Hyperthermia Treatment
“Give me the power to create a fever, and I shall cure any disease.”
Hippocrates- Father of Western Medicine
The Power of A Natural Fever
We believe that any health condition starts and ends with the immune system and its ability to ward off disease or to rebuild and regain health. With this in mind, we focus large amounts of time and energy in turning on the immune system—at every level.
One of the basic ways our body fights disease naturally is to increase its core temperature through a fever. When the body’s intelligence senses cellular danger or imposition it goes to war through an inflammatory response which sends healing cells like cytokines to the affected area or throughout the entire body; causing heat, redness, and inflammation to an area (like in the case of a sliver) or fever, body aches, chills, etc. (in the case of a virus). This is a perfect way of knowing our body is doing its job and we are on the road to wellness.
In part, this miraculous way of warding off pathogens and other threats is what our technology is designed to focus on and recreate as part of our treatment at Life Health Centers.
One of the reasons the disease is on the rise is due to the increase in anti-inflammatories and the pharmaceutical advances that allow us to turn off a fever—our body’s first line of defense—in order to go without suffering. While this is understandable since being sick is inconvenient to our normally busy and stressful lives, it is not conducive to giving our immune system practice and at least annually (suggesting a person gets a cold, flu or infection once a year) monitoring and regulating the almost constant interaction our bodies have with toxins, pathogens, and anaerobic cells of all kinds including cancer, Lyme and other serious life-threatening conditions.
It’s interesting to note that most chronically ill patients report not having a fever in many years—indicating 1. There are many layers to the immune system and 2. Their immune system is not functioning well.
Whole-body Hyperthermia is designed to “turn-on” the cascade of events that happens when the body’s core temperature is increased—a natural healing response.
Hyperthermia is defined as a temperature elevation by several degrees above the normal physiological level. Hyperthermia treatment is not new—in fact, it’s very old, as old as Socrates, and has been established as a great tool for fighting disease. Currently, there are several ways medicine uses heat to handle varying conditions. However, none of them are as effective as heating the whole body and holding the core temperature at increased levels for an extended period of time.
Due to our specifically designed suit and the incorporation of PEMF technology as well as Hyper-oxygenation, we are able to reach resounding effects at lower body temperatures than previously used; this is good news for our patients who are not required to be sedated and are at minimal risk. We manage a very specific balance with heat; making sure to empower healthy cells and organisms while eliminating diseased cells and organisms—again, one of the advantages of our patented technology.
Hyperthermia is ideal as a treatment option in itself as well as being a complement for antibiotics, allowing patients to boost the effectiveness of their medication with whole-body hyperthermia.
Life Health Centers is the only clinic in the United States that does whole-body hyperthermia. It is widely used in clinics in Asia and Europe.
Read some of the academic papers about this subject below:
Sauna as a Valuable Clinical Tool for Cardiovascular, Autoimmune, Toxicantinduced and other Chronic Health Problems
Detoxification in Naturopathic Medicine
Arsenic, Cadmium, Lead, and Mercury in Sweat: A Systematic Review
Orchestra of Modalities
At Life Health, we believe that when treating Lyme Disease and Cancer, we need to look at the cancer cell or spirochete on a molecular level. Per cellular biology, there are similarities between both of these cells that mother nature has hidden in cellular biology to give us clues on how to treat them based on the chemistry, physics, and biology of environment that we know cancer cells and spirochetes thrive in.
Instead of focusing on stressing a cancer cell or spirochetes on one plane of stress with a point load such as thermal stress with hyperthermia and requiring a temperature that may damage brain cells, our protocol stresses cells on a variety of planes to create a synergetic effect that requires a lower temperature during hyperthermia to produce the same hostile environment to target cancer cells and spirochetes.
Due to our specifically designed suit and the incorporation of PEMF technology as well as Hyper-oxygenation, we are able to reach resounding effects at lower body temperatures than previously used; this is good news for our patients who are not required to be sedated and are at minimal risk.
We manage a very specific balance with heat; making sure to empower healthy cells and organisms while eliminating diseased cells and organisms—again, one of the advantages of our patented technology.
When presented as concert therapy timed with precision and sequentially managed, these modalities bring about refinements in enzyme reactions that trigger cell hypoxemia and instigate a metabolic process in the body of restoring healthy cell growth. These molecular actions begin immediately once treatment starts, stressing viruses and anaerobic cells through various mechanisms while increasing immune system performance.
Whole Body Hyperthermia
One of the basic ways our body fights disease naturally is to increase its core temperature through a fever. When the body’s intelligence senses cellular danger or imposition it goes to war through an inflammatory response which sends healing cells like cytokines to the affected area or throughout the entire body; causing heat, redness, and inflammation to an area (like in the case of a sliver) or fever, body aches, chills, etc. (in the case of a virus). This is a perfect way of knowing our body is doing its job and we are on the road to wellness.
Pulsed Electromagnetic Field (PEMF)
At the body’s molecular level, each atom contains outer electrons (valence electrons) that roughly orbit the nucleus in varying paths. An external electromagnetic pulse gives the valence electrons a shove intensifying their action which consequently enhances and improves molecular action.
By influencing the electrons’ orbital trajectory, this effect on the cells greatly increases their chemical reactions. The body can then produce more ATP that gives the necessary energy to the cell enabling the cell to function at a higher capacity.
Enzyme Exercise
Enzymes are essential components in your body that work to help your body heal, metabolize, provide energy to cells, and keep your brain functioning at its best. However, enzyme levels can sometimes fall, due to illness, as a symptom of another condition, or other factors.
With exercise, you are able to raise your enzyme levels to compensate for the workout, which according to many studies have the ability to cause an anti-oxidizing effect on your body, as well as improving digestion and other important bodily functions.
IV Therapy
IV Therapy is used to deliver nutrients, minerals, and other substances directly into the bloodstream, bypassing the gastrointestinal tract, which is commonly compromised with leaky gut and gut toxicity in many immunocompromised patients.
