title: Using hetero-isotherapics in cancer supportive care: the fruit of fifteen years of experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and new targeted therapies for cancer lead to adverse effects which are often difficult to relieve using classical homeopathy. Besides diminishing the quality of life of the patient, they can force the oncologist to reduce or even to cease treatment prematurely, which represents a loss of opportunity for the patient. Faced with these recurring problems, would the use of homeopathic dilution of chemotherapy, also called hetero-isotherapy, be a suitable response for improving the tolerance of and the adherence to cancer treatment?
  
  
  METHODS
  Based on experiments conducted for over 50 years by many authors, we have offered our patients, since 1998, a protocol of hetero-isotherapy chemotherapy starting the day after each cytotoxic infusion. It involves taking a daily dose of a dilution of the chemotherapy used, using the increased dilution technique from 5c to 15c.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed a significant decrease in side effects, allergic reactions and late sequelae in the more than 6000 hetero-isotherapic treatments given to some 4000 patients. The better tolerance to chemotherapy and the improvement in quality of life led to an increase in treatment adherence. No interference with chemotherapy was observed. When it was necessary to prescribe another homeopathic medicine, combination with hetero-isotherapy generally improved its effectiveness.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a large population, followed for over 15 years, we observed that hetero-isotherapics, well tolerated and easy to use, reduced the side effects of chemotherapy, targeted therapy or hormone therapy, and so improve the quality of life of patients.
authors.affiliation: Strasbourg Oncologie Libérale, Supportive Care Unit, Clinique Sainte Anne, Groupe Hospitalier Saint Vincent, F-67000 Strasbourg, France. Electronic address: jlbagot@orange.fr.
authors.forename: Jean-Lionel
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Bagot
mesh_terms: D000971:Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000379:methods*; D006705:Homeopathy / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008419:Materia Medica / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011788:Quality of Life
chemical_list: D008419:Materia Medica
keywords: Adverse effects; Cancer; Hetero-isotherapy; Homeopathy; Supportive care