Coffee enemas - are you serious?

Green coffee

There are mentions of enemas in the Dead Sea Scrolls coffee enemas to improve health back in the late 1800s, but it was Dr Gerson who made them popular as an essential part of a protocol to help folks overcome cancer in the 1950s. That approach is still used today with some tweaks. Indeed at a recent cancer retreat there must have been one in four of the participants who openly shared that they did enemas - but for some reason talk of our faeces, bodily functions and bums is still seen as pretty taboo in this country. It really is time to change that so here’s the enema blog….

According to the Gerson Institute, a coffee enema has the primary purpose of “removing toxins accumulated in the liver and removing free radicals from the bloodstream” (i). In an earlier blog I shared how I love coffee and how it is full of many beneficial compounds (ii). The caffeine is also key in the enema although it should be noted that this is about 3.5 times less than those obtained drinking coffee orally (iii). 

Dr Axe, well known online doctor of natural medicine, chiropractor and clinical nutritionist, writes: "Research has shown...during a 'coffee enema detox' caffeine and other compounds travel via the hemorrhoidal vein to the liver. Coffee opens up blood vessels, relaxes smooth muscles that help with bowel movements and improves circulation. Once it makes its way to the liver, coffee is also believed to help open up bile ducts and increase production of bile that’s needed for proper digestion and excretion" (iv). He also shares research that enemas can lower inflammation and improve gut health. 

Some argue there is little research to support such health claims and enemas can interfere with normal gut health and have side effects (v). You can read some of the dangers of the coffee enema (vi); they include damage to the anus and excessive use can cause dehydration, electrolyte imbalances or caffeine addiction. However the Institute of Digestive Disease and Nutrition at the University of Korea who studied the effects of coffee enemas reports that people don’t usually experience any complications or side effects (vii). Talk to your doctor and check out whether this is a suitable addition to your own health protocol.

I’m slowly getting the hang of coffee enemas - they are a key part of preparing for my ozone treatment each week - see blog and film on ozone here (viii). I hugely welcomed Fiona Shakeela Burns advice/support re this; she talks in the film about her experience of enemas and also has a ‘how to’ guide in her Cancerucan Facebook group. Since that ozone workshop I’ve been doing enemas twice weekly and thought it was time to share more in this blog - especially as I may need to do an enema as part of preparing for my daily radiotherapy treatment for a month next year.

In the film below Jem Ayres shares a bit about taking enemas (ix) - this is taken from her talk which I filmed earlier this month - and better still see her blog (x) she shares how to take them. It is worth quoting her experience of them as for some they are life changing. She writes: "I have never been the same since my first coffee enema – I felt decades worth of old ‘shit’ leave my system, not just faeces but old baggage and stuff I no longer needed were caught up in everything that was released!” So take care!


 

The coffee

Well the advice is go for;

- Caffeinated - the journal Physiological Chemistry and Physics write: "Caffeine enemas cause dilation of bile ducts, which facilitates excretion of toxic cancer breakdown products by the liver and dialysis of toxic products from blood across the colonic wall” (xi). Unfortunately caffeinated tea doesn't work. 

- Organic coffee - conventional coffee is among the most heavily chemically treated foods in the world with heavy sprayings of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, and insecticides. Organic makes sense if you are trying to detoxify and improve health.

- Single Origin Whole Bean Coffee - blends are often inferior to whole beans as single source coffee is more likely to involve a higher level of care and standards during coffee production. 

- Wet processing - the Alternative Daily argues mechanical wet processing results in fewer toxins and mold in the coffee than dry processing (xii). 

- Fresh not oily - too-oily beans are a problem because the lipids in the coffee bean are subject to rancidity. Also coffee beans stay fresh for up to four weeks after roasting so need to be used before they deteriorate. 