With leaky gut, even if you are eating the most healthy organic, whole foods autoimmune Paleolithic diet, or even a 100% plant-based vegan diet, you most likely are not assimilating all the nutrients. It’s a myth that everything we eat we assimilate into our cells to help us make hormones, neurotransmitters, and aid our mitochondria (the powerhouse engine of all our cells) make ATP, which is cellular energy.
Lymphatic Drainage
Per Newton's 2nd Law of Motion, weight is defined as the function of mass times acceleration. At the apogee of a jump, a person is, for a split second, weightless. When that person lands, he/she weighs more than normal (try jumping on a set of scales to verify this).
Vertical vibration of a plate on which you stand duplicates this phenomenon many times a second. Different vibration frequencies affect different parts of the body. But all vibrations affect the lymphatic system, causing lymphatic irrigation, and all the body’s cell walls react positively to the flexing of the cell walls caused by the alternating weightlessness and increased weight.
When blood is thin and fat has changed, now is the time to move carnage and chemicals out of the body. We create this response artificially — all within natural physiological dynamics.
Oxygen Therapy
Cancer cells and spirochetes are anaerobes, which means they tolerate only low levels of oxygen and do not thrive in hyperoxygenated environments.
Oxygen therapy is designed to penetrate the body’s cellular pathways in a way that accelerates intra-cellular activity at levels that have not previously been possible. Diseased cells cannot live in an oxygen-rich environment.
Hyperthermia is defined as a temperature elevation by several degrees above the normal physiological level. Hyperthermia treatment is not new—in fact, it’s very old, as old as Socrates, and has been established as a great tool for fighting disease.
Currently, there are several ways medicine uses heat to handle varying conditions. However, none of them are as effective as heating the whole body and holding the core temperature at increased levels for an extended period of time.
One of the basic ways our body fights disease naturally is to increase its core temperature through a fever. When the body’s intelligence senses cellular danger or imposition it goes to war through an inflammatory response which sends healing cells like cytokines to the affected area or throughout the entire body; causing heat, redness, and inflammation to an area (like in the case of a sliver) or fever, body aches, chills, etc. (in the case of a virus). This is a perfect way of knowing our body is doing its job and we are on the road to wellness.
When considering hyperthermia and its effects on cancer cells we can simply look at the cancer cell’s ability to tolerate high temperatures. While this may seem like a simple solution to a devastating diagnosis, the impacts are mass and not to be taken lightly.
A normal cell has roughly 36 ATP (the energy producers in a cell). A cancer cell has roughly 7, making its ability to survive much more dependent on what it eats (sugar) as well as its environment. When seduced into high temperatures a cancer cell is inflicted with the inability to create enough energy (ATP) to stay alive; meanwhile, a healthy cell not only manages to stay intact but actually thrives producing enzymes, heat shock proteins and nitric oxide which have a myriad of positive effects on the system. Not only does this engage the immune system but it deposits “chemicals” into the system that can literally change your DNA.
When considering hyperthermia and its effects on Lyme we focus more on what the hyperthermia treatment is inducing in the body. Lyme is known as a condition that alters DNA wreaking havoc on literally every system in the body.
But first, just as with cancer, in order for Lyme to become the major problem for an individual, we must agree that the immune system at the time of the invasion was depleted and not working at 100%.
Therefore, focus on repairing and rebuilding the immune system is paramount to any chosen treatment and hyperthermia provides the environment in the body to activate and engage the immune system.
By heating/thinning the blood, circulation is increased flooding organs and tissues causing interstitial fluid to reach the surface of the skin where it makes an attempt to avert the heat through sweating.
When the body is denied this ability (due to the hyperthermia suit technology) the body is forced to produce enzymes, heat shock proteins, and nitric oxide, which have a myriad of positive effects on the system. It is the heat shock proteins, that when repaired and activated have the ability to repair damaged DNA caused by Lyme bacterium.
An additional benefit to Lyme patients via hyperthermia is its effect on biofilms. Biofilms can be equally difficult to treat and also create a huge amount of toxicity in the blood. Hyperthermia, through thinning the blood naturally and mobilizing toxins, allows for biofilm to be eliminated properly and without side-effects such as hexing.
At the body’s molecular level, each atom contains outer electrons (valence electrons) that roughly orbit the nucleus in varying paths. An external electromagnetic pulse gives the valence electrons a shove intensifying their action which consequently enhances and improves molecular action.
By influencing the electrons’ orbital trajectory, this effect on the cells greatly increases their chemical reactions. The body can then produce more ATP that gives the necessary energy to the cell enabling the cell to function at a higher capacity.
When an injury occurs, the body’s nervous system and cells that surround the nervous system navigate a negative electromagnetic field at the site of injury for healing. It must maintain the negative magnetic field in order for healing to occur.
A negative magnetic field is alkalizing. We have to have the alkalinized area for healing to occur because you cannot have oxygen in an acidic medium. Most of the benefits associated with the pulse magnetic field will be enhanced while working within the static magnetic field.
Now, with the addition of PEMF technology built into the whole body hyperthermia system, we are able to generate stem cells and massively increase cellular communication affecting many areas of the body but most importantly for Lyme patients their nervous system and Blood-Brain Barrier.
Crucial to long-term success with Lyme disease is the effectiveness of the Blood-brain Barrier. PEMF has enormous amounts of research showing unequivocal results on repairing damaged nerve tissue (i.e., Lyme Brain).
The tri-action environment of a pulsed electric magnetic field (PEMF), while in an enriched oxygen environment and G-force, makes this protocol exciting and dynamic.”This medical treatment (modality) employs a superior additional new piece of alternative medical equipment.
The procedure is designed to penetrate the body’s cellular pathways in a way that accelerates intra-cellular activity at levels that have not previously been available to the public except in research trials. This state-of-the-art equipment allows us to increase cellular G-force.
