The Effectiveness of Alternative Cancer Therapies

Apart from the standard cancer treatment, there are a number of alternative cancer therapies being practiced today. The word 'Cancer' invokes an unknown fear in the hearts of those who suffer from the disease. It is the general perception that cancer is incurable and those suffering from it die a very painful death. To some extent this perception is true but only because it is so difficult to diagnose cancer in its early stages. By the time the symptoms start appearing, it is too late and the patient cannot be cured by medicines. The cancer therapies often have so many side effects and the patients feel as if their condition is getting worse instead of turning better. Patients suffering from the disease consider a number of alternative cancer therapies.

Do Alternative Cancer Therapies Work?

Alternative cancer therapiesare not considereda substitute of the medical treatments that are usually practiced on the cancer patients.These treatments are not medically approved and might be harmful for the patients. The patients suffering from cancer must consult their doctor before opting for any alternative cancer therapies. These therapies can be taken along with the standard medicine according to the advice of your doctor. However, these therapies do not provide a cure for the disease but only reduce the intensity of symptoms and pain caused by cancer. They are certainly not as strong as the standard medical treatments and practices. 

The most common cancer symptoms are anxiety, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, insomnia, and stress. Alternative cancer therapies can be used to cope with these symptoms and provide some relief to the patient.CAM or Complementary and Alternative Medicine are usedto treat these symptoms and include acupuncture and herbal treatment. Acupuncture is consideredvery effective for symptoms like nausea and pain. Herbal treatment is consideredmild and is mostly harmless. In addition to acupuncture, treatments like aromatherapy, hypnosis, massage and music therapy are also used to relieve pain and nausea. Stress and sleep problems of the patients can be solved by various relaxation techniques, yoga and exercise.Anxiety can be reduced by meditation and hypnosis. 

While there are a number of alternative therapies that would help to relieve the pain, there is an equal chance that you may be ledby desperation and might end up trying the treatments that would do more harm than good. Cancer patients are often told not to go for any alternative treatment unless they have already discussed it over with their doctor. Quacks often exploit the desperate cancer patients looking for a cure to the seemingly incurable illness. 

Cancer is not an incurable disease if it is diagnosed in the nick of time. Even if the disease has advanced andit is no longer curable, you can still get some relief through alternative cancer therapies. It must be kept in mind that alternative cancer therapies are not a substitute of the standard medical care that you are receiving from your doctor.