Imagine today you receive news of a cancer diagnosis. Now, you may feel as if you have little control over your health. Many individuals with cancer are interested in trying anything that may help. This may include complementary and alternative cancer treatments. This paper will include a discussion on traditional treatment procedures, complementary treatments, and alternative treatment methods for the treatment of cancer.
There are many different types of cancer treatment; the types of treatments you will receive depends on the type of cancer and how advanced it is (Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015). The main types of traditional cancer treatment include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy, hormone therapy, and stem cell transplant. Surgery is a procedure in which a surgeon removes cancer from your body (Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015). Radiation Therapy uses high doses of radiation to kill localized cancer cells and shrink tumors (Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015). Chemotherapy uses drugs to systematically kill cancer cells (Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015). Immunotherapy helps your immune system fight cancer (Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015). “Hormone therapy slows or stops the growth of cancer that uses hormones to grow” (Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015). “Stem Cell Transplant procedure restores blood-forming stem cells in people who have had theirs destroyed by high doses of cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy” (Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 2015).
Incorporating the best evidence-based complementary cancer treatments in conjunction with traditional cancer treatments may help relieve many of the symptoms associated with the disease and its treatment. “Complementary medicine is treatments that are used along with standard medical treatments, but are not considered to be standard traditional treatments” (Complementary and...