Mesothelioma often has a very poor prognosis, and for some patients, conventional treatments such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery are more likely to compromise their quality of life than improve their health. For many people who discover that they have mesothelioma, quality of life can quickly become a serious concern, especially if they’re told that they only have a matter of months to “finalize their affairs.”
There are a variety of natural therapy alternatives are available to mesothelioma patients. The predominant sentiment in America tends to be a condescending one in regards to natural remedies, but patients who are given little or no other reasonable options often turn to these treatments – and some show surprising results.
Paul Kraus and Rhio O’Conner, both diagnosed with mesothelioma, have become somewhat legendary in the realm of alternative cancer treatment. They were both given a poor prognosis – as so many mesothelioma victims are – and chose to turn down conventional treatments in favor of fighting their battles with wholesome diets, natural supplements, and holistic and alternative medicines. While Paul and Rhio may not represent the norm, they are certainly proof that victims of mesothelioma can live for years and years in happiness and relative health.
Alternative medicine means different things to different practitioners, but almost always includes a drastic change in lifestyle that includes getting plenty of rest, eating a fruit and vegetable rich diet, taking copious amounts of vitamin supplements and herbal remedies, and engaging in meditation or an “outlook adjustment.”
Rhio O’Conner lived for more than seven years after being diagnosed with mesothelioma, and Paul Kraus continues fighting the cancer today, more than eleven years after his diagnosis. Clearly, a natural approach can improve the quality and quantity of life for victims of mesothelioma.
The American medical community at large takes a less than serious stance towards alternative medicine, which can make choosing natural remedies a difficult and intimidating task. Many patients who turn to alternative medicine do so after they’ve been told that conventional routes will not prove very effective, as was the case with both Rhio O’Conner and Paul Kraus.
Worldwide, however, alternative medicine receives a different reputation. Treatments that are considered alternative and often deemed inconsequential by the American medical community such as ozone therapy or laetrile (vitamin B-17) therapy are practiced readily in the European Union and in Mexico. These treatments do not appear to be gaining much traction in the USA. Many proponents of alternative medicine claim that the lack of robust treatment options in the United States is due to a highly profiteering health care industry that promotes profitable medical practice above truly effective treatments.
It’s difficult to compare the efficacy of conventional and alternative medicine, specifically when most patients that practice alternative medicine have turned to it after being told that they aren’t good candidates for conventional therapies. With stories like those of Rhio O’Conner and Paul Kraus, though, it’s clear that natural alternatives are not without merit.
Sources: World without Cancer: The Story of Vitamin B-17 by Edward Griffin, http://www.abc.net.au/7.30/content/2001/s302183.htm, http://www.ozone-association.com
