Cancer Cures, Advances of Clinical Research in the field of Alternative Cancer Treatment

It's unpredictable, it's uncanny. It may be lurking within a body and the body wouldn't know. Many a minor ache, quietly ignored and quickly discarded in the past, may be the begetter of that which is pernicious, lethal and detrimental to life. It shrouds itself in dubious obscurity till the time comes for it to reveal the first symptoms. All this while, the fatal cell stealthily multiplies and spreads. It disseminates its devastating influence till it aborts the very functional mechanism of the human body. Such is the effect of cancer.

But thanks to the advances made today by clinical research, cancer cures and alternative cancer treatment are available. The choice of a particular alternative cancer treatment depends on the stage of the cancerous tumor. Traditional or conventional treatment options may include surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone therapy, and immunotherapy. These therapies have all been tested in clinical research trials and proven to be acceptable, safe and effective, although with often unpleasant side effects.

Depending on the type of the disease, these cancer cures are used alone or in combination, to either control cancer cell growth or to eliminate the disease entirely.

Cancer is not a single disease. It is a large and complex family of malignancies that can affect virtually every organ in the body. Cancer kills one out of every four Americans, surpassed only by heart disease as the leading cause of death in this country. Over 1.2 million new cases are diagnosed every year, with half of them occurring in the lung, prostate, breast, colon and rectum. Cancer can strike at any age, although it is most common in people over 50.

There are around 200 different types of cancer. Two in five people, at some point in their lives, are susceptible to it. Cancer is the term given to a large group of diseases that vary in type and location. It is the result of a continuous, abnormal and relatively autonomous cell proliferation, which is due to the permanent alteration of some cells that gets transmitted to the cell family. It is a disease caused by the loss of control over a cell's reproduction capacity. Rather than dividing in a controlled and programed manner, the cell continues to divide and multiply abnormally, until a detectable lump or tumor develops.

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This new growth can be either benign or malignant. A benign tumor does not spread, or metastasize, to other parts of the body and so are not cancerous. They can often be removed and are rarely a threat to life. A malignant tumor, however, can spread and is cancerous. When this tumor spreads, its malignant cells break off and travel through the blood lymph system to other parts of the body, resulting in a secondary tumor, or metastasis. The name given to the cancer, however, is reflective of the origination of the cancer. For example, if lung cancer spreads to the brain, the disease is still called metastatic lung cancer, not brain cancer.

Both external and internal factors cause cancer. Factors such as chemicals, radiation, viruses, hormones and inherited mutations may act together to start or further cancer. Ten or more years may pass between exposure and detectable cancer.

Anyone, from children to senior citizens can get this disease. What causes cancer in the first place, and how quickly the cells grow and spread, varies from person to person. While a large number of people with cancer overcome the disease and live fulfilled lives for many years, some succumb within a few months.

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The journey with cancer is a long, stressful and strenuous one. The treatment procedure itself may be detrimental to the emotional well-being of the patient. This is where complementary and alternative therapies have stepped in to offer holistic treatment. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM)—also referred to as integrative medicine—includes a broad range of healing philosophies, approaches and therapies. These therapies are used in an effort to prevent illness, reduce stress, prevent or reduce side effects and symptoms, and control or cure disease.

The terms "complementary" and "alternative" are often used interchangeably, when in fact they are two different therapies. Complementary therapies such as acupuncture, aromatherapy, art therapy, counseling, massage, meditation, etc. are therapies which are given alongside conventional cancer treatments. The former, however, does not replace the latter. They play a supportive role and are only used in addition to standard treatments. Some commonly used methods of complementary therapy include mind-body control interventions such as visualization or relaxation; manual healing, including acupressure and massage; homeopathy; vitamins or herbal products; and acupuncture. Alternative therapies, on the other hand, are used instead of conventional treatments. Electromagnetic therapy, essiac (a mixture of herbs), iscador (mistletoe extract) and gerson therapy are some examples of alternative treatments.

Conventional approaches to cancer treatment have generally been studied for safety and effectiveness through a rigorous scientific process. Less is known about the safety and effectiveness of complementary and alternative methods since many of them have not undergone rigorous evaluation. Some remedies, however, once considered unorthodox, are finding a place in cancer treatment—not as cures, but as complementary therapies that may help patients feel better and recover faster. Traditional therapies such as ayurveda have also been known to cure cancer.

Though many of these therapies are still under evaluation, most have supporters who believe that they have added a positive aspect to their treatment and care, cope better with the physical symptoms and side effects of standard treatment, as well as with the complex and often distressing emotions that cancer can bring.

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