Complementary and Alternative Therapies for breast cancer

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Complementary and Alternative Therapies for breast cancer: A comprehensive treatment plan for breast cancer may include a range of complementary and alternative therapies. Psychotherapy and support groups may help improve quality of life and survival.

Nutrition

Nutritional tips include the following.

Eliminate non-organic poultry, dairy, red meat, sugar, white flour and refined foods, coffee, tea, chocolate, and colas. Eat cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower). Eat only organically raised foods. Include liver foods such as beets, carrots, yams, garlic, dark leafy greens, lemons, and apples. Follow a high-fiber diet. Use soy.

Potentially beneficial nutrient supplements include the following.

Coenzyme Q10 (120 mg three times a day) Calcium d-glucarate (500 to 1,000 mg three times a day) Vitamin A (25,000 IU a day), vitamin E (800 IU a day), and vitamin C (250 to 500 mg twice per day) to decrease side effects of chemotherapy and radiation Selenium (200 to 400 mcg a day) to decrease side effects of chemotherapy and radiation Bromelain (500 mg two times a day between meals) Melatonin (10 to 50 mg a day)

Herbs

The use of certain herbal remedies may offer relief from symptoms. Try the following: a combination of black cohosh (Cimicifuga racemosa), red clover (Trifolium pratense), and alfalfa (Medicago sativa) as a base (1 to 3 g); add two to three of the following in equal parts, 30 to 60 drops two to three times daily:

With anxiety: passionflower (Passiflora incarnata), kava kava (Piper methysticum) With lymph node involvement: poke root (Phytolacca americana), red root (Ceanothus americanus); maximum dose of poke root is 0.4 ml a day. With nausea: ginger root (Zingiber officinale), fennel seed (Foeniculum vulgare) With exhaustion: oatstraw (Avena sativa), skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora)

Herbs are generally available as dried extracts (pills, capsules, or tablets), teas, or tinctures (alcohol extraction, unless otherwise noted). Dose for teas is 1 heaping tsp./cup water steeped for 10 minutes (roots need 20 minutes).

Homeopathy

An experienced homeopath considers both your symptoms and constitutional type in order to create an individualized treatment regimen. Some of the most common homeopathic remedies that may helpful in treating symptoms associated with breast cancer are listed below.

Arsenicum for anxiety and nausea, with restlessness and burning pains Ipecac for nausea unrelieved by vomiting Nux vomica for sharp abdominal pains with anger and collapse

Acute dose is three to five pellets of 12X to 30C every one to four hours until symptoms are relieved.

Acupuncture

While acupuncture is not used as a treatment for cancer itself, evidence suggests it can be a valuable therapy for symptoms associated with cancer and the side effects of chemotherapy. In a study of 104 women with breast cancer and nausea from chemotherapy (all of whom were taking anti-nausea medication), women treated with acupuncture experienced fewer attacks of nausea than women who received the medication alone. There have also been studies indicating that acupuncture may help eliminate pain and hot flashes caused by tamoxifen (a breast cancer medication). One study found that acupuncture markedly improved breathlessness in women with late stages of breast cancer. Acupressure (pressing on rather than needling acupuncture points) has also proved useful in controlling breathlessness; this is a technique that individuals can learn and then use to treat themselves. Some acupuncturists prefer to work with breast cancer patients only after they have completed conventional medical cancer therapy. Others will provide acupuncture and/or herbal therapy during active chemotherapy or radiation. Acupuncturists treat breast cancer patients based on an individualized assessment of the excesses and deficiencies of qi located in various meridians. In many cases of cancer-related symptoms, a qi deficiency is usually detected in the spleen or kidney meridians

Source: www.mdconsult.com

http://www.healthlibrary.com/doctors2/breastcancer1.html

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