When you or a loved one receive a mesothelioma diagnosis, everything changes. All the plans you have made in the immediate or distant future are shelved and, instead of decades, the life that hangs in the balance measures in months or a few short years without treatment.
Below we will discuss complimentary mesothelioma treatment options and how they can help.
What Is Mesothelioma?
The mesothelium is a protective lining around the lungs, heart, and abdominal organs. Further, mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the mesothelium lining and is an aggressive and deadly form of cancer. Some symptoms include weight loss, night sweats, rib or chest pain, and bloating. Mesothelioma typically comes about from long-term exposure to asbestos.
What Is Complementary Medicine?
Some people confuse complementary medicine with alternative medicine. Alternative medicine is a replacement for conventional medicine while complementary medicine is used with conventional medicine.
Types Of Complementary Mesothelioma Treatment Options
There are several complimentary mesothelioma treatment options to choose from, each one having its own benefits. These options include:
1. Acupuncture and Acupressure
Acupuncture uses tiny needles to stimulate areas of the body rich with nerve endings. It stimulates the circulation and immune system. Acupressure, also known as shiatsu, applies the same principles as acupuncture but uses pressure in the same area where the needles are in acupuncture.
2. Exercise
Cancer doctors found that gentle forms of exercise help cancer patients as it lessens the side effects of cancer treatment, as well as lowering the risk of mortality and improves the quality of life. Exercise also improves mood, physical ability, and reduces fatigue.
3. Herbal Medicine
People have used herbal medicine to help with their illnesses for centuries. Dandelion tea acts as a natural coffee substitute and peppermint tea has anti-cancer and antiviral properties. Additionally, medical marijuana is an herbal medication and helps to relieve nausea caused by chemotherapy and reduces pain and insomnia.
4. Lymphatic Massage
While massages are relaxing, they're also a form of treatment. A lymphatic massage is used after cancer surgery to drain the lymph nodes to relieve fluid buildup. Massages decrease cancer symptoms, such as pain, as well as lowering stress, anxiety, and depression levels.
5. Meditation
We have all heard the phrase “mind over matter” and stories of monks using meditation to control their heart rates and body temperatures. Meditation does help improve medical symptoms, sensory pain, and depression.
6. Mental Health Assistance
Undoubtedly, anybody receiving a mesothelioma diagnosis will go through a mental and emotional rollercoaster when trying to come to terms with their new diagnosis. This help comes in the form of support groups containing people who also had or have mesothelioma. There's also therapy available and many cancer centers offer free counseling services.
7. Reiki Energy Therapy
There is currently no scientific evidence to support the claims of reiki, but people still use it as a form of complementary medicine. Reiki practitioners believe that our life force flows through chakras, nadis, and meridians and flows around us in an aura and that when we are ill it is because that force is blocked or disrupted. However, the body does have an energy force in the form of an electrical and biomagnetic field.
8. Tai Chi
You may have seen individuals practicing Tai Chi either in person or in television and movies. The purpose behind Tai Chi is to combine breathing and mindfulness with slow movement. A 2015 study published in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine found that Tai Chi improved sleep, lessened depression, and fatigue among breast cancer survivors.
9. TENS
TENS stands for transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation. This is a therapy that mesothelioma patients can do in their own homes. It uses an electrical current with low voltage to relieve pain.
10. Yoga
As long as the yoga the mesothelioma patient is doing isn't an aggressive style, yoga is highly beneficial as it improves sleep, eases depression, and improves respiratory function.
Once you find the complementary mesothelioma treatment options that work for you during your fight against mesothelioma, the better you can guard against the emotional, mental, and physical battles the mesothelioma diagnosis and treatment will throw your way. Find out more about which one of these complimentary mesothelioma treatment options are right for you.
