Begin with low dosages
Whoever is prone to allergies or reacts sensitively to medicaments in general should begin the mistletoe therapy using homoeopathically diluted preparations and increase the dosages very gradually until the desired response is elicited from the organism.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers
Mistletoe therapy is an option for pregnant women and nursing mothers as well. No damage to unborn children or infants has ever been observed.
Lumps and bumps
The formation of small lumps and bumps at the injection site can be prevented if it is massaged a bit after the injection is administered.
Adverse effects
The most common side-effect which occurs in connection with the application of mistletoe preparations is a reddening of the skin around the injection site. This is not an undesirable side-effect, however. On the contrary, it shows that the body is reacting to the mistletoe extract by developing a slight inflammation. And this in turn means that the immune system is responding. This is exactly what should be achieved.
This reddening is no cause for worry as long as the diameter of the affected area of skin does not exceed 5 centimetres and the reddening subsides without treatment. In anthroposophical mistletoe therapy such reactions serve as orientation for the physician, helping him or her to find the right dosage of the medicament.
A slight fever is not an undesirable side effect either. On the contrary, it helps the body to warm up and regain its capacity to regulate its temperature.
If the reddening is extremely pronounced, rough patches develop or a strong itching sensation occurs, the dosage of the mistletoe extract must be adjusted as well. And if a high fever (over 39.5 °C) or a rash develops or the patient becomes extremely fatigued and lethargic or suffers from headaches and short-term dizzy spells, these are indications that the dosage of the mistletoe extract is too high. If the concentration is reduced, all of these complaints will quickly subside.
The lymph nodes in the vicinity of the injection site can become slightly swollen. This is no undesirable reaction either, for it shows that the immune system has been activated. The lymph nodes serve as a storehouse for numerous antibodies – thus it is no surprise that they become slightly swollen.
If a patient reacts very sensitively to mistletoe extracts, it is advisable to begin with a preparation using a homeopathic dilution and to increase the dosage very gradually until the desired reaction has been elicited.
In anthroposophical mistletoe therapy, all these reactions help the physician find the optimal preparation in the optimal dosage for each individual patient. It might be that the physician tries out several preparations until the right one for the individual in question has been found.
Allergic reactions to mistletoe extracts rarely occur. Nevertheless they cannot be ruled out. For this reason it is imperative that the first mistletoe injections be given under a physician’s supervision. Intravenous mistletoe infusions must always be administered under a physician’s supervision.
Sometimes small lumps or bumps form in the vicinity of the injection site because the injected fluid has not dispersed into the surrounding tissue quickly enough. This can be avoided by massaging the injection site with a gauze pad in circular motions after removing the needle.
During mistletoe therapy, phlebitis and thromboses sometimes worsen. In this case the treatment should be interrupted until the inflammation has subsided or the thrombosis has healed.
Pregnant women and nursing mothers should only undergo mistletoe therapy under a physician’s supervision. There are no indications that the therapy has any damaging effect on unborn children or infants, however.
The manufacturers of phytotherapeutic mistletoe preparations (Cefalektin, Eurixor, Lektinol) cite the following side-effects: shivering, high fever, heart problems, which usually indicate that the mistletoe dosage was too high. However, this does not necessarily mean that mistletoe therapy should be discontinued.
At a glance
Reddening of the skin at the injection site and a slight fever do not constitute negative side effects; they are desired effects of the treatment! Severe fatigue, large patches of reddened skin and high fevers show that the dosage of the mistletoe extract is probably too high, however. Serious side effects such as allergic shock occur very rarely. Numerous studies have proven that patients usually tolerate mistletoe therapy very well.