Eigenbluttherapie Concentrated as well as inter-federal action against naturopaths

Authorities are massively against non-medical practitioners who offer the self-blood therapy
To the knowledge of the Federation of German Non-medical Practitioners (BDH), competent authorities are currently proceeding massively against non-medical practitioners in order to forbid their own blood therapy. This applies especially to non-medical practitioners in North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony and Brandenburg.

Actions against naturopaths due to the self-blood therapy in progress. Picture: thingamajiggs-fotolia

Unlawful action?
A legal opinion prepared on behalf of the BDH considers this procedure unlawful. Concerned naturopaths should immediately contact the BDH office. The assessment is confirmed by a report commissioned by Prof. Dr. med. Andreas Spickhoff, Professor of Civil Law and Medical Law at the Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich.

Self-blood therapies are often used in diseases such as allergies, of any kind. "One to five milliliters of blood are taken from the arm vein of the patient," explains Ulrich Sümper from the Association of German Naturopaths (BDH). Mostly the blood is injected back into the buttocks. There a hematoma is formed, which is absorbed by the organism. "The own blood is regarded by the body as foreign and triggers an immune reaction", so the naturopath. This would stimulate the "body's defense". A total therapy is about 12 individual sessions with two treatments per week.

Mode of action controversial
The procedure is little more than a minimal intervention. The therapist only takes a small amount of blood with the small treatment, in order to then add this back to the circulation. The self-blood therapy is offered by most naturopaths but also by some general practitioners. Especially the autologous blood treatment for atopic dermatitis and asthma should relieve the symptoms. The therapy is based on experience. Larger clinical studies have hardly been conducted on this topic so far.

The health insurances use the so-called "hedgehog monitor" to evaluate the autologous blood treatment as "tendentially negative". On the one hand, the health insurances justify the therapy as scientifically unproven and on the other hand negative effects, for example coagulation disorders or the concomitant use of the drug "Marcumar" could happen. The physicians had the therapy tested for tendon irritation. "In no case should the autologous blood treatment blood coagulation disorders, phlebitis and severe illnesses and when taking glucocorticosteroids, blood thinners and immunosuppressants happen." (Sb)