"The effect is underestimated"

Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.

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Naturopathy is popular - even with cancer patients. What can one hope for? And where is skepticism called for? spoke to the physician Dr. György Irmey from the Society for Biological Cancer Defense.

Dr. György Irmey

Dr. György Irmey is medical director of the Society for Biological Cancer Defense in Heidelberg and chairman of the support group "Wholeness in Medicine" (Ganimed e.V.) at the University of Heidelberg. There, those seeking help will find a wide range of information on the subject of "naturopathic treatments for cancer".

Dr. Irmey, many people rely on naturopathic treatments - including cancer patients. What can one really hope for from mistletoe therapy, herbal teas and acupuncture?

Methods based on naturopathic medicine can, for example, very well alleviate the side effects of conventional therapy: nausea, extreme tiredness or even depressive feelings. In most cases, such therapies are not intended to replace conventional cancer therapy, but rather to complement it.

For many patients, naturopathic offers are also a way of mentally coping with the illness.

The positive effect on the psyche is even very decisive. If the patient is given a say in his therapy - whether conventional or biologically naturopathic - he no longer feels like a helpless victim. Those affected want to contribute to their recovery themselves and they can do that too! Up to now this has been underestimated far too much in medicine.

There are, however, large cancer centers where people are open to complementary naturopathic procedures.

That's right, individual centers are already doing that. But when I look at the map of Germany, there are very few. There are a few delicate plants in Berlin, Essen, Munich and Tübingen - but overall the offer is more than poor. I believe that oncology should open up a lot more to the naturopathic field.

Isn't skepticism sometimes also appropriate? Can't St. John's wort, for example, make chemotherapy less effective?

You really have to be careful with St. John's wort. In the case of many interactions, however, it is too generalized. If there is an interaction with a chemotherapeutic agent, it does not automatically apply to all other drugs as well. It is important to take a closer look instead of rejecting the complementary therapies across the board.

As a patient, I should always consult my doctor if I also take something - even if it is “only” something herbal, right?

That's right. Unfortunately, we have found that patients who openly address this still come up against a wall. Then there are comments like: "You could just as easily put a meatball on your stomach". This is of course not very edifying and destroys trust in the doctor. This is extremely important for a favorable course of therapy!

Cancer is a very scary disease. Again and again charlatans take advantage of this. When should the alarm bells ring for patients?

If someone claims that he can help “everyone” or says: “Only what I do can save you”, then you should always be skeptical. Even if the therapies are very, very expensive, you have to be careful.

The problem is not only that you are cheated and the money is pulled out of your pocket, such supposed miracle drugs can also be harmful.

Right. In rare cases, the touted miracle cures are actually harmful. It can also be harmful if the patient discontinues ongoing therapies.

On the other hand, I sometimes want to call some conventional treatments charlatanism. There are always new cancer drugs that are in price categories between 80,000 and 100,000 euros per year. Some of them, the usefulness of which is more than questionable, are still used.

I see it just as critical when end-stage patients are given chemotherapy that is nonsensical. They cause a great deal of suffering and may even shorten a patient's life instead of lengthening it.

But that is probably due to the helplessness of the doctors.

Sure, but if you only increase the suffering and prolong it, you should let it be. As a doctor, too, it is necessary to learn how to deal with hopeless situations.

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