The mistletoe plant has traditionally had a romantic association with Christmas but one north-east woman is crediting the plant with helping her fight cancer.
When Joan van Holsteijn was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma 18 months ago she was scared, but knew immediately she wanted chemotherapy only as a last resort.
As she prepared for Christmas this year, she looked on the white-berried festive decoration in a new and grateful light after 18 months of mistletoe therapy cleared her cancer.
Mrs van Holsteijn, who works with eurythmy – a movement-based therapy – at Camphill School in Aberdeen, was finding it difficult to walk by the time an egg-shaped lump in her leg was diagnosed as lymphoma.
She knew the benefits of mistletoe therapy – administered by injection on prescription – through her work and was anxious to try it.
Her oncologist at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary wanted her to have chemotherapy, but she said he was happy with her progress.
“He could see the tumour was starting to shrink and now it is gone. The other tumours on my leg have also gone,” she said.
Mistletoe extract – usually used in addition to conventional treatment – improves the immune system and fights the tumour cells.
Mrs van Holsteijn, 53, went to the Park Attwood clinic in Birmingham as an in-patient, where she received a series of high doses of mistletoe therapy to kick start a robust stimulation of her immune system – giving her non-harmful flu-like symptoms and fever as a side effect.
Speaking at her home on the Camphill Estate, where she lives with her husband Simon, 48, and their daughter, Lisa, 14, she said: “I feel well. I’m just so grateful.
“There are no side effects other than the fevers. It is conventional and alternative. It is not a matter of either or. You can do both.
“It is hard work. You get very tired from the fevers and you have to take time off convalescing. You have to really work at it.
“I thought I had to do as much with the mistletoe as I possibly could and if it didn’t work I could still look into the other treatments.
“It is not a miracle cure. It has limitations and every story will be different but I want people to know about it. I think it can give people hope. I’ve heard it described as easing cancer, which I think is the best way to put it.”
Debbie Thomson, chief executive of Clan – Cancer Link Aberdeen and North – said mistletoe therapy was used in the charity’s doctor-run clinics.
She said: “Mistletoe therapy is both supportive and complementary and helps to reduce the indirect effects of cancer.”
It is assumed that surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy are important first-line and supportive tools in the treatment of cancer.”
For more information visit http://www.camphillmed ical.org.uk/index.php?page =mistletoe_therapy or http: //www.parkattwood.org/ pages/mistletoe.html or www.abnoba.de