The Immune System and Cancer Treatments

The immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects againstdisease. To function properly, an immune system must detect a wide variety of agents, known as pathogens, fromviruses to parasitic worms, and distinguish them from the organism's own healthy tissue. In many species, the immune system can be classified into subsystems, such as the innate immune system versus the adaptive immune system, orhumoral immunity versus cell-mediated immunity.

Disorders of the immune system can result in autoimmune diseases, inflammatory diseases and cancer.^[2][3]Immunodeficiency occurs when the immune system is less active than normal, resulting in recurring and life-threatening infections. In humans, immunodeficiency can either be the result of a genetic disease such as severe combined immunodeficiency, acquired conditions such as HIV/AIDS, or the use of immunosuppressive medication. In contrast, autoimmunity results from a hyperactive immune system attacking normal tissues as if they were foreign organisms. Common autoimmune diseases include Hashimoto's thyroiditis, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes mellitus type 1, and systemic lupus erythematosus. Immunology covers the study of all aspects of the immune system. Wikipedia

Alternative cancer treatments and the immune system offers a worthwhile proposition that needs to be further looked into. After researching various cancer treatment options, I came upon one that shows some promise: The immune system cancer treatment therapy, known also as Immunotherapy.

Developed by Dr. Joseph M. Issels of Germany around 1970, it involves stimulating a person's immune mechanism to eliminate cancer cells through their recognition by healthy immune systems cells.

It is normally reserved for cancer patients whose conventional cancer treatments have failed to eradicate or stop it's spread.

It involves traditional methods in conjunction with new radical ones such as "passing a patient's blood, via a closed system, through ultraviolet light which is supposed to boost the immune systems ability to recognize and eliminate the cancer". It also includes the use of vaccines."

The blood's monocytes are separated and cultured thus becoming dentric cells which in turn have the potential to invoke anti tumor responses". "The use of lymphokine cells,also known as LAK Cells, and come from stem cells, are stimulated to kill cancer cells". Also included is the use of natural substances and natural products.

According to Dr. Issel, a person's immune system does not recognize cancer cells as being different from regular cells, they in short "ignore them."

The treatment also includes reversing the causal factors that cause cancer in the first place, such as the elimination or moderation of activities that increase the propensity for cancer.

The Issel's cancer treatment method is basically a two pronged approach;

Non-specific Therapy whose goals are to eliminate the factors that lead to cancer, repair organs, normalized the body's systems and restore it's regulatory,defense and repair mechanisms.

Specific Therapy: whose goal is to treat/attack the specific cancer causing system, such as a tumor, through normally recognized cancer treatments such as chemotherapy.

Like anything that is of importance to you ,especially your health, no single piece of writing, advice or advertisement should be taken to be the ultimate authority.

Always seek multiple sources of advice and consult regularity with your doctor, as this article is only meant to inform others of alternative cancer treatments which are being discussed elsewhere.

* For further information regarding the Issels's treatment options visit www.issels.com from which the bulk of the material used here was taken.

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