What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy should be an essential part of any cancer treatment especially after undergoing chemotherapy treatment. Because chemotherapy tears down the immune system leaving the body weak and vulnerable to additional illness it is important to build back up the immune system in order to put forth the strongest cancer resistance and fight.
By understanding immunotherapy’s capabilities and limitations the physicians at Sunridge Medical work together with patients to make informed decisions and optimize treatment outcomes.
The Power of Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy has emerged as a powerful and effective treatment option for many types of cancer. This type of therapy works by stimulating the body’s immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells. Immunotherapies can be used alone or in combination with other treatments, such as natural compounds, homeopathic therapy, chemotherapy or radiation therapy.
With the right support, immunotherapy has the potential to revolutionize cancer care for many people. Unlike traditional chemotherapy treatments which focus on killing all rapidly dividing cells, immunotherapy specifically targets only cancerous cells. This reduces the risk of damaging healthy tissue and avoids some of the side effects associated with other forms of treatment.
Immunotherapy has been the core of treatment in the naturopathic world since its inception but now has revolutionized the way all physicians approach and treat cancer, offering patients hope of a successful outcome with fewer side effects than other treatments like chemotherapy or radiation therapy. It is now being used more and more in combination with traditional therapies to increase the chances of successful treatment outcomes. Immunotherapy represents a huge leap forward in cancer treatment, and is continuing to be developed with the aim of giving patients better outcomes in their battle against cancer.
Immunotherapy and Cancer
For the treatment of cancer, immunotherapy refers to treatment of the immune system in an attempt to stimulate the immune system so that it can effectively reject and destroy tumors. The immune system is a very complex system of cells flowing through the body that not only provides defense against foreign invaders, but also must also be functioning at its best to protect against many disease states such as autoimmune diseases.
Immunotherapy is currently being studied for efficacy in treating a wide range of cancers, including those affecting breast, lung, colon, prostate, bladder, pancreas and brain tissues.
Immunotherapy and Autoimmune Disease
Immunotherapy is increasingly being used to treat autoimmune diseases, as an alternative to more traditional treatments such as steroids. It works by manipulating the body’s immune system in order to reduce inflammation and suppress the overactive immune response that characterizes these conditions. Immunotherapies can be divided into two broad categories: active immunotherapies, which involve stimulating the body’s own defenses against disease; and passive immunotherapies, which involve introducing substances or cells from outside of the body in order to activate or inhibit particular responses from the immune system.
Passive immunotherapies involve introducing substances that act as external cues for the body’s own defense mechanisms. These substances can be antibodies produced by another organism and directed against a particular antigen or substance; antigens from other organisms which trigger an appropriate response from the body’s own defenses (such as vaccines); or drugs designed to activate or inhibit the body’s own immune cells. Examples of passive immunotherapies include intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIGs), and plasmapheresis.
Overall, immunotherapy presents a promising option for treating autoimmune diseases, offering potential benefits over traditional treatment methods.
References on Immunotherapy
Rezvani, Katayoun and Rouce, Rayne H., The Application of Natural Killer Cell Immunotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer, Frontiers in Immunology, VOLUME=6, 2015, https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2015.00578, DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2015.00578, ISSN=1664-3224
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