Thermal therapy or thermotherapy is a type of treatment in which thermal energy is transferred between a medical device and the patient.
The most frequent thermotherapy applications involve heat transfer to the whole body or only to a localized region of the body. Depending on the range of the temperatures used, thermotherapies are classified as diathermia (up to 106 degrees Fahrenheit), hyperthermia (from 106 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit) and thermal ablation (above 113 degrees Fahrenheit).1 From these modalities, hyperthermia is the most commonly used in cancer treatments.
Clinical studies have shown that hyperthermia kills cancer cells with minimal detrimental effects on normal tissues.2 The higher sensitivity of tumors to heat is thought to arise from the lower degree of organization displayed by the blood vasculature that irrigates cancerous tissues.3 Proper blood supply is critical to efficient dissipation of heat and rapid exchange of metabolites.4 The uncontrolled growth of tumors creates areas that are not properly irrigated and, therefore become deprived in nutrients and oxygen while accumulating toxic products of metabolism.
Cells in these unfavorable conditions are more susceptible to cytotoxic effects of high temperatures.3 In addition to direct effects, thermotherapy can also sensitize cells to the action of other agents such as radiation and anticancer drugs.2 Cytotoxic and sensitization properties underlie the use of hyperthermia as an alternative cancer treatment applied either alone or in combination with more conventional therapies to fight cancers of breast, lung, prostate, skin and other organs.2,5
One of the most promising hyperthemia techniques is the Far Infrared Ray therapy. By delivering electromagnetic energy in a non-invasive and controlled manner, Far Infrared therapy can warm up the body safely and efficiently.6-8 This therapy uses harmless, non-ionizing radiation in order to transfer heat to the body. Contrary to energy of other wavelengths, far-infrared energy can penetrate the skin and directly heat deeper regions of the body.7 Therefore, Far-Infrared therapy can be used to treat not only skin lesions but also breast cancer and other solid tumors.8
Research using animal models has shown that whole-body Far Infrared treatment can inhibit spontaneous breast cancer growth.9-11 In the clinical setting, oncologists from the vast network of medical centers affiliated with the European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology, have used whole-body and local region Far-Infrared therapy to treat many tumors, including breast cancer and its metastases.12 In particular, the therapeutic experience and positive results offered by Klinik St. Georg in Germany has been highlighted by Dr. Harvey Kaltsas, a renowned specialist in the alternative medicine field13.
In summary, thermotherapy techniques and Far Infrared therapy in particular, are emerging as alternative treatments to cancer that have the potential to destroy cancer cells with minimal injury to normal tissues.For more information about using home medical devices for Far Infrared Ray Therapy, go to: www.alternativecancertreatmentresources.com
by Samantha Klother
1. Habash RW, Bansal R, Krewski D, et al: Thermal therapy, part 1: an introduction to thermal therapy. Crit Rev Biomed Eng 34:459-89, 2006
2. van der Zee J: Heating the patient: a promising approach? Ann Oncol 13:1173-84, 2002
3. Horsman MR: Tissue physiology and the response to heat. Int J Hyperthermia 22:197-203, 2006
4. Patterson J, Strang R: The role of blood flow in hyperthermia. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 5:235-41, 1979
5. Wust P, Hildebrandt B, Sreenivasa G, et al: Hyperthermia in combined treatment of cancer. Lancet Oncol 3:487-97, 2002
6. Habash RW, Bansal R, Krewski D, et al: Thermal therapy, part 2: hyperthermia techniques. Crit Rev Biomed Eng 34:491-542, 2006
7. Fletcher DJ: Warming up to Far-Infrared Alternative Medicine, 2001
8. Yoshimizu NN: The Fourth Treatment for Medical Refugees: Thermotherapy in the New Century., 2009
9. Nagasawa H, Udagawa Y, Kiyokawa S: Evidence that irradiation of far-infrared rays inhibits mammary tumour growth in SHN mice. Anticancer Res 19:1797-800, 1999
10. Udagawa Y, Nagasawa H: Effects of far-infrared ray on reproduction, growth, behaviour and some physiological parameters in mice. In Vivo 14:321-6, 2000
11. Udagawa Y, Nagasawa H, Kiyokawa S: Inhibition by whole-body hyperthermia with far-infrared rays of the growth of spontaneous mammary tumours in mice. Anticancer Res 19:4125-30, 1999
12. European Society for Hyperthermic Oncology (ESHO): ESHO website, 2010
13. Kaltsas H: Too Hot For Cancer,
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