Integrative Oncology and the associated benefits for the cancer patient.
The traditional approach to treating cancer is to use surgery to remove the tumor and then chemotherapy and radiation to kill off diseased cells. While these therapies sometimes work they have serious side effects that can be debilitating patients will experience pain, hair and nail loss, fatigue, loss of appetite, diarrhea, constipation and other symptoms.
These can sometimes be so debilitating that patients choose to drop chemotherapy and radiation which means that the disease could end their life faster. Today, however, one can choose integrative oncology which allows patients to be much more comfortable throughout the healign process.
Integrative oncology definition: it is treatment that combines conventional treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation with supporting metabolic therapies such as acupuncture, chiropractic, nutrition therapy, high dose intravenous vitamin c and even spiritual support. These are designed to help patients deal with the physical and emotional side effects of cancer. Patients are able to heal faster and the best thing about this approach is that the chances of the cancer returning are lower.
In a nutshell, integrative oncology has 3 benefits:
It helps patients deal with all aspects of their cancer it deals with the physical as well as the emotional.
It helps patients with positive thinking. Research has shown that positive thinking goes a long way in helping patients get better faster. It also seems to lower the chances of a relapse.
It is helpful for the patient overall as they don't experience the physical destruction on conventional treatment so no hair loss, extreme vomitting and depression.
After atending an integrative oncology conference you quickly learn that it is not just about the patient. Often, when someone gets cancer their whole family will be affected. They will be anxious about whether their loved one is in pain, whether they will live or die and even what they can do to help.
All these things can lead to depression which means that family members are not fully available to provide the family with the support that is needed. Integrative oncology takes care to make sure that family members are mentally healthy enough to be present for their loved ones in the right way.
They will provide them with the necessary education and counseling and if the loved one is going to die they prepare them for that as well. It also helps couples deal with intimacy and relationship problems that are as a result of one of them getting cancer.
Here are some typical integrative oncology treatments that doctors are using today:
Massage therapy
Massage is helpful in dealing with things like pain and stress which often accompany traditional cancer treatments. Frequent massages will also help with blood circulation to promote healthier cells.
High Dose Vitamin C
Intravenous vitamin c in high doses challenges the cancer cells at a metabolic level and the cancer cells can't respond. This is like a perfect chemotherapy treatment without all the harsh toxic chemicals and no side effects.
Exercise with oxygen helps to flood the body with oxygen. Why would we want to do that? Well, cancer cells can't survive in an oxygen rich environment.
Yoga and other forms of meditation practices
These are mainly useful for promoting positive thinking which quickens the healing process and reduces the risk of an cancer from returning.