Introduction
Cancer is widely considered a deadly and fatal disease. When people get diagnosed with cancer, they usually lose hope and will to live. One cannot blame those diagnosed with cancer because the medicinal success rate in curing cancer around the world is very low. Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy are widely used and are the conventional treatments for cancer, but they are not the only ones around. Alternative cancer treatments have been around for some time and are considered to be more useful and successful than the conventional treatments by some doctors and patients. People tend to confuse between alternative cancer treatment and complimentary treatment. Complementary treatment is one that is used along with conventional treatments to make the patient feel good. Complementary treatment’s basic job is to remove and treat the side effects of conventional treatments, whereas alternative cancer treatments are ones which are used instead of the conventional treatments.
History
Evidence shows that conventional treatments for cancer have a fatality rate of 90% since the 40’s. Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy along with the re-defined surgical treatments come with a sack load of side effects. These side effects range from intestinal swellings and nausea to hair fall and infertility. Short term pain flares have been reported in days following radiation therapy. Alternative cancer treatments date back to, almost, late 1800’s. These treatments have been chosen by people who do not believe in conventional medicine. Although there is no substantial evidence but some people claim to have been cured by these alternative treatments completely.
Features
Alternative cancer treatments include many techniques and methodologies aimed at curing cancer. Macrobiotic diet is one of the alternative cancer treatments used around the world. This technique involves eating grains as a primary diet. The diet is supplemented by vegetables. Macrobiotic treatment advises against the use of processed and refined food. It also discourages eating meat. Some historians consider it to be a Japanese dietary regimen, dating back to early 1600s till mid-1800s. In those days Japanese peasants were not allowed to eat meat and their diet consisted strictly of grains and vegetables in order to get their protein intake. Another alternative cancer treatment is mind-body intervention. This technique covers a lot of treatments such as art therapy, music therapy, qigong and aroma therapy etc. These therapies help enhance the human mind’s capacity to deal with bodily functions and illness symptoms. They also include meditating, praying, exercising and dancing. The basic purpose of these therapies is to train the human mind to enhance its working and understanding capacity to deal with illness and disease inside the body. For example qigong has its roots deep inside the Chinese culture. Qigong involves multiple training routines that help align breathing to body movements. While one form of qigong encourages fluid movements, at times the imitation of animals, another form encourages holding specific body postures for a certain period of time. Self-hypnosis is another form of alternative treatment. This treatment also resembles yoga meditation; it requires the individual to reach a certain state of mind and stay there for some time. Once the patient indulges in self-hypnosis and is capable of doing it perfectly, the therapist is able to communicate messages to the patient that cause relaxation and stress relief.
Tips and comments
Cancer is a very dangerous disease and it doesn't matter if one is using the conventional therapies or alternative cancer therapies, hope and the will to live is the key. Cancer is a battle and some have won it while others have lost, but what one must remember is the fact that without the will to live, survival becomes difficult.
