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Breast Cancer - First Published October 2006
Having had a recent scare with a breast lump, I know only too well the fear and anxiety that a woman feels when faced with the prospect of this frightening disease. Whilst waiting to see the hospital specialist, my medical training deserted me and I was just another woman, waiting to know whether I would be the one in ten in the UK who develops this condition.
I was lucky and only had a glandular lump but was very aware that of the others being seen that day one or two would go home to break bad news to their families and loved ones. In any given year, over 100 000 women in the UK are living with breast cancer and this can be more daunting than the treatment of the condition itself. I am in my mid forties and have had friends and patients with breast cancer and so am keenly aware of the strain that can be placed on a woman when faced with follow up consultations and possible further treatment should the condition reoccur. In this, I am not ignoring or forgetting the 1 per cent of breast cancer sufferers who are male.
The treatment of breast cancer homeopathically is very complex and ideally one needs to look at the patient as a whole before prescribing for that individual. Giving that degree of detail is beyond the scope of this article but I would like to cover some the support remedies for breast cancer and also to mention a widely used homeopathic treatment made from mistletoe.
Treating the person as a whole is very important to me and psychological care is an essential part of national breast cancer guidelines. All women with a potential or with confirmed breast cancer should have access to a breast care specialist for information and support at every stage and this advice is part of the protocols for this condition. Support groups can be helpful in providing counselling for women with breast cancer and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can relive the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Symptoms of anxiety can be especially distressing and, if severe, can make you feel as if you are dying. These symptoms may include palpitations and feelings of the heart thumping or racing, breathlessness, tightening in the throat, dizziness, faintness and nausea. Panic attacks are symptoms of anxiety that come out of the blue, or may be triggered by situations such as being in an enclosed space such as shopping centres. Their suddenness and unpredictability make them difficult to deal with as they make you feel so wretched. Conventional medications can help reduce the number and severity of such attacks and include medicines such as beta blockers, e.g. propranolol, and tranquillizers, such as diazepam.
However, for patients preferring the more natural approach, homeopathic remedies may be used. For symptoms of anxiety, particularly with associated problems of indigestion, heartburn and diarrhoea, Arsen. alb. may be used. This is also particularly useful if you are a neat and tidy person and tend to feel the cold. If you tend to be 'hot and hurried', then it may be worth trying Arg nit. instead. Where the anxiety is accompanied by tearfulness and very changeable moods, a remedy that is more often associated with grief, Ignatia, can help relieve the symptoms. It should be remembered that for many women being diagnosed with breast cancer, a bereavement type of reaction is very common -you are possibly losing a breast, losing your security on life. Don't expect life threatening illness to leave you unmoved -many women try to carry on regardless and this is not healthy for you. Other homeopathic remedies commonly used for grief include Staphisagria and Nat. mur. and I will be considering these in a future review.
Women often feel that they are to blame for their breast cancer - this is simply not the case. In over 70 per cent of sufferers, there are no identifiable risk factors and only 1 in 20 women have a family history of two or more close family members with the disease. The main associated factor is in fact age, with excessive drinking of alcohol and obesity being secondary risks. The role of smoking and the contraceptive pill is not clear.
The other treatment for breast cancer that I want to mention is that of European mistletoe (Viscum album). One such preparation is marketed in Europe under the brand name 'Iscador'. It is licensed for use in the UK only by registered medical practitioners. Suitably experienced homeopathic doctors in the UK use 'Iscador' to help women with breast cancer but it can be used for a wide range of malignancies either alongside conventional treatments or on its own. This may happen if a woman feels that she does not want conventional therapy or if such treatments have either failed or have become too toxic. Research is on-going as to which patients will benefit from 'Iscador' but evidence so far from experiments and the experience of patients and doctors is that it helps to sustain a feeling of well being. There are certainly users who feel that they owe their lives to 'Iscador' but there are many factors associated with survival from cancer and it can be difficult to say exactly which is the main reason. Some patients who have declined conventional treatments are using 'Iscador' without recurrence of their breast cancer but this cannot be taken to mean that it will help everybody who uses it. Side effects with 'Iscador' being take by mouth in drop form are rarely reported but are seen more often if the injectable type is used, mostly as a skin reaction at the injection site. Treatment may be continued for several years, or longer, if there are no adverse effects.
There are many websites offering information and support on breast cancer but two that would be worth looking at in particular are www.bacup.org.uk and www.breastcancercare.org.uk. Breast Cancer Awareness month starts 1st October 2006.
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