The overlap between conventional and “alternative” medicine is developing and challenging some traditional views particularly in relation to USA and UK medicine. I practice yoga and have attended training sessions at my local NHS hospital where scientific research data was presented about the impact of yoga practice (particularly yoga midra) and changes in hormone levels and in the treatment of depression. So I think we need to keep an open mind to many alternative therapies and their value in treatments.
There are now academic posts in universities in this country in Traditional Chinese Medicine and in Integrative Medicine and I do see this integration as the way forward for the future. The hormones and energy channels in our bodies have very complex interactions with our whole bodies - just wish I knew more about this but I am continually researching it alongside info on “western” approaches.
Glad to know you find meditation helpful Mekalar - I do too along with Reiki energy therapy and visualisation so although I don’t rely on these to help “cure” my BC I do believe that they are very powerful techniques that are helping me and my body to heal in subtle ways.
Fran
Hi mekalar and Fran,
I think “complementary” therapies are fine if okd by your med teams and can be a usefull addition to convensional treatments for people while undergoing cancer treatments/stress ect,ie Aromatherapy,Massage therapy,Acupuncture,Yoga ect and all these are generaly considered safe.
“Alternative” Therapies on the other hand are very different and both these therapies are two entirely different things i think sometimes people can often confuse the two?.
ALT therapies ie Homotherapy,Herbal Products,Diet Suppliements,Alternative Diets,Cancer “Cures” ect can be harmfull and there is no scientific or medical evidence to show that alternative therapies can help to treat or cure cancer. Some alternative therapies can cause serious side effects or interfere with conventional cancer treatment.
My advice to any ladies for what its worth is to ALWAYS check something out first with your own Med Teams before useing or considering useing any ALT methods in order to stay safe and to be assurred that it wont interfere with you own personal cancer treatments.
If your into reading good books i can highly reccommend 2 for anyone who is interested, Edzard Ernst and Simon Singh “Trick or Treatment” or Edzard Ernst “Healing, Hype or Harm?”
sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/edzard-ernst-does-it-again/
Linda x
Hi girls Im been very good friends with a qualified hypnotherapist & rieki healer for over 20 years now & got to know alot of therapists in a lot of fields from acupunturists, herbalists, aurometherapy (I used to do this myself too) Complimentry & Alternative are two totally different things, unfortunately because there are like in all things peeps who use the ‘cure’ card with certain things (none I know amoung the therapists Ive said here) it gives them a bad name & it does make me cross as alot of these therapies are excellent as an all rounder to keep a person grounded & as stress free as possible throughout life (not counting those diag with life threatening illnesses) which can help I think with prevention not cure. So when they get tarred with the same brush just because you may get one within a certain group practicing something & claiming it to be a cure.
I too do yoga although since surgery ive not done much like I used to
Alternative therapies there is also a wide range of these again alot of them dont claim to be a ‘cure’ again its all down to personal choice yes people do choose these & yes I too know 2 people who have gone down this route one who had HER2 +++ BC with node involvement she had just surgery & some intergrative therapies & 5 years down the line is doing well wether this was due what she had done or just luck ? who knows ? Id never advice it to anyone instead of conventional yet I wouldn’t knock it either as ive never had any so I don’t know & not in that position to judge.
Frances I agree that the alternative approach is being more accepted by orthodox medicine, but I don’t think that is because the alternative approach has been scientifically proven. In the United States, alternative medicine has become popular with policy makes because it is generally cheaper than conventional medicine (and insurers like it), and it tends to focus on the individual taking control of their own health - so it shifts responsibility for health away from the government to the individual. Additionally, some of the more respectable alternative practitioners like Dean Ornish (who actually back up their theories with some scietific evidence), have allied themselves with the less reputable, and this has given the less reputable influence they wouldn’t otherwise have.
For your interest, I’m providing a link below that was written by a scientist, which describes this in more detail.
Personally, I have nothing against complimentary therapies, but I think to abandon conventional medicine is foolhardy.
scienceblogs.com/insolence/2009/03/dr_dean_ornish_turn_away_from_the_dark_s.php
Exelent artical Lemongrove it explains a lot so thanks for sharing it, RI is a great site i particulary like it because its written by a surgeon/scientist who knows what hes talking about, always worth reading.
Linda