Specialized Alternative Treatments for Cancer and Chronic Disease

Compassionate & Personalized Service

We focus on healing the whole person, including their mind, body and soul. In order to accomplish this, we focus on patient-centered treatments, rather than disease-centered. We use a variety of specialty treatments for each patient, depending on their specific needs. Our functional medicine doctor takes the time needed to develop a custom treatment plan that includes specialized alternative treatments for cancer or chronic disease – treatments that will help empower the body’s healing.

Alternative Treatments for Chronic Disease & Cancer

Personalized Options

The list here of specialized alternative treatments is not exhaustive. To learn more about treatments we offer, call us or complete the contact form at the bottom of any page to get in touch with our physician.

*Synergy Lifestyle Medicine does not make any guarantee of outcomes. Results will vary from person to person, as each person is unique and may respond differently to various treatments.

Services Include:

Colon Hydrotherapy
Infrared Heat Dome
Lymphatic Drainage
Acupuncture
Targeted Supplements
Much More

Learn About Our Holistic Approach

IV Therapy Options

For Cancer Treatment

To learn more about IV therapies we offer, contact us today to speak to a physician.

See more about our IV therapy options by click on the items here:
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Contact us today to learn more and schedule an appointment!

Vitamin C Cancer Care

High-dose vitamin C IV therapy provides a perfect harmony in fighting cancer. It is beneficial to the healthy cells of the body, while killing the cancerous cells. Vitamin C (also known as ascorbate) in high doses causes the production of hydrogen peroxide in cells. This allows high-dose vitamin C IV therapy to take advantage of a key characteristic of cancerous cells.

Cancer cells do not use oxygen to breakdown glucose for energy, and therefore have very small amounts of an enzyme called catalase. Catalase is present in healthy cells and works to break down hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen, promoting healthy cell function. However, due to cancer cells lacking catalase, when given vitamin C (ascorbate) in high doses, they are unable to breakdown the hydrogen peroxide, become oxidized, and undergo cell death.

High-dose vitamin C IV therapy is a targeted natural therapy to that can be used to fight cancer as well as various infections.

High-dose vitamin C IV therapy is now recognized by various national organizations such as the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the National Cancer Institute.

Clinical Research Studies

There has been a variety of clinical research studies performed illustrating the positive effects that high-dose vitamin C IV therapy has on improving cancer patients’ quality of life, as well as extending their lives:

Schoenfeld, J. D., Sibenaller, Z. A., Mapuskar, K. A., Wagner, B. A., Cramer-Morales, K. L., Furqan, M., … Allen, B. G. (2017). O2; and H2O2-Mediated Disruption of Fe Metabolism Causes the Differential Susceptibility of NSCLC and GBM Cancer Cells to Pharmacological Ascorbate. Cancer Cell, 31(4), 487–500.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccell.2017.02.018

Chen, Q., Espey, M. G., Krishna, M. C., Mitchell, J. B., Corpe, C. P., Buettner, G. R., … & Levine, M. (2005). Pharmacologic ascorbic acid concentrations selectively kill cancer cells: action as a pro-drug to deliver hydrogen peroxide to tissues. Proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the United States of America, 102(38), 13604-13609.

Hydrogen Peroxide Cancer Care

Hydrogen peroxide therapy is considered an oxidative therapy. Oxidation is utilized to eliminate bacteria, viruses, cancer, and fungus. Hydrogen peroxide is used in such a way to naturally boost the ability of the body to kill off cancer cells or any other cells that are suspect (Douglass, 1992).

Cancer cannot thrive in the presence of oxygen, and therefore IV hydrogen peroxide is a potent anti-cancer treatment, one that is used alone, but which can also be used in conjunction with other treatments.

Dr. William Koch and Otto Warburg have claimed that blocking or impairing the oxidative process in enzymes and cells allows for fermentation of sugar and it is this fermentation within these cells that is a major contributor to cancer.

How It Works

The cells in your body that fight infection called granulocytes produce peroxide as a first-line defense against every single type of invading organism, including viruses, bacteria, parasites and yeast. H₂0₂is involved in all of life’s vital processes, including the metabolism of proteins, carbohydrates, fat as well as vitamins and minerals.

When given IV, hydrogen peroxide breaks down very rapidly in the bloodstream into oxygen. It does this by reacting with catalase, an enzyme that is abundant in both plasma cells and red blood cells and is significantly elevated in diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. As it reacts with catalase, it releases oxygen. The blood then becomes supersaturated with oxygen, which is the key to healing because these injured cells are literally starved for oxygen.

Effective prevention and treatment of these diseases depends upon the restoration and maintenance of the normal oxidative process.

Reference

Douglass, W. C. (1992). Hydrogen Peroxide: Medical Miracle (2nd ed.). Second Opinion Publishing, Inc.

