Alternative Cancer Treatment
Being diagnosed with cancer and then having to figure out the best plan of attack can be overwhelming. There is so much research to comb through, and everyone around you seems to know best and wants to voice their opinion, and you are unsure of where to turn first.
First, take a breath and realize that this is all about you. This is often the last thought on our minds, but remember that you are ultimately in charge of your health and you control the decisions – not your doctor, your loved ones, or the random neighbors that suddenly want to tell you what the best plan of action is.
So, what should you do and where should you turn? Recognize that just like any other circumstance, there are pros and cons to every decision, and you will have preferences of what you like or don’t like. It is important to evaluate all of the treatment options with this in mind. There are many, many more treatment options available than you may realize, and this is where you can rely on your doctor’s expertise to find a treatment plan that takes your preferences into consideration. One option that you have is to turn to alternative medicine to fight cancer.
Alternative Cancer Treatments versus Conventional Treatments
Alternative medicine is defined as “any practice of medicine that is outside mainstream conventional allopathic medicine. Some of these medicines may be sourced from natural herbs and are referred to as herbal medicines. They are used, among others, as remedies for a variety of ailments,” and there are some treatments that benefit cancer treatments. [1] Alternative medicine can also be referred to as integrative medicine, as “studies in the U.S. show that few people forgo conventional medicine… Integrative medicine combines, or integrates, the best of conventional medical care with the best of evidence-based CAM [complementary and alternative medicine].”[2]
It is important to note that conventional treatments are not perfect; “conventional medical tests and treatments go through a series of scientific challenges that, if met, allow the test or the treatment to become part of conventional medical practice. However, there are and there always will be exceptions… Because the emphasis on evidence-based decision-making is relatively new, many current conventional medical practices did not follow what is now considered to be the normative pathway of translation because they became accepted practice before this pathway was fully established. Many practices that are widely accepted, however, continue to undergo scrutiny, and their indications often change as research identifies those patients who benefit the most from them,” one of which is “coronary bypass surgery which became accepted treatment before undergoing controlled clinical trials.”[3] This shows that conventional treatments are not necessarily the ‘right’ answer to medical problems; conventional treatments, too, have pitfalls that must be addressed from a non-biased perspective.
As such, conventional treatments should not be viewed as the only way or the proper way to treat cancer; it is not an either-or issue, as both treatments have benefits, disadvantages, risks, and ways in which they perform best. Everyone is different and has a different medical history, and thus, alternative cancer treatments should not be discounted simply because they are nontraditional methods. The benefits of alternative treatments vary by procedure, yet many of them are meant to combat specific criteria of cancer such as boosting the body’s immune system, or increasing oxygen levels to increase the health of the body’s cells; to learn about some of them, click here.
Alternative cancer treatment can also be identified by its ability to be all-encompassing, synthesizing physical treatments with others that improve overall mental and emotional wellbeing. By this, “integrative medicine focuses on preventive maintenance of health by paying attention to all relative components of lifestyle, including diet, exercise, stress management, and emotional wellbeing.” Further, alternative medicine gives more decision-making power to the patients, rather than just the medical team; “it insists on patients being active participants in their health care as well as on physicians viewing patients as whole persons—minds, community members, and spiritual beings, as well as physical bodies. Finally, it asks physicians to serve as guides, role models, and mentors, as well as dispensers of therapeutic aids.”
This is crucial because ultimately, you should be in charge of your cancer journey and how you want to fight. Your mental and emotional health is just as vital as your body’s physical ability to fight, and alternative treatments differ from conventional treatments in that they do include treatments that work to improve your mental and emotional wellness.
The Bottom Line
Although “cancer” is a disease that affects many people that we know, and even more that we do not, it is not a uniform disease. Rather, each case is individual and unique, just like you. Your cancer treatment plan should reflect that, and you should have a say in how you want to be treated. Ultimately, it is your health, and you are fully in charge of how you want to manage it. Your doctors are on your team, and you are the captain. Should you want to pursue alternative cancer treatments, feel free to reach out for more information.
To schedule a video consultation with Dr. Payan at CMN Hospital please contact us.