Cancer Support Non-Invasive Integrative Options

Whether you are trying to prevent disease or looking for ways to complement traditional cancer therapies, there are integrative, holistic options available at every level that can assist you in your journey to a better state of health.

If you are diagnosed with cancer, there are health treatment programs which may enhance the bodys ability to fight cancer and help the traditional cancer treatments work effectively. The goal of integrative, holistic medicine is to work with the patient as the center of the medical team and combine both traditional and complementary treatments.

There are functional assessments that can be useful to those with cancer to help identify and understand what is not functioning properly within the body. With respect to cancer, the integrative physician would provide support and specific therapies in conjunction with the primary care physician to enhance the patients quality of life while undergoing treatment. The bodys ability to heal may be enhanced by

Proper Nutrition
Stimulation and Support of the Immune System
Detoxification
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
Enzyme Therapy
IV Vitamin/Mineral Therapy
Herbal Therapy

In particular, healthy nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are important to support the body as a patient undergoes chemotherapy or radiation.

Healthy nutrition can be our most effective tool in cancer prevention and in our fight against other diseases. It is important to understand the fundamentals of proper nutrition and nutritious food as the foundation of good health. Paul Beals, MD, CCN, certified clinical nutritionist at National Integrated Health Associates, believes the following adage is true in medicine as well as in life, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure”

Nutrient dense whole foods, pure water, good fats and carbohydrates, energy rich vegetables and fruits and good proteins can support the immune system and help maintain optimal health. Lifestyle choices are important in disease prevention. Healthy choices can be incorporated, one choice at a time, so we are able to make it a new healthy habit. Adding daily exercise, quitting smoking, and learning to manage stress in our daily lives all contribute to wellness.

One out of eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer each year. With early detection, the survival rate is very good. It can take years for a tumor to grow so the earliest possible indication of abnormality is needed to allow for the earliest possible treatment and intervention. Many women are accustomed to getting regular mammograms, but there is another procedure, thermography, that may offer the opportunity of early detection of breast abnormalities.

Thermography, also known as digital infrared thermal imaging (DITI), is a quick test that can produce images (thermograms) of the breast or entire body and detect subtle changes in heat patterns that may be indicative of an abnormality. The earlier an abnormality is found the earlier your doctor can plan a program to further diagnose or monitor the situation. The test is

Non-invasive
Painless
No radiation
No contact on the body

Thermography does not replace the recommended mammography screenings but adds an additional tool that may provide the potential for earlier detection. It may be appropriate for women ages 30-50 whose breast tissue is denser, which makes it harder for mammography to be effective.