Blood Purification Care

UBI & Ozone Therapy Can Treat Illness & Disease

Ozone is a chemical compound consisting of three oxygen atoms: 0₃. It is a highly energetic form of normal diatomic atmospheric oxygen (O₂). At room temperature, 0₃ is a colorless gas with a characteristic odor (it smells like the air after a thunderstorm or near the ocean).

Medical ozone is always a mixture of purest ozone and purest oxygen. It has highly pronounced bactericidal, fungicidal and virostatic properties.

Cells in our body make energy using a biochemical process known as cellular respiration. Most of the cells in our body thrive off of aerobic (meaning with oxygen) respiration as oxygen is used in the process to yield the most amount of energy in the form of ATP.

Cancer cells, however, have been described to become more aggressive in tissues that lack oxygen, a condition known as hypoxia. One study by Höckel et al. indicated that in a group of 89 patients over 5 years had a decreased chance of disease-free survival with tumors that lack oxygen when compared to patients with non-hypoxic tumors (Höckel et al., 1995).

Strengthening Your Immune System

Ozone (O₃) Ozone Major autohemotherapy is the process of infusing ozone molecules with your own blood that has been removed out of the body by a closed sterile process and then transferred back into the body.

Studies indicate that ozone stimulates flow of oxygen (O2) between tissue membranes thereby increasing the efficiency of cellular respiration (Madej et al., 2007). It has also has been shown to increase blood circulation and delivery of oxygen to tissues lacking oxygen (where some cancer cells thrive) (Bocci et al., 2011). As a result, ozone has the potential to create an unfavorable environment for cancer cells, while favoring healthy cells.

Clinical Research and Studies

Studies indicate that ozone (O₃) could promote an increase in production of naturally produced antioxidants (Inal et al., 2017). Research also indicates that ozone could boost the body’s natural immune system by promoting an increase in the production of special messengers called cytokines, such as Interferon, tumor necrosis factor, and interleukin-2 (chemical signaling molecules in the body) (Elvis and Ekta, 2011).

Luongo et al. suggest that ozone therapy could enhance the action of chemotherapy while also reducing side effects such as nausea, vomiting, opportunistic infections, mouth ulcers, hair loss and fatigue. As a result, ozone therapy could also “improve physical and mental well-being, resulting in a higher quality of life” (Luongo et al., 2017).

Bocci, V., Zanardi, I., Huijberts, M. S., & Travagli, V. (2011). Diabetes and chronic oxidative stress. A perspective based on the possible usefulness of ozone therapy. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome: Clinical Research & Reviews, 5(1), 45-49.

Elvis, A. M., & Ekta, J. S. (2011). Ozone therapy: A clinical review. Journal of natural science, biology, and medicine, 2(1), 66.

Höckel, M., Schlenger, K., Aral, B., Mitze, M., Schäffer, U., & Vaupel, P. (1996). Association between tumor hypoxia and malignant progression in advanced cancer of the uterine cervix. Cancer research, 56(19), 4509-4515.

Luongo, M., Brigida, A. L., Mascolo, L., & Gaudino, G. (2017). Possible Therapeutic Effects of Ozone Mixture on Hypoxia in Tumor Development. Anticancer Research, 37(2), 425-435.

Madej, P., Plewka, A., Madej, J. A., Nowak, M., Plewka, D., Franik, G., & Golka, D. (2007). Ozonotherapy in an induced septic shock. I. Effect of ozonotherapy on rat organs in evaluation of free radical reactions and selected enzymatic systems. Inflammation, 30(1-2), 52.

Reach out to our office today at (480) 868-7420 if you would like to make an appointment and learn more about this safe and efficient method of treatment.

Low-Dose Insulin Potentiated Fractionated Chemotherapy (IPT)

Insulin-potentiated fractionated low-dose chemotherapy (IPT) is a holistic and less toxic protocol for the treatment of many types of cancer. Typically, the traditional treatment of cancer calls for heavy doses of chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and risky surgery which can have a devastating effect on the entire body and mind. Our therapies at Synergy Lifestyle Medicine focus on safer and more natural treatments for cancer and restoring the body’s normal equilibrium.

How Does IPT Work?

It is based upon the hypothesis that insulin may be used to “potentiate” or enhance the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs, allowing IPT practitioners to administer as little as a one-tenth of the amount of chemotherapy drugs used in conventional treatment.

Cancer cells have many more insulin and GLUT-1 receptors than healthy cells, which helps them absorb glucose from the bloodstream. Glucose powers cancer cells, but often cancer cells cannot efficiently process glucose. Cancer cells starve surrounding cells by stealing glucose from them, which leads to significant weight loss in the patient. Because insulin is so critical for cancer cells, it also serves as a way to target glucose-hungry cells with chemotherapy.

