Can Ayurvedic Cancer Therapy be Supportive to Modern Medicine?

Metaphorically cancer is omnipresent and is the most frightening disease ever. Most of the people who have the disease and their caregivers are searching for a better way to deal. These days some people want to try ayurveda for the sake of overall health. Ayurveda being an ancient Indian medicine fosters holistic perception of health and recovery. However, the status of Ayurveda cancer treatment has to be well introspective. Let’s look at what Ayurveda says about cancer and see how it is different from modern ways.

What is Ayurvedic medicine?

Ayurvedic treatment delivery system can be traced back to over five millennia ago. It states that the state of health is the balance in the state in which the mind, body and the spirit. All the three should be in their ideal equilibrium for a person to be healthy. To achieve this, It prescribes plant based medicines, dietary regimes and other techniques in order to promote health.

In Ayurvedic theory, everyone consists of three fundamental life forces called doshas, and within everyone lies a unique one. Dosha imbalance is a key causative factor in disease occurrence in Ayurveda even for cancers. With respect to cancer, Rasayana ayurvedic treatment restores balance and works on the healthy functioning of the entire system.

Ayurvedic Approaches to Cancer Treatment

Along modern Western medicine, Ayurveda has been followed and it understands cancer differently. Ayurveda perceives cancer as a Tridosha imbalance that aggravates internal inflammation and is susceptible to spread and make unimaginable events in the body.

In most cases, Ayurvedic treatment for cancer may include specific phyto formulations, changes in diet, cleansing practices, guided physical exercise, mental relaxation techniques, and lifestyle changes. Getting the doshas back into balance and improving the person’s natural healing skills are the main goals. Ayurvedic treatments for cancer that are commonly used are;

Phyto formulations

Rare mixes that might be potential in anti cancer properties are used and are recommended to the people by the ayurveda experts.

Panchakarma:

An ancient mode of treatment incorporating massage and detoxifying techniques. Physicians use certain compounds and herbal medicines to remove toxins while restoring their purity.

Diet care:

In Ayurveda, dietary regime is taken as a sort of lifestyle to prevent and treat illness. So, often, Ayurveda prescribes what foods to eat to cancer patients based on how a person’s dosha is disrupted.

The goal of yoga and meditation is to help cancer patients feel better overall, lower their stress, and boost their immune systems.

Rasayana ayurveda therapy involves giving certain ayurvedic medications that are meant to heal the body and make people live longer.

Is there a way to treat cancer that is different from modern medicine?

To answer the question above, we need to look at how well Ayurveda and modern cancer treatment work, how they are applied, and how scientific they are.

What is the treatment approach?

Modern methods like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, surgery, and others are used today. These treatments directly remove cancer cells from the body. In fact, some of these treatments may be harsh and cause side effects based on a person’s condition.

For example, Ayurvedic medicine focuses on increasing the body’s ability to self heal that itself works on cancer cells. So, this goal makes the body stop cancer cells from spreading. These methods might have fewer side effects.

There is scientific evidence supporting its effectiveness.

One of the most striking differences between Ayurveda and modern medicine is that, while the former practices without any supporting evidence, the latter strives to provide scientific proof for its claims. Every antineoplastic procedure and medication used in cancer treatment is first subject to a thorough clinical testing process to justify its use in treating patients. Researchers have conducted studies on specific clinical cancers to assess the safety, efficacy, and advantages of these medications over other medications. Some preliminary studies have yielded some positive outcomes for specific Ayurvedic treatments. One study suggested that turmeric, which contains curcumin, possesses anticancer effects. However the ayurveda can bring great recovery from the effects of regular treatments and so it improves the quality of life to cope up with cancer treatment.

The individual approach to therapy

One aspect that distinguishes Ayurvedic treatment is its extreme individualism. Ayurvedic doctors prescribe unique therapies considering the patient’s body type and their imbalances. The treatment of cancer patients is also becoming more personalized due to the development of various genetic tests.

Can Ayurveda complement modern cancer treatment?

Ayurveda has been gaining belief through rasayana ayurveda integrated cancer care and can be utilised as supportive, complementary or a stand-alone cancer treatment based on the patient condition. For instance, in supportive treatment programs, they incorporate Ayurveda and other healing traditions. This implies that they strive to enhance the patient’s well-being and treatment while still delivering standard cancer therapy.

Other convenience services may include ‘Yoga’ and ‘meditation’ sessions for patients to enhance their well-being. Along this, this treatment may consist of dietary nutrients based on Ayurvedic tenets that will assist these patients while on medication. This integration may bring better treatment effectiveness.

Making informed decisions about cancer care

Cancer is dangerous for not only the patient but also to his family members. So, proper choice of care should be needed for cancer. Ayurveda may appear to be a softer approach as it seems to be more natural than the traditional treatments, and however, ayurvedic practice might be helpful to the cancer treatment. The treatment and interventions that are now possible in oncology today save and prolong lives in quite marvelous ways.

For instance, most of the Ayurvedic lifestyle suggestions, like eating well, managing stress, and being active, are in line with what cancer patients say today. Using some Ayurvedic ideas can help you feel better. Wishing to use Ayurvedic ideas in your cancer treatment has to be done with the doctor supervision. It is safe and helpful to use these ideas along with your cancer treatment plan.

As soon as you think of another treatment, you should discuss it with your doctors that may improve your health and cancer care. So, they can guide you on safe integrative practices that may improve your outcomes.

Conclusion

Ayurvedic regimen can help people think more rationally and compassionately about their health. However, for these treatments to work, they must be part of most patients’ treatment programs that have to align with the principles about healthy recovery and modifying your life could help cancer patients cope with modern procedures and make treatment more enjoyable.

Future prospect research has to be done to combine the finest values of ayurveda and modern ones so that to create an optimal cancer treatment plan. By this Ayurveda may help treat cancer in several ways Finally, cancer patients should know that most treatment decisions are their own with the doctor’s advice. Staying informed and talking to your healthcare provider regularly can help you make choices that improve your treatment plan and health.

References:

• Abrams, D. I., & Weil, A. T. (2014). Integrative Oncology. Oxford University Press.
• Chaturvedi, P. (2015). Curcumin and cancer: An “old-age” disease with an “age-old” solution. Cancer Letters, 267(1), 133-164.
• Prasad, S., & Aggarwal, B. B. (2011). Turmeric, the Golden Spice: From Traditional Medicine to Modern Medicine. In Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. CRC Press/Taylor & Francis.
• World Health Organization. (2018). WHO Global Report on Traditional and Complementary Medicine 2019. World Health Organization.