Alternative Treatments For Prostate Cancer In Ghana: What You The Patient Must Do Right Now

In Ghana, alternative treatment practice is regulated by the Traditional and Alternative Medicines Practice Council (TMPC) of the ministry of Health. Alternative treatments are medical treatments that are outside the main line or conventional treatments and the practitioners are known as alternative medical practitioners or Doctors. They also have different areas of specializations.

The terms alternative as well as complementary describe such practices and products that most of the people choose in addition to or as alternatives to traditional Western medical approaches. Untold and numberless varieties of alternative practices are scientifically not demonstrated by evidence and poorly accepted by different medical authorities around the world, but alternative medicines are curable and safe for people, hence people around the world are accepting this system. For the purpose of organizing an agenda for research into these medical approaches. Natural or holistic medicine schools has grouped them into five domains as follows:

•Biologically Based Practices – Alternative approaches include the utilize of a vast array of vitamins as well as mineral supplements, herbal and natural products, for example chondroitin sulfate, that is derived from bovine and/or shark cartilage; other herbals like ginkgo biloba, echinacea; and other important unconventional diets, such diets are low-carbohydrate approach to weight loss.

•Manipulated or Body Based Approaches - These types of approaches, that are included, have been utilized throughout the history. In 19th century, additional and formal as well as manipulative disciplines emerged all around the world, and India is not an exception, for instance, chiropractic medicine and osteopathic medicine.

• Medicine for Mind and Body - Most of the ancient cultures in the world assumed that the mind and body exerts powerful influences on our bodily functions as well as vice versa. This thing help human body to reassert proper harmony between mind and bodily systems that mainly led to the mind and body development medicine. An array of approach which associates with spiritual, meditative, as well as relaxation techniques.

• Alternative or Complementary Medical Systems – It is found that the ancient Greek postulated which requires health and balance of humors. But the Asian cultures considered that healthy body and mind depend on the balance as well as flow of energies through the human body. After a certain period of time the theory underlies the practice of acupressure and acupuncture, for instance energy flow in body can be restored placing with needles at some critical points of human body.

Alternative or complementary medicine systems use such elements from each of these CAM as well as TM domains. For instance, traditional Chinese medicine which is associated with acupuncture, herbal medicines, some special diets related to vitamins and minerals, and other important meditative exercises such as Tai chi. There are many alternative medicine schools in India offers Ayurveda courses similarly uses the meditative exercises like yoga, diet purifying as well as natural products, in West like homeopathy and naturopathy medicine.

Alternative treatments for prostate cancer have a role to play in the management of the disease and the patient pathway if you see the expert in alternative medicines and prostate cancer. However, the treatment regime should be evidence based and not theoretical medicine, otherwise, you could be gambling with your cancer.

I previously told you about the case study of rising PSA in Ghanaian men diagnosed with biopsy proven prostate cancer that relied on traditional herbal medicine for years and they paid dearly for it partly because the treatment regimen the practitioners profess are theoretical and not evidence based. So, if you have been diagnosed with prostate cancer after a biopsy, then I suggest you take some time to consider your options.

In the vast majority of prostate cancer cases waiting is advised rather than rushing into an advanced medical treatment. In fact "watchful waiting" is often the recommendation doctors give because most patients will die of something else before prostate cancer would kill them. Watchful waiting and active surveillance is a form of conventional approach but because no radical treatment is given it is also considered an alternative approach. So, If that is the case I suggest being very active in your alternative treatments for prostate cancer by making the changes below.

If it is a more aggressive form of prostate cancer, the same suggestions below will help but you will need more courage and conviction that only can come from understanding the causes of your prostate cancer so that you can see the road ahead by changing the conditions that caused it. But this road is not for everyone because it demands strong insight and conviction often in the face of well-meaning others. Of course if there were not the major side effects of medical intervention, then it would be easy to just go that route. Those include incontinence, major erectile difficulties, rectal problems and more. So there are other prostate cancer treatment options you can do...

Change your diet which includes all your inputs from bodycare to household cleaners, from the food you eat to the water you drink and more. Prostate cancer does not just appear as a random event and poor you! It is the daily tiny choices you make that add up and finally your prostate gives in. So reverse it! If you don't understand cause and effect, please become informed. Your doctor doesn't understand this and will only see your symptoms (the cancer) and will not have a true grasp of how you got it and what to do for alternative treatments for prostate cancer.

