Naturopathic Medicine for Cervical Cancer

Physicians at Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) facilities consult with qualified naturopathic practitioners to customize your cervical cancer treatment options. Naturopathic medicine can be a valuable asset, not only in terms of maintaining your physical well-being, but also in helping to lessen adverse side effects of conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery or radiation.

What is naturopathic medicine?

Naturopathic medicine is a distinct system of primary health care that centers around all-natural and non-invasive forms of healing. While it is not a licensed healing art where select CTCA facilities are located in Illinois and Oklahoma, it is an art, a science, a philosophy and a practice of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of illness. Methods used are consistent with these principles, and are chosen based on an individualized analysis of your cervical cancer treatment needs. A natural complement to conventional cancer medicines, naturopathic methods span a variety of therapies that include, but are not limited to: clinical, botanical, physical, Chinese, psychological and homeopathic medicines. At CTCA, our physicians can consult with naturopathic practitioners to provide a variety of complementary techniques, offering you a customized cervical cancer treatment plan.

Naturopathic medicine is founded upon the following tenets.

The healing power of nature

Naturopathic medicine is invested in the inherent ability of the body to establish, maintain and restore health. The role of the naturopathic practitioner is to augment and support the natural healing process through the creation of a healthy external and internal environment, and to identify and remove any obstacles that stand in the way of a patient’s health and recovery.

First do no harm

Naturopathic practitioners, also known as naturopaths, believe that cervical cancer treatment should use methods and medical substances that minimize the risk of harmful side effects, and apply the least possible force necessary to diagnose and treat cervical cancer. To avoid harming the patient, naturopaths acknowledge, respect and work with the body’s own natural healing process.

Doctor as teacher

The doctor’s role to the patient should go beyond simple diagnostic and prescriptive measures. It is the doctor/ practitioner’s responsibility to facilitate a healthy, nurturing and compassionate interpersonal relationship with each patient. The inherent therapeutic value of the doctor-patient relationship is especially powerful because of the opportunity to educate and encourage each patient to take responsibility for their own health. Through compassionate support, the physician is a catalyst for healthful change and personal empowerment. The physician or practitioner must strive to inspire hope, as well as understanding.

Treat the whole person

Naturopathic medicine believes that the most effective cervical cancer treatment is the one that treats the whole person, and not just the cancer. Health and disease can spring of a variety of influential factors, from genetic and environmental ones to physical, mental, social, spiritual and emotional ones. Naturopathic medicine recognizes the harmonious functioning of all aspects of you—inside and out, body and soul—as being essential to health. Every cervical cancer patient is different. The multifactorial nature of health and disease requires a holistic approach to diagnosis and treatment that is customized for each patient. This is why our naturopaths take a variety of factors into account when deciding on complementary therapies for your cervical cancer treatment.

Prevention

Prevention is the ultimate goal of naturopathic medicine. Through patient education and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle, naturopathic medicine can empower patients to harness the natural strengths and healing power of the body. Rather than retroactively fighting disease, naturopathic medicine instead focuses on proactively building overall strength and health. Naturopaths will assess a cervical cancer patient's risk factors, heredity and susceptibility to disease, and then intervene as appropriate to help prevent further illness and harm.

Naturopathic practice

While many naturopathic practitioners are trained to be primary care physicians, some choose to specialize in particular therapies, such as botanical or homeopathic medicine (see below). Others concentrate on particular medical fields, such as pediatrics or gynecology. It is important to recognize that even though naturopathic medicine has its own therapeutic specialties unique unto itself, it also embraces and recognizes the value of natural therapies from a variety of different healing traditions, from acupuncture to homeopathy. The true difference in practice lies in the way that these therapies are applied (i.e., on the basis of the six naturopathic principles of healing).

The current scope of naturopathic practice includes, but is not limited to the following:

Clinical nutrition:

Naturopathic medicine truly believes that "food is the best medicine." In fact, this is a cornerstone of the practice, and is integral towards facilitating healthy eating habits and lifestyles for cervical cancer patients. Clinical nutrition not only naturally strengthens the body and immune system in the fight against cancer, but it can help mitigate adverse side effects of conventional cervical cancer treatments. Besides prescribing a healthy diet for everyday use, naturopathic practitioners also use natural hygiene, fasting and nutritional supplementation in their practice.

Botanical medicine:

Powerful healing medicines exist naturally within many plants. Where single, chemically derived drugs contain isolated components that are only capable of addressing a specific aspect of a physical ailment or disease, botanical medicines use the whole plant to address a variety of problems simultaneously. Due to their inherent organic nature, botanical medicines are also more compatible with the body and tend to have less toxic side effects.

Physical medicine:

Naturopathic medicine also encompasses a wide range of modalities for the external and physical manipulation of muscles, bones, tissue and the spine. NDs use ultrasound, diathermy (therapeutic "deep heating" of subcutaneous tissues, deep muscles and joints beneath the skin), exercise, massage, water hydrotherapy, applied heat and cold, gentle electrical therapies and more.

Chinese medicine:

Eastern or Chinese medicine is an ancient healing philosophy, which naturally lends itself to naturopathic medicine. Practices such as meridian theory have long recognized the close relationship between the body and mind, and help add to the Western understanding of physiology. Acupuncture can also be used as a cervical cancer treatment to help harmonize imbalances that occur as a result of disease and to stimulate the body’s immune system and natural healing response.

Psychological medicine:

From acute depression to anxiety, various mental attitudes and emotional states can have a marked impact on physical health. A healthy emotional and psychological state can not only aid in the fight against cervical cancer, but can improve your overall quality of life. From counseling and stress management to hypnotherapy, biofeedback and spiritual support, a variety of therapies can be used to help patients cope with cervical cancer symptoms and heal psychologically.

Homeopathic medicine:

Based on the principle of "like cures like,” homeopathic medicine uses small doses of specially prepared natural substances to improve your health. Clinical observation indicates that homeopathic medicines work on a subtle, yet powerful, energetic level, gently acting to strengthen the body's immune system and natural healing power.

Naturopathic practice also includes the use of any medical substances that contain elements that are components of bodily tissues, or can be employed by the body, for the maintenance of life and the repair of tissues.