Cancer is one of the most fatal disease. This is because they can develop anywhere inside the body and there is no permanent cure for it....
Cancer is one of the most fatal disease. This is because they can develop anywhere inside the body and there is no permanent cure for it. However, the treatments are becoming advanced day by day. Cancer can be treated and many lead a fuller and happier life even after cancer.
We know that the most common therapy for cancer is chemotherapy and radiation therapy. However, alternative medicine for cancer has shown to bring about improvement in the symptoms.
What is cancer?
Many people think that cancer is one disease. But, you should understand that it is a set of diseases and comprise of 100 types. It occurs because of irrational growth of cells like in tumor.
All tumors are not cancerous and they are known as Benign tumors . Whereas cancerous tumors are known as malignant tumors. The cancerous tumors are the ones which can grow all over inside the body. The cancerous cells travel inside the body and form tumors wherever they stay.
However, some cancers do not form tumors or lumps like Leukemia. This type develops on blood cells and progresses to the other parts of the body.
Causes of cancer:
As we have seen that it is a group of cells, which means that there is no definite cause It develops due to lifestyle changes, habits, genetics, exposure to cancer causing agents and environmental factors.
There are different stages in the cancer. There are tests done to identify the different stages of cancer. As a reference lower stages (1 and 2) are not very serious as the later stages(3 and 4). In the stages 3 and 4 it spreads inside the body and hamper the working of the organs.
Common types of cancer:
Here are some common types of cancer found in major number of people.
Breast cancer:
Breast cancer occurs in the breast area or near the breast area. If you notice any type of lumps on your breast area or if there is immense pain in the area then you should get checked for breast cancer. It is most common type found in women. The treatment involves chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiation for breast cancer.
Prostate cancer:
Prostate cancer is when the cancerous growth starts growing in the prostate area. The therapy for this type is chemotherapy, hormone therapy and radiation.
Skin cancer:
Environmental factors and exposure to certain chemicals or radiation can be some reasons of skin cancer. It is treated by surgery, radiation and medications.
Colon cancer:
Colon cancer grows in the colorectal area. The treatment depends on the size, location and the properties that cancerous growth.
Leukemia:
Leukemia is also known as blood cancer. It develops inside the red blood cells and then progresses to other areas of the body. There is no tumor growth seen in this case.
Lymphoma:
Lymphoma occurs when the cancerous growth grows in the lymph nodes and interferes with the formation of lymphocytes. It can rarely be treated by stem cell transplant.
Cancer prevention :
We can avoid getting it to some extent by following these steps:
- Avoid exposure to cancerous chemicals such as certain aerosols.
- Stop using tobacco and smoking.
- Have a healthy diet to avoid cancer. It means that you should include antioxidant containing food in your diet. The antioxidants kill the free radicals responsible irrational growth of cells.
- Maintain a heathy weight, try not to loose too much or gain too much weight.
- Have safer sex and avoid risky behaviors.
- Get to know the family history and accordingly take precautions and be alert.
Conventional treatments of cancer:
It is very hard to treat. This is because in killing the cancerous cells, we are killing our body cells too. So, it is evident that treatment of this disease is very painful for the patient. The medications have a lot of side effects too. Apart from drugs, radiation therapy causes hair loss and blackening of skin.
The most common treatments are:
- Anticancer Drugs to stop the growth.
- Hormonal therapy in cancers responding to certain hormones. Such as estrogen receptor positive breast cancer.
- Radiation therapy
- Although these are very painful therapies, but on the other hand they are very effective in some cases.
Apart from these therapies, there are also alternative treatments. These alternative treatments are taken along with the conventional treatment of cancer.
Alternate medicine of cancer:
These treatments are not directly playing a part in curing the cancer. However, these therapies act on the symptoms and help you cope with the signs and side effects of cancer therapies.
If you practice any of the alternative therapy along with conventional treatments, then you can fight cancer better.
Here are such alternate treatments of cancer:
Acupuncture:*img
Acupuncture is a treatment in which there are needles inserted into the body in areas known as the pressure points. These pressure points are directly related to the ailments. There are many acupuncture clinics, where well trained people treat the symptoms of this disease.
It was found that , acupuncture relieves the pain and nausea associated with chemotherapy in cancer patients.