The world’s awareness of this stimulating force along with PEMF came into focus through the research of our space programs. The acceleration of beneficial enzyme reactions is exponentially compounded when O2 (Oxygen) is infused into this modality.
Some of the benefits of Health Pod technology:
- Increases ATP (Adenosine Triphosphate) levels in the body. This is the source of the energy used to fight off disease.
- Drives fluid to the lymph pathways by way of dynamic force changes (expels toxins).
- Manipulates an increase in circulation, thus driving nutrients to the cells, expelling toxins, increasing antioxidants that neutralize free radicals, and stimulating cascading enzymic reactions.
- Using a multitude of vibrational frequencies we are able to target specific tissues in the body; everything from gums and glands to the brain and nerves.
- Increases and drives oxygen in the cells, tissues, and organs
- Instigates waste movement out of the cells, tissues, and organs
- Balances pH by increasing cellular alkalinity allowing for oxygen absorption
- DNA repair
- Releases chemical substrates that produce and activate enzymes and nitric oxide
- Facilitates sodium and potassium ion exchange and communication in cells increasing their functionality and ability to repair and heal
- Makes communication between the brain and body easier
- Detoxing harmful metals
- Target and eliminate microbes, bacteria, and parasites
- Growth of new blood cells including the production of stem cells
What is Hyperthermia Treatment?
Whole-body hyperthermia which consists of the elevation of the core temperature of the body achieved by circulating the blood through a high-tech heat-exchange device has provided positive results in the treatment of Lyme Disease and advanced cancer.
History of Hyperthermia Treatment
Hyperthermia, from the Greek words “hyper”, meaning high and “thermos” meaning temperature, can simply be defined as the elevation of the body temperature.
The empirical observation that the healing process is often preceded by febrile episodes, the induction of thermic elevation has been attempted as a cure for thousands of years. In recent centuries, there were reports of cures of cancer and cases of syphilis, which improved spontaneously after severe fever episodes that were caused by other infections.
Hippocrates routinely buried patients in the desert sand to elevate their core body temperature in an attempt to cure disease. In the middle of the 1800s a Germany physician, Dr. William Bush noted spontaneous remission of sarcomatous tumors in patients who sustained prolonged fever episodes.
Dr. W. C. Colley at the turn of the century injected cancer patients with different toxins to create artificial fever with good results, and Dr. Julius Wagner-Jauregg, an Austrian physician, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Medicine in 1927 for his successful work using malaria serum fever induction in patients plagued with severe complications of syphilis.
Hyperthermia represents a natural approach in combating disease since it involves inducing an exaggerated version of the body’s own fever state.
Medical research has found that induced hyperthermia has damaging effects on cancerous cells and infectious agents, but the technical limitation in elevating body temperature in an accurate, consistent, and reproducible way was a major obstacle to accomplishing this goal in humans despite the exciting results obtained in experimental observations.
The physiological and biological mechanisms of hot-blooded mammals including humans demand that the body maintain a temperature that is normally above that of the external environment. However, it is important to note that the same functions can only successfully operate within very narrow temperature margins.
Our bodies have developed highly sophisticated heating and cooling systems to maintain a stable temperature within the narrow margins required regardless of environmental conditions. The process that attempts to maintain a steady internal thermal balance is called homeostasis.
There are only a few physiological conditions in which the thermal balance is changed: winter hibernation, egg-setting hens, and fever. Only fever is a physiological thermal resource in humans.
Fever acts as a defense mechanism against a number of processes, mostly related to either infections or the presence of abnormal proteins in the bloodstream called pyrogens.
One of the most immediate physiological effects of fever is the acceleration of metabolic processes in general. Fever increases oxygen uptake and renders white blood cells more aggressive against bacteria, fungi, or viruses.
By making the cells more permeable, white blood cells are able to discharge into the bloodstream more aggressive substances against infectious organisms and increase their phagocytic capability, which is the destructive capability of the cells.
Fever within physiological limits can have many beneficial effects and will not produce any harm to normal cells that are able to cope with the higher metabolic demand. Human cells under specific metabolic conditions, such as cancer cells or infected cells can be seriously challenged by thermic stress and may even be killed by it.
In summary, fever should be seen as an important physiological defense mechanism against disease.
Hyperthermia has produced heartening results for advanced cases of cancer or Lyme Disease, where the immune system is compromised and requires more intensive, more aggressive treatment protocols.
Whole-body hyperthermia consists of heating the patient’s body by circulating blooding through a heat exchange device. This is a modern expression of the ancient observation that cancer cells cannot stand high temperatures to which normal cells are otherwise insensitive.
High heats set off a cascade of intracellular events in cancer cells leading to “apoptosis” or “programmed cell death.”
Many infectious agents are sensitive to heat, particularly Lyme Disease, which dies due to heat shock before normal human biology is altered.
Summarizing, we observe that the artificial elevation of body temperature either through normal physiology (fever) or by induction (medical hyperthermia) is an important healing factor in the management and treatment of several infectious processes and in the treatment of cancer. Medical hyperthermia can be applied in cases where normal fever response is not present because of the inability of the host to react to the illness. Of key importance, medical hyperthermia is carried out under tightly controlled circumstances, making it a safe and accurate therapeutic tool.
Hyperthermia Treatment Methods:
It wasn’t until the 1970s when Dr. Parks, a cardiothoracic surgeon, reported success in using an extracorporeal technique to conduct more than one thousand whole-body hyperthermia sessions for the treatment of cancer.
The use of external sources of heat creates uneven heat distribution in the body and burns are not uncommon. The extracorporeal technique involves circulating blood through a closed-circuit device.
Extracorporeal circulation with the help of a pump will carry the blood through a heat exchange unit. The heat will then be transferred to the blood then recirculated to the body.
Utilizing the cardiovascular system for inducing hyperthermia
Hyperthermia Treatment for Cancer:
There are many forms of cancer in which hyperthermia can play a major role and lead to a successful result: hyperthermia by itself can have lethal effects against certain forms of cancer, and in an integrative protocol in which other non-toxic modalities are used this method is a major adjunctive therapy.
