August Hubbard: I agree with the response of lo_mcg above. I notice that you post similar questions every few days about "alternative treatment". I have answered you a few times before, so I am not going to repeat what I have already said. You are obviously seeking external validation of your decision to use alternative medicine, instead of scientifically proven medicine. No one can stop you from doing that. I just hope you understand the consequences. We are all only given one life. Behave recklessly and you will eventually lose it....Show more
Raelene Cunnick: BSherman - it's not my decision anyway. It's my friend, and I'm not trying to make any decisions for her. All I am trying to do is find out as much as I can to try to support her.Obviously, no decisions would be made based on things from the internet anyway, but I just thought gathering up info from personal experiences would be good. Everyone has a different experience.
Mercedez Trabue: Hi ther! e. My daughter (who's only 10) was diagnosed with Hodgkins in May (stage 3) and now halfway through her chemo she is doing SO much better. I can only assume your friend is at an earlier stage or she wouldn't even think of being in denial. (Fiona was fine, maybe sometimes tired and started getting itchy until late April and then suddenly bam! Exhausted and in pain all the time.)If we'd caught her at stage 2, she'd have had 2 fewer months of treatments. It IS really discouraging, because now she feels/seems fine but still has 3 months to go.What I do think your friend should look into is some kind of hypnosis/meditation, not to cure the cancer but to help her relax. All the best to you both....Show more
Jon Bergmeier: Lars, first I'll repeat what I've said to you before - 'alternative', in this context, means 'unproven'.An alternative medicine that had been tested and proven to work would no longer be referred to as 'alternative medicine', it would just be called 'medic! ine'.So it follows that any 'alternative' treatments your frie! nd took would be treatments that have never been proven to be effective against a single case of cancer.This means that the huge possibility exists that, having invested money and hope in an alternative or complementary remedy, her hopes would be dashed when they had no effect, and her untreated cancer may spread.I have been accused by an ignorant person on these forums - you will have seen his posts - of being a plant for the drug industry, trying to trick you into taking conventional cancer treatments.In fact I'm a former cancer patient (and a vegan too as it happens), and I respond to questions like this because I don't want people to get hurt by unrealistic expectations and hopes, whether those hopes are raised by greedy charlatans eager to cash in on the desperation of vulnerable people, or by practitioners who sincerely believe they have the answer.Many, perhaps most, 'alternative' cancer treatments are harmless as well as ineffective; so in theory it doesn't matter! if people take them alongside conventional treatments - what does matter is when they pin their hopes on it, wasting money and time, only to be bitterly disappointed and see their cancer worsen and spread.If your friend is having conventional treatments too - treatments that have been tested and proven in double blind, peer reviewed clinical trials - then for the most part no harm will come to her if she tries complementary remedies too. Having unrealistic expectations and/or relying soley on alternative, unproven methods is where the harm will be done.That said she should speak to her oncologist about any supplements she plans to take as some are contraindicated and will interfere with the treatment. And she should investigate any alternative she is interested in to make sure she isn't taking something dangerous like B17/Laetrile.Not all 'alternative' cancer treatments are non-invasive either; I'm sure the Gerson diet has been recommended to her, for example - it involv! es both injections and a daily pouring of coffee into a tube inserted i! n the anus. Iscador involves a series of injections. B17/Laetrile, of course, involves ingesting cyanide.Chemotherapy side effects vary from person to person, but with most regimes there is no pain invilved. For me, the greatest and most devastating side effect wasn't physical, it was depression - a common but not very well known side effect.There are 'natural' remedies that can help with side effects - ginger in any form can help with nausea (most - not all - people experience nausea, but vomiting is no longer a side effect for most people, due to effective anti-sickness drugs), and cracked linseed is effective against the constipation which can be a side effect of the steroids.Finally Lars, while your friend procrastinates the window of opportunity for effective treatment is growing smaller. Should she decide to go the alternative, unproven route she will need needles and drugs aplenty for pain relief when her untreated cancer spreads...Show more
Dick Baumgarten: Ma! ny "alternative" treatments can interfere with the mechanisms of regular treatment, so adding them can reduce the likelihood of a good outcome. You should NEVER engage in "other" additional treatments without asking your oncologist first!Being a "vegan" can also dramatically reduce your chance of a full recovery from cancer since it is simply so difficult to get all a human's nutritional needs from such a diet......Show more
Bruce Calise: In therapy, oxygen is known to help in treating and curing cancer and diseases like chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, autism, stroke, cerebral palsy, senility, cirrhosis, Lyme disease, Aids, gastrointestinal ulcers, sports injuries, and arthritis. Hospitals provide patients with hyperbaric oxygen treatments using mechanical and hyperbaric ventilators. Oxygen is also delivered through the nasal cannula (mask), a catheter inserted in the windpipe or through oxygen concentrators. A health care provider is likely to advise y! ou on the best oxygen system to use....Show more
Betsey Muehlbach! : Just for the record, I am a cancer survivor, and no way known would I subject myself to chemo, radiotherapy or drugs.On the other hand, as has been said, there are some shonky alternative treatments out there, juices, berries, detox, nearly all are MLM schemes, so beware.Being healed from cancer involves a mindset and faith. It can be faith in the degree on the wall, the white coat and the media hype, or faith in healthy thinking, acting and lifestyle.Those who survive the current Western treatment, in my opinion, do so in spite of it, not because of it....Show more
Chanda Wittwer: Try to eat fresh (red) capsicums, half a day or at least 3 times a week. Also eat more fish particularly atlantic salmon fish (if she could). Avoid land foods including lamb, chicken, pork and beef.
