Treatments

When someone discovers they have cancer, the first thing they think about is what treatment is available. There are basically three approaches to treatment and they are, orthodox treatments, holistic cancer care treatments, and integrated treatments. We’ll start with the conventional or orthodox treatment currently offered by your hospital.

Radiotherapy

Radiotherapy involves the exposure of parts of the body to radiation, beams of high energy x-rays, gamma rays or particles. The purpose is to destroy cancer cells that grow abnormally on or within your body. The doctor who carries out the treatment is called a radiologist.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy or chemical therapy is treatment with cell killing or cytotoxic drugs. These drugs damage cancer cells; the term chemotherapy means treatment with cell killing drugs. At risk from chemotherapy are the dividing cells, these are growing tissue, and your skin, hair and digestive system are growing all the time, if these cells are killed off by chemotherapy this explains why skin is broken down, we can feel sick, and we lose hair etc. Chemotherapy can be administered by injection, intravenously, orally or by cream preparations.

Surgery

This is a local treatment, meaning it only treats one particular area. For that reason it is not always used if cancer has spread to other parts of the body. If surgery is possible the surgeon will sometimes remove the main lymph nodes and lymphatic vessels that are nearest to the cancer, or organ where the cancer is. This is because the draining lymph nodes and vessels are the most likely place for cancer cells to spread.

Integrated Therapy

Integrated medicine is a rapidly expanding speciality. It looks at what your oncologist has to offer, and combining it with natural complementary holistic medical treatments. These consultants work with you to try and establish what caused the cancer in the first place and by adopting a holistic approach, try and return your body to a state of health. Putting together a holistic programme your consultant will take into consideration:

• Your history
• Lifestyle
• Diet
• How well your body is detoxifying your treatment
• Stresses
• How to present the information to you
• How much energy you currently have
• Your spiritual approach
• Where you are psychologically

Cancer does not have to be the exclusive domain of the Oncologist. Many alternative therapies can be complementary to orthodox treatment or even replace it.

Complementary and holistic Medicine are generally used alongside the standard orthodox treatments and many people use them to help with the symptoms and side effects of treatment, as well as the emotional distress cancer can cause. Commonly complementary therapy can be psychological, self-help, physical or dietary.

Psychological and Self-Help

Can include:

• Counselling
• Relaxation
• Hypnotherapy
• Art therapy
• Self-help groups

These can all help with stress and anxiety.

Physical Therapies

Can include:

• Massage
• Reflexology
• Aromatherapy

These can relieve symptoms and reduce anxiety.

Diagnostic Therapies

Can include:

• Iridology
• Reflexology - can be used as a diagnostic tool.

Dietary Therapies

Can include:

• The Gerson Diet
• The Bristol Diet

These are alternative diets which aim to rid our bodies of toxins accumulated by some drugs and junk foods.

Metabolic Therapies

Can include:

• Laetrile Amygdaline or Vitamin B17 - this can be a non-drug approach.

Vitamin Therapies

Can include:

• Vitamin E therapy
• Vitamin C therapy - this can play an important role in maintaining the body’s health.