Tuesday 27 December 2016

Cancer Treatments - Complimentary and Alternative Therapies

Hello everyone,
Lots of my friends believe in natural and alternative therapies. I find this subject interesting. I myself try to use natual remedies when I have a cold, or other minor ailments, as my mum always taught me to only use medication when you are very sick. However, When it comes to cancer, natural treatments are not standalone cancer cures. However, some therapies appear to aid cancer treatment and cancer sufferers so I have done some research and will focus on this in today’s post.

The confusing thing is people tend to treat “complimentary therapies” and “alternative therapies” as if one and the same. This is slightly misleading so I have decided to explain them both individually.

Complementary therapies are used ALONGSIDE conventional treatment to help you cope with the side effects or to ease them if possible. They are not cures and should not be used instead of conventional treatment such as chemotherapy.

Alternative therapies are usually used INSTEAD of conventional treatment options. Conventional treatments will have been tested and proven to work before being given the go ahead to be widely used. Most alternative therapies have not been through the same purpose and have not been scientifically proven to work. Some have harmful side effects and most will not cure you.

You must always seek medical advice before using any form of alternative or complementary therapy. You must also discuss your cancer and treatment with the therapist in charge of the complementary or alternative therapy.

Complementary Therapies:
Complimentary therapies are supposed to be used alongside conventional cancer treatments to help the sufferer deal with the side effects of the treatment. They can also improve quality of life and ease the symptoms.

Complementary therapies should not be used instead of conventional treatment and a good complimentary therapist should always make that clear and encourage you to see advice from your doctor and medical team beforehand.

Complimentary therapies include:
*Aromatherapy
*Acupuncture
*Herbal Medicine
*Massage Therapy
*Yoga

Many health professionals know that these therapies can help cancer sufferers and are in support of them being used alongside conventional treatment. However, some are reluctant to encourage their patients to use them and this is because many have not yet been scientifically proven. Research is being carried out to see how they work and these studies will help the medical world to fully understand the best ways to use complementary therapies.

Alternative therapies are used instead of conventional treatment. This could be for a number of reasons such as the patient not wanting to have conventional treatment or a patient not having success with conventional treatment and wishing to try another way.

It is a alarming to note how many people claim alternative therapies have cured cancer or can cure cancer. A trustworthy therapist would never encourage someone to seek alternative therapy in place of conventional treatment and it is actually quite dangerous for people to claim conventional treatments are harmful and alternatives are safer and more reliable. So far there is no medical or scientific evidence to support this claim and some alternative therapies are actually very harmful and very expensive. Some may even stop conventional treatment being effective in fighting cancer. People are very clever and are able to make these treatments seem like miracles which attract people with no hope. This is false advertisement and incredibly misleading. Please always seek medical advice if you are thinking of going down this road.

Using Complementary Therapies:
Around a third of UK cancer patients use some kind of complimentary therapy. There is no evidence that they cure the cancer or prevent it from occurring in the first place but many are drawn to seek complementary therapies to help them deal with the side effects and symptoms of their cancer. Some help you reduce stress and can encourage relaxation and some are able to calm you and relieve anxiety. They can also help you feel more in control of your illness. Some will reduce the amount of pain you are in. ALWAYS seek medical advice and do your research before using any complimentary therapy. Be open with your therapies about your cancer type, your treatment and your life as these will all factor into your complimentary therapy.

I hope this post has made you more informed of the kind of therapies available, I will focus on some individually. Please do take my advice and seek medical assistance before embarking on any kind of complementary therapy and DEFINITELY seek advice from your medical team before considering any alternative therapies. I know sometimes it can seem like there is a miracle and some people are very persuasive, but it is always better to trust your doctor.

xxx


No comments:

Post a Comment