Science has made great progress in the medical field.  Although new treatments for serious diseases are being produced daily, some modern medicine does not always produce reliable results.  Natural remedies, such as herbal supplements, are also ridiculed for their mixed results.

Combining modern medicine and natural treatments provides a more inclusive approach to healing and may produce better results than using one or the other alone.

Alternative remedies

There are many forms of and options for natural treatment.  Many of these techniques, such as meditation or prayer, can be quite difficult to study.  Because of the lack of hard evidence and success rates, some decide to rely only on typical Western medical practices.

Complementary care is when a patient decides to use an alternative medicine or treatment along with standard medical procedures (for example, using acupuncture to reduce the side effects of radiation treatment).

Alternative medicine is when a patient decides to use an alternative medicine or treatment instead of using standard medical treatments (for example, eating a special diet instead of receiving radiation treatment).

However, integrative medicine has been shown to be the most effective method of treating cancer.  Integrative medicine is a total approach to care that addresses the patient’s body, mind and spirit by combining standard medical procedures with alternative therapies.

Integrative medicine generally works in one of several ways.  The cancer may react to the combination of treatments, curing the cancer completely and directly.  The natural treatment may increase the tumor’s response rate to chemotherapy treatments, allowing for greater shrinkage.  In terminal and non-operable cases, integrative medicine can increase survival time by up to 64 percent.

Examples of natural treatments and remedies that can be integrated into traditional medicine include:

-  Meditation, prayer and hypnosis

-  Herbal supplements and special diets

-  Massage therapy or chiropractic care

-  Therapeutic touch, Tai Chi and yoga

-  Creative outlets – like art, music and dancing

Just because the results of non-traditional treatments can be hard to measure does not mean that they do not work.  However, herbal supplements and other natural cures may produce widely different results in different people based on their specific situation.  Different natural treatments react differently with certain medications.  It is critical that you speak to your doctor before beginning a natural treatment.  Ultimately, your doctor is the only one who can decide if a specific natural treatment is safe for you.