What is Cancer?
Cancer is a term given to the situation that arises following a disruption in the lifecycle of the cells in the human body. Instead of following the normal cycle of being born, living out their normal function, and dying, also called apoptosis, these cancer cells live on. They proliferate, form tumors that can obstruct vital organs, and steal nutrients from surrounding healthy cells causing depletion in the host.
There are currently two views on dealing with cancer. Traditional or orthodox medicine sees cancer as a chance occurrence resulting from genetic mutations. A non-traditional or unorthodox cancer practitioner sees it as a consequence of metabolic imbalances resulting from lifestyle choices. Hence, there are currently two approaches to the cure: An orthodox practitioner will focus on killing the cancer cells, while an unorthodox doctor will focus on restoring the patient’s inner biological environment, the change which is believed to have caused the initial anomaly.
The first approach is generally identified with current conventional cancer treatments: radiation therapy, chemotherapy, surgery, et cetera, while the second approach is generally identified with dietary and lifestyle changes, psychological programs, and nutritional supplementation.
The first approach has also been labeled as waging war on cancer since its foremost objective is to kill cancer cells. While it has its critics, most medical practitioners will agree that it is an approach that is useful in cases of fast-growing cancers and with diffuse blood cancers.
The second approach sees cancer as a systemic disease, a label given to an array of diseases which have uncontrolled cellular proliferation as a common factor. As such, proponents argue that only “whole body” treatment programs will produce a long-term cure.
An average person, first diagnosed with cancer, will probably be presented with the first option initially, i.e., conventional orthodox treatments. However, bear in mind that it is neither the only option nor the best option available.
What to do when diagnosed with cancer.
First: Do not panic. Remember that cancer is NOT a death sentence. There are people who are cured of it. No matter how bleak the prognosis is, the oncologist is only making his judgment based on current data using traditional treatment methods.
The first things you need to know include: what cancer type you have; what stage it is in; has it metastasized; the success rates of both orthodox and alternative treatments; the effectiveness of complementary treatments; and dietary, lifestyle and psychological changes that you are willing to make.
What needs to be done is to get a treatment program that is tailored to your needs, and then get the right health practitioner to help implement that treatment program.
Second: Get as much information as you can. Read books. Visit the Internet. Do not rely solely on information coming from your doctor.
Some books that provide alternative views on cancer include: The China Study by T. Colin Campbell, Cancer the full menu by Rolf Gordon, Healing Cancer by Simon Kelly and Enrida Kelly, Cancer Is Not A Disease by Andreas Mortiz, Alternatives in Cancer Therapy: The Complete Guide to Non-Traditional Treatments by Ross Pelton and Lee Overholser, Anticancer: A New Way of Life by David Servan-Schreiber, Winning the War on Cancer by Mark Sircus, and Everything You Need To Know To Help You Beat Cancer by Chris Woolams.
Exercise some caution when getting information from the Internet though. Be sure to visit only established sites. Avoid sites that advertise quick cures. Since cancer does not occur overnight, it is probably a good bet that the cure will also take some time.
Third: Decide on what option to follow. There are four:
Go for conventional treatments only. Generally, this option is for individuals who prefer to leave health matters to the discretion of their doctors.
Go for a combination of orthodox and unorthodox treatments. This option is for those who want the best of both worlds. They may also have a very aggressive form of cancer that needs orthodox treatments first to rapidly reduce the number of cancer cells.
Go solely for alternative treatments. These individuals have done their research on the success rate of conventional treatments, were unconvinced, and have decided to take their chances with alternative approaches.
Do nothing. Generally, for people in complete denial, have cancers that are developing very slowly, have cancers that are untreatable, or are people that are too old or frail to go through the treatment process.
The option that you will eventually choose will depend on your present condition, your temperament, your belief systems, as well as your existing social support structure.
It is also important to remember that treating cancer is not a case of the more treatments, the better. For example, going for a combination will mean doing chemotherapy or radiotherapy, treatments that could contribute to the death of the patient.
In my next posts, I will try to examine how mind-body healing can help cancer patients.

If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!