Cancer

Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine, Apr 06, 2001 by Douglas Dupler

Imaging tests such as computed tomography scans (CT scans), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound, and fiberoptic scope examinations help doctors determine the location of the tumor even if it is deep within the body. Conventional x rays are often used for initial evaluation, because they are relatively cheap, painless and easily accessible. In order to increase the information obtained from a conventional x ray, air, or a dye (such as barium, or iodine) may be used as a contrast medium to outline or highlight parts of the body.

The most definitive diagnostic test is the biopsy, wherein a piece of tissue is surgically removed for microscope examination. Besides confirming a cancer, the biopsy also provides information about the type of cancer, the stage it has reached, the aggressiveness of the cancer, and the extent of its spread. Since a biopsy provides the most accurate analysis, it is considered the gold standard of diagnostic tests. Screening examinations, conducted regularly by healthcare professionals, can result in the detection of cancers of the breast, colon, rectum, cervix, prostate, testes, tongue, mouth, and skin at early stages, when treatment is more likely to be successful. Some of the routine screening tests recommended by the ACS are sigmoidoscopy (for colorectal cancer ), mammography (for breast cancer), pap smear (for cervical cancer), and the PSA test (for prostate cancer). Self-examinations for cancers of the breast, testes, mouth, and skin can also help in detecting the tumors before the symptoms become serious.

Diagnosis in alternative treatment often relies on conventional diagnostic tools for determining the type and stage of cancer, but will supplement those tools with diagnostic techniques that strive to evaluate the overall health of a person, in order to treat a person holistically. For instance, Ayurvedic medicine and traditional Chinese medicine place high priorities during diagnosis on the patient's emotional and psychological history, as well as considerations like lifestyle, relationships, and the degree of social and spiritual support, in order to have insight into the cause and proper treatment of a particular cancer. These alternative practices also have highly developed diagnostic techniques for the body, including pulse diagnosis ; methods of analyzing the tongue, eyes, skin, hair, and fingernails; palpating and finding problems in the organs and abdomen; and listening to the breath for clues to the internal environment.

There are a multitude of alternative treatments available to help the person with cancer. They are usually integrated with allopathic treatments like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy, where only an estimated 4% exclusively use alternative medicine. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments are some of the most painful and toxic of conventional treatments, and often have unpredictable results. As a rule, alternative treatments are less invasive, nontoxic, and have minimal side effects. These are reasons many people choose them over conventional allopathic treatments. When used as adjuncts to conventional treatment, some alternative treatments have been shown to decrease pain and side effects, aid in the recovery process, and improve the quality of life of cancer patients.