Insulin, when mixed with chemotherapeutic drugs, can increase the effectiveness of the treatment exponentially. This allows doctors to treat cancer with 10 to 25 percent of the normal dose of chemotherapy agents. Because lower doses of chemotherapy are used, there are fewer overall side effects reported than in standard conventional doses.

Insulin also helps to make cancerous cells more vulnerable to chemotherapy. Insulin stimulates cell growth and reproduction, which occurs when cells divide. Cancer cells are the most susceptible to chemotherapy agents when they are dividing. IPT stimulates cells to divide and absorb far more chemotherapeutic treatment than they would without division.

Insulin also helps facilitates the detoxification that is necessary when treating cancer. In addition to making it easier for glucose and chemotherapy drugs to enter cells, it also encourages toxins and debris from dying tumor cells to be flushed from the body.

Learn More from Synergy Lifestyle Medicine

If you are seeking a gentler treatment for your cancer, IPT may be part of the solution. Patients undergoing IPT often do not experience the hair loss, extreme nausea or organ damage, all of which are associated with undergoing chemotherapy. In addition to IPT, our functional medicine doctor offers a number of complementary therapies to help strengthen your immune system.

Schedule an appointment with our functional medicine doctor today. Fill out our online contact form or call (480) 868-7420 to get started.

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) Cancer Care

Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) is an antioxidant that can be found naturally in foods like yeast, liver, kidney, spinach, and potatoes. Alpha Lipoic Acid is actually crucial in our bodies for aerobic cellular respiration (one of two pathways that cells use to break down carbohydrates to produce energy).

Beyond its crucial role in cellular metabolism, Alpha Lipoic Acid (ALA) has also been cited to play a role in the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS), antioxidant recycling, and chelating oxidant free ions (Rochette et al., 2013).

It is first important to understand that reactive oxygen species, sometimes called free radicals, are molecules that accumulate in the body and are highly reactive. As a result, these reactive oxygen species can interact with and damage the machinery of our healthy cells, which include DNA, RNA, proteins and lipids.

In Vitro Studies

Additionally, some studies in vitro (outside of body) indicate a synergistic interaction between certain anticancer drugs like cisplatin and Alpha Lipoic Acid, in which an increased amount of MCF-7 breast cancer cells were shown to die, than with cisplatin alone (Nur et al., 2017).

Another in vitro study on thyroid cancer cells indicated that ALA was able to decrease these cancerous cells from multiplying and migrating (Jeon et al., 2016). Furthermore, another in vitro study indicated that Alpha Lipoic Acid also decreased cell proliferation (cell multiplication) in certain lung cancer cells (Yang et al., 2017).

Reference

Rochette, L., Ghibu, S., Richard, C., Zeller, M., Cottin, Y., & Vergely, C. (2013). Direct and indirect antioxidant properties of α‐lipoic acid and therapeutic potential. Molecular nutrition & food research, 57(1), 114-125.

Nur, G., Nazıroğlu, M., & Deveci, H. A. (2017). Synergic prooxidant, apoptotic and TRPV1 channel activator effects of alpha-lipoic acid and cisplatin in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Journal of Receptors and Signal Transduction, 37(6), 569-577.

Jeon, M. J., Kim, W. G., Lim, S., Choi, H. J., Sim, S., Kim, T. Y., … & Kim, W. B. (2016). Alpha lipoic acid inhibits proliferation and epithelial mesenchymal transition of thyroid cancer cells. Molecular and cellular endocrinology, 419, 113-123.

Yang, L., Wen, Y., Lv, G., Lin, Y., Tang, J., Lu, J., … & Sun, X. (2017). α-Lipoic acid inhibits human lung cancer cell proliferation through Grb2-mediated EGFR downregulation. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 494(1-2), 325-331.

Test for Cancer Treatment Options

At Synergy Lifestyle Medicine, we have the ability to administer the following test. Granted, patients won’t need to undergo every single test on this list, but these are the test we’re capable of administering based on the patient’s situation:

