Complementary and Alternative Treatments for Bladder Cancer

Another article about what is cancer…
Description
  Bladder cancer is often mistaken for a bladder infection, because the two conditions share many of the same symptoms. The presence of blood in the urine and painful urination, however, are revealing signs of bladder cancer.
  Bladder cancer strikes three times more men than women and is usually found in people over 40 years of age. Approximately 40,000 new cases diagnosed each year in the United States and more than 15,000 people die each year. It is commonly caused by exposure to artificial chemicals and industrial compounds.
  Signs and symptoms
  Blood in urine
  Painful urination
  Appetite or weight
  Low fever
  Pain in the pelvic area or lower back
  Conventional Medical Treatment
  If you suspect that you have bladder cancer, see your doctor immediately. Often the diagnosis is suspected, because blood is detected during a microscopic examination of urine routine performed during an annual physical. To confirm the diagnosis, your doctor can perform a CT or cystoscopic examination, during which the scope is passed through the urethra into the bladder to obtain a sample of the lining of the bladder, and then examined for malignant cells. If bladder cancer is diagnosed early, surgery alone is very effective to remove the growth. After surgery, the patient should be tested every 3 to 6 months for the recurrent mass. Approximately 70 percent of patients develop bladder surgery another small tumor within five years.
  If the cancer is diagnosed early and is allowed to penetrate the bladder wall or around the layer of fat, cancer, probably will require surgery followed by radiotherapy or chemotherapy. During radiation therapy, a concentrated beam of high energy radiation is used to destroy cancer cells. The radiation is delivered only to the affected areas and work consistently over a period of time. During chemotherapy, the patient must take medication (usually intravenously) that is designed to kill cancer cells.
  Complementary and Alternative Treatments
  Traditional Chinese Medicine
  Acupuncture Chinese medicine refers to cancer as an energy imbalance caused by any number of factors including poor nutrition, lack of exercise, stress, environmental toxins, or overwork.
  Acupuncture can be used to improve the energy flow along the bladder meridian and the orientation of specific acupuncture points that can provide pain relief. Can also be used to help reduce the negative side effects of radiation or chemotherapy.
  Acupressure This modality works on the same principles as acupuncture, meridians and it can be manipulated to help relieve pain and promote overall energy balance. Herbs that strengthen the immune system can often be very beneficial.
  Chinese herbology studies in Japan have shown that fresh aloe vera juice contains chemicals that retard the growth of cancer cells and impair their ability to spread.
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