April 28, 2017
Anita Pilmeijer
Aim Purpose
To get an insight in the various medicines that treat cancer and how we can improve the situation of the patient during treatments. What are the goals of Ayurvedic treatment in cancer?
The main difference between Western and Ayurvedic treatment of cancer is that Ayurveda doesn’t have any aggressive body treatments. Ayurveda stimulates the self-healing abilities of the body. Ayurveda has a wide range of therapies and herbs to purify and support body tissues for natural recovery. The starting point is balancing the Tridosha’s and Triguna’s.
Ayurveda can determine subtle disturbances in a very early stage of this disease. Even before it manifests itself, Ayurveda can already establish disturbances in the balance of mind and body. Both in this first stage and in the following stages, Ayurveda can help a patient to recover and prevent serious chronic diseases.
In all the stages, even when a chronic disease like cancer has been diagnosed, Ayurveda can provide extensive knowledge of herbs and treatment strategies. During chemotherapy and / or radiotherapy, Ayurveda can help to reduce the side-effects of the treatment as well as assist the body in its recovery process.
A chronic disease like cancer does not only disturb the body, it also affects the mind. When someone is blocked in his development, he may become frustrated. This will imbalance the mind and leads to all kinds of symptoms like hyperactivity, lethargy, indifference or even depression.
The last three are mental attitudes Ayurveda refers to as “Tamasic”, the negative aspect of Tamas. Tamas has a strong resemblance with the Tridosha Kapha. When a chronic disease such as cancer develops, Tamas and Kapha can reinforce each other.
Ayurveda considers psychotherapy as a meaningful part of the treatment. Because health can be attained only through balancing body, mind and spirit.
When radiation or chemotherapy is the only possible way, the body is severely depleted. There are a few Ayurvedic remedies to support the body in this process; preserve your strength, you need all your energy in your recovery process. Limit the amount of proteins in your diet in order to slow down tumor growth. For a large part tumors contain proteins.
In case of a loss of appetite, eat a number of small meals instead of three large meals. Drink a little bit more before and after meals. Avoid cold foods as they suppress digestive fire. If solid foods cause problems, replace them with nutritious soups. Use herbs to boost the immune system. In case of nausea use ginger.
Pancha Karma is recommended to activate the body’s self-healing ability, calm the Doshas and Gunas and remove excess Kapha and toxins from the body. Depending on the cause (V/P/K), the site of the tumor and the strength of the patient, large parts of the body channels are cleansed and the Dhatus nourished and revitalized with herbs, diet and complementary therapies.
After chemotherapy Pancha Karma will be beneficial for recovery of both body and mind. Ayurvedic medicine reaches beyond “the strict treatment of symptoms.”
