A/Prof Karin Ried is Director of Research at the National Institute of Integrative Medicine. A/Prof Ried is Adjunct Professor, Torrens University, VIC, Australia, and Honorary Visiting Research Fellow at The University of Adelaide, South Australia. A/Prof Ried has more than 20 years’ experience in medical and public health research, and research interest in complementary and integrative medicine with a focus on nutritional health. Her current research projects encompass nutritional medicine, cardiovascular and brain health, chronic diseases and cancer.

Presentation: Innovative treatments for cancer at NIIM: Lightbed, Frequency Therapy, Hyperthermia

Prevalence of cancer in Australia is high. Metastatic spread increases the risk of cancer-related deaths in 9 out of 10 patients. Early detection and monitoring of treatment effectiveness are paramount to improving overall quality of life and survival. The Circulating Tumour Cell (CTC) blood test is a useful screening tool. CTC are biomarkers for cancer, with higher CTC counts associated with cancer progression, and lower count with cancer regression.

We used the CTC test to assess treatment effect for the following treatments:

1) The Lightbed Study

Our world first trial has shown that the combination of Hyperbaric Oxygen (HBOT) and Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) using a red-Lightbed are safe and effective in reducing CTC count in 93% of cancer patients at 3 months after only one treatment, associated with reduced risk of cancer growth and metastatic potential.

2) The Electromagnetic Frequency (EMF) Study

Preliminary results are promising for the low EMF therapy to be safe and effective in reducing CTC count in 60% of cancer patients.

3) Hyperthermia Therapy

Hyperthermia treatment (HT) for cancer has a long history of more than 50 years worldwide, and is incorporated in mainstream oncology in the USA, Germany, and South Korea. In Australia, NIIM is one of only two institutions offering local hyperthermia. Hyperthermia has been shown to double the response rate to chemotherapy and radiotherapy in more than 55 clinical trials worldwide.

Between Aug 2012 – Jun 2015 NIIM treated 75 cancer patients with at least 8 HT sessions, recommended for best effect. Most of these patients combined HT with IVC therapy. In line with international consensus we found that hyperthermia is a safe and effective adjunctive treatment for cancer, achieving a greater than 2-year survival in 60% and a survival of 5–11 years (average 9 years) in 30% of patients with pancreatic, prostate, breast, colorectal, cervical cancer or melanoma.

Presentation: Long COVID with Dr Tim Robinson

This workshop is focused on the integrative approach to overcome Long Covid, to explain the underlying causality, as well as its management strategies. The combined approach is needed to tackle persisting inflammation, cell regeneration (to restore function and energy generation), gut dysbiosis and psycho-endo-neuro-immunological rebalance. Never has there been a greater need for an integrative medicine approach to aid recovery from the misery and complexity of the heterogenous condition that is Long Covid.

This workshop will also summarise the findings from the NIIM Long-COVID study. The multi-centre 12-week study aimed to explore underlying pathophysiologies, including viral reactivation, detectable by NIIM’s novel blood test, the NIIM Circulating Rare Cells (CRC) test. In the second part the study assessed the effectiveness of selected treatments.

Key findings include:

1) 75% of participants with Long-COVID had viral-reactivation, tested with the Circulating-Rare-Cell-(CRC)-blood-test

2) Viral-clearance and reduced viral-load was achieved in 75% of participants with either 2-weekly IVC or immune-supportive oral-supplements daily for 6-weeks

3) Viral-clearance was significantly associated with symptom improvement, e.g. fatigue, brain fog, post-exertional malaise, improving daily-functioning, work and exercise abilities