Many alternative cancer treatment facilities are getting more popular, as the number of cancer patients turning away from conventional medicine is steadily increasing. Even the late Steve Jobs, founder and CEO of Apple, was reported to have relied on alternative cancer treatment methods since his diagnosis on 2003.
Both doctors of conventional medicine and ordinary individuals who have relatives and friends stricken with cancer who have chosen to rely on alternative cures instead of conventional methods of treating cancer all have the same question, which is why and how these alternative treatment facilities work and what their philosophies are.
The most common answer that you would get from proponents of alternative and complementary medicine is that they focus on the entirety of the person and not just in removing the tumor, which is the focus of conventional medicine. Oncologists treat the cancerous cells and stop them from spreading by using scientifically accepted methods such as radiation, chemotherapy, and surgical procedures.
In general, treatment of cancer is usually based on common ideas about how the disease develops and spreads in a person’s body, which are the following:
Toxin Buildup in the Body
One particular belief about the cause of cancer is that toxins that create it are found from artificial foods, food additives, and environmental pollution. Although there it has been generally accepted that there is a strong connection between the food that you eat and the development of cancer and other chronic diseases, there has yet to be a legitimate evidence that food additives actually cause cancer.
Another idea is that sugar feeds cancer cells, which is why patients are advised to limit their sugar intake. However, this remain questionable as even the most healthiest of foods have sugar or carbohydrates in them. The body needs these sugars as it converts them into glucose, which are then used to energize various cells in the body. The belief is also quite contradictory to the fact that fruits and vegetables contain sugars but are known to reduce the risk of cancer.
Removal of Toxins
For many of these alternative cancer treatment facilities, harmful toxins can be removed through a detoxification process and that dietary and lifestyle changes can also reverse cancer and its effects, even after it has developed and started to spread to other parts of the body. Scientifically speaking, there are currently no evidence that supports claims that removing certain substances from a person’s daily diet can stop the development of cancer in the body.
The changes in diet in lifestyle can be helpful to a cancer patient, but not enough to heal him or her from cancer. It is even said that some detoxification methods such as colon cleansing may do more harm than good.
There are also claims that cancerous cells thrive in low oxygen levels and that they can be killed by increasing the oxygen supply to the tumor. Modern researchers, on the other hand, have disputed such claims because there is a logical explanation behind the lower oxygen levels in the cancerous area, which is due to the lack of blood vessels in the surrounding tissue of the steadily increasing tumors.
While there are many other alternative cancer treatment claims out there today, which will also be discussed in future posts, it is always important for patients to exercise extreme caution when choosing the right treatment option for cancer.
