Cellular medicine

The Zellularmedizin is an alternative medicine method for the prevention and treatment of serious diseases, partial aspects of orthomolecular medicine picks. An essential element of both cellular medicine and orthomolecular medicine is the high dose ("optimal dose") of vitamins , minerals and trace elements . This is intended to prevent diseases and alleviate or cure existing complaints.

Cellular medicine is controversial: Critics accuse it of a lack of scientific evidence of its effectiveness, a strong influence on the economic interests of its founder and main representative Matthias Rath and the use of conspiracy theories in its defense.

The cancer societies of several federal states advise against uncontrolled ingestion of the micronutrients offered for advertising purposes, since they have not been tested for safety and effectiveness according to the German approval criteria.

Basic assumptions of cellular medicine

The company Dr. Rath Health Alliance describes the principles of cellular medicine as follows: “The health and disease of the human body are decided at the level of the body cells that make up the body and its organs. Each of these cells need 'vital cell substances' for a multitude of biochemical reactions. An existing deficiency in these substances leads to cellular underactive and chronic diseases. Because of a fundamental undersupply and a high metabolic rate of cellular nutrients, cardiovascular diseases are particularly common in humans. An optimal daily supply of vital cell substances is the key to the successful prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases and other chronic diseases. "

The article text that follows from here needs to be revised: A number of passages lack the necessary neutrality in their formulation and thus have a rather counterproductive effect, such as "Matthias Rath also admits ..."; WP is not a court and the choice of words linguistically misplaced. A number of things are not adequately documented, according to the following table. After all, the present tense, which has been chosen almost consistently, is undesirable as not lasting and should be transferred to the past .
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Cellular Medicine Claims About Individual Diseases

illness	statement	recommended vitamins / vitamin supplements / etc.
cancer	The spread of cancer cells can be blocked	Vitamin C, lysine, proline, green tea (polyphenol)
Hardening of the arteries, heart attack, stroke	prevention	Vitamin C, arginine
high blood pressure	Prevention, antihypertensive	Vitamin C, magnesium, arginine, coenzyme Q 10
Cardiac arrhythmias	Improvement if cardiac arrhythmias were caused by a lack of cellular energy	Vitamin C, Magnesium, Coenzyme Q 10, Carnitine
Heart failure, heart failure	prevention	Vitamin C, Magnesium, Coenzyme Q 10, Carnitine
High cholesterol	Lowers the blood level of cholesterol, triglycerides etc.	Vitamin C, Vitamin B 3, Vitamin B 5, Vitamin E, Carnitine
diabetes	Prevention, prevent or improve secondary diseases	Vitamin C, vitamin E, B vitamins, trace elements
AIDS / HIV	Relief of important side effects	Vitamin C, lysine

Claims related to cancer

Cellular medicine advocates make many claims in relation to cancer. In detail it is argued as follows:

• Conventional, pharmaceutically-oriented medicine has no cure prospects for cancer.
• The principle of cellular medicine is based on the use of natural substances that the body knows and uses to improve the "connective tissue stability" and to prevent the spread of cancer.
• “Cellular nutrients” can stop cancer from spreading in the body
• Experimental studies are said to have confirmed that "cell-vital substance synergy" can effectively control osteosarcomas ,
• stop the secretion of connective tissue-destroying enzymes,
• Control the growth and spread of cancer cells
• suppress the formation of new blood vessels in tumors (angiogenesis) and inhibit the ability of cancer cells to form new blood vessels to supply the tumors,
• inhibit the growth of cancer cells and shrink the tumor,
• Selectively destroy cancer cells without harming healthy cells,
• without having dangerous side effects.

Cellular medicine as therapy

Matthias Rath often gives the impression that cellular medicine is suitable for treating serious illnesses. In a submission to the trial in 2006 , he said before a Hamburg court: “The accusation by the public prosecutor that I would claim that our vitamin products are able to safely cure cancer is also wrong. I am only claiming, but very decidedly, that certain natural active ingredients, such as those contained in our vitamin products, but also in a large number of other products, are fundamentally able to inhibit the growth of cancer cells and kill cancer cells. I am only describing the mechanisms of action. "

Matthias Rath also admits that there is no cure for AIDS:

“Since there is currently no cure for AIDS, the task at hand has been to bridge the time until such a cure is found”.

On the other hand, a breakthrough in cellular medicine, for example in cancer therapy, has been advertised in magazines and in advertising campaigns for years. In the “Basic Cellular Medicine course” there is simply no guarantee of therapeutic success: “However, this is not a guarantee of a successful cure in every case, especially not if the cancer is already too advanced ... the patient's immune system has already been damaged by chemotherapy cycles is. "

For scientifically or medically untrained groups of people, in view of the large number of studies and experiments cited, the impression is given that cellular medicine has a reliable knowledge of the treatment of diseases.