Urine Toxic Metals Test – Tests for levels of heavy metal toxicity in the body for the 20 most common heavy metals. This test gives quantitative results of how severe the toxicity for each of the 20 metals are.
Cancer Profile – The Cancer Profile™© is based on the premise that detectable biochemical changes occur in the human body during its transformation into a cancerous state. It is composed of 7 tests: HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) chemiluminescence assay serum and HCG urine quantitative tests (American Metabolic Laboratories is the one and only clinical laboratory performing quantitative analysis for urine in the entire world). The PHI (phosphohexose isomerase enzyme); CEA (carcinoembryonic antigen); GGTP (gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase); TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone); and DHEA-S (dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate).
Oncoblot -This is a serum test that detect ENOX2 proteins shed into the bloodstream. The ENOX2 protein is found only when malignant or cancer cells are present. The ONCOblot database currently includes the 26 most common forms of cancer.
R.G.C.C. Test – Identifies which chemotherapeutic agents and/or natural agents or supplements would best be suited to target and attack your specific cancer cells for a personalized approach.
Adrenal Stress Index – Administered to patients with chronic stress or symptoms of fatigue or anxiety, and allows a better understanding of the function of the adrenal gland. Stress can be physical, emotional, psychological, environmental, infectious or a combination of these.
Female and Male Hormone Level Testing – Examines levels of all hormones pertaining to your gender to ensure a healthy balance and is used to obtain levels prior to and during bio-identical hormone replacement therapies.
Food Sensitivity Test – This lab tests which foods you may have sensitivities or allergies to that you are likely unaware of. These foods when consumed can cause inflammation and gut dysfunction, including leaky gut, which can lead to some autoimmune disorders. Chronic inflammation is a leading cause to a host of chronic disease entities and is a leading factor in cancer.
Micronutrient Test – Tests the levels of various essential micronutrients in your body. This is utilized to figure what your body is lacking, so that we may supplement the shortage and ultimately promote and restore healthy cell function. Chronic nutrient deficiencies can also lead to various chronic diseases, including some cancers.
MTHFR Gene Defect Testing – This is a common genetic defect that codes an enzyme necessary for an important metabolic process called methylation. This process is responsible for converting folate and folic acid into an active form that the body can use. Those with a mutation may have trouble effectively eliminating toxins from the body.
Routine Blood Work performed weekly includes complete blood count (CBC), complete metabolic profile (CMP), iron, and cancer markers to track your body’s response to the various treatments.
Neurotransmitters (Labrix labs) – Neurobasic panel can test for common neurotransmitters, including levels of serotonin, GABA, dopamine, epinephrine, norepinephrine and glutamate.
Tests for Leaky Gut – Typically include four tests: These are the (1) Zonulin: Lactalose test, (2) IgG food intolerance test, (3) Stool test to check for overall intestinal health, and (4) Organic acid vitamin and mineral deficiency test.
Lyme Disease Testing – Lyme disease has become increasingly challenging to diagnose. It is not uncommon for patients with Lyme disease to be misdiagnosed with other ailments. Known as the “Great Imitator,” Lyme disease can masquerade as ALS, MS, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Fibromyalgia, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Autism and other illnesses.
Additional specialized tests are also available depending on symptoms and or disease process.

Chelation Cancer Care

Toxins and Heavy Metals

Every day, we are exposed to various toxins. Among these various types of toxins are heavy metals. Heavy metals often get overlooked and are not at the forefront of our minds. However, the effect that heavy metals can have on our bodies can be detrimental. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), various heavy metals such as mercury, lead, aluminum, uranium, cadmium, and arsenic are considered probable carcinogens to humans.

Some common exposure methods to heavy metal toxicity include dental amalgam fillings (mercury), lead paint, workplace exposure, and location of home. Pertaining to cancer, according to Flora et. al, “Chronic [heavy metal] toxicities may be reversible or irreversible leading to slow development of manifestations like cancer” (2010). Thus, it is important to rid our bodies of these toxic metals when battling cancer, as they could be playing a role in the root cause of the disease.

When heavy metals are present in the body, they can often displace the natural trace metals in our bodies that play critical roles in enzymatic reactions. Enzymes are vital to normal cell function, as many crucial chemical reactions cannot occur without the assistance of an enzyme. If enzymes are not able to function properly, your body will begin to operate less effectively and efficiently.

Chelation Treatments

Upon arrival to Synergy Lifestyle Medicine, a patient will undergo a urine toxic metals lab that tests toxicity levels of 20 various toxic metals. If toxic metals are found, there are two variations of chelation treatments that we offer to help rid your body of these toxic metals.

The two types of chelation treatments are:

Calcium Chelation (CaEDTA) IV Therapy
Disodium Chelation (NaEDTA) IV Therapy

Intravenous chelation therapy can bind to the toxic metals and force the heavy metals to exit the body via urination. Additionally, at Synergy Lifestyle Medicine, we administer a mineral IV bag following the chelation IV therapy to replenish your body of the essential minerals and nutrients needed to promote healthy cell function.

Reference

Flora, S. J., & Pachauri, V. (2010). Chelation in metal intoxication. International journal of environmental research and public health, 7(7), 2745-2788.

International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). Agents Classified by the IARC Monographs, Volumes 1 – 114. 2015. Accessed at http://monographs.iarc.fr/ENG/Classification/List_of_Classifications_Vol1-114.pdf on October 27, 2015.

US Department of Health and Human Services. Public Health Service, National Toxicology Program. Report on Carcinogens, Fourteenth Edition. 2016. Accessed at http://ntp.niehs.nih.gov/pubhealth/roc/index-1.html on November 3, 2016.