Should a person be able to refuse chemotherapy/radiation therapy and seek Holistic methods to fight cancer?

Answer 1

Absolutely! It is a well known fact that, while treatments like chemo and radiation kill cancer, they can also ravage your whole body. The medical benefit comes when your body is strong enough to withstand these effects at strong enough doses to kill the cancer. However, what happens if the cancer has already weakened you body enough that it cannot withstand these harmful side effects? Should you be forced to try to kill the cancer at the risk of killing yourself?

Also, on the issue of alternative treatments there are several issues. We in the USA are fortunate to have government regulation on medical drugs that seeks to prevent any harmful substance from being used medically. However, the standards and practices of this regulation are such that, while there may be many effective treatments, only the few that meet very narrowly defined criteria are permitted. When you look at medical literature from the rest of the world compared to the US, you'll find that there are many treatments that are producing positive results IN PRACTICE in other parts of the world but are not approved in the US because they have not met the requirements IN RESEARCH.

Also, there are some holistic treatments that may use combinations of common treatments but they are not recognized by the medical community simply because there is no established method of statistical evaluation for individually tailored holistic treatments. This means that while some types of holistic treatment might have a recovery rate that is 50%+ higher than FDA approved methods, it can never meet the requirements as they are setup currently.

So IMO, the question is "Are chemo and radiation ALWAYS safer and more effective than a holistic method that has proven results but does not meet FDA standards?" I think that the answer to that is "No," and that's why everyone should be able to refuse treatment/choose their own.

Answer 2

Absolutely, but there is a caution: how old is the person. If the person is very young, and has little life experience, then the adults in their life will have to make the choice for them. If the person is very infirm and not cogniscent, then hopefully, they have made their wishes known to their family and/or health care professionals at some point. If not, then the family will have to make the decision for them based on what they believe that person would have wanted.

So long as you can understand ALL the risks, then seek more information about exactly what the prognosis and treatment regimes are being offered are all about, then the decision is easier to make.

I have the experience of a very close loved one who made the choice of going the holistic route only, based on what she thought were percentages in her favour. What she did not hear was that the low percentages for survival for her type of cancer if she chose not to go with traditional medicine were virtually non-existant. Instead she focused on the "2%" chance that the cancer might just go away. She thought she could be in that 2%, and that holistic medicine would have helped her increase her odds. It didn't and she died, very quickly too. Unfortunately, if she had opted for the surgery, chances were 98% that she would have survived cancer free for a very long time. I can't take that choice away from her, but I know that if she and her husband had done a little more research, they would have opted for the traditional approach along with the holistic methods as complimentary.

You can always do both. That's what I am doing. I am taking the traditional surgery/chemo/radiation approach, but I am also doing complimentary holistic assistance where it makes sense for me to do so.

Good Luck.

Answer 3

Yes
I am a cancer nurse and believe chemotherapy and radiation is not appropriate for some people.
Of course greedy Oncologist will treat anyone down to their last breath. They are lining their pockets with green cash and telling the family the cancer is "treatable" notice I said treatable, not curable. There is a difference.

Answer 4

As a cancer survivor, I would highly recommend traditional medical treatment w/holistic treatment as a secondary treatment. That way you will feel like you have done everything in your power. I was diagnosed in the fourth (and final stage) of non-Hodgkins lympoma and was told my cancer was treatable. That was almost six years ago and here I am! Of course, any adult has the right (duty) to make an informed choice as to medical treatment of their condition.

Answer 5

Eating a range of fruits and vegetables will improve your overall health. It cannot cure or prevent cancer. If he is going through chemotherapy you need to ensure that the fruit and vegetables are carefully washed and pealed as any traces of germs on the skin (possibly from others handling the fruit etc) can be a danger to an unsuppressed cancer patient going through chemotherapy.

Answer 6

Yes, its there body, there choice. I regret having the treatments. If I am told that I need it again, I will refuse it in a heart beat. Only I know what I went through, and feel.. I am a 34 year old mom of three...

I will refuse it...I would rather go for quality than quantity again..

-barbara

My Cancer Diaries
http://www.epinions.com/content_2771624068

Answer 7

Of course you can make your own medical decisions. However, there are no proven holistic methods for treating cancer, so you could be putting yourself in grave danger.

Answer 8

Of course. However, such a person should be fully informed before doing this, of risks/benefits, for their own safety.

Why not use holistic/alternative therapies to compliment traditional ones?

Answer 9

You better believe it as I may do the same with my Prostate Cancer. One urologist said I could live another 10 to 15 years without surgery. But since my insurance want let me use this Dr. as he is out of network I am seeing a Navy Dr. who does not believe in the "wait & watch". So This Dr. (new) He wants to do another biopsy, as the one before, out of 15 biops taken only one showed a cancer cell....What should I do?

Answer 10

try the cancer centers of america. There big this is they combine the approaches. They treat with holistic and traditional medicine