Alternative cancer treatments

There is an abundance of different alternative treatments on offer for cancer

The most usual are products from health food shops, antioxidants, vitamins, mineral supplements or herbal remedies. In some cases alternative treatments are linked to occultism and various spiritual beliefs.

In Finland, the short-term use of legally sold natural remedies is often safe as long as you use them according to the accompanying instructions. However, all natural remedies can cause unpredictable and serious harm if you use them in large doses, regularly over a long period or if you use unknown products ordered from abroad.

Also, there are a number of illegally marketed natural remedies available, some for treating cancer. Some cancer drugs are found in nature but their effectiveness and safe use requires that their active ingredients are processed into pure medicinal products.

As such, even safe natural remedies or vitamins can alter the effects of drugs used in treating cancer or compound their adverse side effects. Because of this it is important to inform your doctor about any natural remedies you may be using.  

It is also important to remember that you should not put off going for cancer tests and seeking treatment in order to try out alternative forms of therapy.

Approved cancer treatment does not make use of belief-based medical therapies or diagnostic methods. It does accept certain forms of treatment, such as acupuncture, which can be used for such things as relieving pain.

The range of alternative treatments is extensive. Different products and alternative forms of treatment have been popular at different times. In the 1980s, extracts from coniferous trees were all the rage, while in the 1990s shark cartilage products were in vogue, and then in the early 2000s it was noni juice. In recent years chaga mushroom, graviola juice and baking soda have been popular among proponents of belief-based therapies. Medical research has not however been able to reliably establish whether any of these products cure cancer.

It is also worth noting that although a natural product may succeed in destroying single cancer cells under laboratory conditions, it is still a long way from becoming an anticancer drug.  A core principle in medicine is to test new forms of treatment accurately by comparing them to the current approved treatment before a new treatment is taken into general use. Confirming findings done in a test tube, and safe and effective demonstration require long-term clinical studies.