Insulin Potentiation Therapy

Insulin potentiation therapy (IPT) is an alternative therapeutic technique used for the treatment of cancer. In this method, insulin hormone along with significantly low doses of chemotherapy drugs are injected. The chemotherapy purported for IPT is tenth times lower than the usual dose recommended to kill the cancer cells. Insulin potentiation therapy is also claimed to be effective in the treatment of HIV, arthritis, fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia and other chronic health conditions.

Insulin Potentiation Therapy

In the traditional cancer treatment, chemotherapy drugs are usually administered to overcome the cancerous cells. For effective killing of the disease causing cells, the drugs need to be administered in high doses, so that they are forced to penetrate the cell membranes. Over here, the most concerning fact is the adverse effects of chemotherapy drugs that do not discriminate between the normal and cancerous cells. These drugs affect and kill both types of cells, thus leading to various side effects.

It is a known fact that every cell contains receptors for insulin hormone. According to the studies, it is revealed that cancer cells consume lots of glucose (energy source) and contain ten times more insulin receptors than the normal body cells. Insulin potentiation therapy makes the use of these receptors for the treatment of cancer. As insulin is administered into the patient's body, the cancer cells open up the insulin receptors, thus modifying them to allow entry of anticancer drugs in low doses. This way, the dose-related side effects of chemotherapy are minimized in insulin potentiation therapy.

Insulin Potentiation Therapy: Cancer Treatment

For conducting insulin potentiation therapy, the patient is instructed not to eat or drink anything (except water) for about 6-8 hours. The therapy starts with the injection of normal intravenous fluids. The patient is administered with an insulin dose depending upon the his/her body weight. After a few minutes (when insulin reaches bloodstream), the physician injects a specific dose of chemotherapy or anticancer drug.

In the meantime, the injected insulin causes hypoglycemia (low blood glucose level) in the individual. This particular stage is referred to as therapeutic moment. Within a stipulated time, the IV fluid is switched on to high glucose solution in order to manage the symptoms of low glucose level. As the symptoms improve, the patient is given foods to increase the glucose level further. During the whole procedure, the blood glucose level is closely monitored.

In the next insulin potentiation therapy session, the insulin dose administered to the patient may be lowered or increased with reference to the first response. Depending upon the cancer stage, about 12-18 therapy sessions are recommended with two sessions per week. As per the patient's condition, the physician may prescribe oral anticancer drugs and vitamin supplements between the therapy sessions.

Insulin Potentiation Therapy: Complications

Though many people promoted insulin potentiation therapy to be an effective technique, there are certain complications. Since people respond differently to the same dose of insulin, hypoglycemia condition during IPT can be dangerous and life-threatening. The patient may experience increased fatigue, increased heartbeat rate, confusion, shakiness, sweating, seizures and at times, brain damage. If not controlled, hypoglycemia condition can cause death. In addition, various medications mask the symptoms of hypoglycemia, resulting in late diagnosis of the condition.

The effectiveness of insulin potentiation therapy is controversial. In spite of some individual reports claiming its safety, there are no proven scientific publications regarding the pros and cons of insulin potentiation therapy. Some people are of the opinion that it is a low-technique and high efficiency option for cancer treatment, whereas some believe that it is unproven and dangerous method. More research studies are required to prove various claims regarding insulin potentiation therapy.