Ayurveda: Easing Cancer Patients One Herb at a Time
When diagnosed with cancer, the first things that come to mind are hospitals, radiation, chemotherapy, and other unsettling words. Not many correlate natural diets, massage, and meditation with cancer treatment, but this is all included with Ayurveda. Using ancient techniques, herbal remedies, and detoxifying methods, Ayurveda aims to strengthen and purify the mind and body; bringing them back to their balanced state.
Though, Ayurveda is a common medical practice in India, it is slowly gaining popularity in western cultures. Its use of natural remedies to treat a wide range of ailments is appealing to many people. Though some aspects, such as bloodletting and vomiting, can turn some people off to the idea, clinical and laboratory studies have suggested that Ayurveda herbal remedies can cure a multiple of serious issues, such as: Alzheimer symptoms, Parkinson’s symptoms, and certain cancers.
The National Cancer Institute has funded a series of clinical trials using the Ayurvedic herbal remedies, MAK-4 and MAK-5, to see their effects on cancerous tumors. So far, they have show promising results. Though most studies have been conducted on rats, a few have been conducted on cancer patients to see the effects. Symptoms and pain involved with conventional cancer treatment have been alleviated by the herbs.
The most positive outcome of Ayurveda is its stress-reducing effects with cancer patients. Since Ayurveda focuses on balancing and purifying the body as a whole, patients feel more energized and relaxed during tedious cancer treatments. The calming effects of Ayurveda have shown to boost the morale of cancer patients. The massages, meditation sessions, and breathing exercises make patients more positive about treatment, thus improving their chances of recovery.
Though Ayurveda has not been clinical proven to cure cancer on its own, it has been used as a complimentary therapy. Many patients have adopted some Ayurveda therapies when battling devastating cancers such as breast cancer, leukemia, and mesothelioma. Doctors recommend adopting at least one complimentary therapy to help ease the mind through such trying times. There are many cancer support groups that can help find a suitable alternative therapy and also help through the transition.
Allison Brooks
