Integrative veterinary care has a lot of offer with both cancer prevention and management. Prevention is always better than cure with studies showing that 30 - 50% of all human cancer can be prevented through good diet and lifestyle! I recommend working with a vet that can support younger dogs with natural diets, judicious use of parasite control and vaccines, and detoxification.
With cancer treatment there are various ways we can use holistic care including: as support alongside conventional chemotherapy treatments and surgery to improve outcomes, support of side effects of cancer and also chemotherapy treatments, and also as a sole therapy to palliate, extend life expectancy and improve quality of life.
Herbs and acupuncture are very useful in support to assist with:
improving quality of life
reducing pain
improving nausea and appetite
assist with the maintenance of body mass
improve fatigue and energy
assist with calming our pets
For palliation and cancer management, herbs and neutraceuticals have multiple methods of supporting the immune system and targeting cancer cells. If we use multiple anticancer herbs, foods and vitamins we can create synergies and interfere with cancer growth in multiple ways that cancer cells use to grow, evade the immune system and spread in the body. These include:
reducing sustained blood vessel growth in tumour cells that support cancer growth
induction of cell death
interfere with key regulators that support cancer growth
reduce ability of cancer cells to invade tissues and access circulation
promote cell differentiation away from a cancer cell towards a normal cell type
Integrative cancer management is best done when it is individualised to the patient (and not the cancer type). Treatment matched to the patient will help to boost the effectiveness of treatment and minimise side effects.
Comments