Throughout history, herbal remedies and
other complementary medicines have been used to treat
cancer. There are many types of cancer, and many different
causes. This page will be developed over time to try and
address as many of the relevant issues as possible. This is
a huge subject so please bear with us as we add more
information
Modern medicine can be successful in
the treatment of cancer, however the treatments can also be
very aggressive, with many side effects. Complementary
treatments can also be useful in helping to deal with those
side effects.
Lets start with some general dietary
and lifestyle advice; there are a lot of foods you should
avoid and if you visit the
lifestyle section
of this website you will find some general advice that can
be useful in helping to prevent the onset or spread of
cancer.
In particular read the
green vegetables page,
this demonstrates how vegetables such as broccoli can help
in both preventing and curing cancer and also gives some
information about the
Gerson Institute approach which concentrates on using
diet in the fight against cancer. Also read the information
on watercress which may help
smokers in the fight against cancer
Another natural way to treat cancer
through diet is with
Turmeric. The active ingredient Curcumin has been shown
to prevent a large of number of cancers in animal studies.
Laboratory data indicate that curcumin can inhibit tumour
initiation, promotion, invasion, angiogenesis and
metastasis. Further information can be found at the
MD Anderson Cancer Centre
Research published in
2009 by Min Zhang
of the University of Western Australia indicates eating
fresh mushrooms and drinking green tea daily can reduce breast cancer risk by 30%
Other Lifestyle factors can also be
important. A study in America is currently being sponsored
by the Americanr Institute
for Cancer Research. It aims
to find out if a yoga-based cancer rehabilitation program
can help reduce the physical and emotional side effects of
living with cancer and its treatment.
Eat a plant-based diet.
Eating a healthy diet can help you stay lean. Fill 2/3 of
your plate with vegetables, whole grains and fruit. Fill the
remaining 1/3 or less with lean animal protein like fish and
chicken.
Limit red meat. Red
meat contains substances that have been linked to colorectal
cancer. Pork, beef, lamb, deer and buffalo are all red meat.
Aim to eat no more than 18 ounces of cooked red meat per
week.
Choose whole grains over
refined grains. Whole grains are high in fibre,
which can help you stay lean and lower your cancer risk.
Avoid processed meat.
Hotdogs, sausage, lunch meats and other processed meats
contain cancer-causing substances, and eating these meats
can damage your DNA, raising your colon cancer risks.
Choose plant-based proteins.
You can make healthy swaps that will add more plants to your
diet without reducing your protein intake.
Avoid alcohol.
Research shows that drinking even a small amount of alcohol
increases your chances of developing oral, breast and liver
cancers. The National Cancer Institute recommends that women
have no more than one drink per day and men have no more
than two drinks per day.
Herbal treatments for cancer
In China,
astragalus is widely
used in the treatment of cancer, both as a primary treatment
and as an adjunct to conventional therapies. Astragalus has
been used in conjunction with ligustrum to treat breast
cancer, cervical cancer and lung cancer.
There is quite a lot of research on the
benefits of Black seed oil for cancer. This
Organic Herbal Remedies blog details some of that
research
Essiac, Essiac is an
herbal mixture that has been widely used in Canada for more
than 70 years. The 4 main herbs in Essiac are
burdock root
(Arctium lappa), Indian rhubarb (Rheum almatum), sheep sorrel
(Rumex acetosella) and the inner bark of
slippery elm (Ulmus
fulva or U. rubra). Proponents of Essiac claim that it
strengthens the immune system, improves appetite, relieves
pain and improves overall quality of life. They also claim
that it may reduce tumour size and prolong the lives of
people with many types of cancer. Research into essiac is
not currently conclusive although some animal studies have
been positive and further research is under way. More
information can be obtained from
CMAJ (The Canadian Medical
Association journal).
Aloe vera has also been recommended for preventing radiation-induced skin reactions, however a systematic literature review found no evidence to support this although the research was thin and its key recommendation was that more research was required. Cancer Research UK do state that many cancer sufferers find it useful while stating this is not backed up with research.
Mistletoe is also
widely used by herbal practitioners for the treatment of
cancer. A number of studies have been conducted into its
efficacy but again they are inconclusive by modern medical
standards and recommendations for further research is
recommended. a full review can be found at the
Cochrane
Library
Some immune boosting herbal treatments
such as echinacea are also useful to cancer
patients who often find their immune systems are under
attack from aggressive conventional treatments.
Other naturopathic treatments and
cancer
Because naturopathic treatments look at
the whole person and treat holistically, often individual
aspects of the treatment do not stand up to conventional
clinical trial using double blind sampling techniques.
Acupuncturists and Homeopaths often help treat the symptoms
of cancer. Acupuncture has been
demonstrated to have a positive effect on peripheral
neuropathy symptoms. Homeopathy has not been clinically
proven to help treat cancer but there are numerous anecdotal
references where individuals have reported distinctive
benefits.
Naturopath's treat the whole person not
just the disease or condition. That's why you cannot use
this site for diagnosis or treatment. The information we
provide should not be treated as a substitute for medical
advice or treatment. We recommend that you visit a qualified
naturopath or find a GP who is sympathetic to a naturopathic
approach
This site is sponsored by Organic Herbal Remedies Ltd and Organic CBD Oil.