A CANCER patient who was given just two months to live is in remission. . . after injecting himself with mistletoe extract twice a week.

Dave Reynolds, from Port Seton, had been searching for a stem cell donor after being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma when his doctors broke the news that his condition was terminal.

The dad-of-three was given two months to live and NHS treatment stopped.

However, he was persuaded to try an alternative therapy found online by his wife Dian, and just four months later his scans have come back clear.

Dave, 50, told the Courier: “Dian was determined and would not give up; she was my rock and persuaded me to give the mistletoe therapy a chance – thank goodness she did.

“I can’t say mistletoe cured me because it’s a therapy that hasn’t been scientifically researched. But I can say that I went through the therapy and I am in remission after being given just two months to live.

“The only other thing I changed in my diet was adding extra vitamin C and turmeric.”

Dave travelled to Aberdeen with Dian to undergo an intensive course of mistletoe injections in May and has carried on the treatment at home, buying the vials of extract online.

Mistletoe Therapy is offered by charity Camphill Wellbeing Trust at its Aberdeen centre as part of an integrated approach to cancer care.

Former England cricketer John Edrich MBE credits it with surviving leukaemia after he was given a maximum of seven years to live in 1999. In a testimonial 13 years later, he said: “I remain in good health and fully enjoy life.”

Although it is not available on the NHS in Aberdeen, the charity fundraises to allow patients who cannot afford the treatment access to it, as well as supporting further research into the therapy.

Dave, who is an investigations manager with BT, said he and Dian had paid for the treatment privately, with an initial outlay of £2,500 followed by £200 a month for the extract and checks.

Dave said: “We had to stay at the centre initially so they could establish what level of mistletoe my body could tolerate. But I now inject myself twice a week at home and go for regular checks to make sure the levels are okay.

“I’ve never felt fitter, even my hair has grown back darker than before.”

In support of the Camphill charity, following Dave’s remarkable turnaround, family friend Ailsa Golightly is taking part in a sponsored tandem skydive this weekend.

Ailsa said: “Camphill Wellbeing Trust is a fantastic project that uses mistletoe extract to care for cancer patients. They would like to use the money to aid patient care and to fund scientific research into how mistletoe extract works to make patients feel better.”

To support Ailsa, go to virginmoneygiving.com/AilsaGolightly Dr Stefan Geider, from the Camphill Wellbeing Trust, said mistletoe was fairly widely used in Central Europe and was the most prescribed complementary medicine.

He said it had three main impacts: it works with the immune system to re-educate it; improved quality of life for many users who felt stronger and fitter than they had before taking it; and, in some patients, it has a big impact on their tumour.

Dr Geider said: “I have seen some cases like Dave, but more research is needed to look into why in cases like his there is such a dramatic change.

“I want to see it researched further. Currently it is used mainly for palliative care as part of an integrated approach, but some people begin using it very early.

“It can bring different benefits to different people but we need more research to find out why.”