Serena Doak: Yes, you can supplement. Unfortunately, many doctors do not approve of this because it interferes with their profits.In fact, they and their Big Pharma friends go around an! d TALK "science" but then try to SCARE you to NOT take alternative treatments. Since when is fear related to science? The last time I checked the rational and the emotional were different concepts but obviously not to the profit peddlers.Empower yourself with knowledge. Research different treatments. Do not let others rule you and your body with THEIR fear.And DO NOT listen to people who say DO THIS OR YOU WILL BE SORRY. Please googe "protection racket" if you need to know why you should ignore them. This kind of fear peddling is not science. Cancer is an individual thing........ do they have a crystal ball when it comes to YOUR health??Your friend is very lucky to have someone like you because fear is the enemy of rational thinking and your friend needs an advocate when there are so many scary people in the health care(or should that be "health scare"?) industry....Show more
Elinore Schlinker: I know quite a few people who have tried both conventional and alternativ! e medicine or supplemented (just in case, I guess). To begin with here ! is what you need to know . . all cancer is unique and different . . . some cancers grow very slowly and can take years . . and if that is the case than those who take supplements and alternatives 'think they have the cure' . . you can receive very conflicting information. And than there are other aggressive cancers that do not respond to ANY treatment at all . . there was a young girl a few years ago that underwent high dose chemotherapy and had surgery . . and the cancer all grew back within a few weeks . . nothing traditional or alternative helped her and she died within six months. Many might point to that and say that traditional medicine doesn't work.http://www.hannahshopeministries.org/The truth is that there is no cure for cancer . . and because there is no cure, there is no guarantee that treatment will work. However there is treatment that can lead to an individual cure.Lymphoma is a cancer that has a long history with a known protocol . . it is one of the few can! cers in which there are long term survivors or treatments that lead to remission and 'cure'. Your friend is fortunate to have a cancer that is 'treatable' and has a high rate of success. Others like my son didn't have that chance . . he ran out of treatment options and died. You can join an online support group and ask all these same questions to patients with this particular disease. Since all cancers are not the same . . sometimes it is best to locate specific groups to share resources and information:Leukemia & Lymphoma Foundationhttp://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/hm_llsAssociation of Cancer Online Resourceshttp://www.acor.org/index.htmlhttp://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/hodgkinsl...http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/types/non-hodgk...http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Lymphom...http://www.cancer.net/patient/Cancer+Types/Lymphom...As for taking supplements along with traditional medicine .. she can do that but needs to co-ordinate any supplement with her do! ctor to make sure it does not interfere with her chemotherapy. Some sup! plements actually render the chemo ineffective . . or worse encourage the growth of the tumors. That is one of the problems with lay people advising cancer patients about supplements and alternatives . . sometimes the advice can create an even worse problem. So any vitamin or supplement must complement the treatment. Personally . . I've never known it to be 'effective' . . but in some patients it makes them feel like they are more in control of their health and doing something. People who do not do any supplements or vitamins though have the identical responses . . so I've never noticed any difference....Show more
Charline Granes: drinking wheatgrass juice...there is a component in it that goes after carcinogenics. Lots of stories of people beating cancer by drinking wheatgrass in books and on the web. Good luck! :)
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