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Once upon a time, cancer was a rare disease that only impacted the unfortunate and unhealthy, and most people felt that cancer would never have the audacity to impact their own lives. But times have changed, and cancer will now touch one in three lives directly, and every single life indirectly. We all know someone who has fought cancer, and we all know people who have succumbed to cancer.
This startling change of pace has led cancer fighters to seek alternative cancer treatment options using herbs, supplements, and other holistic practices. The decision of many patients to turn down the option to treat manageable cancers with chemotherapy has caused immense controversy in the past 15 years and drawn great attention to the benefits of traditional versus natural cancer treatments.
According to major names in alternative health like Dr. Mercola, the cancer industry makes so many billions of dollars from traditional pharmaceutical treatments that they really don’t want the public to discover natural remedies and strip them of their steep profits. Some sources go as far as to state a large conspiracy is responsible for the bad reputation that natural medicine has received surrounding cancer treatment.
Others take a more moderate approach, explaining that natural remedies will always have their place within cancer treatment, but shouldn’t be used alone to fight cancer. They support their opinion with the story of a 28-year-old breast cancer patient who chose to fight her cancer with vitamin infusions, coffee enemas, and other alternative options, but after two years accepted chemotherapy when her cancer spread to her liver. This school of thought identifies the power of natural medicine to help the body remain healthy, as proven in a study of 685 women with invasive breast cancer that had not spread; nine out of ten of those women took natural supplements, minerals, herbs, and/or practiced mind-body therapies along with regular chemotherapy treatment.
At the end of the day, most people agree that the use of holistic remedies make an excellent supplement to conventional treatment. Acupuncture, for example, can reduce or eliminate the most common side effects of chemotherapy like nausea, depression, anxiety, joint pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, and hot flashes.