Naturopathic Integrative Oncology An Emerging Paradigm

Facts:

• Cancer is the most dreaded and complicated non-communicable disease, with some getting cured and some getting a prolonged life after treatment.
• The conventional cancer treatment modalities are believed to be costly, are known to have side-effects, and the disease can still relapse.
• There is an ever-increasing demand for traditional/ natural medicine (CAM) by cancer patients.
• Majority of the cancer patients, worldwide, resort to complementary and alternative medicines (CAM) -
  • For reducing the side effects of conventional treatment, enhance quality of life (QOL) and improve clinical outcomes.
  • Apprehension of failure - of any single line of treatment failing to arrest/ cure the disease prompts patients/ caregivers to try out multiple approaches, at times frantically, with a hope to improve prognosis.
• Most of the patients do not disclose their CAM approaches to their medical oncologists.
• The treatment plans, in a multi-dimensional scenario as mentioned above, thus are largely un-coordinated and enhances the risk of drug interactions and adverse events which can jeopardize the chances of achieving the overall treatment goals.

What is Naturopathic Integrative Oncology?

Naturopathic Integrative Oncology attempts bringing in appropriate CAM therapies that are evidence based, safe, effective and which synergistically complement the conventional treatment modalities making the treatment as a whole all the more effective through improved/ optimized clinical outcomes (especially QOL & OS) and reduced adverse events. It helps manage cancer symptoms, control side-effects of cancer therapies, improve the state of physical & mental wellbeing, and speed up recovery. An integrated approach to cancer treatment can not only help add days to the life of a patient but also can help add life to the days that a patient gets to survive.

Why Naturopathic Integrative Oncology?

• Cancer is a very complicated disease and its management presents with an enormous challenge. While the standard of care, by virtue of having demonstrated high clinical efficacy, have been chemotherapy, radiation and / or surgery, there still are treatment challenges owing to side effects, drug resistance, and irresponsiveness to conventional treatment of certain advanced stage cancers. It hence requires a strategic, well-researched, holistic & all encompassing/ integrated team based approach to control the disease even more effectively. This necessitates the use of suitable CAM therapies as an adjuvant to conventional therapy.
• Improved clinical outcomes, especially quality of life (QOL) & overall survival (OS). It facilitates patients to not only prolong survival but also live life well.  
• Avert adverse events/ reactions that may result owing to an oversight of the integrative oncology essentials.
• Cost effective treatment and increased patient satisfaction. It allows a customized/ individualized integrative treatment for each patient basis his financial status, clinical history, diagnosis, current treatment regime, spiritual belief, psychological & physical adverse effects etc all.

How (& Where) can Naturopathic Integrative Oncology Help?

• Integrative Support (CAM)
  • For ameliorating cancer symptoms & side effects of cancer therapies thereby improving QOL. To exemplify, anxiety, depression, cancer related pain, weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, diarrhoea, gas/ flatulence, mucositis, alopecia, constipation, anorexia, cough, sleep disturbance/ insomnia, headache, anaemia, peripheral neuropathy etc all can be managed effectively using CAM therapies.
  • Support, in line with the above-mentioned, can be rendered at any point during a patient’s illness to help him feel comfortable.

 

• Integrative Cancer Treatment (CAM) for patients who -
  • Consciously choose to not go for full scale conventional treatment for whatsoever reasons.
  • Have advanced malignancies which do not respond any further to conventional therapy. Such patients can seek CAM treatment for not only improving QOL but also add days to life to the extent possible contextually.

Note: However, for both the treatment categories mentioned above, should there be any severe aggravation of existing symptoms or acute health conditions, one needs to promptly seek emergency & competent medical help, as locally available, to address the same suitably.

CAM Modalities in Naturopathic Integrative Cancer Treatment:

• Diet & Nutrition/ Lifestyle
• Herbal/ Botanical medicine
• Homeopathy
• Dietary supplements/ Vitamins
• Exercise, Yoga & Meditation
• Music therapy
• Acupressure
• Acupuncture
• Reiki/ Energy Healing
• Massage/ Reflexology

Naturopathic Integration Requirements?

It is essential on the part of the natural medicine practioner(s) to clearly understand, at least, the following key aspects (of the CAM Tx modality considered) for a favourable integration (with the ongoing conventional treatment regime) -

• Patient’s current status including his clinical history, family history, diet & lifestyle, diagnosis, treatment regime, physical/ psychological make-up, belief system, financial capability and any other explicit requirement of the patient.
• Evidence based clinical efficacy & safety profile.
• Action mechanism.
• Herb drug interactions
• Side effects
• Long term health impact
• Pharmacokinetics
• Dosage, mode of administration & duration etc