Alternative therapies are treatments that do not fit into conventional medical classification. While alternative therapies may appear promising at first glance, they could cause harmful side effects or interfere with cancer treatments by stopping them working effectively or increasing side effects. Furthermore, they could give false hope: although promising remedies don’t guarantee a cure.
What is CAM?
CAM stands for complementary and alternative medicine, which refers to treatments outside mainstream healthcare and can include anything from acupuncture to aromatherapy. “Complementary” refers to practices used alongside conventional medical treatment while “alternative” means they’re used instead.
There is no statutory regulation of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), so it is crucial that you find a practitioner you trust. Many types of CAM offer voluntary registers where qualified practitioners can be found. Furthermore, healthcare professionals like GPs may offer CAM treatments. It should be noted that not everyone finds these therapies appropriate; so before beginning any therapy regimen it would be prudent to speak to your GP first who will assess if the therapy will suit you and recommend any precautionary measures required.
What are some examples of alternative therapies?
Many people turn to complementary therapies as part of their healthcare regimen, including acupuncture for certain forms of pain relief and nausea. Other complementary therapies may include yoga, massage and music therapy – though much less research has been conducted into them than more established medical therapies for conditions like cancer.
Alternative practices often lack scientific plausibility and cannot be evaluated using ethical clinical trials that produce repeatable evidence of an effect or no effect. Instead, these practices rely on testimonials, anecdotes, religion, tradition, superstition, belief in supernatural “energies”, errors in reasoning or propaganda to prove themselves as valid medical solutions; some even refer to such practices as New Age Medicine, pseudo-medicine, unorthodox medicine fringe medicine or holistic healthcare as their basis.
Complementary and alternative medicines, therapies, and treatments differ significantly from natural remedies or homeopathy that many people turn to in treating themselves. Homeopathy uses plant substances like homeostatic plants for treating symptoms of illness. While most people don’t mind taking vitamins and minerals in general, taking high doses could cause side effects or interfere with your standard medications – consult your physician first before doing this!
Alternative therapies often take either a physiological (affecting mind or body) or spiritual approach, or both. Examples include meditation and hypnosis for physiological therapies while spiritual therapies such as Reiki and Yoga for spiritual therapies; additionally some practitioners combine both approaches such as Ayurveda.
Some people believe complementary therapies can strengthen their immune systems and aid their bodies in fighting off cancer, but there’s no concrete proof to back this claim up. Although people might hope these complementary therapies help, conventional cancer treatments have failed to control it effectively and many may turn to complementary therapy instead as an attempt at self-treatment or delaying or forgoing effective medical treatments as an answer. Unfortunately, numerous studies have demonstrated this is often not the case as these individuals often delay or bypass effective treatments altogether which results in worse outcomes than using standard medical approaches instead.
Can alternative therapies cure cancer?
There is no scientific proof that alternative therapies can cure or slow cancer’s progression, or be an effective replacement for traditional medical treatment. Though alternative therapy approaches haven’t been rigorously examined and may help supplement medical therapy regimens, many have yet to be proven safe – in fact some approaches have even shown to increase mortality risk from cancer!
People living with cancer are eager to try alternative cancer therapies in search of relief, including alternative medicine remedies that have not been tested by medical science and could potentially pose risks. A recent study discovered that patients who opted out of standard care and instead relied solely on alternative therapies were more likely to succumb than those receiving standard care; this finding highlights why it is imperative for physicians to be aware of potential dangers associated with certain non-conventional cancer therapies and to educate their patients accordingly.
Researchers examined patients with curable cancers who opted for alternative medicine over surgery, chemotherapy or radiation as a source of treatment. Their researchers discovered that such patients were five times more likely to succumb than those receiving conventional cancer care; however, the researchers noted some significant limitations with this research: for instance, only those completely opting out were considered while not those choosing complementary methods alongside traditional ones (which is more prevalent).
National Cancer Institute warns patients who choose alternative remedies for cancer that using alternative remedies could put both themselves and their loved ones’ lives in jeopardy. Some alternative cancer treatments, like amygdalin found naturally in bitter almonds, peach stones and apricot kernels and its synthetic form known as laetrile which has proven itself effective against certain forms of cancers can have severe negative side-effects on health if used improperly – see report for example).
Most cancer doctors advocate using complementary therapies in tandem with medical treatments, including yoga, acupuncture and meditation which may help alleviate stress and enhance quality of life. They suggest against replacing proven medical therapies with alternative remedies as these don’t offer comparable safety and efficacy.
Are alternative therapies safe?
People utilize complementary and alternative therapies as part of their medical management strategy, including herbal remedies, yoga, acupuncture, meditation and nutritional/physiological/physical techniques. While some approaches have been scientifically investigated for safety considerations, others remain unknown and make it hard to know if they’re appropriate or unsafe.
Alternative treatments often lack sufficient evidence of safety and effectiveness, in part due to being developed outside the UK where they are more widely practiced than here. Furthermore, certain practices have been proven to interfere with standard therapy regimens or cause unwanted side effects; so it is advisable that any complementary or alternative therapy therapy be discussed beforehand with your healthcare provider.
Alternative and complementary therapies have long been used to address specific mental health conditions, such as depression, anxiety and chronic pain. When combined with conventional treatments such as medication and therapy sessions, such therapies can prove particularly helpful for treating mental illness. Some examples include mindfulness meditation and hypnotherapy as effective therapies.
Alternative therapies may boost immunity to aid cancer treatments; however, their mechanisms remain unknown to doctors. Even so, many believe using complementary therapies alongside conventional cancer therapies makes their conventional cancer therapy even more effective.
Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) and holistic therapy can often be confused, however the National Institutes of Health (NIH) distinguishes between them. Complementary therapies refer to treatments used alongside conventional medicine; alternative therapies refer to those which replace it entirely.
People should seek medical advice prior to beginning any complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs). Their doctor can give guidance as to which therapies may be suitable and whether there could be interactions between therapies and any medications or supplements they are currently taking and alternative treatments they try, as well as help them find trustworthy sources of information regarding CAMs and how they work. It’s also important to remember that if an alternative treatment does not help alleviate symptoms, its continuation should not be pursued.