- Type - there is some conflicting info about this so I would love to hear views from others - the Gerson Institute argue "dark roasts are not appropriate because the potent compounds have been roasted out. Gold, green or white beans are very potent, with light to medium roasts typically well-tolerated by most. If you are new to coffee enemas, green, gold or white beans may not be best to start with. Instead, start with a medium or light roast” (xiii). Does that mean green coffee beans might be OK later on? Green beans are coffee beans that have not been roasted and a few years ago became popular in some weight-loss programmes. By not roasting, the beans retain more of the chemical chlorogenic acid which is thought to have health benefits. 

The roast doesn’t effect the amount of caffeine but in contrast to Gerson, it is said that dark roasts are easier to digest (ivx) and also better for enemas. This is due to a the chemical N-methylpyridinium, which is produced during the roasting process. The longer the coffee beans are roasted, the more N-methylpyridinium they contain. Research in Molecular Nutrition & Food Research found that dark roast coffee restored blood levels of the antioxidants vitamin E and glutathione more effectively than light roast coffee.  

Dr. Lawrence Wilson of Nutritional Balancing writes "Some people suggest a light roast coffee, “gold roast” or golden-colored coffee. This tends to be more yin in macrobiotic terms because it is cooked less. This is not desirable for development and, in our opinion, one should avoid it." The American Chemical Society in 2010 also showed that the beneficial compound N-methyl pyridinium is not present in green coffee beans as it is created during the roasting process. It seems a darker roast enema coffee may prove easier on the intestinal tract and produce higher levels of antioxidants in the blood? 

I have bought a green and initially a ‘gold' coffee in a special package labelled for enemas when I started. I should have perhaps researched more as I paid a premium for it and taking the above into account it may not be the best coffee to start enemas. Indeed I’ve heard some argue not to buy specially prepared enema coffees as they are not a better product (vx). I’ve also tried to make coffee from them and it is nothing like ordinary coffee!! Certainly I won’t be recommending them for drinking but I do know some folks who do drink it! 

So does that leave us with a medium roast as the best option to start enemas?


The recipe

Fiona Shakeela Burns writes: "2 tablespoons (30g) of organic ground coffee to 500mls filtered water. Bring to boil. Simmer for 5 minutes with lid on. Leave to stand for a further 5 minutes. Filter / sieve and leave to cool. It is a lot easier to hold the coffee if it is cold”. Elsewhere I have read "bring to the boil for 3 minutes with lid off to burn oils then simmer for 20 minutes with lid on and sieve".

Fiona also suggests making up a concentrate for enemas for up to a week in advance; "use enough water to cover the coffee and so that it will not boil dry. Before use, make it up to at least 400 mls each time using filtered water. Make sure the coffee is room-temperature before use”. Others say the made up coffee can only be stored in the fridge for 24 hours. I am also aware that some folks have suggested reducing the amount of coffee at first to see how sensitive you maybe to caffeine.

There are also said to be many alternatives to coffee including apple cider vinegar that is undiluted and raw, green juice and camomile tea. However again I urge some caution and the need to seek advice.


Enema Technique

Empty bowels first. Even after doing this I find that before I use the coffee I have a water enema – using room temperature filtered water. I don't hold this water but it makes holding the coffee solution easier.

There are various enema kits, some with disposable parts. Some enema kits you squeeze to slowly let the contents in; do not use force as this is a very tender area! Other kits, more commonly used, require hanging the enema bag onto a suitable hook in your bathroom. In this case fill the bag up with the nozzle switched off, then attach the ’tube', switch nozzle on, and hold over a sink so that the coffee fills the catheter then switch it off. Some say it should be hung a metre or so high, others like Gerson suggest 18 inches from the bottom of the bag to the floor; if you are finding difficult holding the coffee then change the height so it is not flowing so fast. The coffee temperature should ideally be slightly warmer than body temperature.

Put down an old towel to lie on (especially if not green coffee!); some choose folks lie in the bath. Have tissues ready.

Put on music of choice.

Put some oil (eg coconut or olive) on your anus and over the catheter. Then lying on your back, or on your side, insert it into your rectum. Insert as much of the catheter as you can – up to say 8 inches - but do not force it.

