Thyroid Cancer – Alternative Treatments

The thyroid gland is made up of two lobes on either side of the windpipe. These lobes are joined by a narrow tissue called the isthmus. A healthy thyroid gland cannot be felt externally. However Iodine deficiency can cause a condition called goiter in which the thyroid gland swells up, and it can be felt by merely touching the throat.

The thyroid can develop nodules if it is not perfectly normal. Almost 90% of such growths are benign and can be cured by various therapies. The remaining 10% that are malignant can cause immense damage to the rest of the body through metastasis (spread of cancerous cells). Typically, the metastasis occurs in the lymphatic system and blood vessels.

The never-ending debate between conventional medicine and alternative therapies becomes more intense when it comes to life threatening diseases like cancer. The strident verbal assaults between proponents of conventional thyroid medications and alternative thyroid treatments for thyroid cancer are no exception.

Conventional therapies like chemotherapy and radiation have side effects that eventually undermine the patient’s quality of life. The only known cause behind thyroid cancer is exposure to radiation during childhood. Children were exposed to radiation therapy when it was believed that it could cure conditions like acne and inflammations. Obviously, at that time, the dangerous side effects of radiation were not known.

The holistic approach of alternative thyroid treatment emphasizes the organic or functional relation between the disease and the individual. It treats symptoms of a disease as a manifestation of the body’s efforts to heal itself.

Alternative thyroid treatments can help cancer patients in two ways:

It can treat cancer by itself.
It can act as a complementary treatment to ease the suffering caused by conventional cancer treatment and its side effects.
The basic goal of natural thyroid medication is to strengthen the immune system of the body so that the cells in the body that fight cancer can fight effectively. In conjunction with conventional thyroid treatment, they can help to cope with side effects like nausea, pain, fatigue and other side effects that conventional treatments are known for.

Natural therapeutic disciplines like meditation, yoga, breathing exercise and hypnosis believe that normal functioning of the body depends largely on a healthy mind. Chiropractic manipulations work on the joints and skeletal system. Massages have a sound therapeutic value and can be very effective in providing relief by working on tissues. The Chinese discipline of acupuncture works by releasing vital energy by pushing fine needles at points called meridians.

Other natural medications include ancient therapies like ayurveda, traditional Chinese medicine, homoeopathy and naturopathy. Herbs and herbal dietary supplements can prove to be as effective as conventional medicine if taken in the right quantity.

It is now believed that there are cancerous cells present in almost every one at some time or another. The spread of these cells is checked by ‘killer cells’ already present in the body. It is the weakened autoimmune system that causes cancer to establish roots in organs. The all-encompassing approach of alternative thyroid treatments that aids in preventing and treating cancer needs to be taken much more seriously than it is now.