Complementary Care Of Cancer: What Really Works, What Doesn't

For a brief time, I worked for a world-renowned cardiologist who had expanded his practice to treat selected cancer patients. My boss, the author of 13 books and 300 articles in the medical journals, traveled the world telling doctors about the simple interventions that had in at least a few cases resulted in unexpected remissions from cancer.  He even built a clinic over the swimming pool at his home to accommodate the patients who came to see him every day for his "alternative" treatments, all of which involved seeing your doctor, in this case, at no charge (my boss was a saint), for an hour or so daily.

In fact, you may need more medical attention when you go on a complementary treatment program than if you don't. Pursuing complementary care is saying "yes" to the best treatments available, whether or not they grew out of modern medicine. But it's important to focus on cures that have a chance of working. Here is a current list.

1. Sugar-free diet

Some of the silliest cancer information on the Internet justifies a sugar-free diet. People who have no clue about the physiology of a cancer cell opine that "cancer is a fungus," and therefore to defeat cancer one needs to deprive it of anything that a fungus would like. 

All of the "cancer is a fungus" commentators are simply wrong. But that doesn't mean that sugar-free diet won't help.

The body moves sugar with insulin, and when you eat more sugar, the pancreas (assuming you aren't a diabetic), releases more insulin. Some kinds of cancer are stimulated by insulin. High bloodstream insulin levels also keep fat locked inside fat cells, and when you have cancer and you can't eat, you need to be able to tap your fat reserve. Cancer cells in a test tube seem to like sugar, but there is no direct evidence that avoiding sugar fights cancer inside the human body. But it's not a bad idea, nonetheless.

2. Massage

Massage feels good, and about 20% of cancer patients, one study says, use it as part of their treatment. Gentle massage of the hands can relieve nausea from chemotherapy, and while deep tissue massage can be a bad idea (not because it "loosens" cancer but because bones may be decalfied and britlle), gentle massage only seems to be positive. The rule is, if it feels good, it's OK. Vigorous massage may not be helpful.

3. Reiki

Most of the scientific commentators, who are unanimously critical of Reiki, don't really understand how it is supposed to work, supposing that it is a practitioner's energy field interacting with a client's energy field, but the question for cancer patients is whether or not it really works at all. There are a few studies that say yes, and a few that say no.

See Also: Hiding Cancer Under A Wig?

If you want to embrace Reiki, that's fine, but remember that the Universal Energy can also work if you are taking your scheduled medical treatments on time.

More Complementary Methods For Fighting Cancer

4. Exercise

There is an increasing body of evidence that exercise not only prevents cancer, it can prolong life and increase quality of life, at least when the cancer is in its early stages. Women with non-metastatic breast cancer, men with non-metastatic prostate cancer, and people of both sexes who had stage I, II, or III colon cancer have been found to live longer if they exercise.

How much exercise is enough?

It is not necessary to do extremely vigorous exercise to benefit. Walking, jogging, riding a bicycle, and using a treadmill or elliptical trainer all help. Resistance exercise and weight lifting, and stretching and yoga aren't as useful as cardio in the fight against cancer, although it may be a good idea to do them. Anti-cancer benefits accrue from exercise that gets the heart beating faster, preferably long enough for the body to burn 300 (for women) to 600 (for men) calories.

5. Acupuncture

Acupuncture and acupressure can be extremely helpful in managing the discomfort caused by cancer treatment. Simply massaging the webbing between the thumb and forefinger can reduce nausea. A session with an acupuncturist may greatly reduce the anxiety, fatigue, and digestive distress caused by a cancer treatment.

Acupuncture usually does not, however, shrink tumors or stop metastasis, at least not directly. About 70% of cancer patients who get acupuncture feel better, but there are no indications of, and ethical acupuncturists will not claim abilities enabling, shrinking tumors.

It also can relieve stress, but it is not a cure for cancer.

6. Meditation

There is no doubt that meditation reduces stress, and reducing stress may make it easier to do all the other things that improve quality of life for cancer patients. If you go into remission from cancer after meditating, it's because your own immune system conquered the cancer, with the timely help of medical interventions. How much psychological health generates immune system health is not yet known by medical science.

7. Antioxidants and vitamins

Cancer cells need antioxidants and vitamins, too. Studies have found that taking supplemental vitamin A, vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and beta-carotene can actually increase mortality from cancer. And it's certainly not a good idea to take massive amounts of antioxidants before radiation treatment to protect your healthy tissues if at the same time you protect your cancer cells from the very treatment you are taking to kill them.

See Also: Magic Mineral Broth That Fights Cancer

There is a role for nutritional supplementation i cancer, and many doctors are beginning to prescribe nutritional supplements for their canc er patients. It is important to work with an extremely knowledgeable person, however, not just someone who wants to sell you a lot of supplements, to get the best results in your ongoing fight against cancer.