Beyond the standards of conventional medicine, there are alternative mesothelioma treatment methods available-used either as complementary efforts in combination with traditional modalities or as stand-alone therapies that could offer hope to patients not eligible for conventional treatment. The following article details some of the holistic and homeopathic options available to victims of mesothelioma, beyond the three conventionally prescribed treatment forms-surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
Dietary and Nutritional Regimens
One often utilized form of complementary or alternative mesothelioma treatment involves adherence to a specific diet with or without the inclusion of certain nutritional supplements. Some of the dietary changes that have been recommended as helpful for those fighting mesothelioma cancer include avoiding sugar, gluten or artificial food additives and hormones, as well as strict adherence to a whole foods diet that includes only fresh and natural food sources like fruits, vegetables and lean cuts of fish. Vegetarianism has also been touted by some notable mesothelioma “survivors” as a component of their lasting health.
Popular nutritional supplements for patients with mesothelioma include high-dose vitamin C and minerals like selenium.
Ozone Therapy
Based on scientific research showing that cancer cells are unable to thrive in highly oxygenated environments, oxygen therapy has been named by one of the world’s longest living mesothelioma “survivors”, Paul Krauss of Australia, as one of the alternative mesothelioma treatment methods believed to be responsible for his extraordinary remission. There are two types of oxygen therapy available. Ozone therapy is designed to introduce ozone into the body in order to increase the amount of oxygen present in the bloodstream; hydrogen peroxide therapy involves either ingesting or bathing in the common antiseptic solution in an effort to “soak” cancer cells with disease-fighting oxygen in liquid form.
Clinical Trials
Believed by many to encompass the most promising forms of alternative mesothelioma treatment, participation in clinical research trials allows patients to receive various therapies that have not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use with the general public. One form of treatment in particular, which is gathering increased attention from cancer researchers around the globe, is immunotherapy-currently available only in mesothelioma clinical trials.
Herbs and Natural Medicines
People in cultures all over the world have been using natural plants and herbs for what are believed to be medicinal properties since as far back as history is recorded. Some of those purported “miracles of nature” are still used to treat varying ailments today, including many different forms of cancer.
Some of the most popular ones used with patients suffering from mesothelioma include:
- -Astragalus
- -Cat’s Claw
- -Celadine
- -Curcumin
- -Graviola
- -Lemongrass
- -Mistletoe