Cell death is a fundamental phenomenon of organisms occurring naturally as part of embryo development, in cell turnover in adults, and as a result of injuries and pathological processes. There are two types of cell death – necrosis and apoptosis.
Necrosis involves damage to the cell by an external factor such as an injury, infectious agent, or immune reaction and in fact, is the cell death phenomenon that we have commonly recognized and understood.
Apoptosis or programmed cell death is characterized by a degradation of the cell with shrinkage and fragmentation triggered from within. The genetic material in each cell has information codes that allow the cell to evaluate its own functions.
Hyperthermia is one of the major apoptosis inducers. This is why remission of cancer has been empirically seen after febrile episodes and more recently under induced temperature elevation.
The damage and changes produced by hyperthermia can be enhanced with the use of substances that can further the metabolic problem of cancer cells. Vitamin C, glucose, low-dose chemotherapy, and low-dose radiation therapy have been pointed to as an important adjuvant for a more effective therapeutic outcome. It has been proven that in patients with resistance to chemotherapy, whole-body hyperthermia can reinstitute drug efficacy.
It is widely recognized and scientifically proven that whole-body hyperthermia renders cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy. This allows the use of milder forms of chemotherapy at lower doses and hence with fewer side effects and complications.
The same is true for radiation therapy: whole-body hyperthermia can substantially increase the possible damage to the cancer cell with the use of radiation. And again, it is possible to use fewer radiation sessions, with shorter times and lower doses in general, and still obtain good results with milder side effects.
Hyperthermia Treatment for Lyme Disease Treatment:
The rationale for the use of whole-body hyperthermia begins with nature itself. Fever is the most immediate reaction to infection and at the same time one of the best known and earliest recognized defense mechanisms.
Under normal circumstances, many infectious agents that were or still are important plagues of mankind can be damaged and destroyed at temperatures that are easily tolerated by normal human cells.
The causative agents of Lyme Disease are among the most notorious infectious agents that are susceptible to heat and have become important targets of this method.
Clinical Application of Hyperthermia Treatment:
Candidates for whole-body hyperthermia are carefully evaluated not only in terms of the main diagnosis but also their general, nutritional, and overall condition and specifically their lung and heart functions.
Careful clinical diagnosis and stage of the disease with all possible elements to establish the status of the illness will provide necessary information to allow both patient and physician to evaluate changes in the disease in an objective and systematic manger. This is vital in the planning of adjunctive and future therapies that will bring about a successful outcome.
Radiological studies, such as CT scans, MRI, and other X-ray images, are helpful criteria to judge changes in the progression of a tumor. Laboratory findings are also important factors in this assessment, particularly tumor markers in blood.
In the case of viral infections, modern laboratory techniques can provide accurate information such as viral load quantification, antibody titer elevation, and immunological reactions to the disease which provide important feedback to support or modify the hyperthermia treatment program.
Laboratory tests may show some changes following hyperthermia, similar in nature to those observed after a high fever. However, as in fever, these changes will return to normal in a few days and scientific studies provide they inconsequential.
The day after the treatment most patients feel as they would feel after a normal febrile episode: tired, sleepy, and with mild aches and pains. All these symptoms are mild enough not to require any specific medication.
Results from well-formulated basic scientific studies and subsequent clinical studies have demonstrated that heat as a therapeutic option is a viable alternative. Heat therapy can be a tool which can be offered to many, but state-of-the-art technology, a professional staff well-trained in this protocol and prudent patient screening must first be developed in order to implement a safe, non-toxic procedure.
Chronic viral infections are the other group of diseases in which treatment options at present are not only limited but unfortunately are accompanied by short-term results.
We cannot stress enough the importance of an accompanying protocol of detoxification, nourishment, immune augmentation, and overall well-being as the foundation for more sophisticated forms of therapy.
The final determination of the value of hyperthermia treatment in a particular case can only be decided by the interaction of doctor and patient together with the appropriate analysis of clinical and laboratory findings.
It is highly recommended that any metabolic distributes detected before hyperthermia is placed under control before this metabolism-challenging procedure is done.
Patients normally undergo integrative metabolic protocols before and after whole-body hyperthermia in order to enhance the positive aspects and results to be expected from such a comprehensive program.
Hyperthermia has a proven track record of use in medicine for the treatment of cancer, Lyme Disease, and other a variety of other autoimmune conditions. Recently we have seen a resurgence of its importance as a potential treatment option in the management of chronic illness in the fields of oncology and infectious diseases.
LIFE Health Centers offers multiple unique treatment modalities that better equip your body to combat disease. One of those modalities is hyperthermia, the process of artificially inducing fever-like temperatures in the body. The benefits of pumping the body up to fever-like temperatures have been well documented in research as reviewed by Evans et al in Nature Reviews Immunology1,9. Temperatures above normal body-temperature trigger a variety of favorable physiological responses including activating our immune system3. This article summarizes some of that research to better understand hyperthermia.
The phenomenon of having a fever has been around for more than 600 million years and is found in both warm-blooded animals (like humans) that can self-regulate body temperature and cold-blooded animals (like snakes and lizards) that depend on the environment for regulating temperature2-9. The fact that this phenomenon has been around and is utilized by many different kinds of animals is a testimonial to the benefits that it provides for better survival1. Research shows that just a small increase of body-temperature of about 1-40 C can help us fight disease-causing agents like bacteria.2,10. Fever is an important part of the immune system, studies have shown that antipyretic drugs (drugs that reduce fever) can cause as much as a 5% increase in deaths caused by influenza virus and negatively affects patient outcomes in the ER10-12. On the opposite side of the fever spectrum, uncontrolled high fevers can be extremely harmful to the body and in such cases, reducing body temperature by hypothermia (cooling the body) is seen as beneficial13-14. But overall, letting the body have a febrile response is extremely beneficial and some of the molecular and physiological responses are described below.
