Hyperthermia

The word hyperthermia comes from the Greek and means overheating. Hyperthermia therapy utilises the positive effects of fever to treat various ailments in the long term.

Basic research shows that from a temperature of 41.5° C, depending on metabolic conditions, a cell-killing and growth-inhibiting effect can occur in carcinomas or cancer. However, hyperthermia is not only used to treat cancer and chronic infections, but also has positive effects on chronic pain, immunodeficiency, fibromyalgia and rheumatism.

Fever is a natural and effective reaction of the body to various pathological conditions. Many people lose the ability to develop a fever in the course of their lives. Hyperthermia is used to create a kind of artificial fever, allowing the positive properties of fever to be utilised.

Hyperthermia leads to a warming of the tissue and thus causes a variety of positive effects.

The most important effects of hyperthermia include:

There are a variety of physiological effects at cellular and molecular level.
Below we explain some of the important physiological effects of hyperthermia:

Immune messengers:
Heating causes the body’s own interferons to become more effective. For example, the important anti-tumour messengers IFN-γ (interferon gamma) and TNFα (tumour necrosis factor alpha) have an increased anti-proliferative effect, meaning it suppresses tumour cell proliferation.

Role of tumor necrosis factor alpha in hyperthermia-induced apoptosis of human leukemia cells

Hyperthermia in humans enhances interferon-gamma synthesis and alters the peripheral lymphocyte population

In vivo hyperthermia enhances plasma antiviral activity and stimulates peripheral lymphocytes for increased synthesis of interferon-gamma

Reaction speed and transport properties:
Both intra- and extracellularly, the flow rate and transport properties increase. In addition, the intracellular reaction speed increases and the cell membrane becomes more permeable. This leads to an acceleration of metabolic processes and improves the supply of nutrients and oxygen to the cells. The detoxification of the cells is also promoted in this way.

Nucleic acid and protein biosynthesis:
There is an inhibition of nucleic acid synthesis (DNA and RNA) and protein biosynthesis. This affects cancer cells and hidden pathogens as well as the body’s own cells to varying degrees.

Heat shock proteins:
The targeted application of heat induces the increased formation of heat shock proteins. In particular, the heat shock proteins HSP27, HSP70 and HSP90 are increasingly produced. Heat shock proteins, which are formed on the surface of heated cancer cells, signal the body’s own killer cells to break down the damaged cells. This apoptosis of the cancer cells is initiated when the tumour is heated to 42 °C.

Enhancing the effect of other therapies:
Hyperthermia can sensitise other cancer therapies, such as chemotherapies or radiotherapies, in the sense of a sensitiser and improve their effect accordingly. The combined use of hyperthermia can therefore contribute significantly to the effectiveness of these therapies.

Hyperthermia can be applied either locally or regionally to a specific area or systemically to the entire body. A distinction is made between whole-body hyperthermia and localised hyperthermia. Active fever therapy is also used, in which the fever is generated internally.

Hyperthermia can be used for a variety of clinical pictures. It has proved particularly successful in the treatment of cancer, but hyperthermia can also provide valuable support for immune disorders, chronic pain or infectious diseases.

Hyperthermia is an established method of damaging and killing cancer cells. This heat therapy has proven successful in numerous studies.

Whole-body hyperthermia has proven to be an effective and easy-to-implement way to recover patients with long COVID.

Application of Whole-Body Hyperthermia to Support “Long-COVID” (POST-COVID-19) Rehabilitation

Hyperthermia has a lasting effect on reducing pain and improving quality of life in fibromyalgia.

A randomized controlled trial on the effectiveness of mild water-filtered near infrared whole-body hyperthermia as an adjunct to a standard multimodal rehabilitation in the treatment of fibromyalgia

Hyperthermia against fibromyalgia syndrome

Multi-Modal Pain Therapy of Fibromyalgia Syndrome with Integration of Systemic Whole-Body Hyperthermia – Effects on Pain Intensity and Mental State: A Non-Randomised Controlled Study

The effect of whole-body hyperthermia on inflammation and immune reactions: experimental principles

Whole-body hyperthermia in pain therapy

Hyperthermia shows promising results in patients with depression. Various studies have confirmed the positive effect on depression.

Whole-Body Hyperthermia for the Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Effects of hyperthermic baths on depression, sleep and heart rate variability in patients with depressive disorder: a randomized clinical pilot trial

Whole-body hyperthermia for the treatment of major depression: associations with thermoregulatory cooling

Fever therapy revisited

The first successes in the treatment of Lyme disease can be seen with whole-body hyperthermia from 38°C upwards. From 42°C, even therapy-resistant and heat-stable strains can be successfully treated.

Antibiotics and increased temperature against Borrelia burgdorferi in vitro

Complex therapy for chronic Lyme disease

Zais ODA. Hyperthermia and Lyme disease – Different therapeutic strategies. Abstract VIII. Hyperthermia Symposium of the German Society for Hyperthermia, Berlin Sept 2017:6

Chronic pain, such as rheumatism, back pain, arthritis or arthrosis, can respond well to treatment with hyperthermia after thorough clarification and diagnosis.

Hyperthermia can be used to treat immune disorders such as asthma or hay fever. A weakened immune system can also benefit from hyperthermia therapy.

Inflammatory bowel diseases such as irritable bowel syndrome, ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease can be improved by treatment with hyperthermia.

In hyperthermia, detoxification is achieved via various physiological mechanisms. This leads to increased permeability of the cell membranes, better blood circulation and optimised transport properties in the tissue with an increase in lymph flow. This enables effective detoxification of the body, which is further enhanced by perspiration.

Hyperthermia and detoxification

Detoxification – detoxification through hyperthermia

Hyperthermia can become considerably more effective and efficient if it is integrated into a well thought-out and effective overall concept.

The integration of additional measures to combat cancer, modulate the immune system and detoxify the body can optimise the effectiveness and increase the success of the therapy. Therapy should always focus on the cause of the disease.

Hyperthermia offers valuable support for a variety of diseases, such as cancer, chronic inflammation or pain. Below we answer some of the most frequently asked questions as comprehensively as possible.

Further information intended to give a better overview of the topic.