It’s been estimated by some experts that by the year 2018, cancer will be the number one killer of us humans in North America. I can almost see the confused look on your face. If so much money is being poured into cancer research and so much progress being made, how can this be? Well, I imagine there’s much more money being made than progress when it comes to conventional cancer treatment. It’s obvious that some form of chemotherapy is the first choice of most doctors when it comes to treating your cancer. But is chemotherapy really safe?

Basically, when you have cancer and are prescribed chemotherapy, the drugs enter your bloodstream and destroy every rapidly dividing cell they can find. This means cancer cells. This means hair follicles. This means digestive tract cells, reproductive cells, and even bone marrow. This is why chemo patients become so violently ill and lose their hair during treatment. So, if your chemotherapy regimen kills your cancer before it kills you, then I guess it was a success. The cancer industry will shout about newer, gentler forms of chemo, but in order to be successful they all have to search and destroy.

According to a study published by Clinical Oncology in 2004, the average 5 year survival success rate of chemotherapy was just over 2% for all cancers. Pretty great odds, don’t you think?

Add to that the fact that many polls and questionnaires suggest that as many as 75% of doctors would refuse the very same chemotherapy treatments they’re prescribing for you! Can you believe that?

We live in a society where we’re able to make educated choices about these types of things. When it comes to chemotherapy, you should educate yourself before making any decisions. Chemotherapy is very questionable in its effectiveness and certainly unsafe. In the end, I just can’t see how something so utterly destructive can ultimately heal your body. There are many, many other options out there. You just have to take a look around.

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Technorati Tag: Chemotherapy

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You can only make an informed decision if you have all the information on the subject. Cancer is a survivable disease but our modern toxic way of treating the disease is not necessarily the most effective way to achieve a cure.

We have been programmed to think that when we get cancer we should go straight to our doctor as he has the best treatments for us. Here is some valuable information on both orthodox and alternative treatments so you can make an informed decision on your treatments based on this information.

* Orthodox treatments carried out by our mainstream medical system focus solely on removing the cancer growths and never address the reason why the cancer first grew.
* Orthodox treatments only shrink cancer, they don’t remove it entirely.
* Orthodox treatments of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy all weaken the body’s natural defense system, our built in self-repair system which we all have.
* Orthodox treatments are expensive, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars.
* Orthodox treatments can permanently damage the body with the side effects from all three treatments, especially chemotherapy.
* Orthodox treatments of radiation and chemotherapy can cause cancer to return again at some later stage, being the direct result of those earlier treatments.
* There is nothing in surgery, radiation or chemotherapy that will prevent the spread of cancer.

* Most alternative treatments share certain characteristics and focus on strengthening the body and the body itself will get rid of the cancer growths.
* Alternatives attack the cause of the problem, and the cause of the problem is why the cancer first grew.
* Alternative treatments aim to strengthen the body, especially the immune system, our built in defense system.
* Alternatives mainly use natural products and are very cheap compared to surgery, radiation and chemotherapy.
* Alternative treatments attack all cancers regardless of where they are in the body.
* Alternatives have no side effects.
* Alternatives have a high safety record.
* A genuine alternative therapy doesn’t cure the body per se; but rather creates an environment within the body where cancer cannot survive.

A true cure for cancer will only be achieved when a patient stimulates there own body’s defence system which is the immune system. The immune system is a complicated and poorly understood defence mechanism. What we do know is that it can destroy cancer unless it’s been weakened by poor nutrition, emotional strain or other blocking factors. If the body is well nourished it can and will attack cancer cells.

When considering alternative treatments for cancer, they must include a healthy diet of fresh fruit and vegetables, removing all toxic products we are exposed to and get plenty of exercise, because they are the main factors that are causing cancer today. Many alternative approaches to the treatment of cancer have a much higher success rate than any offered by pharmaceutical companies.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Alan_Wighton
Technorati Tag: Cancer Treatment

Over the past 13 years, I’ve lost 7 close family members due to cancer. I have devoted the last decade of my life to medical research to find alternative cancer treatments & cures so you and your family don’t have to experience the same thing…

Why wait till you or someone you love is diagnosed with cancer and doctors are trying to hustle you onto the operating table? Find out about your options now, and be ready. My book, Cancer – Step Outside the Box, will set your mind at ease, even if you don’t need treatment now.

Ty Bollinger
Alternative Health Researcher and Author

Cost of chemotherapy is important factor of consideration when you decide to opt for chemotherapy treatment. Cost of chemotherapy treatment depends on many factors which include type of drugs used, amount of dose, duration of treatment and place of the treatment (hospital, clinic or home).

Some of the drugs such as 5 FU or leucovorin which are used in chemotherapy treatment are comparatively inexpensive. However, drugs which are recently available are quite expensive. Cost of chemotherapy increases more if these drugs are administered in combination which sound much expensive. Cost of chemotherapy using inexpensive therapy is around $ 100 to 300 while when expensive drugs are used cost might go to 20000 to 30000 $. These expenses include only drug cost and if you take combination of drug, cost of chemotherapy treatment may increase.

Many patients who are suffering from cancer can not afford such high cost of treatment. It becomes more difficult for extended treatment. Many patients get delay treatment or even skip it entirely just because of cost of chemotherapy. Though uninsured patients suffer the most due to cost of chemotherapy, patients with medical insurance are also affected considerably by the cost of treatment.

