Cancer and Homeopathy

Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue. There are five major forms of cancer found in humans. All others are named according to the system or organs that have been affected by the cancers.

Understanding the types of cancers

A key characteristic of cancer cells is their greatly prolonged life span compared to that of normal cells. Not only do cancer cells not die when they are supposed to, they also fail to develop the specialized functions of their normal counterparts. When a tumour is found, a piece of the tissue is removed and examined under a microscope. This procedure is called a biopsy. It helps to determine if the tumour is benign (noncancerous) or malignant (cancerous). Depending on the location of the tumour, the biopsy may be a simple procedure or a serious operation. Cancers are divided into 5 major types as mentioned below:

1. Carcinomas form in the cells that line the surfaces of human body mainly epithelial cells. Hence it affects the surfaces of skin and linings of mouth, nose, throat, lung airways, genitourinary and gastrointestinal tract, or the glands such as the breast or thyroid. These are generally found in form of tumours. Lung, breast, prostate, skin, stomach, and colon cancers are called carcinomas and are solid tumours.
2. Sarcomas are malignant tumours of connective or other non-epithelial tissue. Connective tissues are the one’s which provide nourishment and adequate blood supply to tissues connected to it like epithelial tissues. It is seen in the bones and soft connective and supportive tissues surrounding organs and tissues, such as cartilage, muscles, tendons, fat, and the outer linings of the lungs, abdomen, heart, central nervous system, and blood vessels. Sarcomas are also solid tumours, but sarcomas are both the rarest of malignant tumours and the most deadly.
3. Leukemia’s are formed in the blood and bone marrow. Abnormal white blood cells are produced there and pass through the bloodstream creating problems in the spleen and other tissues. Leukemia’s are not solid tumours; they are characterized by an overproduction of abnormal white blood cells.
4. Lymphoma is cancer that begins in infection-fighting cells of the immune system, called lymphocytes. These cells are found in the lymph nodes, spleen, thymus, bone marrow, and other parts of the body. When you are diagnosed with lymphoma, lymphocytes change and grow out of control. There are two main types of lymphoma: Non-Hodgkin and Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.
5. Myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells in the bone marrow. Bone marrow is a spongy material which is found inside our bones. It is mainly found in the hip bones, breastbone, arm bones, leg bones, ribs and spine. Bone marrow is part of the immune system, which protects us from infection and disease.

Role of Homeopathy in treating Cancers Different methods of treatment are used in homeopathy depending on the seriousness of the cancer.

First approach practiced by most of the classical homeopaths includes using the constitutional homeopathic remedy. Homeopathic medicines prescribed on constitutional grounds may play a useful role in supportive and palliative for patients with malignant disease.

The second approach is with organ-specific remedies (homeopathic medicines that target the organ affected by the tumor for example Phytolacca Decandra for cancer of the breast, Chelidonium for cancer of the liver or gall bladder.) Specific remedies can also be used to support as well as detoxify various organs.

Among the profound benefits of homeopathic treatment, the ability to prevent disease (or tumours) from recurring is by changing the biochemical environment of the cells that determines a person’s susceptibility to disease. When the body environment is improved, the immune system can be strengthened and the susceptibility of an individual to develop the disease is much reduced.

There are many researches which have been conducted and many ongoing researches to show the efficacy of homeopathic remedies on cancer cells. One of them is as follows:

A study was conducted on four ultra-diluted remedies (Carcinosin, Phytolacca, Conium and Thuja) against two human breast adenocarcinoma cell lines and a cell line derived from immortalized normal human mammary epithelial cells (HMLE). The remedies exerted preferential cytotoxic effects against the two breast cancer cell lines, causing cell cycle delay/arrest and apoptosis. The findings demonstrate biological activity of these natural products when presented at ultra-diluted doses.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20043074

Homeopathy can help in most of the stages of cancer. If you have to undergo the conventional treatment like a surgery, chemotherapy or radiation, homeopathy can help alleviate the pains, discomforts and fears associated with surgery, as well as the side effects of chemotherapy and radiation. Reversely, homeopathy can also be taken in conjunction with conventional medicine in cases which gradually can be independently just treated through homeopathy.

There are many remedies in homeopathy that can also help to comfort the individuals and help them deal with fear of death. It enables an individual to embrace the transition with dignity.