Cancer is a discouraging diagnosis and affects millions of people around the world young and old. Much progress has been made the past few decades in treating those suffering from cancer but sadly, treatment such as radiation and chemotherapy is imperfect, is often an extremely unpleasant experience, and there is no guarantee that it will be successful. While alternative treatments cannot be successful as a stand-alone option, coupled with traditional cancer treatments they can play a major role in ensuring the process is tolerable. Below are benefits that alternative cancer treatments can offer after one has been diagnosed.
1. Healthy
It is not uncommon for someone diagnosed with cancer to seek remedies to address their side effects in conjunction with traditional treatments. Vitamin or herb supplements are healthy, can keep an immune system strong, address adverse side effects, and aid in meeting nutritional requirements necessary for the body to fight cancer. Activities such as massage therapy, meditation, and art therapy can potentially keep a cancer sufferer strong before, during, and after traditional treatments by treating side effects and keeping the body and mind resilient for future traditional cancer treatments.
2. Personal
Doctors work hard and play a pivotal role in ensuring patients get the treatment they need. However, the reality is they are usually too busy to provide any type of individual or emotional support that is important when someone is suffering from cancer. Practitioners in alternative medicine can be effective because they have the time to meet with a patient, identify needs, compose a treatment plan based on these needs, and follow-up support is often available. In alternative cancer treatments, an emphasis is placed more on “whole-body care” that focuses not only the physical body and the disease affecting it, but also on emotional and spiritual health which can vary greatly from person to person.
3. Pain relief
As cancer patients become overwhelmed with pain when enduring the traditional treatment process, doctors often prescribe morphine to assist. Morphine can be fatal if used incorrectly during the recuperation phase causing many to be reluctant to use it even if prescribed. As a result, many cancer sufferers are turning to natural and holistic remedies to aid them through the treatment process. These remedies can entail taking turmeric or ginger extracts which are healthier, thought to slow body deterioration, and attack tumours in the body.
4. Addresses side effects
Alternative cancer treatments have allowed patients to better tolerate traditional cancer treatment and lead to a better quality of life. Hypnosis, yoga, and massage therapy have been shown to benefit cancer sufferers experiencing feeling of anxiety and depression. Ginger extract, acupuncture and aromatherapy have assisted when a patient is feeling nauseous and excessive pain. While these remedies will not play a direct role in treating cancer, they will help a patient cope with the side effects of the treatment and allow them to better endure the process.
5. Can address mental health
Not only can alternative treatments assist in aiding physical maladies caused by conventional cancer treatments, it can also aid in alleviating mental health issues experienced in the process. As mentioned, the whole-body approach offered in alternative treatments provides a treatment plan equally dedicated to the body, mind, and spirit. Treatment methods such as art therapy, aromatherapy, Thai chi, and massage therapy can help reduce stress, allow for increased relaxation, and relieve symptoms of depression. Other alternative methods such as vitamin and herb supplements can offer patients the peace of mind knowing that what they are taking is healthy for their body and they are doing everything within their power to be healthy and improve immune systems.
