There are many side effects of chemotherapy and these side effects can be reduced to a greater extent with proper homeopathic treatment.
What is Chemotherapy?
In chemotherapy strong chemical drugs are given. These drugs are known as cytotoxic drugs. The literal meaning of which is “cyto means cells and toxic means poison.” So basically, they are cell poison.
Cancer cells are destroyed or controlled by chemotherapy. Chemotherapy destroys not only cancer cells which we know but also destroys cancer cells which have spread to other parts of the body, and which are not easily detected.
Difference between Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy (Radiation Therapy)
Radiotherapy is a local treatment which means radiation beam kills the cancer cells of that area on which it falls.
Chemotherapy is a whole-body treatment. In this cytotoxic drug through blood reach every part of the body and destroys the cancer cells.
Why do Side Effects Occur?
During chemotherapy cytotoxic or cell poison drugs are given which not only destroy the cancer cells, but also many normal cells which are non-cancerous.
Destruction of these normal cells leads to side effects; but normal cells quickly recover from taking homeopathic treatment before, after and during chemotherapy.
Side Effects of Chemotherapy and Role of Homeopathy
I have seen in my clinical practice that chemotherapy has many side effects. Due to the side effects normal life activities of the patient gets disturbed.
The side effects of chemotherapy are as follows:
- Hair fall
- Ulcers in mouth or throat
- Difficult swallowing
- Nausea or vomiting
- Numbness in hands and feet
- Difficult urination
- Problem in kidneys
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea
- Infertility
- Lack of sexual desire
- Easy bruising and bleeding
- Easily getting acute infections
- Anaemia because of bone marrow depression
- Tremendous weakness
- Lack of appetite
- Loss of weight
- Severe pain in body or joints
- Lack of concentration and focus
- Depression or anxiety
Which side effect happen to a patient and how many side effects? This all depends on patient’s sensitivities.
I have seen in my clinical practice that no two patients have same set of side effects. The medicines also vary when I treat these patients with homeopathy.
Before and after chemotherapy, if the patient takes a systematic homeopathic treatment, then the side effects of chemotherapy are controlled to a great extent and the patient is able to do his daily normal activities.
Taking homeopathy during chemotherapy increases the patient’s health status and increases his ability to fight against cancer.
In addition, I have seen in my clinical practice that during chemotherapy taking homeopathy increases the effectiveness of chemotherapy. We also give homeopathic medicines which prevent cancer cells from growing and dividing.
Bone Marrow Depression due to Chemotherapy
The major side effect of chemotherapy is bone marrow depression. Our bone marrow is a factory in which every kind of blood cells form. Cytotoxic drugs given during chemotherapy reduce the work of this factory due to which there is a lack of white blood cells, platelets, red blood cells in the blood.
Due to lack of white blood cells the patient starts catching acute infections again and again.
A lack of platelets causes easy bleeding and, hence bruising.
Anaemia occurs due to lack of red blood cells, due to which patient gets breathlessness and extreme weakness. I have seen in my clinical practice that bone marrow depression can be easily treated in homeopathy.
By taking homeopathy bone marrow starts working properly and increases the number of red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
This keeps a good health status of patient and save him from additional strong allopathic medicines.
This also helps the medical oncologist to give the chemotherapy without long rest periods which highly increases the effectivity of chemotherapy.
Thus, in my opinion homeopathy has a strong complementary role to play before, during and after chemotherapy and is highly recommended for all patients undergoing chemotherapy.