Typically, alternative medicine differs from traditional medicine in that alternative medicine is older and what we might call unconventional or non-Western medicine. Alternative medicine does not follow the traditional science and research that current medicines undergo. Alternative medicine could also be termed complementary or traditional medicine or the therapies that can be integrated into current medicine. The staff of the National Library of Medicine of the United States classified alternative medicine under the category of complementary therapies in their Medical Subjects Heading Section. This was done in the year 2002. The definition provided was that alternative medicine therapeutic practices were not considered as an integral part of the traditional allopathic medicine. Therapies like acupuncture, dieting, physical therapy like exercises or yoga, etc. are termed as alternative medicine. These therapies are called complementary when they are used along with conventional treatments. If they are done in place of conventional treatments, they are known as alternative treatments.
In April 1995, the panel of National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland, worked on Definition & Description, CAM Research Methodology Conference, Office of Alternative Medicine. The panel defined alternative medicine and complementary medicine as those healing resources that encompass all health systems and practices that are different from the dominant health system of a particular society or culture. Usually, therapies like ayurveda, herbal medicine, folk medicine, homeopathy, acupuncture, naturopathy, diet practices, chiropractic, music therapy, massage, pranic healing, etc. are classified as alternative or complementary medicine. People who do not find a cure, remedy or success in allopathic medicine generally try alternative medicine. Such people generally suffer from cancer, arthritis, acquired immuno deficiency syndrome (AIDS), chronic back pain, etc. Therapies included under alternative medicine would cease to be included in that category once their efficacy is proven and they are considered safe and effective. They are then considered as part of traditional medicine. An example would be chiropractors. Twenty years ago insurance would not pay for them as they were considered “alternative and ineffective.” Today thousands of people have been helped by chiropractors and they are now recognized in the medical community. A similar movement is underway in the nutritional supplement and nutraceutical industry.
Over the years, more and more people have been using alternative medicine because traditional medicine is not working for them. The 2004 survey by the National Center for Complementary & Alternative Medicine of the United States revealed that approximately 36% of Americans used alternative medicine in 2002. If alternative medicine is used in conjunction with traditional allopathic medicine, an integrative doctor is a person’s best option. Some traditional doctors are adamantly against or simply do not believe in complementary medicine, even though research continues to show the benefits of many compounds. Your doctor should be informed about other approaches you may be using and if they are not comfortable with that then always feel free to choose another doctor. This would enable the doctor to foresee any possible complications or a better time in which to use a complementary therapy. The concern in using alternative medicine stems from the fact that some practitioners of alternative medicine do not have an accredited medical degree and therefore do not have a valid medical license. However, in recent times, many educational institutions and universities have started offering courses in homeopathy, ayurveda, siddha, unani, acupuncture, and naturopathy. The recent growth in this industry is evident by the many people demanding different, and in some cases better, care than what they are receiving in “modern medicine.” They are no longer accepting the fact that they need to suffer with pain or illness because modern pharmacy does not have a magic bullet for them.
Necessary steps for lung cancer prevention
Research continues to show that the most common cause for lung cancer is the use of tobacco. Lung cancer typically develops over a long period of time. The first pre-cancerous changes that form in the lungs mutate and produce chemicals that result in the formation of new blood vessels. These blood vessels nurture the cancer cells. The cancer cells grow together and form a tumor. These cancer cells have the ability to easily spread to other parts of our body even before the cancer is detected. This process is known as metastasis and is one of the main reasons why lung cancer is so fast moving and life-threatening.
Lung cancers are classified as small-cell lung cancers and non-small-cell lung cancers. Non-small-cell lung cancer is further divided into three types, known as squamous cell carcinoma, adenocarcinoma, and large cell carcinoma. In the United States alone, about 213,380 people are estimated to be suffering from lung cancer, with nearly 160,390 deaths occurring in the year 2007. Current data shows that lung cancer accounts for 29% of all cancer deaths. About one-third of cancer and 80% of lung cancer are caused by the usage of tobacco, either directly or indirectly.
Lung cancer prevention methods are very important because of the difficulty to detect lung cancer until it is in an advanced stage, when treatments are really not effective. A few simple steps have the potential to prevent the incidence of lung cancer. Smoking and the use of tobacco products should be completely avoided or stopped. Data reveals that long-term cessation of smoking reduces the incidence of lung cancer by over 50%. Exposure to radon gas and other carcinogens like petroleum products should be avoided.
