Approaching cancer

Integrative cancer care is very controversial. Oncologists and governments are justified in their skepticism because patients are desperate and very vulnerable to anyone offering hope. That being said, there are many therapies with a rational basis in theory that may improve your symptoms during treatment and may even improve survival.

There is still a lack of solid clinical trial evidence for many of these therapies, but if you have cancer, you should consider learning more about them.

Improving your odds

Cancer is perhaps the most frightening word a doctor can say to a patient. More than any other illness, a diagnosis of cancer seems like a possible death sentence. Fear, anger, anxiety and confusion are just the beginning of a series of experiences and events that are dreaded like no other condition.

The treatment of cancer can be as frightening as the disease itself. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation can be lifesaving in some cancers, but they are not pleasant experiences. Because cancer cells are very similar to normal cells, it is difficult to attack cancer without attacking the patient.

Cancer is the word we use to describe what happens when a particular type of cell in your body grows and multiplies uncontrollably. The process involves many factors, including genes, toxins, viruses and other infections, immune cells, hormones, new blood vessel growth and a list of molecules and receptors that seems to grow every year.

Cancer specialists often consider their field to be a question of statistics – they don’t know whether their treatments will work for you, but they know they can improve your odds. This in itself is a wonderful thing, but some people still do better than others.

The person - the missing link

But there is another side to the story of illness that has been ignored by medicine. Why is it that a seven-year old will easily heal a broken bone, but a seventy-year old may not? Why is the flu a minor inconvenience for some, but life-threatening for others? Why do some people survive cancer while others do not?

There are two sides to every illness – the host and the disease. Conventional medicine in general is focused on weakening the disease, but it does very little to strengthen the host – the host is you, the patient. This is a shame, because the strength of the host is very important in the treatment of cancer. In many cases, you are given only as much toxic medicine as your body can tolerate.

What about standard care?

Your decision to undergo surgery, chemotherapy or radiation depends on the type and stage of cancer you have, the type of treatment being proposed, how it will affect your chaces of survival and what the goals of treatment are.

Obviously, no blanket recommendations can be made, but surgery is usually the most rational approach. This is because it removes cancerous tissue while preserving healthy tissue. Radiation, if it is targeted to the site of the cancer, is the next most rational approach. Chemotherapy is the most toxic to your body, but it can sometimes be very effective.

The importance of wellness

While one part of your healing process is determined by your doctor, much of it is up to you. Our approach to cancer care includes some principles that make sense for every patient, including:

• Healthy eating – including lean protein, whole grains, soluble fiber and antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables
• Regular aerobic exercise and resistance training if your strength permits – to stimulate the body’s innate healing response
• Talking about your situation and your feelings with friends and loved ones – so you can change toxic emotions like fear and anger into healthier feelings of acceptance and gratitude
• Visualization, prayer or healing imagery exercises – because although we do not know exactly how, the mind is able to heal the body

Cancer-specific treatments

In addition to these basic principles, there are many supplements and unconventional therapies that are used in the treatment of cancer by integrative physicians. The following list includes just a few of your options:

• Vitamin D – because recent research has shown that people taking a vitamin D supplement had 60% fewer cancers than those who did not
• Naltrexone – a pain medication that increases endorphin levels in the body, which improves immune function and has been linked to many remissions
• Vitamin C – which is used by alternative cancer clinics around the world
• Hydrogen peroxide or ozone – which act like hyperbaric oxygen therapy to increase oxygen levels in the body which helps to weaken cancer cells
• Melatonin – which is a powerful antioxidant, improves sleep and immune function and has shown preliminary benefit in breast and colon cancer

We can help you understand your cancer and bring perspective to your efforts to heal. By combining evidence-based cancer care with a rational approach to complementary and alternative medicine, you can make the best of your cancer experienc