As I told you before, prostate cancer is more prone to the black race because of lack of absorption of the Vitamin D into our blood stream because of high melanin that act as a protective effect against the sun light radiation to prevent some skin cancers, but now we know that this low level of absorption has a direct link to prostate cancer. So, if you are diagnosed with prostate cancer as a black man, then consider getting some sun! Sunlight or natural Vitamin D decreases your risk of prostate cancer death drastically and also is a powerful healing tool.

Consider a liver cleanse. I know of no better way to remove toxins safely and easily than from your liver using this cleanse. Your liver is your body's major organ of toxin removal, but because of the onslaught today it can't remove them all and they get stored in your liver. A healthy liver is a powerful tool for your ability to turn cancer around. It is a simple yet extremely effective cleanse.

It is natural, therefore, to hypothesize that naturopathic medicine, Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine and acupuncture, and other forms of energy medicine including vibrational medicine and homeopathy, are all working on the same basis: correct the problems in the regulatory system of the patient. Restore the regulatory system to its state of healthy functioning in which the life force maintains its ‘state of balance’ and is able to provide full regulation.

One key idea in chronic disease is that the life force has become weak. The only way to restore its power is to strengthen it, i.e. with the quantum fluctuations of which it is constituted. Mere drugs acting at a chemical level will never achieve this

One of the least understood facts about alternative treatments for prostate cancer is that it is not a permanent cure for every patient and not all prostate cancer patient’s benefits from alternative treatments. Some prostate cancer cells may have escaped from the prostate gland before or during the treatment and spread to other parts of the body. Often this may result in secondary treatment like hormone therapy or the use of some of the new vaccines like Provenge

Complementary and alternative treatments for prostate cancer may be used after traditional treatments for prostate cancer so as to maintain maximum immunity and to reduce the risk of the cancer returning. In some cases, alternative treatments for prostate cancer may be used to fight the cancer itself by boosting the body’s own defenses. The healthier you are the better chance you will have of long term survival and maintaining a healthy lifestyle after prostate cancer treatment. CAM and other natural therapies can help significantly in this regard.

After radical prostatectomy there is also a recurrence even though the prostate has been removed. A man who has undergone prostatectomy for localized prostate cancer has a 10 to 30 percent chance of experiencing prostate cancer recurrence during his lifetime. Among these cases of recurrence, about half happen during the first three years after prostatectomy, another 30 percent occur from years 3 to 5 post-prostatectomy, and about 19 percent happen after year 5. Some experts say the figure of recurrence is even higher. Alternative treatments play a critical to prevent the recurrence of the disease and from next week I will write on the various forms of alternative treatment and the management of prostate cancer.

Conventional treatment such as radiotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy, chemotherapy et al cannot fight against the disease it dormant stage and dormancy is the stage where the cancer cells can decides to be in it state of calmness or quiescence and it we get a treatment that can target the cancer at the dormancy stage we are nowhere of finding cure for prostate cancer. So in conclusion don’t rush into any alternative treatment until it is proven effective for prostate cancer.

Don’t succumb to advertisement that professes cure rate and results for prostate cancer. Do your due diligence research about the practitioner, his treatment regime, published work on the treatment, his success rate, and above all get some testimony from those who have used the treatment before because a good physician does not promise cure.

Treating prostate disease is serious business in Ghana so beware. Finding cure for cancer is not luxury, it is a human needs and that is why no one should use this need to profit his selfish interest. There is something wrong when people died out of ignorance of the disease treatment.

Dr. Raphael Nyarkotey Obu is a registered Naturopathic doctor who specializes in prostate cancer. He studies the Master’s program in prostate cancer-Sheffield Hallam University, UK and currently a PhD candidate in prostate cancer and alternative medicines –IBAM Academy, Kolkata, India. The writer is also a trained Psychosocial Counselor from the Akona School of Counseling Ghana. His research focuses on men of West African descent and prostate cancer and the dangme people. He can be reached on 0500106570 for all contributions. E-mail:[email protected]. He is the director of Men’s Health Foundation Ghana; De Men’s Clinic & Prostate Research Lab-Dodowa,Akoo House