Mesothelioma is a devastating and rare form of cancer that is usually fatal. It’s caused by exposure to asbestos. Traditional medicine has found that mesothelioma can be treated, but not cured. Both established and experimental protocols may slow mesothelioma’s progress, and it may make patients more comfortable, but as yet, there has been no cure.
Patients with mesothelioma and their families are increasingly turning to alternative mesothelioma therapies either in conjunction with traditional medical approaches to mesothelioma treatment, or instead of traditional treatment. This may be beneficial for a number of reasons; first of all, because even traditional medicine does not usually foster a cure with its treatments, patients may feel as though they have nothing to lose by turning to alternative therapies. In addition, alternative therapies in general (although not always) are much less invasive and much less painful or uncomfortable than the treatments traditional medicine can offer.
If you are diagnosed with mesothelioma (or a family member is)
The diagnosis of mesothelioma alone can be absolutely emotionally devastating. Therefore, patient advocacy groups (including the American Cancer Society) advise patients take some time to learn about mesothelioma and then decide what type of treatment may be best for the disease.
While chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and surgery are all common and established forms of treatment in traditional medicine, they are painful and invasive, and they may or may not effect the improved quality of life or longer life mesothelioma patients want. And although traditional medicine is currently undertaking more experimental therapies like gene therapy and immunotherapy, they are still in their infancy, and their side effects may be just as painful and invasive as those of commercial therapy — again, with no promises in terms of an increase in length or quality of life.
What’s different about alternative therapies
It’s not always true, but most often, alternative therapies focus on palliative care that seeks to make the patient more comfortable and improve quality of life. Because of this, they are by their very nature noninvasive, soothing, and not painful. In addition, these treatments may actually increase the length of life as well as the quality, something conventional treatment cannot promise.
What are some alternative therapies for mesothelioma?
Alternative therapies for mesothelioma include life changes like dietary changes, undertaking yoga, using breathing techniques to ease breathing and alleviate stress, and utilizing methods like acupuncture and herbal medicines to ease symptoms.
Alternative therapy’s focus is to treat the whole patient, holistically, instead of attacking the cancer in hopes of eradicating it without much attention given to the rest of the body. Alternative therapies first began by focusing on alleviating symptoms associated with mesothelioma, and they may also be used in conjunction with standard therapy to alleviate side effects from those standard therapies.
Massage
Massage and other types of therapeutic touch can help relieve pain and increase relaxation, which also helps remove stress and improve mood. This can benefit patients with mesothelioma, because it increases endorphins in the system and may actually reduce pain.
Herbal therapy and other supplementation
Herbal therapies such as those utilizing astragalus root can actually activate the immune system and help the body fight cancer. Echinacea, too, has been widely used to treat the common cold previously and now it is used as an herb that boosts immunity. It helps the body manufacture interferon, which may help fight diseases like mesothelioma. Powerhouse vitamin vitamin C can also be effective in treating mesothelioma and boosting immunity, as can vitamin B-17 ((Laetrile) and a supplement called Miracle Mineral Supplement.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture has also been used to successfully treat mesothelioma symptoms and ease patient suffering; with strategic placement of needles in the body’s meridians, practitioners can “redirect energy” to alleviate pain and help in healing processes.
Dietary changes
A practitioner of alternative therapies will generally recommend that patients with mesothelioma reject heavy, fatty foods, and those that have been processed and/or that contain a lot of chemicals. The focus is on fresh, organic fruits and vegetables, and lean meats with little fat, for best nutrition. Because mesothelioma patients often have difficulty eating and are also wasting from the cancer itself, good nutrition is a must to help these patients manage their disease.
A final note on alternative therapies for mesothelioma
Any of these methods can be used alone or in conjunction with others, and can also be used in tandem with conventional therapies, if patients and/or their families wish. The most important aspects to mesothelioma treatment is that the patient and his or her family feel that the disease is being treated effectively, to increase hope and ease suffering. This in turn may increase longevity, as well as quality of life.