Switch nozzle on to allow the room temperature coffee to enter. As soon as I started I often had an irresistible urge to go. If this happens switch off and go to the loo. Then try again; usually it is easier to hold on to the coffee after a failed first attempt.

When the coffee is inside you remove the catheter from rectum. You can then lie on your back for 5 minutes, left side for 5 mins, then right side for 5 mins. Aim to hold the enema for around 15 minutes - I didn’t manage that many times at first! One tip I found useful was to circle the feet and hands to help get through the waves of peristalsis (spasm). 

 

It can also be good to lightly massage your abdomen from left to right (up the left side, and then left to right just below the navel). Another trick to help holding is to lie in the fetal position and breathe deeply. While another trick I’ve yet to try is to place the tip of your thumb on the first knuckle of your ring finger and apply pressure to the knuckle. This is a pressure point that can help alleviate cramping in the lower intestine.

'Gold' coffee

If coffee is still too difficult then perhaps start with just water or chamomile tea enema and hold for only 5 minutes.

Jem writes of her experience: "I find enemas are an important time to listen to the bodies sounds and sensations. We can head into panic so just breath, breath, breath. If I went into my head and started thinking about the coffee dripping from bag onto the bath, or if I was staining the towel, or how much coffee was left I noticed a tension in my body, mostly my belly. I just needed to drop those thoughts and stay with breathing and relaxing. I could feel popping and releases in the gut and some slight discomfort as ‘stuff’ was being moved…..I’m always so surprised about the shame around bums and poo and ‘letting go’. It’s seen as the biggest shame in society, to lose control of our natural physical responses and bodily functions. One of the biggest lessons in enemas is around being ok to let go. When the fear or tension comes that says ‘I’m going to shit myself’ do the opposite of what comes naturally, breath and let go further."

Empty bowels and drink lots of water to replace electrolytes.

The remaining coffee will move through the system and can mean visiting the loo another 2-3 times over the next half hour-ish.


How often?

Some recommend once weekly enemas or for some healing from cancer, the recommendation is as many as four times a day - but again none of this should be attempted without medical guidance. Jem, who is now cancer free, only does an enema at the turn of the season. For me I am combining the enema with the ozone treatment; I will be looking at frequency when I start to put together my protocol for the radiotherapy.


Notes:

(i) https://gerson.org/pdfs/How_Coffee_Enemas_Work.pdf
(ii) https://myunexpectedguide.blogspot.com/2019/07/coffee-good-or-bad-for-prostate-cancer.html
(iii) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3603218/

https://gerson.org/gerpress/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Coffee-Enema-Resource-Guide.pdf
(iv) https://draxe.com/health/coffee-enema/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25136541
(v) https://www.verywellhealth.com/coffee-enemas-88252
https://eu.usatoday.com/story/life/nation-now/2018/01/08/gwyneth-paltrows-goop-promoting-home-coffee-enema-kits-they-safe/1012261001/
(vi) https://ineedcoffee.com/top-10-dangers-of-the-coffee-enema/
(vii) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25136541
(viii) https://myunexpectedguide.blogspot.com/2019/08/how-to-do-rectal-insufflation.html
(ix) https://myunexpectedguide.blogspot.com/2019/10/jem-ayres-cancer-adventure.html
(x) https://jemscancercoaching.co.uk/2017/10/02/how-to-do-a-coffee-enema
(xi) https://www.thehealthyhomeeconomist.com/best-enema-coffee/
(xii) https://www.thealternativedaily.com/healthy-toxic-coffee/
(xiii) https://gerson.org/gerpress/coffee-enema-8-things-you-need-to-know/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21809439
(ivx) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf904493f?journalCode=jafcau

(vx) https://enemacoffeereview.com/ This link has a review of enema coffees in the States most of which are not available in the UK.