However, acupuncture is not safe if you are taking blood thinners. So, before taking this therapy, consult your doctor for advice.
Aromatherapy for cancer: *img
Aromatherapy uses fragrances of the essential oils to give calming sensation in the body. The oils such as lavender oil can be used to massage the body. Moreover, you can also use these fragrant oils by heating them to release the scent in the air. This scent is shown to provide calming sensation and relieves stress, nausea and pain.
It is performed by a practitioner. However, you can do it yourself too.
The people with breast cancer should avoid lavender oil and tea tree oil in this therapy.
Exercise for cancer: *img
Exercise relieves the stress in the body. It improves blood supply to the body. When you exercise, the body release feel good hormones. These make you feel better and copes up with fatigue, stress and sleeping problems.
However, if you have not worked out for a while. Then start slow and gently increase the time of exercise. You should consult the doctor before doing any kind of exercises. Also, you can discuss with your doctor about the types of exercise you can do and how often.
Body Massage for cancer:*img
Body massage improves blood circulation to the organs in the body. Massage relieves the muscle tension in the body by kneading the the skin, muscles, tendons. It has shown to relieve stress and promotes relaxation.
Cancer patients suffer from body pain. This massage therapy relaxes the body and relieves the body pain, anxiety, fatigue and stress in patients.
It is a very safe therapy but you should take massage from a good therapist. Generally, hospitals have a massage therapist in their staff. You can also consult your doctor for good massage therapist for cancer patients.
However, you should careful if you have low blood counts. If you are suffering from bone related then you should ask the therapist to massage with low pressure instead of deep massage.
Mediation: *img
Meditation is practiced around the world for a thousand years now. To put very simply meditation is like praying. When you sit calmly and gently relax your shoulders you experience a sense of calm and peace through out your body. This feeling becomes deeper as you practice more and more. At later stages this calmness becomes a part of you. In this situation , you can handle any situation with immense confidence and stability. If you practice meditation regularly , stress and tension will be a thing of the past.
How to meditate properly?
Sit down with straight or lie on your back with your neck in a relax position. Take a deep breath .
Then focus on your extremities, your toes and fingers and relax their muscles. Then gradually relax your arms , elbows, knees , calf , legs and finally relax your shoulders and neck muscles.
At this stage just observe the thoughts in your mind and let them come and go. Do not try to stop or control your thoughts in any way. Just let them flow through your mind.
Inhale and exhale deeply as you relax further. Focus on your breath.
Be in this position for as long you feel calm and relax. It could take about 20 mins to as long as you want.
Practice this meditation exercise daily in evening and morning . You will notice lowering of stress levels and it improve both your private as well as professional life.
Music therapy: *img
Music therapy is a very modern therapy for cancer. In this therapy, you can listen, play and even write songs. Music therapy is meant to relax your brain. There is a music therapist who leads you through activities to meet your needs.
Music therapy has shown to be effective in relieving pain and controlling nausea and vomiting.
There are some music therapists appointed in some hospitals in their staff.
Yoga for cancer:
Yoga is an incorporation of mind, body and spirit. It relieves stress, calms and energizes.
Here are some simple yoga poses to energize and bust stress in cancer patients:
Reclining butterfly pose: *img
Steps to do this pose:
Lie straight on the floor with your feet extended. Now, bend your knees in such a way that the soles of your feet touch each other. Then start bringing the heels closer to the pelvic area as far as you can. Hold this position for a few minutes and then come back to relaxed position.
Cat pose: *img
Steps to do this pose:
Stand on all fours on the floor with your knees and palms on the floor. Then inhale as you bend your spine in such a way that the belly is in dip position and the hips are up. Then exhale as you round your spine tilting your head and tail bone towards the floor just like a cat.
Corpse pose: *img
It is very easy and should be done after all the yoga.
Just lie down quietly. Remove all the bondages such as belts, watch etc. Lie on your back with feet slightly apart. Be in this position for 20 mins.
Child pose: *img
It is deeply relaxing yoga pose called 'shishuasana'
How to do this pose?
Sit on your knees in such a way that heels touch the buttocks. Then bend down and keep your hands over your head. Keep your palms facing down.
It calms the nervous system and relieves stress.
Keywords:
Cancer treatment
cancer
breast cancer
skin cancer
lung cancer
alternative medicine for cancer
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