Unconventional Cancer Cures

A number of people diagnosed with cancer are turning away from traditional approaches to treatment. Traditional approaches such as chemotherapy and radiation therapy, can harm vital organs and lead to a poor quality of life because of their severe side effects. Spiritual, herbal and dietary approaches have become quite commonplace. Although medical experts still do not fully support these efforts there seems to be a changing trend as more information is discovered about unconventional approaches to cancer treatment.

Spiritual Approaches

The most common unconventional approach to treating cancer is a spiritual approach. Not only is it a treatment method but for many people it is a reaction to a diagnosis that is frightening and difficult to accept. Some methods for spiritual healing are prayer, anointing with oils and laying on of hands. For many this type of treatment works very well although medical experts usually call it a coincidence that the patient went into remission at the same time they began to rely on faith to cure their terminal disease.

Psychological Approaches

Many psychological approaches to cancer treatment are now not only accepted in the medical mainstream but are also highly respected. These approaches include hypnosis, biofeedback, group and individual therapy, imagery and self-exploration. These approaches are beneficial in helping the patient deal with the trauma of diagnosis, alleviating anxiety and helping the patient cope with the side effects of medical cancer treatment. Medical experts agree that this kind of unconventional approach to treating cancer will no doubt help to improve a patient's quality of life.

Nutritional and Dietary Approaches

Dietary and nutritional approaches to cancer are gaining quickly in popularity. The reason for this is that it has been proved that diet and cancer are related, especially with some of the most common types of cancer including breast, colon and prostate cancers. While this is still considered an unconventional approach to treatment, changing the diet of a cancer patient has proved to slow and in some cases even stop cancer growth. The dietary approaches that are most respected as of 2009 are the Hippocrates wheat-grass diet, the macrobiotic diet, the Livingston-Wheeler nutritional program, the Gerson diet and the Kelley-Gonzalez nutritional program.

Herbal Approaches

Herbal therapies for cancer are becoming increasingly popular and are being retrieved from all parts of the world. It is likely that the most used herbal approaches come from traditional Chinese medicine. More people are beginning to use herbs as a front-line approach to combating not just cancer but a number of health conditions and diseases. Fu Zhen therapy is a very common herbal approach because it protects the immune system, leading to higher survival rates. The essential herbs that make up Fu Zhen are ginseng, ganoderma, astragalus, atractylodes, ligustrum and codonopsis. The combination of these herbs is believed to increase T-cells while boosting the immune system.

Pharmacological Approaches

There are many pharmacological approaches to treating cancer. The pharmacological approach of using or combining nutritional supplements and herbs in conjunction with other pharmaceutical means has proven to be successful and very popular. Some of the pharmacological treatments include such items as Vitamin C, hydrazine sulfate, mistletoe extract and Iscador.