Chemotherapy treatment for cancer which improves survivals only by few months troubles not only to patients and their families but also to doctors, insures and society as whole. New chemotherapy drugs which are coming in market are very expensive. Their high cost leads to increase co pays and policy premiums which is not affordable to even for affluent person.

Since people can not afford effective chemotherapy treatment due to high cost, patient may suffer earlier death or disability. And no one provide adequate attention towards this issue.

There are insurance companies which cover part of total cost of chemotherapy treatment. However, some private insurance refuse to pay for some chemotherapy drugs even though this drugs are proven cancer therapies. Companies do this for the sake of reducing their cost.

When you are opting for chemotherapy treatment, make sure that clinical trial that you are going for is covered by your insurance. Consult with your medical team if you are denied payment. You can also ask hospitals, social service office or cancer centers for help regarding your payments. Last option that you can do is to sue insurance company to get money. Many times court takes decision in favor of patient and insurance company to pay for treatment.

Some pharmaceutical companies sponsor some programs related to cancer treatment to help needy patients. You can check whether such program suits your need of treatment.

Such companies sometimes provide treatment free of charge or they pay some part of treatment. Many communities have such programs to help patients suffering from cancer.

Chemotherapy treatment sounds very effective for treating cancer. Do not avoid your treatment because of its cost. Discuss the situation with your doctor, medical team and family and find a way out. Many insurance companies and other social organization are there to help the patients suffering from cancer.

About the Author:For more information on chemotherapy and cancer symptoms, please visit our resource sites.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – What is the Cost of Chemotherapy

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• Analyzing Cancer Cells to Choose Treatments (technologyreview.com)
• New cancer drug test promises safer and more effective clinical trials (scienceblog.com)

Technorati Tag: Cancer Treatment, Chemotherapy

The healing benefits of essiac tea have been a controversial topic for over 90 years. Drinking essiac herbal tea as a treatment for cancer or in conjunction with chemotherapy and radiation continues to be a very controversial subject today.

If you are not familiar with the benefits of this herbal tea, let me explain about this alternative treatment that many holistic practitioners recommend for many forms of cancer. This tea is a blend of four herbs; burdock root (arctium lappa), turkey rhubarb root (rheum palmatum), sheep sorrel (rumex acetosella), and the inner bark of slippery elm (ulmus fulva or ulmus rubra).

In the early 1900′s a young Canadian nurse, Rene Caisse was treating patients with cancer. She met an elderly female that had been diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer. This woman was recovering in spite of her poor prognosis. Her secret was an herbal tea given to her by an Ojibwa Indian healer. Nurse Caisse was so impressed she started to investigate others that had tried this tea to fight cancer. She found that this tea had significant healing powers.

The important ingredients in this herbal blend are:

* Sheep sorrel
* Burdock root
* Turkey rhubarb root
* Slippery elm

Nurse Caisse spent the next 50 years treating others with this tea. The sheep sorrel and the burdock root are the ingredients that have been found to kill cancer cells. The turkey rhubarb root and the slippery elm bark help enhance and boost the immune system.

Nurse Caisse treated both her mother and her aunt with essiac tea, as both were diagnosed with late stage forms of cancer. Both survived and lived into their 90′s after being successfully treated with this herbal blend. Many cancer patients sought this treatment as a last effort to overcome their cancer. Many were noted to be rid of their cancer after their treatment with essiac.

In 1938, many prominent physicians in Canada supported legalization of Nurse Caisses’ herbal tea blend. In spite of their efforts, the medical community refused to acknowledge the success of essiac tea as a treatment against cancer.

More on the Essiac Tea Controversy. Is Essiac Herbal Tea for Cancer Treatment and Prevention Effective?

U.S. National Institute of Health, in 2008, reported that “there is not enough evidence to recommend for or against the use of essiac herbal tea mixture as a therapy for any type of cancer.” The report went on to say that “none of the individual herbs in this herbal tea blend have been studied and tested in extensive human cancer trials.”

This four herb blend is presently being considered as a “Phase III cancer treatment”. This means that it is a strong enough treatment to assist in fighting the more moderately advanced cancers, but not strong enough to be utilized for the treatment of later stages of cancer. Of course, this does not mean that future research will not advance the level of this herbal tea to first line of treatment if results prove it a worthy opponent against cancer.

It is important to note that this herb blend is all natural and does not contain any preservatives. It is important that any individual that starts treating themselves with essiac tea, should consult their physician. Herbs, just like any medication, can cause adverse reactions or interact with other medications. Just because it is an all natural product, does not mean that it is safe when mixed with other chemicals.

If you are an individual that is receiving traditional cancer treatments, you may discuss how essiac tea may be used in combination to enhance your treatment.

While the medical community and the public debate the pros and cons of essiac tea, keep in mind that both sides have validity. The jury is still out on the benefits of this type of tea. Herbalists consider this to be a very healthy drink that it good for your body, whether it prevents cancer or not.. It must be left up to you to be the judge of Essiac tea in regard to your own health.

Connie Bednar has been a tea enthusiast all her life. She enjoys sharing information about loose leaf tea and herb tea thus her web site http://www.your-cup-of-tea.com was born. Learn more about herbal teas such as essiac tea here on her web site Take the time to sign up for “Tea Note Speaker” her newsletter while you are there and take advantage of her complimentary tea e-course.
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