Hello Gallopy,

Welcome to Cancer Chat. First of all, I am so sorry to hear your son passed away from cancer 15 years ago it must have been truly heartbreaking for you.

I hope you are recovering well from your operation and that you find out soon when your chemotherapy/radiotherapy treatment starts. It sounds like you are surrounded by great friends who care a lot about you and it is normal to feel overwhelmed by it all.

I completely understand why you are feeling torn at the moment but because some treatments may interact,  I would strongly recommend that you speak to your cancer doctor, GP, or specialist nurse if you're considering using any complementary or alternative therapies. They will be able to give you the best advice on this and on what the best course of action might be. Try and avoid doing too much research on the internet on these topics as there is a lot of information online that isn't very reliable. You might be interested in reading this page from our website on the subject of complementary and alternative therapies. You can also read more about their safety here and find out about the important difference between complementary and alternative therapies here.

I hope this helps a little and if you want to talk to someone about these important decisions, don't hesitate to give our nurses a call on this free number 0808 800 4040. Their line is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm and they will be able to listen to your concerns and give you some good advice.

Best wishes,

Lucie, Cancer Chat Moderator

Hi Gallopy,

So sorry for your diagnosis, but glad you've got such a large support circle around you, even if they are in two very set mindsets regarding treatment.

It's great that you've been reading into lymph nodes and how they work etc. but even if you had some years to study this area you could not in such a short time accumulate the wealth of knowledge or deep understanding currently held within the field of oncology.  And with everything you've got going on just now I would say don't take on more, let others take some of the burden for you, that is why they trained for years after all.  The body is just far too complex for us to grasp it in a matter of weeks, months or years, never mind that cancer isn't even just one illness, it is hundreds (probably thousands) of illnesses with different pathways.

I originally started studying medicine (taking ill early on unfortunately) and since then have accumulated a good background in molecular chemistry, to the extent that I am reading The Biology of Cancer.  It is a massive and detailed book on the molecular and cellular bases of cancer used for teaching oncology.  While I have used this knowledge in discussion of chemotherapy options with my oncologist, I still realise I do not have the anywhere near the knowledge to treat my own cancer.

I understand that today we are bombarded with pseudio-science and entirely unproven 'treatments' from seemingly well-meaning people but sadly it is a sign of the times.  Our responsibility to ourselves isn't so much to see what alternative treatments are being banded around, but rather to check out if they are scientifically proven before using them.  When people I know bombard me with 'juicing' or 'Budwig' or the like, that is the first thing I do, check for a proper scientific study that has been peer-reviewed.

Sadly the 'studies' that are usually published for natural alternatives or dietary changes to treat cancer rarely, if ever, meet the threshold to even be classed as scientific studies (sadly because who would'nt wish we could just change our diet and be cured?).  Unfortunately that doesn't stop them getting put up on official looking websites, appearing to be backed by seemingly credible people, although you can usually easily find an actual scientist debunking them too if you look.  On the other hand the different chemotherapies have met or exceeded the high threshold set for scientific studies and have been peer reviewed (this is where other scientists get the chance to point out errors in the study etc.) they have passed through a very thorough and technical process to be in use today.

To date I have yet to find one natural cure for cancer for which there is any scientific evidence, if it existed it would be out there.  Oncologists offer us chemotherapy, radiotherapy etc. because they have been proven scientifically to work.  Thankfully, for most of the fads people have mentioned to me it only takes a bit of time to show why it cannot possibly have any impact on curing my cancer.

Alternative treatments and diet changes are great for helping with side effects, they can also minimise the chances of recurrence or getting cancer in the first place, but even that is a complex area of study and not one any of us have the time to undertake while already having cancer.

I really, really hope for your daughter's sake that you take the advice of your oncologist on board.  If they thought a change in diet would be all you need they really would tell you.

Moreso, as I realise I've probably come across rather strong, I can only hope you read my response in the mindset of someone desperately worrying that you might put your life at risk by choosing untested methods over proven treatment.  I really wouldn't want anyone to do that!

Take care,

LJ