A cancer patient always seeks the best treatment for cancer. However, there is no universally applicable best treatment. The kind of treatment one receives varies as per the type of cancer and its advanced level. A few patients go through a single treatment, while some take a combination of treatments, such as chemotherapy and surgery.
Mainstream curative treatment focuses on surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy, prescribed in combination or alone. Of these, chemo and radiation technologies are unable to discriminate cancer cells from the healthy ones due to which both face significant damage.
As a result, debilitating side effects occur up to such an extent that the patients opt to leave the treatment. This is the major reason why many cancer patients look for the best alternative cancer treatment that can mitigate the traditional therapy’s adverse side effects and ensure better anti-cancer impact.
Overview of Anti-cancer Treatment Alternatives to Chemo
Complementary treatments or alternative therapies is a collective phrase for a myriad of antidotes that are outside the scope of traditional medical treatment. This collection involves supplements rich in herbal and nutritional values, and physical and psychological mediations such as acupuncture, massage, prayers, exercise, and hypnotherapy.
The use of these therapies is popular among those who have experienced the conventional treatment for getting rid of cancer. Since last 10 years, millions of patients have used alternative therapies for controlling the disorder. More than 50% of cancer patients in both U.S. and U.K resort to some form of complementary treatment.
Why People Consider a Complementary or Alternative Therapy as the Best Treatment for Cancer
Using the best alternative cancer treatment is likely to reduce the side effects of the traditional treatments, reduce cancer symptoms, boost immunity, and ensure better quality of life. However, no proper evidence exists to conclude that any complementary therapy cures cancer.
Research is still going on for many alternative therapies. There are some interesting reasons why alternatives to chemo have always attracted cancer patients despite there being no evidence. Here are these reasons:
• Reducing Side Effects or Cancer Symptoms: For a few therapies, little research evidence exists to conclude that they relieve some symptoms such as hot flushes and pain. In case of acupuncture, study has shown mitigated chemotherapy induced illness or nausea, and neck pain and sore mouth after surgery. This is how more evidence is coming up to support how these therapies can regulate a few cancer symptoms and reduce the unbearable side effects.
• Giving a Better Control: In case of cancer, due to rigid conventional remedy, it seems that the patient has not much control over the manner in which the treatment is given. It is obvious for the doctor to take several decisions over which the patients have no control or flexible power. On the other hand, the alternatives to chemo allow cancer patients to participate actively in their recovery at their own tolerable pace along with their therapist. These therapies are also believed to aid them in taking significant control of their emotions. This is a plus point over heat and radiations of traditional remedy, which leaves most patients alone and make them feel uncontrollable. Considering the benefits of massage, prayers, and acupuncture, it is conclusive that cancer patients feel relaxed and gain better control over feelings and situations.
• Alleviating Stress and Improving the Overall Feeling: This is another major reason why cancer patients consider an alternative therapy as the best treatment for cancer. Patients often rely on alternative remedies to improve the overall mood and cope with the disease more easily. How one feels contributes to how one is coping up. It is a fact that several alternative remedies for cancer focus on stress-reducing techniques such as relaxation massages, exercises, acupuncture, and prayers. There are various scientific studies concluding that these techniques reduce stress, control mood swings and anxiety, and reduce pain. Moreover, several cancer treating doctors and experts support the notion that positive emotions contribute to improved health. Thus, it is not wrong to believe that they boost the overall sense of wellbeing and quality of living.
• Acting as Natural Healers: The chemical-based medicines inducing several side effects have forced the cancer patients to look for a natural remedy. Thus, they rely on complementary therapies that are non-toxic and naturally effective. In fact, these therapies can easily ease the side effects of radiation and chemo. However, there are some side effects of a few herbs if taken in more dosage or taken in presence of other disorder along with cancer. Thus, it makes more sense to talk with your physician and proceed for these alternatives to chemo.
• Strengthening the Immune System: This is not surprising, as stress slayers are likely to contribute to boosted immunity. It is not a myth to believe that a few alternative remedies are capable of boosting immunity to fight cancer. This is regardless of any type of cancer. However, doctors are unsure whether this immunity boost can help in regulating the growth of cancer cells due to lack of evidence in this field. However, clinical trials have been conducted to see how these remedies positively influence the immune system.
• Better Personal and Expert Support: Many patients feel contented and comfortable due to the timely interaction and time spend with a therapist. A professional and good therapist is likely to play an empathetic role during the time of treatment. For instance, a massage therapist can make you feel so at the time of massaging, which can improve the overall quality of life.
• Keeping One Stay Positive: There are many cases in which doctors have already told their cancer patients that this condition is difficult or impossible to cure. Well, this conclusion truly depends on how advanced the disease is in the body. These patients feel that alternate therapies keep their hope alive due to which they stay positive despite a clear medical suspicion. This is another reason why a complementary remedy is considered as the best treatment for cancer.
These reasons are simply the benefits of complementary and alternate remedies for cancer. These benefits obviously soothe the ones suffering more because of chemo and radiation therapy. This is why such an alternate remedy is the best treatment for cancer.