Cancer

Ever since ancient times, cancer has been one of the most feared types of disorders. It can go unnoticed until it's fairly advanced, and then it can be quickly devaststing. Worst of all, there isn't any treatment that consistently works to rid the body of cancer.

Unfortunately, cancer is a very poorly understood state of affairs. There are scores of different types of cancer, just like there are scores of disorders caused by bacteria. And, just like bacterial illnesses, there are immense differences between one type and the next. Some cancers spread very quickly, while others do not spread at all. Some are very rare, others very common. Although every case of cancer results from multiple causes coming together in just the wrong way, exactly what these causes are can differ from type to type and from one person to the next.

What various cancers have in common is that they consist of abnormal cells, they can divide and "spread" to other areas of the body, and their natural course is to be fatal (meaning they will kill you if you don't get rid of them, or get killed by something else first).

Interestingly, the percentage of cancer patients who seek out herbal medicine is higher than that for just about any other disease. In one big study, over 70% of cancer patients reported seeking some sort of "alternative" treatment. One reason for this is that conventional treatments (surgery, chemotherapy and radiation), are often unsatisfactory or not well tolerated. Another reason is that herbal medicine has a fairly good reputation for cancer treatment among the patient population.

Usually, when someone comes to seem me about a cancer related issue, it falls into one of two categories-- people who just found out they have cancer, and want to do everything possible to try to fix the situation; and people who have advanced cancer that has spread throughout their body, and have been given up on by their conventional healthcare providers. The first category is much easier to help, of course, but there is still quite a lot that can be done for both groups.

Some of the strategies I would use, depending on the individual patient, would include:

Alkalizing-- using diet and herbs to change the body's chemistry in such a way that it becomes less hospitable to cancer cells.

immunomodulation-- using herbs such as reishi and maitake to increase the immune system's response to the cancer

Cleansing-- using herbs such as dock, clover, phytolacca, and sarsaparilla to remove waste products from the body and help to keep the cancer from spreading. This is especially important, since cancer cells produce substances that make it easier for other cancer cells to take hold.

Cytotoxics-- these are herbs such as bloodroot, may apple, and mistletoe that actually kill cancer cells. They can make people sick too, so they should only be used with professional supervision and guidance.

antiinflammatories-- herbs that bring down swelling and inflammation.

Additionally, herbs to strengthen the systems being compromised by the cancer may be appropriate, and those to help improve diet, maintain weight, and reduce associated symptoms like pain and nausea.