Ayurvedic Medicine for Cancer Prevention

25-11-2015
By Chikitsa

Ayurveda and Cancer

Cancer! That single word is enough to send a shudder through anyone's body and instill the fear of God in them. What is cancer and why is it that everyone is afraid of this dreaded word?

Cancer can be described as an abnormal growth of cells which starts from a single abnormal cell. Unfortunately, a cancer cell does not retain normal control mechanisms and thus is able to spread rapidly throughout the body thriving on the nutrients of the host. Cancer cells grow and multiply to form a cancerous tissue called tumor. The tumor, which can be cancerous or non-cancerous, invades and destroys other healthy tissues. This article will tell you all about ayurveda for cancer and how cancer can be managed through ayurveda.

The word cancer could be fairly new to the medical world - but not to ayurveda. Ancient ayurvedic manuscripts and texts speak of some medical conditions resembling cancer. Some of these conditions that they speak of are similar to the cancer manifestations that can be seen in the world of modern medicine.

Before we look at the relationship between ayurveda and cancer, let us first know about the different types of cancer. Cancer can be categorized into:

Leukemia and Lymphoma:They are cancers of the blood, and blood-forming tissues of the immune system. In lymphomas, cancer cells expand lymph nodes and produce large masses in certain parts of the body such as the armpit, groin, abdomen, or chest.
Carcinomas: They are cancer of the cells that form the lining of the skin, lungs, and the digestive tract. Examples of this type of cancer are cancer of the skin, stomach, breasts, lungs, prostate, thyroid gland, and colon. Most of the time you will find carcinomas in older people.
Sarcomas: Sarcomas are cancer of the mesodermal cells. Examples of sarcomas are the walls of the digestive organs and osteosarcoma or bone cancer. As opposed to carcinomas, sarcomas are found more in younger people than older people.

Ayurveda is the ancient system of Indian medicine which had its origin ages ago. It is a Sanskrit word where Ayur means life and Veda means knowledge. Ayurveda is not just a method of treatment but a completely different way of diagnosis and a wide range of treatments.

The main concept of the ayurveda method of treatment is the firm belief that all health disorders occur for only one reason - the mind, body, and spirit are out of balance. The treatment aims at bringing the harmony back between all the three and this is where a balance is struck between ayurveda and cancer.

Ayurvedic experts opine that specific combinations of medicine will help establish a rapport between ayurveda and cancer. It will also help to:

Increase your energy levels
Bring about a sense of wellbeing
Bring about a harmony and balance body, mind, and spirit
Reduce stress
Start the process of curing the disease

Some therapies can lower stress levels and help the medicine to start acting in the body. It has also been found that certain medicines can alleviate cancer symptoms and improve the quality of life. It also lowers blood pressure, ensures sound sleep, and promotes a general sense of wellbeing.

Some schools of thought suggest that ayurveda may not offer any immediate cure to cancer but offers an exceptional support system. The system detects the root cause of the ailment and provides treatment. Ayurveda helps reduce the side-effects of radiation and chemotherapy. Other common side-effects such as hair loss, weight loss, and indigestion are effectively controlled. Ayurveda for cancer treatment offers massive relief to cancer patients as it improves the person's quality of life and even prolongs death.