Cancer

Introduction:
Cancer, described in simple terms, means an abnormal and uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. This growth can spread to nearby regions and later to distant locations in the body as well. During the process of growth of cancerous tissue, the normal tissues of the body are destroyed and their functioning is affected. There are more than 100 types of cancer and much more are the treatment options available for the same.

What happens to the body in Cancer?
The abnormal (cancerous) cells divide uncontrollably in the body and have the ability to break into (infiltrate) and destroy the normal body tissue. These abnormal cells can then start spreading throughout the body (metastasis) at a later stage. The problem occurs because the normal body tissues cannot get enough resources to survive due to the consumption of these resources by the cancerous cells.


What causes Cancer?
Cancer is triggered by ‘mutation’ in the DNA of the calls of the body. A mutation is a damaging change that has occurred in the DNA. DNA of the cells is like an ‘informative set of instructions about growth and division’. When this gets damaged (mutated), the cells have no proper instructions on how to grow and divide, so they start growing haphazardly and multiplying in a chaotic manner. This causes the onset of what is called ‘cancer’. Now this mutation can be caused due to a number of factors such as:

    * Genetic tendency (Family history of cancer)
    * Virus (certain carcinogenic virus)
    * Smoking
    * Excessive drinking
    * Being obese (overweight)
    * Skin damage caused by excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation
    * Unsafe sexual contact (certain sexually transmitted viral infections)
    * Certain harmful chemicals in the environment
    * Some chronic health conditions such as Ulcerative colitis, Hepatitis C, etc can turn cancerous

These are just some of the many things that can trigger a mutation and initiate cancer in the body.

Role of homeopathy in cancer management:
The scope of Homeopathy for cancer management varies depending on the type of cancer, stage of cancer and the general health of the patient. Following are some of the aspects of Cancer management with Homeopathy:

1) One of the most distressing complaints associated with some varieties of Cancer is the agonizing pain. Conventional medicines can provide pain relief but only to a certain extent and these medicines are not without any side effects. Moreover there is always a restriction to the dosage that can be safely administered to the patient. The advantage of administering Homeopathic medicines in such cases is that there can be effective pain control without inducing any side effects.

2) Homeopathy can help in improving the general well being and vitality of the patient

3) Conventional treatment options for cancer (chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc) are associated with distressing side effects and homeopathy can play a definitive role to counter these side effects.

4) The diagnosis of cancer often leaves the patient with a sense of depression, anxiety and fear. The treatment may induce additional irritability, impatience and mood fluctuations. Homeopathy can influence the psyche of the patient and help him to deal with these emotions in a better way.

5) Homeopathic medicines may also have a role to play in controlling the pace at which the disease increases and spread of the disease to other organs.