There were several benefits in visiting a new clinic in Frankfurt. Firstly I was able to get a local hyperthermia just hours after the Vogl Chemoembolization, and I discovered several new potential treatments. One of these, Insulin Potentiated Therapy or IPT, I had a chance to try the very next day.
IPT is by no means new, but it is still controversial. The problem is that very few studies have been done to prove or disprove its efficacy, and the administration of insulin can have serious side effects as the rapid drop in sugar levels can result in coma or even death.
Insulin acts mainly as a signal to liver and fat cells to convert glucose into fat for storage, but there is more to it. It also signals cells in general to increase their glucose uptake, it regulates the uptake of amino acids and has several other anabolic effects. Basically insulin opens cells up so that various external substances can pass into cells more easily. This is the theory behind IPT. Infusions or chemotherapy is given, and a shot of insulin opens the cells and ensures that these are able to pass through the cell membranes, thus increasing the efficacy.
IPT is quite expensive as far as infusions go, about 450 euro, excluding the cost of the infusions themselves. I assume the reason is the close monitoring done every 5 minutes after the insulin is administered. (I am very tempted to get some insulin and just give myself a shot after an IV course. Cost wise that would work out at just a few dollars…..but that’s just me and not something I advocate for anyone else to attempt.)
My insulin shot was a non-event. I had various clinic nurses come and check me out, looking at me as if I was a freak. They expected some kind of reaction. Weakness, feeling of dizziness etc. I felt absolutely nothing. In twenty minutes they gave up and I was given a huge fruit salad to replenish my sugar levels. I guess all the dry fasting, ketogenic diets etc. had prepared my body to deal with little to no glucose.
IPT on paper makes sense to me, however the high cost makes it prohibitive for daily use, but as they say, where there is a will, there is a way. 🙂
Now I did mention that I discovered several potential new treatments at this clinic (run by Dr. Siebenhuner) . The second one uses 2DG and has me quite excited, but more on that next time….