How a fever helps the body fight infection is still not completely understood. As we study the fever-response, interesting mechanisms are beginning to be unraveled including a significant activation of the body’s immune system. One obvious mechanism seems to be the direct effect of fever on disease-causing microbes. Temperatures of 40-410 C can greatly reduce the capacity of viruses and bacteria to divide and multiply and at the same time, make them vulnerable to the immune system15,16. This is especially true for thermo-labile bacteria, meaning bacteria that cannot absolutely survive at higher temperatures. Two forms of pathogenic spirochetes: Borrelia Burgdorferi and Treponema Palladium that are responsible for Lyme and syphilis do not produce the necessary heat shock proteins to survive higher temperatures17-19. Just slight increases in temperature can completely stop the growth of these microbes and can be lethal to them21. Before the use of antibiotics, neurosyphilis patients were infected with malarial parasites in order to induce a fever. The fever would then trigger the immune system to kill the spirochetes that caused the neurosyphilis. The malaria was later effectively cured using treatments available at that time. Dr. Julius Wagner-Jauregg won the Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1927 for using this healing modality20. This data would suggest that elevated body temperatures may be beneficial in treating the Lyme spirochetes as well.
In addition to being lethal to the disease-causing microbes, an induced fever can stimulate the two arms of our immune system: adaptive immunity (acquired from exposure to microbes or immunizations) and innate or natural immunity. When the cells of our innate immune system recognize the presence of a foreign body, they secrete chemical messengers to relay this information to other parts of the body. The main chemical messenger that carries out this function is a molecule called IL-6 22-24. IL-6 stimulates an enzyme called COX2 (cyclo-oxygenase-2) in the brain to produce PGE-2 (prostaglandin-2). PGE-2 then triggers fever in our body 25-27.
Thermal-range temperatures then stimulate and activate almost every step of the immune response and help the body fight infection. Fever-range temperatures can activate neutrophils (cells that fight infection), increase their capacity to kill bacteria, and recruit them to different areas of the body including any sites of inflammation or tumors 28,29. Another important immune-cell type that is affected by fevers is natural killer cells 30-32. Natural killer cells are our first line of defense against tumors and viruses. Fevers can increase the cytotoxic (ability to kill) activity of natural killer cells and help in their recruitment to tumors. In fact, three decades of extensive clinical research has shown that hyperthermia is an effective modality in the treatment of tumors 30-32.
The most well-studied immune cell that is affected by fevers is the macrophages 33-34. Macrophages secrete a variety of chemical messengers in response to fevers that result in bacterial clearance from the body. The dendritic cells process antigen material and present it on the cell surface to the killer T cells and the fever-like temperatures increase their ability to consume and clear infected cells, as well as their ability to recognize organisms that cause disease 35-37. Finally, fevers also activate cells of our adaptive immune system such as T and B-cells that further help in the clearance of pathogens 38-39.
https://lifehealthcenters.com/hyperthermia-for-major-depressive-disorder/
Hyperthermia works at different levels of our immune system to better equip the body to take down any infection effectively. It is a powerful and natural way for our body to defend itself against organisms that can make us sick.
For more information about Hyperthermia please visit our website at www.lifehealthcenters.com or contact us at 385-336-7777. We are happy to answer any of your questions.
- Evans, Sharon S., Elizabeth A. Repasky, and Daniel T. Fisher. “Fever and the thermal regulation of immunity: the immune system feels the heat.” Nature Reviews Immunology 15.6 (2015): 335-349.
2. Kluger, M. J. “Phylogeny of fever.” Federation Proceedings. Vol. 38. No. 1. 1979.
3. Bernheim, Harry A., and Matthew J. Kluger. “Fever: effect of drug-induced antipyresis on survival.” Science 193.4249 (1976): 237-239.
4. Vaughn, Linda K., Harry A. Bernheim, and Matthew J. Kluger. “Fever in the lizard Dipsosaurus dorsalis.” Nature 252.5483 (1974): 473-474.
5. Covert, Jerry B., and William W. Reynolds. “Survival value of fever in fish.” Nature 267.5606 (1977): 43-45.
6. Reynolds, William W., Martha E. Casterlin, and JERRY B. COVERT. “Behavioural fever in teleost fishes.” Nature 259.5538 (1976): 41-42.
7. Simone-Finstrom, M., et al. “Impact of food availability, pathogen exposure, and genetic diversity on thermoregulation in honey bees (Apis mellifera).” Journal of insect behavior 27.4 (2014): 527-539.
8. Blanford, Simon, and Matthew B. Thomas. “Adult survival, maturation, and reproduction of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria infected with the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae var acridum.” Journal of invertebrate pathology 78.1 (2001): 1-8.
9. Mackowiak, Philip A. “Fever: blessing or curse? A unifying hypothesis.” Annals of Internal Medicine 120.12 (1994): 1037-1040.
10. Earn, David JD, Paul W. Andrews, and Benjamin M. Bolker. “Population-level effects of suppressing fever.” Proc. R. Soc. B. Vol. 281. No. 1778. The Royal Society, 2014.
11. Schulman, Carl I., et al. “The effect of antipyretic therapy upon outcomes in critically ill patients: a randomized, prospective study.” Surgical infections 6.4 (2005): 369-375.
12. Ryan, Michael, and Mitchell M. Levy. “Clinical review: fever in intensive care unit patients.” Critical Care 7.3 (2003): 221.
13. Launey, Yoann, et al. “Clinical review: Fever in septic ICU patients-friend or foe?.” Critical Care 15.3 (2011): 222.
14. Polderman, Kees H. “Induced hypothermia and fever control for prevention and treatment of neurological injuries.” The Lancet371.9628 (2008): 1955-1969.
15. Lwoff, André. “Protoza to Bacteria and Viruses-Fifty Years with Microbes.” Annual Reviews in Microbiology 25.1 (1971): 1-27.
