Alternative Cancer Treatment

What is Alternative Cancer Treatment

Alternative Cancer Treatment is any medical system, practice, or product that is not thought of as standard care. Standard medical care is care that is based on scientific evidence. For cancer, it includes chemotherapy, radiation, biological therapy, and surgery.

Complementary Cancer Medicine

Complementary cancer medicine is used along with standard cancer treatments. One example is using acupuncture to help with side effects of cancer treatment.

Alternative Cancer Medicine

Alternative cancer medicine is used in place of standard cancer treatments. One example is using a special diet to treat cancer instead of a method that a cancer specialist (an oncologist) suggests.

Integrative Medicine

Integrative medicine is a total approach to alternative cancer treatment that involves the patient's mind, body, and spirit. It combines standard medicine with the alternative cancer treatment practices that have shown the most promise. For example, some people learn to use relaxation as a way to reduce stress during chemotherapy.

Types of Alternative Cancer Treatment

We are learning about alternative cancer treatments every day, but there is still more to learn. Consumers may use the terms complementary, natural, holistic, home remedy, or Eastern medicine to refer to Alternative Cancer Treatments. However, experts use five categories to describe it. These are listed below with a few examples for each.

Mind-Body Medicines

These are based on the belief that your mind is able to affect your body. Some examples are:

Meditation: Focused breathing or repetition of words or phrases to quiet the mind;

Biofeedback: Using simple machines, the patient learns how to affect certain body functions that are normally out of one's awareness (such as heart rate);

Hypnosis: A state of relaxed and focused attention in which the patient concentrates on a certain feeling, idea, or suggestion to aid in healing;

Yoga: Systems of stretches and poses, with special attention given to breathing;

Imagery: Imagining scenes, pictures, or experiences to help the body heal;

Creative outlets: Such as art, music, or dance.

Biologically Based Alternative Cancer Treatments

This type of Alternative Cancer Treatment uses things found in nature. This includes dietary supplements and herbal products. Some examples are: Vitamins, Herbs, Foods and Special diets.

A note about nutrition: It's common for people with cancer to have questions about different foods to eat during treatment. Yet it's important to know that there is no one food or special diet that has been proven to control cancer. Too much of any one food is not helpful, and may even be harmful. Because of nutrition needs you may have, it's best to talk with the doctor in charge of your treatment about the foods you should be eating.

Manipulative and Body-Based Alternative Cancer Treatments

These are based on working with one or more parts of the body. Some examples are:

Massage: Manipulation of tissues with hands or special tools;

Chiropractic care: A type of manipulation of the joints and skeletal system;

Reflexology: Using pressure points in the hands or feet to affect other parts of the body.

Energy Medicine

Energy medicine involves the belief that the body has energy fields that can be used for healing and wellness. Therapists use pressure or move the body by placing their hands in or through these fields. Some examples are:

Tai Chi : Involves slow, gentle movements with a focus on the breath and concentration;

Reiki : Balancing energy either from a distance or by placing hands on or near the patient;

Therapeutic touch : Moving hands over energy fields of the body.

Whole Medical Systems

These are healing systems and beliefs that have evolved over time in different cultures and parts of the world. Some examples are:

Ayurvedic medicine : A system from India emphasizing balance among body, mind, and spirit;

Chinese medicine: Based on the view that health is a balance in the body of two forces called yin and yang. Acupuncture is a common practice in Chinese medicine that involves stimulating specific points on the body to promote health, or to lessen cancer symptoms and treatment side effects;

Homeopathy : Uses very small doses of substances to trigger the body to heal itself;

Naturopathic medicine : Uses different methods that help the body naturally heal itself.

Is Alternative Medicine A Solution For Cancer Victims? It's no wonder that cancer victims look for alternative forms of treatment, and alternative medicine has come up with some options that are meant to be complimentary to the more "modern" forms of treatment. However, there appears to be no middle ground here; while the alternative medicine community is accused of overstating the validity of alternative medicine, the "conventional" treatment provider's tend to understate the effects of alternative therapies for cancer sufferers.

Cancer and Alternative Medicine: An Overview Alternative medicine is the use of means, in addition to, or instead of conventional, to treat disease or pain. There is lots of controversy surrounding alternative medicine, especially in the cancer arena, because most of it is unproven, as far as the medical world is concerned. To be proven, a treatment must have undergone peer-reviewed, controlled studies. However, if you know where to look, you can find plenty of research to support the efficacy of many alternative therapies.