During hyperthermic procedures, the head remains outside. One of the important advantages of a home steam room is that the whole body warms up (in half an hour to an hour the body temperature reaches 40°), but at the same time the person breathes air at room temperature. By the way, local heating of individual parts of the body or organs, in my opinion, is ineffective. Apparently, this is due to reverse vascular reactions to local heating.
During the hyperthermic procedure, it is recommended to drink hot tea (herbal or green) with honey to increase sweating. To ensure that sweat is easily absorbed, wear cotton underwear. After completing the procedure, take a contrast shower to cool the body to normal temperature.
For oncological diseases, two hyperthermic sessions are performed per day (morning and afternoon) lasting from two to four hours. The optimal air temperature is 40-42°. The course of treatment is 10 days. It is repeated 6-10 times with breaks of 10-30 days.
Additionally, measures to cleanse the blood of cell breakdown products are recommended: therapeutic fasting, juice therapy (for example, taking juices from vegetables, fruits and berries of red, yellow and black colors), taking adsorbents, vegetarian nutrition, clay therapy, etc.
It is even better to use a special stove with infrared irradiation for your home sauna. Its rays are softer, they penetrate into tissues more evenly and deeply. Such stoves are also available for sale at home.
There are several benefits to infrared heat. Firstly, it is easier to tolerate. This is especially important for seriously ill and weakened people. Secondly, it is more effective for cases of deep tumors and metastases. Unfortunately, I have not yet come across information about special studies on the use of infrared heating. I'm sure this is a matter of the future.
Despite the fact that in official medicine, heating the body for cancer is considered contraindicated, in Russia and abroad there are clinics where this disease is treated with heat. There is a clinic, for example, in Gorky, where they use a thermal chamber in the form of a sarcophagus (just like in the method described here, the head remains outside). The procedures are carried out under the control of devices.
In conclusion, I want to say that long-term hyperthermia of the body is a very physiological method. It resembles a fever - a natural reaction of the body to a pathogen, when the body fights the disease with the help of an increase in temperature.
Gennady Garbuzov
For many years, opinions have been divided on the compatibility of going to the bathhouse and people with cancer. Previously, it was believed that various types of heating of the tumor contributed to its growth, but then the opinion changed. The reason for this was all kinds of research by scientists.
The effect of high temperature on tumor formations is extremely ambiguous. Stimulation of their growth is indeed observed at a temperature of 38-40 degrees, but as the temperature level increases, the effect on the tumor changes. Thus, at 40-42 degrees the sensitivity of the formation to radiation or chemotherapy increases, so this temperature is used to increase the effectiveness of these treatment methods. And at 43-44 degrees, damage to tumor tissue occurs, which has found application in hyperthermia.
Treatment by increasing blood flow
The principle of action of bath procedures is aimed at accelerating the blood, and with good blood flow, treatment of diseased tissues begins. This is why bathhouse and oncology are well compatible, but only with the right approach.
Bath heat can inhibit tumor cells. Its indispensable property is the creation of strong blood flow, with the help of which the blood vessels are cleansed and cholesterol and other deposits are removed from their walls. You can tell about the effectiveness of heating by the redness of the skin. Scientists propose to use this property, created with the help of blood flow, to “wash” diseased tissues.
Research by scientists
The following scientists were able to prove the effect of blood flow on the treatment of diseased tissues, including oncology:
- Abram Zalmanov;
- Hardin Jones;
- Herbert Kraus.
Zalmanov's capillary therapy method
Abram Zalmanov, a naturopath and gerontologist, studied the effect of a bath on blood flow. During these studies, he developed a new treatment method - capillary therapy. He based it on the capillary system because it is through this that 80% of the total blood volume passes. In places where the capillaries were cleansed and the blood flow was restored, the healing effect exerted by the blood itself was observed. According to Zalmanov, blood can heal any organs of the body, provided that the capillaries are cleansed and the blood flow increases to 8-9 circles in one minute.
During the research, a blood test was carried out after the bath, which showed amazing results. According to them, as a result of bathing procedures, hemoglobin and the number of white and red blood cells increased. An increase in the level of leukocytes, which are “killers” of various infections, increased the destructive effect on viruses and microbes.
Jones Research
American hematologist Hardin Jones found that in young men by the age of 25, the volume of blood that circulates in muscle tissue decreases by almost half. This phenomenon is observed in young men who do not resort to any measures to increase blood flow (sports, baths, alkaline nutrition, etc.). As a result, the healing power of the blood is reduced by half.
If the blood is not cleansed of dead leukocytes in a timely manner by increasing blood flow, problems with the respiratory system may begin, manifesting at the first stage in snoring, and then developing into more serious consequences. It is the bath that will help quickly activate blood cells. The presence of oncology is not a contraindication to this procedure; it is simply necessary to strictly observe the recommended temperature regime and accustom the body gradually.
"Sauna" treatment of Professor Kraus
Professor Herbert Kraus used bath procedures in the treatment of his cancer patients, with the help of which he increased their body temperature and dispersed the blood. He noted that when cancer cells reach 40 degrees, they stop growing, and when reheated an hour later, they begin to die. They are captured by the increased blood flow and removed from the body, thereby cleansing diseased tissues. One of the main conditions for treating oncology is getting rid of dead cells, since their accumulation at the site of the tumor prevents the development of new healthy cells, as a result of which the disease begins to develop even more.
Final Conclusion
A bathhouse for oncology helps restore the movement of fluids, including blood. Based on these procedures, a multi-stage cancer therapy was created, including heating the body to 39-40 degrees in several stages. At the same time, doctors also use saturation of tumor cells to improve metabolism with oxygen, vitamins and glucose. Of course, treating oncology with a bath is possible only in the early stages of the disease.
The bath is contraindicated only in the presence of acute inflammation of the heart and severe heart failure. But people with these diseases are prohibited not only from going to the bathhouse, but also from any other water procedures, including swimming.
