Although there exists an overwhelming array of modern-day
treatment options for breast cancer, such as: chemotherapy, radiation
therapy, hormonal therapy, targeted therapies, surgery, and clinical
trial therapies, etc., there are also a certain amount of alternative
and traditional herbal medicine options too.
Herbal medicine has
been used to treat people's illnesses for many thousands of years, and
as the understanding of modern-day medicine has progressed during the
last 100 years or so, so too has that of many of the herbal remedies
that are used in traditional medicine (over more or less the same period
of time).
This has led to a growing number of people to look to
traditional herbal medicine (as an alternative to modern-day medicine)
which focuses on two things: the detoxification of the body by ridding
it of unwanted elements, and the strengthening of the body's immunity to
prevent a relapse after treatment.
Turmeric, the popular Indian
curry spice that is used in Ayurvedic medicine (a form of
traditional/alternative medicine inherent to the Indian subcontinent)
and Chinese medicine, has been used to cure illnesses for the past 4,000
years or so, and which of recent, came into the spotlight as a possible
cure for breast cancer.
It is derived from the Curcuma longa
(plant) which is a member of the ginger family, and due to its excellent
anti-inflammatory properties, has been used to treat both digestive and
liver problems, skin diseases, and certain types of wounds for many
years. However, recent studies have shown that turmeric may also have
other abilities too.
Found growing in the tropical regions of
South Asia, and in particular India, turmeric's active ingredient
curcumin, is believed to contain excellent anti-cancer and anti-oxidant
properties which may help to neutralize the body's free radicals
(particles that damage cells) by helping to prevent the damage they
cause.
Curcumin, due to its strong anti-oxidant properties may
actually help prevent, or treat, certain types of cancer, such as:
breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, and skin cancer. Along
with helping lower the level of two of the body's enzymes that cause
inflammation, and inhibiting the grouping of platelets.
(enzymes
are large biological molecules responsible for thousands of metabolic
processes that help sustain life, and platelets are cells that do not
have a nucleus which when grouped together form blood clots).
Turmeric
(curcumin) can be administered as a fluid extract, powder filled
capsule, or a tincture, which is an alcohol-based derivative of the
fresh herb. And although turmeric is now being used in clinical trials
for breast cancer and other cancers alike, it is so, only as an add-on
to traditional medicine treatments.
It can be concluded that
turmeric does have many cancer fighting properties that are certainly a
benefit to most cancer sufferers who use it; however, due to a certain
lack of information still as to how much those benefits may actually be,
remains unclear. Turmeric, therefore may still be some years away from
being the stand-alone cure for breast cancer.By
Philip Albert Edmonds-Hunt