Until 200 years ago what is now labeled 'alternative treatment' was based on the words of Hippocrates, the "Father of Medicine". Hippocrates is famously quoted as saying "Let food be your medicine." It is a compelling quote which encapsulates the very simple, very common sense idea that the most efficient healer we know, or will ever know, is a correctly functioning natural immune system. In modern cancer research this common sense approach is not only ignored it is actively forbidden by the AMA for doctors to prescribe alternative medications to fight cancer. Doctors are allowed to prescribe natural remedies to treat the side-effects of the drugs which are used to fight cancer, but not allowed to treat cancer itself with anything other than the prescribed, orthodox treatment.
The purpose of this article is not to examine the state of affairs which sees natural substances shunned in favor of expensive, and often harmful medications, but to examine what you can expect to happen and receive should you elect an alternative treatment course to deal with cancer.
One of the biggest problems with discussing alternative cancer treatments is that it covers a huge amount of ground. Anything which is outside the mainstream practice(which will usually include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment) is, by definition, 'alternative'. As such the 'alternative' label is often attacked broadly based on the ineffectuality or indeed harmfulness of specific treatments. For instance treating cancer by putting leeches on the skin to draw blood is not a mainstream medical response to cancer so it would be labeled as 'alternative' even though most alternative treatment providers would be horrified with the concept. Attacking unorthodox treatments broadly for the practices of a few extreme treatment providers is clearly not a rational response, yet it is exactly the line which has successfully kept alternative cancer treatment on the sideline for so long.
For the purpose of this article we will discuss the type of healthcare that Hippocrates was a strong supporter of and apply to it the broad label 'alternative'. This form of alternative treatment works on a few basic fundamental ideas.
The first is the concept that the most efficient entity at healing a body is itself. The body will respond to a foreign organism long before medical tests discover it, and in fact this is usually how the problem is first bought to the attention of doctors. Diseases do not have 'tiredness' causing properties, this is the bodies natural response to an invasion - it attempts to enter a restive state where it can more effectively fight the invader.
A primary focus of alternative cancer treatment then is not the direct battle against the cancer and the tumor itself, but a strengthening of the bodies defenses and natural ability to fight disease. This is done via strengthening the immune system. Vitamin C is known to have strong immunity building properties and was shown by Linus Pauling (Two time Nobel prize winner) to be an effective cancer treatment by itself. In fact it was over thirty years ago that Pauling and his research partner Ewan Cameron MD showed that just 10 grams of Vitamin C taken intravenously each day would extend a cancer patient's life 6 times longer than chemotherapy treatment. It is also worth noting that while Vitamin C builds up the immune system, chemotherapy breaks it down, which means that where chemotherapy is used it becomes the only defense the body has against cancer - the only way of continuing to fight the cancer is to continue chemotherapy. The clear conclusion is that Vitamin C is a more efficient treatment than Chemotherapy and has none of the debilitating side effects.
Alternative treatment providers have been able to use this type of research as a base for formulating a case by case plan to restore the bodies balance and fight cancer. The type of cancer it self is considered, the location of the cancer and the size of the tumor will all effect how the treatment is administered. The patients only physical state must be considered two and this will usually involve a detailed look at their body, diet and lifestyle. Everybodies DNA is different and some people are more likely to respond positively to some treatments.
This critical fact is often what is left out of a full assessment of alternative cancer treatments. Imagine an auto repair shop. If you said to your mechanic that your car isn't working he will not simply change the oil and give you your keys back. That may well work for some cars, but it will most definitely not work for them all. Only then is any attempt made to 'cure' the car. Now compare that approach to the approach of orthodox medicine that will change the oil and water, give you a new set of tires and tune the engine. In most cases an alternative treatment is going to require some type of detoxification process. In modern society we are exposed to more harmful substances and processed foods that at any previous point in history. These toxins can dwell in our system for a long time and are often part of the cause of a disease. At the very least the body is wasting resources fighting them that could be assisting in it's fight against cancer. The detoxification is an ongoing process, particularly if the other treatments are effectively killing cancer cells. The death of a cancer cell actually introduces more toxins to the system and in large doses these can be extremely harmful and even fatal. This is why all cancer treatments are undertaken gradually - because a treatment that killed all cancer cells immediately would release a massive toxic load into the system and put it in even more danger.
Alternative Cancer Treatment also puts a huge amount of emphasis on a patients diet. Conventional medicine ignores this and most orthodox cancer treatment will result in a serious loss of weight. Forty Percent of cancer patients die not from cancer but from malnutrition so it is vital to ensure that a healthy and regular diet is followed. The correct balance in the body is also going to mean less nausea and other symptoms associated with cancer treatments.
