A cancer patient faces an overwhelming number of treatment options, depending on the type of cancer they have and the severity of that cancer. Most cancer treatments fall into two categories: traditional cancer treatment and natural or alternative cancer therapy. Researchers and professionals will often be staunchly in one camp or the other. They may claim that holistic and natural treatments are the only way to go, or they may discount them entirely as ineffective scams. The reality is somewhere in the middle.
How Natural Therapies Work
It can be difficult to define exactly how a natural therapy may work, and there are many variations. In general, a natural cancer therapy will work with the body to fight off cancer cells by enhancing whole body health and the immune response, empowering the body to fight off cancer on its own. This often involves diet, focusing on vitamin infusions, juices and healthy foods with anticancer and immunoenhancing properties.
It may also help a patient to strengthen their physical health with relaxation techniques such as meditation or yoga to improve strength and reduce stress. In general, natural cancer therapies are options that do not harm healthy tissues or cells and will not have any adverse side-effects.
The Best of Both Worlds
While these therapies can be used in place of traditional cancer treatments such as Chemo and radiation, there is still a lot of research being done. We believe that the most effective approach is actually a combination of traditional and natural therapies where the natural therapies enhance the body’s overall health and immune response and assist in more rapid and complete recovery from the toll taken by many cancer treatments.
These approaches help the cancer treatment protocol because the body already has a built-in defense mechanism to deal with cancer cells. The immune system is primed to deal with cancer as a natural occurrence. Cells routinely malfunction and become cancerous, but the body destroys those cells before they become a threat to healthy cells. The disease of cancer usually develops when these malfunctioning cancer cells are not contained or controlled and begin impacting healthy tissues and body functions. The idea behind naturopathic oncology is that the body can resolve the disease if it is properly supported and reaches an optimal level of health.
In an ideal situation, any person with a history of cancer or who suspects they may be dealing with precancer conditions should begin with some therapies that will supercharge the immune system and provide their body with the tools needed to fight off the unhealthy cells before they impact healthy tissue. A few options to explore include Vitamin C IVs, UVLrx therapy, Stem Cell therapy, and the HOCATT.
Traditional Treatments
Traditional treatment is often invasive and toxic, causing harm to healthy cells along with cancer cells. There are generally two methods of dealing with cancer traditionally: remove the cancerous cells surgically or kill the cancerous cells using drugs or radiation. Most cancers cannot be entirely removed with surgery, so chemotherapy or radiation are the only options. These treatments cause widespread damage to healthy tissues. They may succeed in killing cancer, but they often have widespread negative consequences.
Negative issues aside, traditional cancer treatment is generally effective at rapidly treating most cancers. Modern approaches are also decreasing the negative side-effects and allowing more precise treatment of only cancer cells. Modern cancer treatment, however, remains a harsh process. This is why we advocate supporting your treatment protocol with the natural therapies provided at the Karlfeldt Center.
A Hybrid Approach is Ideal
Rather than looking at each cancer approach in exclusion, consider using a hybrid approach to cancer treatment that uses both traditional and natural methods.
There is no doubt that improving the immune system, decreasing stress, and improving nutrition help the body to fight cancer. The side-effects of traditional treatment will also be reduced in a healthy person and make the traditional treatments more effective and bearable. These holistic approaches may also be the critical factor in preventing cancer recurrence after successful treatment.
For all the benefits of natural treatments, they may simply not be powerful enough or fast enough alone to eradicate aggressive cancer. The treatment regimens are also very strict, and patients may easily violate them and reduce their effectiveness. This does not mean they do not have a place in effective cancer treatment. It may very well be natural treatments that make up the shortfalls in traditional treatment and ensure long-term success.
If you would like to learn more about supporting your cancer protocol naturally, book an appointment right away! Our team of doctors represent the best of both the natural and traditional medical worlds and work together to create a plan that will give you the best possible results.