Clinical research and cellular medicine

Since vitamins are essential substances in principle and their deficiency can trigger serious illnesses such as scurvy (with vitamin C), a health-promoting effect in people with deficiency states is to be expected in principle. Whether vitamins have health-promoting effects in people with a normal diet is controversial: Several independent Cochrane reviews have examined the role of the intake of antioxidants (including vitamin C) on the development of gastrointestinal cancer and lung cancer and have not found any results that recommend supplementary intake of vitamins would. In a systematic review with more than 200,000 examined people, regular consumption of beta-carotene, vitamin A and vitamin E even found an increased mortality rate.

58 publications by Matthias Rath (March 2010) are listed in the medical science database PubMed. The studies published according to scientific standards examine the influence of vitamin / mineral cocktails in cell cultures and in animal experiments without exception. There is no clinical study there that would prove successful use of cellular medicine products in humans.

The "clinical studies" published by Matthias Rath himself on the Internet examine the influence of vitamin preparations on humans in various clinical pictures. The number of patients is in any case too small to derive conclusions that can be generalized. The studies violate existing standards for clinical studies. Therefore, studies of cellular medicine on humans are not published in journals that participate in a scientific process for assessing quality ( peer review ).

Cellular medicine advocates have not yet submitted studies of the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of cellular medicine products. In Europe a good dozen products are sold by the company “Dr. Rath Health Programs BV ”. The preparations contain minerals, trace elements, amino acids and, above all, vitamins. If you compare the usual daily dose of the preparations with the reference value tables of the German-speaking societies for nutritional research, you can see a sometimes considerable overdose (recommended daily doses correspond to the calculated mean value for adults).

Vitamin comparison table

High doses and prolonged use of vitamin preparations in the field of cellular medicine can lead to side effects ( hypervitaminosis ) such as kidney stones due to the excessive intake of vitamin C. There remains a well-founded suspicion that high vitamin supplements can also dangerously increase the risk of cancer. Studies on the safety of applying principles of cellular medicine have not been published.

Protagonists of cellular medicine

According to Matthias Rath himself, cellular medicine was invented in the early 1990s and serves as the basis for a lively trade in vitamin preparations. To date, all publications and activities are closely linked to Matthias Rath as a person.

In 2002 Dr. Rath Health Foundation, a supposedly charitable foundation. She proclaims: “ That of Dr. Rath founded health company is unique in the world: all profits flow into a charitable foundation. “However, only parts of the statutes are published. It therefore remains unclear why the non-profit foundation finances research on cellular medicine, but why the commercial exploitation of the research results in the form of patent rights is granted to individuals.

With the AGFG there was a small political party led by the Dr. Rath Foundation was initiated and controlled via personal links. Among other things, the party represented embassies of cellular medicine and ran several state and federal elections.

With the International Society for Cellular Medicine there is an alleged scientific society for cellular medicine with a contact address in Berlin.

"Cellular medicine" property rights

The term "Cellular Medicine" has been a registered trademark since 1999 and is listed at WIPO under number 722628. The goods or services of the registered trademark are indicated as follows:

• Pharmaceutical and veterinary preparations
• Vitamins and minerals for medical purposes
• Food supplements for non-medical purposes, mainly consisting of vitamins, amino acids, minerals and trace elements
• dietetic substances not adapted for medical use, namely amino acids and trace elements
• Printed matter
• Training in the field of health care and nutritional supplements
• Advice in the field of health care and nutritional supplements

Two dozen patents were applied for in the context of cellular medicine for Matthias Rath and other individuals.

conspiracy theories

In connection with cellular medicine, Matthias Rath regularly asserts, also in the form of publicity campaigns, that a number of competing organizations are scandalously hindering the success of cellular medicine for better health in the population for financial reasons. The alleged “pharmaceutical cartel” in particular are attacked, but also the Protestant Church, the European Community, scientists with critical opinions, political parties and politicians.

Criticism of cellular medicine

It is often criticized that the promises of cellular medicine are not proven despite all the alleged scientific nature. On the other hand, the claimed results could not be reproduced ( Nutrient mixture including vitamin C, L-lysine, L-proline, and epigallocatechin is ineffective against tumor growth and metastasis in a syngeneic neuroblastoma model ).

Furthermore, scientific results are only produced in the field of basic research. Clinical studies cannot be found in the quality-assured scientific databases like PubMed. Advertising for cellular medicine, on the other hand, is aimed at the hope of people with health problems and serious illnesses.