European Congress For Integrative Medicine 2020 comes to London

Jo Lawrance cartoon

The European Congress for Integrative Medicine 2020 is a forum to facilitate the advancement of healthcare by combining conventional medicine with evidence-informed lifestyle, complementary and traditional approaches. See a short film with more about the conference at: https://youtu.be/xo4XkjMvBbM

Wow, wow, wow - so important and how come it has taken so long to happen?? 

In our local Wigwam group we were fortunate to meet the two organisers of this conference recently - they live locally and come with bags of passion for making a difference. It is so good to see this coming to the UK...It is just so important that more can be done to focus on the whole person and combine conventional medicine with 'evidence-informed' complementary and traditional methods of treatment. 

I've written before about how it is just not right that so many folks are not given advice and support around exercise - see my previous blog on that here. 

My granddaughters picture of me rebounding

Similarly so many of us are told not to worry about diet. In the Jem Ayres film I posted this week (see here), she noted how her doctor dismissed diet and many of the audience agreed they had had similar experiences.

There is significant evidence around both exercise and diet to show they can impact on healing. Of course there is much more in the complementary world than just food and exercise that could also play a bigger part in healing. I have tried to cover some of those in this blog like the research into Hyperbaric Oxygen and it's use with radiotherapy.

I've also written in the past (see here) about conventional, complimentary and alternative medicine. I too often see folks getting into battles on websites about particular approaches to cancer. One example comes from one of our Wigwam members; he posted a response in a Facebook group in June, to an article about a young mum who died after refusing chemo. Some of the comments, rightly, were angry that the article could scare people into not thinking for themselves, but equally some of the comments were too sweeping in their dismissal of the conventional approach. Our Wigwammer has kindly allowed me to reprint his response below as it echos with alot of my sentiments and indeed quite a number of those responding to the article:

I really think The Truth About Cancer documentary series and an online movement motivated by some of the distortions and biases in that series, have caused a rift between, rather than an integration of, polarised cancer healing approaches. Sophie Sabbage's quote in the piece really sums it all up well: 
 
“There are some dodgy people out there, but there are also some amazing people, doing amazing things." she says. "The trouble is that, as a patient, you get caught in the crossfire. Conventional oncologists will say ‘Don’t bother with all that quackery.’ Natural practitioners will say ‘Don’t do chemo, it will kill you.’ They’re both taking a position and you have to somehow make decisions with very little help.”

As I'm personally two years into my own stage four Prostate Cancer journey I can see how my views have changes during this period and I would have probably angrily discarded this article back when I was diagnosed - determined to 'heal naturally'. I've since realised though, that a serious cancer diagnosis is not really a situation to just 'throw things at' in the vague hope they might work, and many online resources (especially some alternative-promoting Facebook cancer groups) seem to be encouraging just that. Unless you're *really* in tune with what your body needs, that's like a bizarre form of alternative medicine Russian roulete.

My sister has had cancer twice (two late-stage types) and has recovered fully from chemo both times. She's no fool, and is very health-conscious and aware of alternative approaches, but based on the research she did, it would have been very risky for her (especially with aggressive HER2+ stage three BC second time) not to do the conventional treatments (surgery and chemo/immotherapy). They actually weren't as difficult as she expected (altho mastectomy obviously hard to deal with for any woman). 
 
I'm in a similar boat... I barely found anyone online with widely bone-metastacised Prostate Cancer who found success with alternative treatments. However, in desperation I did go to a German clinic for 3 weeks last Nov (Arcadia clinic in Bad Emstal) that was wonderful, but with hindisght it was naive to expect they could do that much for me. Luckily they referred me to a Germany hospital that pioneers a special targetted Nuclear medicine treatment for my disease, which I've had two sessions of so far and is working well. 
 
