Yoga & Meditation Alternative Breast Cancer Therapy

Breast cancer: alternative treatments for anxiety

28/10/2014

Many breast cancer patients who find out about their illness sooner or later come into contact with alternative treatment methods. Researchers in the US and Canada now have 80 different approaches „alternative medicine“ scientifically reviewed and concluded that yoga and meditation can help.

Researchers are reviewing alternative methods
For the treatment of their disease, breast cancer patients by doctors usually to different methods of „debt medicine“ advised: surgery, chemo, radiation, hormone treatment. Which option is the right one depends on where the disease breaks out and how severe it is at diagnosis. However, in addition to conventional therapies, a number of approaches are available to treat the cancer using alternative methods. Researchers from the US and Canada now have different options „alternative medicine“ scientifically checked.

Over 200 studies re-evaluated
The scientists from nine different universities have re-evaluated more than 200 studies published between 1990 and 2013, the report said „world“. All studies compared conventional and alternative therapies for the treatment of breast cancer. In total, more than 80 of the alternative methods were tested. The results should be published online in the journal „Journal of the National Cancer Institute Monograph“ be published, like „medicalxpress.com“ writes.

Yoga, meditation and relaxation techniques
According to the researchers, the researchers found that three methods were recommended without restriction: yoga, meditation and relaxation exercises. These are proven to help fight the anxiety associated with the disease and can relieve depression, stress and fatigue. In addition, acupuncture is recommended for many patients to combat nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy. The researchers, however, warned against the intake of acetyl-L-carnitine, a dietary supplement, which is to stimulate the lipid metabolism and is also marketed in Germany as an anti-cancer drug. This would not relieve the side effects of chemotherapy, but even exacerbate it.

Over 80 percent of patients use complementary therapies
The scientists were unable to conclusively evaluate many of the alternative methods as the study situation was insufficient. „This does not mean that they do not work“, explained Dr. Heather Greenlee, chairwoman of the Society for Integrative Oncology. „The vast majority of therapies require further investigation through well designed controlled clinical trials.“ More than 80 percent of breast cancer patients in the US rely on complementary therapies. As Greenlee explained, for each person the appropriate approach had to be clarified personally. What is right for one patient may be wrong for another. (Ad)