Over the past few years, research has shown that many cancers respond remarkably well to integrative therapies, or a combination of conventional and alternative treatments. More than 75% of American cancer patients are now seeking out these kinds of therapies, both to improve their outcomes and to try and reduce the amount of side effects that come with conventional treatments. One effective integrative cancer treatment that some clinicians are using now is called Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT).
What is IPT?
IPT involves using very small doses of chemotherapy that more specifically target cancerous cells rather than infiltrating the entire body with the poisonous drug. The treatment begins with the patient lowering their blood-sugar levels by fasting and using insulin, creating a mild state of hypoglycemia.
At that point, the cancerous cells are so “hungry” that they become extremely receptive to anything that enters the body, including drugs. The patient is then given a small dose of chemotherapy (or other anti-cancer drug) which is infused with a glucose solution. The “starving” cancerous cells easily absorb the drug. This treatment allows chemotherapy to target malignant cells, destroy them more effectively, and leave the rest of the body in tact.
How Could IPT Benefit Cancer Patients?
Many medical experts believe that IPT is one of the easiest ways to destroy cancerous cells without using high levels of chemotherapy, a potent drug that often comes with harsh side effects. Standard chemotherapy can damage healthy DNA cells, potentially leading to more cancer in the future, as well as cause side effects like hair loss, fatigue, nausea, and vomiting. In some cases, it may even lead to liver damage.
Because cancerous cells have 15-25 times more insulin receptors than normal cells, and cancer’s main energy source is glucose, IPT only needs to use a small amount of chemotherapy. This provides patients with two benefits: IPT is doing a better job at actually killing cancer cells, and it’s leaving patients with less side effects.
Is IPT Right for You?
It’s important to note that IPT is an experimental treatment. Long-term results and safety information is not widely published. As with any medical treatment, IPT can pose certain risks.
However, when the treatment is used properly under the care of a licensed physician, it can be successful. Your particular cancer care team can evaluate your case to determine whether IPT might be right for you. Cancer patients who have been treating with IPT, often in integrative oncology settings, usually see the best results when the treatment is combined with other methods. These methods include nutritional regimens like the Gerson therapy, vitamin CK3 infusions, Coley’s toxin vaccines, and other forms of immunotherapy.
