Alternative therapies
General information about alternative therapies
Alternative therapies means therapies which try to treat cancer with unconventional therapies instead of the usual medical methods. Although practitioners of these therapies may make claims that they can cure cancer or that they are effective in controlling symptoms, they cannot. Some alternative therapists use their therapies for people having conventional medical or complementary therapies.
Some alternative therapists advise that patients should give up conventional therapy to use alternative therapies. This can mean that patients with early cancer may miss out on treatments that could offer them a cure, and people with advanced cancer may miss out on conventional medicines that could control or reduce their symptoms.
Some therapies can be harmful and cause severe side effects. If you are thinking of trying an alternative therapy it is essential to talk to your cancer doctor or specialist nurse beforehand.
There are literally hundreds of alternative therapies – they include:
- Some dietary therapies such as Gerson therapy (see Diet)
- Alternative medicines
- Megavitamin therapy
- ‘Immuno-augmentative' therapy
- Cleansing therapies – such as intravenous hydrogen peroxide
Extravagant and sometimes convincing claims have been made about some alternative therapies in this section: for example, that they can cure cancer. However, there is no evidence that they can do so.
Essiac
'Essiac' is a herbal remedy originating from the Canadian native tribe, the Ojibwa. It was first publicised by a Canadian nurse called Renee Caisse. She named the remedy after herself - 'essiac' is her surname spelled backwards.
Essiac is a mixture of roots, bark and leaves, including burdock, sheep's sorrel and slippery elm. The mixture is boiled to form a brown liquid, which is taken as a drink. It is claimed to be a cure for cancer. Essiac is usually sold as a nutritional supplement. There have been reports over the years of cancers completely disappearing, although in many cases, it has been found that either the diagnosis was wrong in the first place, or that conventional cancer treatment is more likely to have been the 'cure'.
Essiac has been tested in trials in Canada and in the USA. The National Cancer Institute in the USA advises that Essiac does not appear to have any anti-cancer effect in the body, although it does not seem to do any harm either.
If you are interested in trying Essiac, talk to your doctor, as it can sometimes be used alongside your conventional cancer treatment.
Cow or shark cartilage
Cartilage is sold as a food supplement, rather than as a drug. It is taken as capsules or as a powder. Occasionally it is given as an injection just under the skin or as an enema (liquid passed into the back passage). The cartilage (tissue found between bones and joints) is taken from cows or sharks. In theory it is supposed to work by blocking the development of new blood vessels and starving the cancer. So far, scientific studies and trials have shown no evidence that it prevents or cures cancer. Doctors and researchers recommend that cartilage should only be taken as a cancer treatment as part of research trials. Cartilage therapy can cause side effects such as nausea and vomiting in some people.
Metabolic therapy
Metabolic therapy claims to boost the immune system. Metabolic therapists say that they diagnose abnormalities at the cellular level and correct them by normalising the patient's metabolism. They regard cancer, and other 'degenerative' diseases as the result of metabolic imbalance caused by a build up of 'toxic substances' in the body. They claim that they can treat the cause of the disease by removing 'toxins' and strengthening the immune system so the body can heal itself.
Metabolic treatments vary from practitioner to practitioner and may include a 'natural food' diet, coffee enemas, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, or chemicals. These are said to flush toxins out of the body, allowing it to heal. However, there is no research evidence suggests that these help in the treatment of cancer.
The most commonly used metabolic therapy in the UK is lætrile (amygdalin or vitamin B17), a derivative of bitter almonds. There are many websites which promote lætrile as a substance that can cure cancer, however, studies giving lætrile to people with cancer have not shown that it can help to control or cure cancer. Some websites promoting lætrile advise that people taking it should not use any other type of cancer therapy. This is very worrying as for many people with early cancer, conventional treatment may cure it. If you are thinking of taking lætrile therapy, it is best to discuss this with your cancer specialist or one of the organisations listed.
Immuno-augmentative therapy
There are several different types of immuno-augmentive therapy. They are aimed at training the patient's own immune system to recognise and destroy cancer cells. However, none have been shown to have any effect on cancer and they can be very, very expensive.
One type of therapy used in Europe to boost the immune system in people with cancer is Iscador: an extract of mistletoe. It has been used by homeopathic doctors for patients with cancer (although it is actually a herbal medicine). It can be taken as tablets or by injection and a course is prescribed. However, no reliable studies have shown that it has had any effect on the progress of cancer in patients.