16. Osawa, Etsuko, and Louis H. Muschel. “Studies relating to the serum resistance of certain gram-negative bacteria.” Journal of Experimental Medicine 119.1 (1964): 41-51.
17. Porcella, Stephen F., and Tom G. Schwan. “Borrelia burgdorferi and Treponema pallidum: a comparison of functional genomics, environmental adaptations, and pathogenic mechanisms.” Journal of Clinical Investigation 107.6 (2001): 651.
18. Fraser, Claire M., et al. “Genomic sequence of a Lyme disease spirochaete, Borrelia burgdorferi.” Nature 390.6660 (1997): 580-586.
19. Fraser, Claire M., et al. “Complete genome sequence of Treponema pallidum, the syphilis spirochete.” Science 281.5375 (1998): 375-388.
20. Solomon, Harry C., and Israel Kopp. “Fever therapy.” New England Journal of Medicine 217.21 (1937): 805-814.
21. Reisinger, Emil, et al. “Antibiotics and increased temperature against Borrelia burgdorferi in vitro.” Scandinavian journal of infectious diseases 28.2 (1996): 155-157.
22. Hasday, Jeffrey D., Christopher Thompson, and Ishwar S. Singh. “Fever, immunity, and molecular adaptations.” Comprehensive Physiology (2014).
23. Elander, Louise, et al. “Cyclooxygenase-1 mediates the immediate corticosterone response to peripheral immune challenge induced by lipopolysaccharide.” Neuroscience letters 470.1 (2010): 10-12.
24. Hanada, Reiko, et al. “Central control of fever and female body temperature by RANKL/RANK.” Nature 462.7272 (2009): 505-509.
25. Rummel, Christoph, et al. “Circulating interleukin-6 induces fever through a STAT3-linked activation of COX-2 in the brain.” American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 291.5 (2006): R1316-R1326.
26. Turnbull, Andrew V., et al. “Interleukin-6 is an afferent signal to the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis during local inflammation in mice.” Endocrinology 144.5 (2003): 1894-1906.
27. Senn, Joseph J., et al. “Interleukin-6 induces cellular insulin resistance in hepatocytes.” Diabetes 51.12 (2002): 3391-3399.
28. Ostberg, Julie R., Bradley R. Ertel, and Julie A. Lanphere. “An important role for granulocytes in the thermal regulation of colon tumor growth.” Immunological investigations 34.3 (2005): 259-272.
29. Takada, Y., et al. “Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor enhances anti-tumour effect of hyperthermia.” International journal of hyperthermia 16.3 (2000): 275-286.
30. Zänker, KurtS, and Jochen Lange. “Whole body hyperthermia and natural killer cell activity.” The Lancet 319.8280 (1982): 1079-1080.
31. Shen, Rong-Nian, et al. “Whole-body hyperthermia decreases lung metastases in lung tumor-bearing mice, possibly via a mechanism involving natural killer cells.” Journal of clinical immunology 7.3 (1987): 246-253.
32. Burd, Randy, et al. “Tumor cell apoptosis, lymphocyte recruitment and tumor vascular changes are induced by low temperature, long duration (fever‐like) whole body hyperthermia.” Journal of cellular physiology 177.1 (1998): 137-147.
33. Jiang, Qingqi, et al. “Exposure to febrile temperature upregulates expression of pyrogenic cytokines in endotoxin-challenged mice.” American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 276.6 (1999): R1653-R1660.
34. Ostberg, Julie R., et al. “Regulatory effects of fever-range whole-body hyperthermia on the LPS-induced acute inflammatory response.” Journal of leukocyte biology 68.6 (2000): 815-820.
35. Manzella, John P., and Norbert J. Roberts. “Human macrophage and lymphocyte responses to mitogen stimulation after exposure to influenza virus, ascorbic acid, and hyperthermia.” The Journal of Immunology 123.5 (1979): 1940-1944.
36. Postic, Bosko, et al. “Effect of temperature on the induction of interferons by endotoxin and virus.” Journal of bacteriology 91.3 (1966): 1277-1281.
37. Knippertz, Ilka, et al. “Mild hyperthermia enhances human monocyte-derived dendritic cell functions and offers potential for applications in vaccination strategies.” International Journal of Hyperthermia 27.6 (2011): 591-603.
38. von Andrian, Ulrich H., and Thorsten R. Mempel. “Homing and cellular traffic in lymph nodes.” Nature Reviews Immunology 3.11 (2003): 867-878.
39. Von Andrian, Ulrich H. “Intravital microscopy of the peripheral lymph node microcirculation in mice.” Microcirculation 3.3 (1996): 287-300.
Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Cancer
When considering hyperthermia and its effects on cancer cells we can simply look at the cancer cell’s ability to tolerate high temperatures. While this may seem like a simple solution to a devastating diagnosis, the impacts are mass and not to be taken lightly.
A normal cell has roughly 36 ATP (the energy producers in a cell). A cancer cell has roughly 7, making its ability to survive much more dependent on what it eats (sugar) as well as its environment. When seduced into high temperatures a cancer cell is inflicted with the inability to create enough energy (ATP) to stay alive; meanwhile, a healthy cell not only manages to stay intact but actually thrives producing enzymes, heat shock proteins and nitric oxide which have a myriad of positive effects on the system. Not only does this engage the immune system but it deposits “chemicals” into the system that can literally change your DNA.
Hyperthermia kills cancer cells in tumors, without damaging normal tissues because higher temperatures selectively destroy the cancer cells that are hypoxic (lacking oxygen) and have low pH, a condition of cancer cells, and not a condition of normal cells. Hyperthermia increases blood flow. It is well proven that increased blood flow leads to increased oxygenation.
When using a whole-body approach (vs. a local approach such as radiation) hyperthermia is able to penetrate all cells, tissues, and organs leaving cancer cells no place to hide and making the source of cancer much less relevant. What does this mean of course, that whole-body hyperthermia addresses the cause of cancer, not the symptoms and location? For we know that a person encounters cancer cells between 6-12 times a year as well as the notion that just because a mass or tumor grows in your breast, for example, does not mean that the source of the cancer in the breast. In fact, cancer is an immune system dysfunction, not a breast, colon, prostate, or other organ dysfunction.