A healthy diet consisting of more vegetables and fruits is highly recommended. Nowadays, many governments have initiated active anti-smoking programs and advertising campaigns because of the strain on the health care system that tobacco products add to it. Many of them also impose high taxes on tobacco products to discourage tobacco users. Several nations have enacted strict laws towards smoking in public places including workplaces and for restricting tobacco access to minors. Studies reveal that smoking bans in workplaces effectively reduce the exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) by 72%. Mass media anti-tobacco campaigns reduce the initiation of new persons to tobacco, decrease tobacco consumption, and increase cessation of tobacco. A sustained multi-pronged approach alone could create mass awareness about lung cancer prevention. When more and more people realize the harm caused by tobacco, consumption would decline and the effects on lung cancer cases would be immense as well as other health concerns like heart disease, stroke and hypertension.
Techniques of brain cancer treatment
Brain cancer is a very difficult cancer. It is typically hard to detect and not usually found until some form of motor skills are affected. These tumors have the capacity to grow fast and spread in an aggressive manner, which is known as metastasis. They grow out of control and push out normal healthy cells with devastating effects. Brain tumors are difficult mainly because of the brain tissue they are around. Other types of cancer are much more easily removed and can be accessed much easier than going through your skull and operating around your brain tissue (which can be easily damaged from the procedure). Data shows that the incidence of brain cancer due to metastasis is around 25% of all brain cancers.
Certain symptoms could be indicative of brain cancer. They are chronic headaches, weakness, difficulty in walking, seizures, clumsiness in actions, reduced memory or concentration, nausea and vomiting, vision defects, speech difficulty and other motor skill difficulties. Brain cancer treatment is typically individual-specific. The physician would take into consider the age and general health condition of the patient, along with the size, type and location of the tumor. Brain cancer treatment involves consultation with several specialists like neurosurgeons, oncologists, radiologists, dieticians, and physiotherapists, apart from the primary physician.
Brain cancer treatment is normally done by surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or a combination of these three methods. A benign tumor could safely be removed by surgery. A modern method of surgery, which is a knifeless technology, is training of high-energy radiation from different angles on the tumor. The recovery time is much shorter in this ‘gamma knife’ surgery. However, before the surgery is done, the doctor might prescribe a steroid medication to relieve swelling or an anticonvulsant drug to prevent or reduce seizures.
Radiation therapy could be of two types, external and internal. In external therapy, the brain tumor is targeted with high-energy radiation beams. This treatment is given for a few minutes for 5 days a week and for 4 to 6 weeks, depending on the size and type of tumor. Internal radiation is done by implanting a small radioactive capsule inside the tumor. This treatment might take several weeks and would require hospitalization for that period.
Chemotherapy is the administration of a powerful drug or a combination of such drugs to kill tumor cells. Chemotherapy is normally done in 2 to 4 cycles of treatment, each cycle consisting of a short period of intense medication with enough rest and recovery period after that. However, chemotherapy is not suitable for most brain cancer patients, because very few chemotherapies cross the blood brain barrier so it is useless to give them, and the stronger the medications the more side effects that will cause other consequences and effects on the body. .
Even after undergoing brain cancer treatment, regular follow-up tests and checkups are needed to make sure that there is no recurrence of brain cancer. The physician would also watch the long-term effect of the treatment for corrective action, if needed. The success rate is typically less than 10%.
Modern Breast Cancer Treatment Methods
Breast cancer has become a more common disease among women in modern times. Once known as an older women’s disease, women in their 20’s are now experiencing more cases of it. Statistics reveal that the average breast cancer risk is 14%. This climbs by 32% for smokers. The incidence of breast cancer could also be inherited but is likely more too environmental factors and lifestyle. Studies show that two genes BRCA1 and BRCA2 should normally prevent cancer cell growth but when there are abnormalities in these genes, they can become the cause of higher breast cancer risk. Combine this with the present toxic environment and multiple carcinogens and the higher rates are easier to understand.
Typical breast cancer symptoms are the formation of lumps, swelling or skin changes in the breast. However, a cyst or an infection could also exhibit the same symptoms. Regular self-examination of the breast and an annual mammogram would help in early diagnosis of breast cancer. If there is a doubt and concern that breast cancer may be starting, further scans like ultrasound, MRI, CAT, and PET scans should be taken.
