A new study has thrown some illuminating light on the effects of so-called "alternative" or "complementary" medicine on cancer patients in particular.
Largely due to media hype and exaggerated claims by practitioners, complementary medicines and therapies like homeopathy, naturopathy, traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, massage, yoga and meditation, are often NOT used as a complement to conventional "scientific" medicine, but as an alternative, and that is where the trouble begins. Patients pursuing such avenues are more likely to refuse or just not bother with potentially life-saving treatments like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy and even surgery. The study of 1.9 million cancer patients diagnosed with non-metastatic breast, lung, prostate and colorectal cancers, showed that patients that used some forn of complementary treatment had TWICE the likelihood of death compared to patients who stuck to the normal "Western" path.
The moral of the story, then, is: by all means explore alternative medicine regimes to help with pain suppression, mood regulation, etc, but please don't expect it to cure your cancer - it won't. However cynical you may be about conventional invasive medicine, it does work in many cases, and is still by far your best bet.
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