Cancer Research UK main site

Alternative Therapy

Jo1944
Offline

My daughter started Chemoradiation four week ago for Head aand Neck cancer following a tonsilectomy a few weeks prior to that.

As the Cancer was on the righthandside she requested that she only had treatment on thst side.

Two weeks into her treatment, she was told they were treeating both sides and a few days later she decided to come off the treatment. She told me it was like trying to eat glass and she hadn't eaten for five days.

Her surgery had an Accupuncturist who also recommended a Chinese Herbalist she trained with, so my daugher has  decided to go down that route.

Obviously, I am very concerned, as these methods have never been proven to cure Cancer as far a I am aware but does anybody have any information regarding Alternative Therapy?

Regards

Joan

  • Offline

    As a non expert all I would say if alternative medicine could cure cancer then there would be no one suffering, which sadly is not the case.

    I did have a friend with terminal cancer and she did find that accupuncture helped ease some symptoms though.

    I wish your daughter all the best.

  • Offline in reply to TJH72

    Thank you and yes I agree with you.

    Jo

  • Hi Jo, 

    I'm sorry about your daugher's diagnosis and the side effects she has experienced with chemoradiation.

    I see you mentioned that your daughter has decided to try acupuncture and chinese herbal medicine. Acupunture and chinese herbal medicines are what's known as complementary therapies. This means they are recommended to help reduce symptoms and side effects such as pain and nausea to help people feel better but are usually carried out in conjunction with conventional treatment such as radiotherapy or cancer drugs. 

    It’s always important to check with your specialist before considering using complementary therapies. Many health professionals feel very positive about their patients using complementary therapies but they are not intended as an alternative and are not in any way a cure for cancer.

    Unlike complementary therapies, alternative therapies are used instead of conventional medical treatment. There is no scientific or medical evidence to show that alternative therapies can cure cancer. You can find out more about the difference between the two here.

    I hope this helps.

    Best wishes to you and your daughter, 

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Offline
    hi Joe I remember your previous post outlining you daughters dilema. Im sorry to hear that she's had to abandon her therapy due to it being too severe. I did 30 days of it and it is the hardest thing I've ever done. I did though receive great support through the hospital team who kept me going through it. Offering high calorie food suppement drinks and painkillers before eating, many people are offered a peg so food can be put straight into your stomach. I too came near to quitting treatment twice, it got very tough toward end of treatment especially eating even drinking water hurt. The alternative treatments will offer no cure but may help in other ways. I got a cure for head lice from a Chinese Herbalist in Malaysia but I think it was just Artemisia which is a well known lice treatment everywhere. So some of the treatments work but they dont offer a cure for cancer. Wishing your daughter good luck for the future. Kim
  • Offline in reply to kimchoson

    Hi Joe,

     

    The peg is a good idea. After my op.  I came to with a feeding tube up my nose. I had this for a week

    and then they put in a PEG. It takes all the hassel out of eating and I would recommend it. I've had 

    mine for 9 years now.  I had throat and tongue cancer and cannot swallow at all.  Its a whole lot better than being dead.

     

    Colin

  • Offline in reply to Colinb
    Thanks for this Colin and yes I totally agree with you but I'm not the one that was having the treatment. Anyway,the Alternative seems to be working at the moment as the Lymph Glands that were in her neck have copletely gone after 2/3 weeks. She is very confident with her new treatments which include Accupuncture and Chinese herb drinks. She is eating very well and looks so much better than she did. She is also attending the Royal Free for treatments but we won't know exactly what's happening until maybe nearer Chritmas, when by that time she will have had two scans, one next week and one three months later. Regards Jo
  • Offline in reply to Jo1944
    Hi sorry just came across this post. Do you have the contact details for the Chinese herbal remedies and acupuncture person?
  • in reply to dwilkins

    Hi dwilkins and welcome to the forum.

    I know you're looking for information regarding chinese herbal medicines and accupunture so I just wanted to share an article we have about this on our website.

    Also, as this is quite an old discussion and Jo1944 hasn't posted in a while there is a chance they may not get back to you so if you would like to hear from our more regular members it may be better to start a new discussion to introduce yourself and share your story on the forum.

    Kind regards, 

    Steph, Cancer Chat Moderator

  • Offline in reply to Moderator Steph

    I am trying to reply to dwilkins regarding TCM treatment, but I'm having difficulty with the Web site.

    I will get all the information they need from my daughter and get back to you asap.

    Regards

    Joan

Speak to a nurse

Quick links

Follow us

Registered with Fundraising Regulator (logo)
Cancer Research UK is a registered charity in England and Wales (1089464), Scotland (SC041666), the Isle of Man (1103) and Jersey (247). A company limited by guarantee. Registered company in England and Wales (4325234) and the Isle of Man (5713F). Registered address: 2 Redman Place, London, E20 1JQ.