Chemotherapy and radiation are the mainstays of Western Medicine, and while helpful in treating some cancers, most do not offer a complete cure. Chemo mainly debulks a growing tumour by poisoning cancer cells but does not usually kill stem cells from which cancer develops. Chemotherapy is helpful as slowing the development or reducing the size of a tumour makes sense as tumours use up a lot of energy and cause pressure on nerves and other organs. Cancer Therapy is heavily focused on using Chemical drugs or radiation, which can cause damage to the body and reduce the vitality of the body’s immune system. In most cases, there is little mention of immune support, good nutrition or lifestyle, which is critical in giving the body what it needs to heal. If the underlying causes are not looked at, then the factors that caused the cancer in the first place will cause cancer to re-occur sometime in the future. This is where Natural Therapy has something to offer.
Natural Therapy views the body as a self-organising organism that innately knows how to heal itself. Sometimes, those self-healing mechanisms are overwhelmed or restricted by stress, Environmental pollution, sonic pollution, inappropriate nutrition, trauma or genetics. All these factors impact the body’s immune system, which is central to organising self-healing.
To support those who have cancer, the naturopath looks at the above with the client to determine where there are Imbalances and what needs to be taken to correct those imbalances.
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis
Supporting the immune is of paramount importance. Since cancer starts at a cellular level and then into a tissue, the cellular environment’s role must be considered. Although helpful, conventional blood tests give limited information about what is happening at this level. One of the best tests is a Nutrient and Toxic Element testing analysis that tests for over 36 nutrient and toxic chemicals and 27 significant mineral ratios.
This test, called a Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis ( HTMA), is tested via a hair sample.
Why Minerals? Minerals are the basic building blocks of cellular tissue, and any imbalances directly affect what is happening within the cell and surrounding environment. Minerals play a significant part in what is absorbed and excreted by cells. If there are imbalances, toxic tissue may develop, providing an ideal environment for cancer growth.
Eating a good diet is a good step toward supporting the immune system, but everyone’s body chemistry is different and will respond differently to other diets. The only way to determine what diet is appropriate is by Nutritional Testing via the HTMA. In this way, a customised eating plan may be prescribed. HTMA is about balancing the body’s chemistry at a “Micro” level.
Although the HTMA test is a vital part of a holistic assessment, Other Tests that provide valuable data are pulse and tongue diagnosis. These are used to gain a “Macro” sense of what is happening in the body.
Tongue diagnosis
The tongue provides information on internal circulation in the body, the metabolic state of various organs, the digestive system and the microbiome. In short, it is a quick visual snapshot of what is happening internally. With today’s modern photography, before and after treatment pictures can be taken to chart the body’s response to Herbal or Dietary Therapy. Photos of the sublingual tongue have been likened to having a “ CT scan” of the whole body.
Medical Pulse diagnosis (MPD)
Through the ages, pulse diagnosis has been utilised in the Orient to discover the root causes of health imbalances in the body, making it the earliest form of functional medicine practice. By examining the pulse in the wrist, which reflects the functions and workings of the body, practitioners can identify the specific body organs associated with each pulse position. In contrast, the overall pulse quality is linked to body metabolism. By checking for strength or weakness, depth, force, and width of the pulse, practitioners can gauge the balance of the organ or tissue and chart a course of treatment to restore equilibrium. Hence, it improves immune system response.
Herbal Therapy
Evidence-based medicine supports using many Herbs and Herbal formulas to support the immune system. An example is Medicinal Mushrooms, now used worldwide to support cancer treatment. They are seen as immune modulators helping the immune system to respond to biological stressors. Mushrooms enhance the microbiome, provide Nutritional support and also have anti-inflammatory properties. Most immune-enhancing therapies will now include Medicinal Mushrooms as part of the recommendations.
Herbal therapy has been shown to work synergistically with conventional chemotherapy, making it more effective.
In summary:
Natural Therapy can greatly support those undergoing cancer therapy and improve treatment outcomes and quality of life through Immune system enhancement.
For Cancer Support and Nutrition, please get in touch with me, Peter Farnsworth, N.D, at https://adelaidenaturopath.net.au