I personally would advise anyone with a C diagnosis to research thoroughly and extensively their own situation. I personally found the online community for Advanced Prostate Cancer on the Health Unlocked website incredibly useful and knowledgable). Overcome your biases and get informed before making any hasty decisions, that might make sense in a 'I don't want chemo!' kind of way, but aren't really dealing with what a situation requires. Also (and this is something I don't know much about), at least find out if you have the detox genetics to handle chemo - that's an Enzyme test (G6PD) that should be mandatory, but sadly isn't. Also heartily recommend the neuroscience-spirituality bridging work of Joe Dispenza (and so many other including Abraham-Hicks, Bruce Lipton, Greg Braden etc)- this part of the healing journey is probably the most important of all. Best wishes and prayers to all.

Interestingly I read about research by Professor Swanton and team. He reviewed 71 new drugs launched in the last 12 years up to 2016 and found that on average they extended life by just 2.1 months (i). The Academy of Royal Colleges had concuded back in 2014 that palliative drugs were a waste of money which could be better spent on good nursing. Chris Woollams at Canceractive in their latest magazine, Icon (Integrative Cancer and Oncology News), wondered why in the light of this, figures of survival are improving in the UK?

Chris suggests that maybe it has something to do with the Wellness industry. He notes 83% of cancer patients now take a supplement, 69% take three or more and "over 70% use at least one complementary therapy - they take exercise, change their diet, lose weight, take up yoga and meditation - all things we know from research improve their health and make them stronger and more able to fight cancer." There are also many other options, already mentioned in this blog like Proton Beam Therapy and oxygen therapies. Increasingly more of us are building our own anti-cancer programmes.

Update 2/11/19: a new study (ii) proves that a functional medicine approach to patient care improves health outcomes compared to conventional medical systems that focus on disease detection and management. Functional medicine is all about addressing the root cause of disease including lifestyle. Functional and integrative medicine are very similar in both treating the individual rather than the disease - functional mediceine is perhaps more highly personalised (iii).

So this Integrative Conference can't come soon enough - it is about us all being better informed about approaches to healing. Let's hope this conference in the UK will wake up more of us to the possibilities of integrative approaches.

The conference will be held in London for the first time ever - the dates are 11-13 September 2020. You can also see more on their website: https://www.ecimcongress.com/ 

Update April 2020 dates change: 13th ECIM POSTPONED until Feb 26-28 2021 Due to the Covid19 pandemic and the increasing strain on healthcare professionals worldwide the congress has moved from Sept 2020 to Feb 2021.

Notes
 
(i) https://www.canceractive.com/article/uk-professor%20claims%20new%20drugs%20produce%20poor%20increases%20in%20survival%20times 
(ii) https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2753520?fbclid=IwAR0G3olQsq-ZDAnxaHGaHL_IbfM2AdttpJnrp7OsgaeSd6k_ABOKxekTt8E 
(iii) https://www.patronusmedical.com/blog/functional-medicine-vs-integrative-medicine

Cancerucan Empowerment Retreat October 2019

I was honoured to join the Cancerucan Empowerment Retreat for the Sunday afternoon. I particularly loved Jem Ayres talk that I posted earlier this week - see my film of her totally inspiring talk here - what a great energy she has! It was also great getting the recipe for a sugar and gluten free vegan cheesecake - see my film here. However perhaps best of all wasto meet the other participants and to learn and share thoughts and more about cancer and healing. Here is my film that captures some of those voices - huge thanks to all who shared...

I particularly wanted to thank Fiona and her team for putting together such a great event. Fiona also started the amazing Cancerucan website - a wonderful place for support that includes the Sunday night Healing Circle mentioned in the film. I'm guessing Fiona will do another retreat in time - and has also organised other events like one looking at Ozone - see my film here and see about the retreats at Back2Health Events: https://www.back2healthevents.com/ 

It was also lovely to be back at the Penny Brohn Centre; a year ago I blogged mentioning I had been on one of the Penny Brohn courses (see here). Some folk certainly experienced that course as a sort of retreat - a chance to look inwards and feel/think about next steps. You can see more about their courses on their website: https://www.pennybrohn.org.uk/

Other useful links might be:

Fiona Shakeela Burns and her healing work: http://natureworx.com/ 
Jem Ayres including coaching: https://jemayres.co.uk/ 
Yes to Life charity https://yestolife.org.uk/ 
Fleur Barnfather and her art: https://www.fleurbarnfatherart.com/
Melanie Gamble and Together Against Cancer: https://www.togetheragainstcancer.org...

