Holistic Approaches to Mesothelioma Treatment
A Health Care Article Contributed by Adrienne Turner
Existing "Clinical" Mesothelioma Treatments
Mesothelioma treatment has generally been a combination of surgery, chemotherapy and/or radiation. Although each patient's disease will be different, often these are the three options that physician use when a patient receives a diagnosis.
However, all of these options can damage the body and in some cases, lead to severe side effects.
For example, during surgical procedures, a part of the body and/or tissue layers are removed. If the mesothelioma is severe enough, a physician may remove a patient's lung -- something he/she will never get back.
The same reasoning applies to chemotherapy and radiation. Both of these treatment options are incredibly toxic and many who undergo radiation and/or chemotherapy become very ill throughout the course of their treatment. This is especially true for chemotherapy, which is not a targeted therapy and therefore, kills ALL of the cells in the body -- both the cancerous cells as well as the healthy cells. Thus, the body becomes ill and damaged on the inside, before the cancer is eliminated.
Many people with cancer, such as mesothelioma, are scared of the traditional mesothelioma treatment options and have decided to look into alternative approaches, which generally emphasize a patient's overall health and well being, in addition to fighting the cancer that lies within the body.
Alternative Mesothelioma Treatment Options
There are many different mesothelioma treatment options that are considered "natural" and do not involve the use of chemicals or prescription drugs.
Alternative mesothelioma treatments can include homeopathy, acupuncture, herbal remedies, massage and many others. Usually, these types of treatment options are performed by a holistic medicine specialist (and/or an herbalist, depending on the type of treatment one receives) and each treatment is designed specifically for the individual -- for example, the herbs provided to one patient may not be appropriate for another patient, even with the same disease.
Holistic Medicine and Traditional Mesothelioma Treatments Combined
If someone is interested in receiving alternative mesothelioma treatment, occasionally a physician (and the alternative medicine specialist) will recommend that the patient receive a combination of traditional and alternative.
Since a patient will be under a physician's care at the time of diagnosis, the doctor will usually recommend a treatment option that is right for the patient. Sometimes, depending on the nature of the disease, conventional therapies are needed to rid the body of large tumors or other cancerous cells that may be multiplying rapidly and uncontrollably in the body.
Patients who receive traditional therapy can then see an holistic medicine specialist to receive treatment to deal with therapy's side effects, as well as their anxiety, pain, emotional distress or others. Sometimes alternative medicine is a great component to add AFTER one has received traditional therapy in the hospital.
Of course, some individuals will only want to use alternative medicine, since traditional therapies (as stated above) can be quite toxic to the body. A hospital staff and/or legitimate resource on the Internet can recommend a variety of holistic medicine clinics where a patient can obtain more information and decide the course he/she wants to take for treatment.