Clinical studies on cellular medicine (as of May 2008)

The Swiss Study Group for Complementary and Alternative Methods in Cancer (SKAK) and the Swiss Cancer League came to the following conclusion in a study of the study situation in 2004:

“Dietary supplements can have pharmacodynamic effects. So far, however, there are only a few studies that indicate a causal relationship between micronutrients and cancer. A cancer-healing effect has not yet been proven for any substance. There is also no evidence that the, in some cases high-dose and expensive, preparations sold by Matthias Rath serve to prevent cancer, let alone cure cancer. Rath fails to provide evidence of the correctness of his allegations. Proof of an effect cannot be provided medically or scientifically on the basis of conclusions by analogy from in-vitro, animal or cell experiments. In addition, there is no evidence of the harmlessness of the preparations sold. The SKAK therefore advises against these preparations. "

Web links

• Dr. Rath Health Foundation
• Swiss Cancer League, download the documentation on cellular medicine (PDF; 185 kB)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Definition of orthomolecular medicine according to Pauling: “ We believe that a significant improvement in health and a decrease in the age-specific morbidity and mortality from various diseases can be achieved by varying the concentrations in the body of the molecules that are normally present, many of which are required for life. The corresponding field is described as "orthomolecular medicine." ”(Techniques of Orthomolecular Diagnosis by Arthur B. Robinson / Linus Pauling (1974)) [1]
2. ^ Josef Beuth: Complementary treatment methods for cancer diseases. (PDF) Cancer Society North Rhine-Westphalia, December 2016, p. 52 , accessed on January 23, 2020 . 
3. ^ Josef Beuth: Complementary treatment methods for cancer diseases. (PDF) Lower Saxony Cancer Society, December 2016, p. 36 , accessed on January 23, 2020 . 
4. ^ Josef Beuth: Complementary treatment methods for cancer diseases. (PDF) Sachsen-Anhaltische Krebsgesellschaft, October 2017, pp. 27 + 44 , accessed on January 23, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Homepage of the Dr. Rath Health Alliance
6. ↑ Rath Health Alliance: Brochure Questions and Answers on Cellular Medicine (PDF; 674 kB)
7. ↑ Statements by Dr. Rath Foundation on Cellular Medicine and Cancer
8. ↑ Statements by Dr. Rath Foundation on cellular medicine and cardiovascular diseases
9. ↑ Statements by Dr. Rath Foundation on Cellular Medicine and Hypertension
10. ↑ Statements by Dr. Rath Foundation on cellular medicine and cardiac arrhythmias
11. ↑ Statements by Dr. Rath Foundation on Cellular Medicine and Heart Failure
12. ↑ Statements by Dr. Rath Foundation on Cellular Medicine and Cholesterol
13. ↑ Statements by Dr. Rath Foundation on Cellular Medicine and Diabetes
14. ↑ Presentation of an application by Dr. Rath products to 100 patients with signs of immunodeficiency in South Africa
15. ↑ Rath Health Alliance: Brochure on cancer (PDF; 1.8 MB)
16. ↑ Brochure on osteosarcoma (PDF; 1.5 MB)
17. ^ Statement by Matthias Rath before a Hamburg court in 2006 on cellular medicine
18. ↑ Book End Aids available on the Internet, Chapter 14, p. 271 ( Memento of the original from July 25, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF; 285 kB) 
19. ↑ Rath International ( Memento of the original from September 29, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
20. ↑ Dr. Rath Health Alliance, Basic Course in Cellular Medicine (as of August 2008), Slide 22 ( PDF )
21. ↑ Cochrane Review: Antioxidant supplements for prevention of gastrointestinal cancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis, 2004
22. ↑ Cochrane Review: Drugs for preventing lung cancer in healthy people, 2003  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
23. ↑ Cochrane Review: Antioxidant supplements for preventing gastrointestinal cancers, 2008  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
24. ^ Studies in PubMed with the participation of Matthias Rath
25. ↑ Reference value tables of the German-speaking societies for nutritional research for vitamins as food supplements
26. ↑ CARET study, 2004 (PDF; 132 kB)
27. ↑ ATBC study, 1994 ( Memento of the original from September 17, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
28. ↑ Brief excerpt from the statutes of the Rath Health Foundation
29. ^ Website of the International Society for Cellular Medicine
30. ↑ Page no longer available , search in web archives: Trademark protection entry at WIPO on the term "Cellular Medicine"
31. ↑ US patents relating to cellular medicine
32. ↑ Homepage of the Rath Foundation with publicity campaigns
33. ↑ Lode HN, Huebener N, Strandsby A, Gaedicke G. Nutrient mixture including vitamin C, L-lysine, L-proline, and epigallocatechin is ineffective against tumor growth and metastasis in a syngeneic neuroblastoma model. Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2008 Feb; 50 (2): 284-8. interscience.wiley.com ( Memento from September 2, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
34. ↑ Swiss Study Group for Complementary and Alternative Methods in Cancer: Cellular Medicine according to Dr. Matthias Rath. Documentation No. 03/04 ( PDF, 47 kB )

This article is about a health issue. It is not used for self-diagnosis and does not replace a diagnosis by a doctor. Please note the information on health issues !