In contrast, conventional chemotherapy today injures the immune system and destroys many of the healthy cells that are necessary to enable a person to recover from cancer. When considering hyperthermia and its effects on Lyme we focus more on what the hyperthermia treatment is inducing in the body. Lyme is known as a condition that alters DNA wreaking havoc on literally every system in the body.
But first, just as with cancer, in order for Lyme to become the major problem for an individual, we must agree that the immune system at the time of the invasion was depleted and not working at 100%. Therefore, focus on repairing and rebuilding the immune system is paramount to any chosen treatment and hyperthermia provides the environment in the body to activate and engage the immune system. By heating/thinning the blood, circulation is increased flooding organs and tissues causing interstitial fluid to reach the surface of the skin where it makes an attempt to avert the heat through sweating. When the body is denied this ability (due to the hyperthermia suit technology) the body is forced to produce enzymes, heat shock proteins, and nitric oxide, which have a myriad of positive effects on the system. It is the heat shock proteins, that when repaired and activated have the ability to repair damaged DNA caused by Lyme bacterium.
An additional benefit to Lyme patients via hyperthermia is its effect on biofilms. Biofilms can be equally difficult to treat and also create a huge amount of toxicity in the blood. Hyperthermia, through thinning the blood naturally and mobilizing toxins, allows for biofilm to be eliminated properly and without side-effects such as hexing.
Now, with the addition of PEMF technology built into the whole body hyperthermia system, we are able to generate stem cells and massively increase cellular communication affecting many areas of the body but most importantly for Lyme patients their nervous system and Blood-Brain Barrier. Crucial to long-term success with Lyme disease is the effectiveness of the Blood-brain Barrier. [Read more about that here.] PEMF has enormous amounts of research showing unequivocal results on repairing damaged nerve tissue (i.e., Lyme Brain).
Just because we’re human, the detox component of Whole-Body Hyperthermia is impressive and necessary. We are constantly bombarded with environmental and food toxins beyond our control. Additionally, medications such as antibiotics and chemotherapy, recreational drug and alcohol use, and heavy metals are a reality of being “sick”, which also depletes our body of nutritional absorption and proper immune function.
Whole-Body Hyperthermia when heating the body, also dutifully affects the adipose (fat) tissue and structures in our bodies. Fat tissue is where most “toxins” are stored making it possible to have implications in our blood, organs (brain make-up is 85% fat), as well as “extra” fat storage we may have due to being overweight. When the blood and fat are heated they become more easily circulated. Adipose cells are literally knocked loose in the capillaries enabling toxins to become mobile and now available for excretion by the lymphatic system and other detox organs like the kidneys and liver.
This is key to not only eliminating “carnage” or waste which has built up over years on our planet but is critical to getting rid of diseased or dying cells as well as medications that may have been used to treat disease.
At the Life Health Centers, hyperthermic toxin removal is a combination of advanced medical modalities designed to detox the body. This procedure is more effective than any other toxin removal technique available anywhere.
* When it comes to Lyme patients, which are notorious for hexing after any kind of therapy, we rarely see it. Our treatments are so effective and efficient at turning on the “drainage system” and mobilizing waste (including biofilm.
What is hyperthermia?
Hyperthermia (also called thermal therapy or thermotherapy) is a type of cancer treatment in which body tissue is exposed to high temperatures (up to 113°F). Research has shown that high temperatures can damage and kill cancer cells, usually with minimal injury to normal tissues (1). By killing cancer cells and damaging proteins and structures within cells (2), hyperthermia may shrink tumors.
Hyperthermia is under study in clinical trials (research studies with people) and is not widely available.
How is hyperthermia used to treat cancer?
Hyperthermia is almost always used with other forms of cancer therapy, such as radiation therapy and chemotherapy (1, 3). Hyperthermia may make some cancer cells more sensitive to radiation or harm other cancer cells that radiation cannot damage. When hyperthermia and radiation therapy are combined, they are often given within an hour of each other. Hyperthermia can also enhance the effects of certain anticancer drugs.
Numerous clinical trials have studied hyperthermia in combination with radiation therapy and/or chemotherapy. These studies have focused on the treatment of many types of cancer, including sarcoma, melanoma, and cancers of the head and neck, brain, lung, esophagus, breast, bladder, rectum, liver, appendix, cervix, and peritoneal lining (mesothelioma) (1, 3–7). Many of these studies, but not all, have shown a significant reduction in tumor size when hyperthermia is combined with other treatments (1, 3, 6, 7). However, not all of these studies have shown increased survival in patients receiving combined treatments (3, 5, 7).
What are the different methods of hyperthermia?
Several methods of hyperthermia are currently under study, including local, regional, and whole-body hyperthermia (1, 3–9).
- Whole-body hyperthermia used to treat metastatic cancer that has spread throughout the body. This can be accomplished by several techniques that raise the body temperature to 107-108°F, including the use of thermal chambers (similar to large incubators) or hot water blankets.
The effectiveness of hyperthermia treatment is related to the temperature achieved during the treatment, as well as the length of treatment and cell and tissue characteristics (1, 2). To ensure that the desired temperature is reached, but not exceeded, the temperature of the tumor and surrounding tissue is monitored throughout hyperthermia treatment (3, 5, 7). Using local anesthesia, the doctor inserts small needles or tubes with tiny thermometers into the treatment area to monitor the temperature. Imaging techniques, such as CT (computed tomography), may be used to make sure the probes are properly positioned (5).
- In local hyperthermia, heat is applied to a small area, such as a tumor, using various techniques that deliver energy to heat the tumor. Different types of energy may be used to apply heat, including microwave, radio-frequency, and ultrasound. Depending on the tumor location, there are several approaches to local hyperthermia:
- Externalapproaches are used to treat tumors that are in or just below the skin. External applicators are positioned around or near the appropriate region, and energy is focused on the tumor to raise its temperature.