Jem Ayres' Cancer Adventure

Jem tells her extraordinary story from diagnosis to healing in this film - just love her energy, positivity, love, care, support and inspiration. Lots in her talk that I need reminding! Thank you Jem!

More from Jem Ayres including her coaching at: https://jemayres.co.uk/ This was filmed at the Cancerucan Empowerment Retreat at Penny Brohn Centre - I had some challenges with lighting at teh sun kept going in and out but it still captures her story. A film coming later this week about that retreat - and find out more about Cancerucan on Facebook and more about the retreats at Back2Health Events: https://www.back2healthevents.com/

Leah Bracknell's CancerRebel’s Manifesto for Life

Leah at Trew Fields 2019

Last week I was shocked and saddened by the loss of the very wonderful Leah Bracknell. I had met and talked with her at this year's Trew Fields Festival - she also gave a very powerful talk about her own healing journey which included cannabis, shamanism and more - and indeed she also shared her positive thoughts about the Festival in my film (see here).

Leah and I talked about the wonderful Extinction Rebellion protests in London in April and she shared that Extinction Rebellion had inspired her to think about a #cancerrebel movement; rebelling against negative and limiting stereotypes around cancer and looking to transform the experience into one that might empower and enrich us. See here an article in Entertainment Daily in July with more about this here. Leah wrote in her blog, 'Something beginning with C':

"Being a cancer rebel was inspired by participating in the April climate emergency protests in London. It really sparked something very deep inside, after several difficult months. I saw my own life reflected as a microcosm of the bigger picture: there we were in our thousands, from all walks of life: pensioners, students, mothers, fathers, teenagers, families – “rebels” committing acts of non- violent civil disobedience in order to save the fragile balance of life on earth. Before time runs out. Life on earth faces extinction and the hour glass is almost empty. It’s almost midnight. For me too. Time is running out. I reject the expected notion of being passive or a patient or of being a victim, and  I am prepared to try almost anything to “save” my life, even if, like the XR rebels it means breaking the law, just a little. Besides, I ain’t got nothing to lose.

"When the Spring rebellion finished I wrote “The Cancer Rebel’s Manifesto for Life” as a reminder to myself what it takes to keep your head above water, to thrive, and to keep on keepin’ on while living with cancer and defying expectation every single day".

Leah's CancerRebel’s Manifesto for Life:

I REBEL
Against the fear of cancer
Against my prognosis
Against negative expectations
Against being told what to do
Against pity from others and myself
Against being diminished by cancer
Against being defined by cancer
Against restricted by cancer
Against being bullied by cancer
Against death

I EMBRACE the strength of my spirit
I embrace every opportunity that cancer gives me to learn, to grow, to expand
I embrace my own instincts
I embrace the path on which I find myself
I embrace the glass half full
I embrace healing
I embrace laughter
I embrace joy
I embrace hope
I embrace gratitude
I embrace spirit
I embrace the strength of my ancestors
I embrace magic and miracles
I embrace doing it my way
I embrace love of myself and of all beings
Above all else I embrace LIFE 

I've met so many amazing CancerRebels - indeed I'll feature another in a blog tomorrow. Sophie Trew of Trew Fields Festival suggested that we can perhaps have a day of rebelling in Leah's honour? A day of rebelling, in whatever way that means to you. Writing your own manifesto, a day of fun, gratitude or a mini adventure. I've had a busy few days with family but just rereading the manifesto has fired me up - that plus the amazing Extinction Rebellion actions over the last two weeks. More soon! Thank you Leah. Thoughts with Leah's family.

