Holistic Health And Its Role In Cancer Treatment

Welcome my Guest Blogger today, Melanie Bowen, Advocate for Natural Health and Cancer. 

Facing a frightening cancer diagnosis and enduring aggressive cancer treatments are major life accomplishments. Whether someone is facing breast cancer, prostate cancer, rare aggressive mesothelioma, or melanoma, surviving cancer treatment and getting healthy again become major life concerns for many.

Holistic medicine -- sometimes known as holistic health, holistic care, and holism -- focuses on the interconnectivity of the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual elements of the body. When one part of a person’s mind or body is not working, the whole body is affected. Holistic health focuses on the whole person, rather than just the cancer or the part of the body affected by cancer.

Holistic practices are growing more common in mainstream health care, including cancer treatment and recovery. While holistic medicine may not always be the cure for cancer if the patient is not cooperative, more cancer doctors are recommending it as complementary treatment and preventive care.

Holistic medicine approaches cancer from several different angles. It suggests the treatment of the whole self, rather than just the disease, to reach a higher level of wellness. Practitioners may treat cancer by changing diet, behavior, and thought patterns. They may also suggest dietary supplements and complementary therapy.

Energy healing is one form of holistic oncology. Techniques such as Healing Touch, Intuitive Bodywork, and Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) are three energy therapies commonly used in cancer care programs. Like all holistic treatments, energy therapies encourage the body’s natural healing abilities and looks at the person as a whole.

Doctors believe some holistic cancer treatments may cause problems or complications. But energy healing is gentle, painless, and non-invasive. When used alongside conventional methods like surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation treatments, energy healing can be effective therapy for cancer patients.

Energy healing is focused healing, because cancer patients are encouraged to focus on a particular issue during a therapy session. Anecdotal reports from cancer patients, and studies among people with other illnesses, suggest a number of benefits from energy therapies. These include reduced pain from cancer symptoms and treatment, reduced stress and anxiety, and improved health and life quality.

In addition, holistic energy healing has been shown effective for dealing with end-of-life issues, accepting death, and reaching inner peace. This is especially encouraging for patients struggling with cancer in its later stages, or with an abbreviated mesothelioma life expectancy or other terminal illness.