- Intraluminalor endocavitary methods may be used to treat tumors within or near body cavities, such as the esophagus or rectum. Probes are placed inside the cavity and inserted into the tumor to deliver energy and heat the area directly.
- Interstitial techniques are used to treat tumors deep within the body, such as brain tumors. This technique allows the tumor to be heated to higher temperatures than external techniques. Under anesthesia, probes or needles are inserted into the tumor. Imaging techniques, such as ultrasound, may be used to make sure the probe is properly positioned within the tumor. The heat source is then inserted into the probe. Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a type of interstitial hyperthermia that uses radio waves to heat and kill cancer cells.
- In regional hyperthermia, various approaches may be used to heat large areas of tissue, such as a body cavity, organ, or limb.
- Deep tissueapproaches may be used to treat cancers within the body, such as cervical or bladder cancer. External applicators are positioned around the body cavity or organ to be treated, and microwave or radiofrequency energy is focused on the area to raise its temperature.
- Regional perfusiontechniques can be used to treat cancers in the arms and legs, such as melanoma, or cancer in some organs, such as the liver or lung. In this procedure, some of the patient’s blood is removed, heated, and then pumped (perfused) back into the limb or organ. Anticancer drugs are commonly given during this treatment.
- Continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion(CHPP) is a technique used to treat cancers within the peritoneal cavity (the space within the abdomen that contains the intestines, stomach, and liver), including primary peritoneal mesothelioma and stomach cancer. During surgery, heated anticancer drugs flow from a warming device through the peritoneal cavity. The peritoneal cavity temperature reaches 106-108°F.
Does hyperthermia have any complications or side effects?
Most normal tissues are not damaged during hyperthermia if the temperature remains under 111°F. However, due to regional differences in tissue characteristics, higher temperatures may occur in various spots. This can result in burns, blisters, discomfort, or pain (1, 5, 7). Perfusion techniques can cause tissue swelling, blood clots, bleeding, and other damage to the normal tissues in the perfused area; however, most of these side effects are temporary. Whole-body hyperthermia can cause more serious side effects, including cardiac and vascular disorders, but these effects are uncommon (1, 3, 7). Diarrhea, nausea, and vomiting are commonly observed after whole-body hyperthermia (7).
Selected References
- van der Zee J. Heating the patient: a promising approach? Annals of Oncology2002; 13(8):1173–1184. [PubMed Abstract]
- Hildebrandt B, Wust P, Ahlers O, et al. The cellular and molecular basis of hyperthermia. Critical Reviews in Oncology/Hematology2002; 43(1):33–56. [PubMed Abstract]
- Wust P, Hildebrandt B, Sreenivasa G, et al. Hyperthermia in combined treatment of cancer. The Lancet Oncology2002; 3(8):487–497. [PubMed Abstract]
- Alexander HR. Isolation perfusion. In: DeVita VT Jr., Hellman S, Rosenberg SA, editors. Cancer: Principles and Practice of Oncology. Vol. 1 and 2. 6th Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 2001.
- Falk MH, Issels RD. Hyperthermia in oncology. International Journal of Hyperthermia2001; 17(1):1–18. [PubMed Abstract]
- Dewhirst MW, Gibbs FA Jr, Roemer RB, Samulski TV. Hyperthermia. In: Gunderson LL, Tepper JE, editors. Clinical Radiation Oncology. 1st New York, NY: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.
- Kapp DS, Hahn GM, Carlson RW. Principles of Hyperthermia. In: Bast RC Jr., Kufe DW, Pollock RE, et al., editors. Cancer Medicine e.5. 5th Hamilton, Ontario: B.C. Decker Inc., 2000.
- Feldman AL, Libutti SK, Pingpank JF, et al. Analysis of factors associated with outcome in patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma undergoing surgical debulking and intraperitoneal chemotherapy. Journal of Clinical Oncology2003; 21(24):4560–4567. [PubMed Abstract]
- Chang E, Alexander HR, Libutti SK, et al. Laparoscopic continuous hyperthermic peritoneal perfusion. Journal of the American College of Surgeons2001; 193(2):225–229. [PubMed Abstract]
What Our Patients Are Saying
"Although I was diagnosed with late-stage prostate disease, I felt there had to be a better alternative than surgery, chemotherapy and radiation — with their damaging side effects. And I wanted a treatment program that would allow me to keep the personal and professional commitments I had made, while still dedicating the necessary time to the treatments. LIFE Health Centers allowed me to do that. Their treatment protocols required a substantial time commitment, but they have left me feeling better than I had in years, not worse, and the education and support I have received from the staff are priceless. With their coaching, I am now living an active, healthy lifestyle that is the best protection against any recurrence.
"I have been suffering from Lyme Disease and a myriad of other issues for over five years. I have spent over $30,000 in search of treatments that would make a difference and get my life back. Although many of the treatments helped, I was still not 100% and not able to work full time. Finding the LIFE Health Centers was a dream come true, I am so grateful for their services and sincere desire to help each person get well."
"As Lymies know, we experience something most people are unable to grasp. Coming into Life Health Centers felt like meeting with family, which I had never felt at other clinics—it’s therapeutic. As time passed I started to see massive results neurologically, physically, and in other ways. When my father saw me for the first time since starting treatment, he began to cry. I’ve never seen him cry before, which shows how this disease and my results can break down walls and change relationships. I have seen more changes in three weeks here than in the last ten years combined. Sunshine has entered my life again.”
Where Results Matter
Life Health and Research Center is the world leader in the use of whole-body hyperthermia for the treatment of Lyme Disease and Cancer. Our integrative treatment protocol is designed to naturally modulate your immune system with research-based integrative medical modalities to patients diagnosed with serious and complex medical conditions. At Life Health, our global technologies and personalized, proprietary treatments give way to science-based treatment options that help our patients outperform.