The Cancerucan Lime Cheesecake

Here's the Cancerucan Lime Cheesecake recipe by Melanie Gamble. I caught up with her at the Cancerucan Empowerment Retreat last Sunday and made this very quick film - more of the retreat in a film later this week. Melanie was there to run a workshop with food that suits many of us who are on a healing journey and this cheesecake recipe was specially put together for the retreat. I hope it will be the first of more recipes on this blog.

I loved her care and dedication to thinking about food and to creating really special recipes. Some might say this no refined sugar recipe is still too sweet or has too much of the coconut fat but I have already made this one as a special treat - it was delicious! Thank you Melanie!

More recipes from Melanie in her book (coming very soon); 'Healing Deliciously Goes Vegan'. More info about teh Leicester-based Together Against Cancer where Melanie is the Operations Manager www.togetheragainstcancer.org.uk

Hyperbaric Oxygen in Gloucester

Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy or HBO (or HBOT or HBO2T) has been shown to increase both blood oxygen levels and tissue oxygen - and improves tissue healing. I’ve got a short film below of one of my visits to the Gloucester HBO chamber as part of my own healing journey; I’ve now been about ten times. The blog below covers a bit more of the background to it. However I want to also highlight two great blogs by Chris Woollams on the Canceractive website; one here about cancer treatment (i) and the other here how it can be helpful with chemotherapy and radiotherapy (ii).
 

The chambers used in HBO (like the one in Gloucester) have often been used with deep sea divers and helping with decompression sickness (the bends). Over the years a growing number of illnesses and conditions have been treated including in some countries cancer. This goes back to 1931 and Otto Warburg who won a Nobel prize for explaining that oxygen kills cancer cells. 

As folks will probably know our blood oxygen levels are measured out of 100 and they should be 98, 99, or 100. You can get a meter to read it for under £10 and it seems quite often people who are chronically ill have lower readings.

Chris Woollams in his article highlights a 2012 meta-review by two researchers from Bergen, Norway: Ingrid Moen and Linda Stuhr. They analyzed nearly 90 studies since 2006 to see if there was truth in the claim that HBO could spread cancer. They found none. In fact they found that it could weaken the hypoxic pocket that defends cancer tumors from oxygen. 

In mice studies it seems that HBO in conjunction with diet is important. The research showed benefits with the ketogenic diet and Chris hypothesises that a Rainbow Diet (see here) would also work(iii). On its own HBO doesn’t seem to have a significant impact on cancer but with radiotherapy or chemo, it produces better results and less side-effects. 

There are some cancer centres that I have read about in Germany that use Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy to treat cancer, sometimes on its own but more usually in conjunction with other treatments. It appears they have good results and certainly HBO is used widely for a variety of other illnesses to help the body heal. There is also evidence that HBO may help people with lymphoedema after breast cancer and lymph nodule surgery.


Cancer and Radiotherapy

Research has known that oxygen pre-sensitises cancer cells so that more are killed by the action of radiotherapy. This is no doubt why exercise can be such an important part of healing and in particular with treatments like radiotherapy. Research at the Kansas State Medical School has shown that exercise before and during radiotherapy makes the treatment more successful (you can see my previous blogs on exercise here). I imagine that there are also a host of breathing techniques like Wim Hoff that maximise oxygen could also be helpful; that’s perhaps another blog.

There are also several studies for HBO showing it can help minimise side-effects of radiotherapy and chemo, and even restore healthy tissue by promoting healing. It was found that patients using chemo, who follow a program of 3 sessions a week for 6 weeks, boost their blood oxygen levels to 100% and significantly reduce side effects. They suggest that the same programme is true for radiotherapy, but that it can go on for up to a year after the finish of radiotherapy. 