Breast cancer treatment depends on several factors, like the size and stage of the tumor, as well as the lymph node and hormone receptor status. Breast cancer is classified as ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), lobular carcinoma in situ (LCIS), invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC), and invasive lobular carcinoma (ILC).
Modern technology has ushered in several treatment options. They are surgery, radiation, hormonal therapy, and chemotherapy. These treatments could be done singly or in a combination of more than one. Normal breast cancer surgery, called lumpectomy, is done where only the tumor in the breast is removed. Normally, radiation therapy is applied as a follow-up measure to ensure that the remaining breast tissues are hopefully cleansed of cancer cells. In mastectomy, the entire breast is removed and in most cases followed up by radiation and/or chemotherapy. This is because the current understanding of cancer is that they really don’t know the cause or the extent so they recommend this in hopes that it gets all the cancerous cells.
In persons having invasive breast cancer, surgery and radiation might be supplemented by an axillary lymph node dissection. Further hormonal therapy or chemotherapy – or both – might be needed in a few breast cancer patients. Radiation therapy is an effective process for the destruction of cancer cells that might remain after surgery. Radiation therapy reduces the risk of recurrence significantly. The side effects of radiation therapy are dependant on the type, duration and health of the patient. Dietary changes and nutritional supplements are highly recommended.
If the breast cancer is hormone-receptor-positive, then hormonal therapy is a primary method of breast cancer treatment. Hormonal therapy stops the hormone known as estrogen to stimulate breast cancer cell growth. In recent times, aromatase inhibitors are preferred to tamoxifen, particularly for breast cancer treatment of post-menopausal women who have hormone-receptive-positive breast cancer. Chemotherapy is resorted to mainly to eliminate any cancer cells that could have spread from the breast to other parts of the body. However, the chemotherapy treatment regimen would differ with each individual. It is very important to be regular in the treatment plan and continue with follow-up checkups to avoid recurrence, as well as a change in lifestyle.
Cancer Treatment
Cancer is considered a mysterious disease, since it is typically very difficult to detect it until it has reached an advanced stage. No test would reveal the stealthy multiplication and spreading of this deadly disease. However, the concerted clinical research developments had come out with several cancer cure programs and alternative cancer treatment methods. Traditional cancer treatment options are surgery, radiation, hormone therapy, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy.
In the United States, it is estimated that cancer is the cause of death of one out of every 4 Americans. Cancer can affect any part of the body, though lung, breast, prostate, colon and rectum are the major body parts that succumb to cancer easily. Research data has revealed about 200 types of cancer. When a cell loses control over its reproduction ability, the cell starts dividing and multiplying in an abnormal manner. This can lead to the formation of a lump or a tumor, which becomes detectable.
The tumor could be benign or malignant. A benign tumor does not spread to other parts of the body, while the malignant tumor would easily metastasize to other places. Conventional cancer treatment of surgery removes the tumor from the organ where it had formed. Then radiation is done to cleanse the organ of any remaining cancer cells. If necessary, these are followed up with hormonal therapy, chemotherapy, or both. In certain cases, immunotherapy is also chosen.
These days, many cancer patients turn to alternative cancer treatment medicine because of the lack of success with modern treatments. Acupuncture, ayurveda, siddha, herbal, naturopathy and yoga are some of these alternative medicine treatment methods. The main reasons for such a shift are the high treatment costs, ineffective outcomes and severe side effects of traditional treatment methods. The alternative treatment methods do not attack cancer in an aggressive manner like allopathy. The practitioners of alternative medicine view the disease as a manifestation of certain root causes of the immune system and/or dietary reasons. As such, they concentrate on rebuilding the natural immunity of the body. This process strengthens the inherent ability of the body in removing and destroying cancer cells. Our bodies make by definition cancer cells every day but our immune system sees them and removes them. Our body will replace most all its cells in one year’s time, so it is imperative that we take care of it by our lifestyle. However, in these alternative methods, the cancer cells are directly attacked and destroyed by the body by using supplements, herbs, enzymes or other unique compounds.
When dealing with cancer alternative and integrative medicine is showing to be much more effective when combined with traditional cancer treatment methods. These methods are relative nontoxic. Even though the effectiveness of alternative medicine had not been conclusively proven, it is very evident that many patients, who were labeled ‘terminal’ by traditional physicians, had resorted to complimentary and alternative medicine and are still alive today and have proclaimed themselves as cured. Either way it is evident that the use of nutraceuticals is here to stay and their worldwide acceptance is growing on a daily basis.