This article has touched on what you can expect in an alternative health treatment for cancer, but it must be stressed that it only touches the surface of the options available. There are over 300 treatments that have been shown to be effective in the treatment of cancer but are not part of mainstream medicines response. The important thing is not knowing how many options there are out there but knowing which options, and combinations of options are going to work in any individual case. Alternative Cancer Treatment takes a holistic approach to the treatment of cancer and seeks to assist the sufferer not just in overcoming their cancer but also in enjoying their life and living well while they do. A cancer survivor who beats cancer using alternative medicine will not just be alive, but they will be alive and healthy. This increased quality of life, both throughout the treatment and after it, is an essential element in what makes alternative cancer therapy such an attractive option to those with the good fortune to explore it.
Britain Claiming Major Breakthrough In Prostate Cancer Treatment
In July, 2008, British researchers claimed to have won a major victory for prostate cancer treatment. According to recently release reports, a new drug, abiraterone, may be used to treat as many as 80% of patients suffering from advanced forms of prostate cancer.
Researchers worldwide involved in the treatment of prostate cancer are cautiously optimistic, and welcoming what may arguably be the best news in prostate cancer treatment research in the past 15 years. It is thought that larger clinical studies now need to be conducted to determine important side effects of the new drug's use, as well as the level of its benefits versus the possible drawbacks of the drug treatment.
Abiraterone is a drug manufactured by Cougar Biotechnology Incorporated, and currently being investigated for use in treatment of prostate cancer. It works to block the production of testosterone, which enhances the growth and development of prostate cancer, by inhibiting an enzyme involved in the formation of testosterone.
In drug trials of abiraterone, it appears that the drug may reduce the levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), as well as shrink prostate cancer tumors. In the trials of the new drug conducted at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital in Britain, the symptoms of prostate cancer occurring in patients with advanced stages and/or with untreatable forms of the disease have shown significant regression. The news offers hope for thousands of men who contract prostate cancer worldwide each year.
Prostate cancer is usually diagnosed in men in the later life stages.
By the time men reach the ages of 40 (higher risk) or 50, it is recommended that they receive annual prostate checkups. Annual checkups should include both physical exams as well as blood tests, to effectively screen for the disease.
The American Cancer Society estimates 186,320 new cases, and 28,660 deaths will result from prostate cancer in the US in 2008. The Society further states that prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the nation.
One in six men will get prostate cancer in his lifetime, while one in thirty-five men will die from the disease. Death from prostate cancer is currently on the decline, a fact thought to be due to advances in prostate cancer treatment and early detection.
The purpose of this article is not to examine the state of affairs which sees natural substances shunned in favor of expensive, and often harmful medications, but to examine what you can expect to happen and receive should you elect an alternative treatment course to deal with cancer.
One of the biggest problems with discussing alternative cancer treatments is that it covers a huge amount of ground. Anything which is outside the mainstream practice(which will usually include surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatment) is, by definition, 'alternative'. As such the 'alternative' label is often attacked broadly based on the ineffectuality or indeed harmfulness of specific treatments. For instance treating cancer by putting leeches on the skin to draw blood is not a mainstream medical response to cancer so it would be labeled as 'alternative' even though most alternative treatment providers would be horrified with the concept. Attacking unorthodox treatments broadly for the practices of a few extreme treatment providers is clearly not a rational response, yet it is exactly the line which has successfully kept alternative cancer treatment on the sideline for so long.
For the purpose of this article we will discuss the type of healthcare that Hippocrates was a strong supporter of and apply to it the broad label 'alternative'. This form of alternative treatment works on a few basic fundamental ideas.
The first is the concept that the most efficient entity at healing a body is itself. The body will respond to a foreign organism long before medical tests discover it, and in fact this is usually how the problem is first bought to the attention of doctors. Diseases do not have 'tiredness' causing properties, this is the bodies natural response to an invasion - it attempts to enter a restive state where it can more effectively fight the invader.
A primary focus of alternative cancer treatment then is not the direct battle against the cancer and the tumor itself, but a strengthening of the bodies defenses and natural ability to fight disease. This is done via strengthening the immune system. Vitamin C is known to have strong immunity building properties and was shown by Linus Pauling (Two time Nobel prize winner) to be an effective cancer treatment by itself. In fact it was over thirty years ago that Pauling and his research partner Ewan Cameron MD showed that just 10 grams of Vitamin C taken intravenously each day would extend a cancer patient's life 6 times longer than chemotherapy treatment. It is also worth noting that while Vitamin C builds up the immune system, chemotherapy breaks it down, which means that where chemotherapy is used it becomes the only defense the body has against cancer - the only way of continuing to fight the cancer is to continue chemotherapy. The clear conclusion is that Vitamin C is a more efficient treatment than Chemotherapy and has none of the debilitating side effects.