It makes sense that HBO would help; blood vessels maybe restricted and face scarring depending on a patients sensitivity to radiotherapy.This can lead to inadequate blood supply and result in long-term side effects including death or damage to soft tissues or bones (necrosis, radionecrosis or osteoradionecrosis), poor wound healing and infections. I’ve read that as many as 10 to 15 percent of patients receiving the higher doses of radiotherapy will experience these late side effects from radiotherapy, which may be delayed for several months or years after treatment has ended. Indeed I know of three people with prostate cancer who, more than 18 months after their radiotherapy treatment, are experiencing minor bleeding from the bum.

So HBO can reduce side effects but also treat long-term damage from radiation therapy.  HBO increases oxygen in the blood and helps patients by stimulating growth of new blood vessels following radiation-induced damage.

In the States these studies have been ignored or are perhaps seen as a threat to treatment protocols, as they have now labelled oxygen a drug. So while it can be used for some illnesses like anaemia, gangrene, skin grafts or burns it cannot be used to treat cancer. This flies in the face of the research.


HBO or Ozone?

My previous blog on ozone is another example of how we can deliver oxygen to our bodies - and in particular to cancerous tissue in the hope of killing the cancer cells and restoring the tissue. There are some suggestions that ozone might be more effective than HBO at treating cancer but you can find arguments on the web for both views. There are also several different ways that ozone can be delivered so it makes comparison very difficult. Clearly they do slightly different things so I will be trying both as part of my programme nearer my time for radiotherapy.


What happens during HBO?

Well the film covers some of this but I want to reiterate you need permission from your doctor. This is particularly important as some conditions like lung cancer and heart disease are not usually suitable for HBO nor are folks on cancer drugs like doxorubicin, cisplatin or bleomycin. 

In Gloucester there can be up to six or seven of us in the chamber but I usually catch the 8am session when there are often only two or three of us. Inside, the oxygen is administered at pressures up to 4 times normal atmospheric pressure. Treatment time is usually 60 minutes but you are often in for about 90 mins as it takes time to reach pressure and come back to normal pressure at the end. 

I read or check work emails and have done meditations. It is usually too noisy to talk much with fellow 'divers'. The seats are comfortable but the mask can get a bit uncomfortable towards the end - and some folks experience ear popping as noted in the film. There is communication with the folks outside so at any time the dive can be stopped and pressure stabilised in ten or so minutes so that you can get out.

The centre is a Multiple Sclerosis Therapy Centres, an independent charity - there are about sixty of these around the country that you can find. They charge about £20 annual membership plus £15 a go; other centres charge slightly less or in some cases considerably more. The centre operates to sa standard approved by the Department of Health. There have been over 2 million hours of Oxygen Treatment carried out in the UK since the 1980's

The claim is that any condition resulting in inflammation in the body can benefit from oxygen treatment. It is the extra oxygen getting to the damaged areas that supports healing. It is said that 20 sessions can increase our own stem cells eightfold. Sounds good to me!
Find out more about Gloucester Hyperbaric Oxygen Chamber and their amazing team of volunteers:

http://www.gloso2therapy.org.uk/

Update 13/02/20: I like this overview of hyperbaric oxygen: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1114115/ 

Update 18/11/20: Excellent Yes to Life Radio Show looking at Hyperbaric Oxygen with Dr Scott Sherr: https://www.ukhealthradio.com/player/?ep=22448 

Update 26.04.24: Report from Alliance of Natural Health: 

• Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) is a widely accepted adjuvant treatment for cancer patients. Two new studies, published in Undersea and Hyperbaric Medicine (ahead of print) and JAMA Oncology, further reinforce the effectiveness of HBOT for cancer patients receiving radiation treatment. The first shows improved outcomes and reduced mortality in patients with radiation cystitis, while the second found a reduction in pain and fibrosis in breast cancer patients receiving radiation treatment.

Notes

(i) https://www.canceractive.com/article/hyperbaric-oxygen-in-cancer-treatment
(ii) https://www.canceractive.com/article/hyperbaric-oxygen-hbo-or-hbot-increases-uptake-of-chemotherapy-drugs 
(iii) https://the-rainbow-diet.com/