Alternative treatment providers have been able to use this type of research as a base for formulating a case by case plan to restore the bodies balance and fight cancer. The type of cancer it self is considered, the location of the cancer and the size of the tumor will all effect how the treatment is administered. The patients only physical state must be considered two and this will usually involve a detailed look at their body, diet and lifestyle. Everybodies DNA is different and some people are more likely to respond positively to some treatments.
This critical fact is often what is left out of a full assessment of alternative cancer treatments. Imagine an auto repair shop. If you said to your mechanic that your car isn't working he will not simply change the oil and give you your keys back. That may well work for some cars, but it will most definitely not work for them all. Only then is any attempt made to 'cure' the car. Now compare that approach to the approach of orthodox medicine that will change the oil and water, give you a new set of tires and tune the engine. In most cases an alternative treatment is going to require some type of detoxification process. In modern society we are exposed to more harmful substances and processed foods that at any previous point in history. These toxins can dwell in our system for a long time and are often part of the cause of a disease. At the very least the body is wasting resources fighting them that could be assisting in it's fight against cancer. The detoxification is an ongoing process, particularly if the other treatments are effectively killing cancer cells. The death of a cancer cell actually introduces more toxins to the system and in large doses these can be extremely harmful and even fatal. This is why all cancer treatments are undertaken gradually - because a treatment that killed all cancer cells immediately would release a massive toxic load into the system and put it in even more danger.
Alternative Cancer Treatment also puts a huge amount of emphasis on a patients diet. Conventional medicine ignores this and most orthodox cancer treatment will result in a serious loss of weight. Forty Percent of cancer patients die not from cancer but from malnutrition so it is vital to ensure that a healthy and regular diet is followed. The correct balance in the body is also going to mean less nausea and other symptoms associated with cancer treatments.
This article has touched on what you can expect in an alternative health treatment for cancer, but it must be stressed that it only touches the surface of the options available. There are over 300 treatments that have been shown to be effective in the treatment of cancer but are not part of mainstream medicines response. The important thing is not knowing how many options there are out there but knowing which options, and combinations of options are going to work in any individual case. Alternative Cancer Treatment takes a holistic approach to the treatment of cancer and seeks to assist the sufferer not just in overcoming their cancer but also in enjoying their life and living well while they do. A cancer survivor who beats cancer using alternative medicine will not just be alive, but they will be alive and healthy. This increased quality of life, both throughout the treatment and after it, is an essential element in what makes alternative cancer therapy such an attractive option to those with the good fortune to explore it.
Britain Claiming Major Breakthrough In Prostate Cancer Treatment
In July, 2008, British researchers claimed to have won a major victory for prostate cancer treatment. According to recently release reports, a new drug, abiraterone, may be used to treat as many as 80% of patients suffering from advanced forms of prostate cancer.
Researchers worldwide involved in the treatment of prostate cancer are cautiously optimistic, and welcoming what may arguably be the best news in prostate cancer treatment research in the past 15 years. It is thought that larger clinical studies now need to be conducted to determine important side effects of the new drug's use, as well as the level of its benefits versus the possible drawbacks of the drug treatment.
Abiraterone is a drug manufactured by Cougar Biotechnology Incorporated, and currently being investigated for use in treatment of prostate cancer. It works to block the production of testosterone, which enhances the growth and development of prostate cancer, by inhibiting an enzyme involved in the formation of testosterone.
In drug trials of abiraterone, it appears that the drug may reduce the levels of prostate specific antigen (PSA), as well as shrink prostate cancer tumors. In the trials of the new drug conducted at the Institute of Cancer Research and the Royal Marsden Hospital in Britain, the symptoms of prostate cancer occurring in patients with advanced stages and/or with untreatable forms of the disease have shown significant regression. The news offers hope for thousands of men who contract prostate cancer worldwide each year.
Prostate cancer is usually diagnosed in men in the later life stages.
By the time men reach the ages of 40 (higher risk) or 50, it is recommended that they receive annual prostate checkups. Annual checkups should include both physical exams as well as blood tests, to effectively screen for the disease.
The American Cancer Society estimates 186,320 new cases, and 28,660 deaths will result from prostate cancer in the US in 2008. The Society further states that prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the nation.
One in six men will get prostate cancer in his lifetime, while one in thirty-five men will die from the disease. Death from prostate cancer is currently on the decline, a fact thought to be due to advances in prostate cancer treatment and early detection.
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