Successful treatment of cancer may include chemotherapy drugs to kill cancer cells. Unfortunately, chemotherapy also kills healthy cells and causes a variety of side effects, like nausea and vomiting, hair loss, fertility and memory problems, sexual side effects and changes to the mouth and skin. Some cancer patients seek alternatives to chemotherapy to avoid the side effects of traditional chemotherapy.
Insulin Potentiation Therapy
Even though insulin potentiation therapy, or IPT, does utilize chemotherapy, the use is far less than in traditional chemotherapy. IPT combines chemotherapy with insulin, which is thought to magnify the effectiveness of chemotherapy drugs by making receptors on cancer cells more responsive. Side effects of IPT include weakness, confusion, rapid heartbeat, sweating, seizures, brain damage or death due to insulin reaction. According to the American Cancer Society, no published scientific data exist to prove the effectiveness of IPT for the treatment of cancer.
Ribonucleic Acid Interference Therapy
Ribonucleic acid interference therapy, also called RNAi therapy, offers new medication classes different from most current drugs, since they do not involve small molecules or antibodies. One company has developed a RNAi therapeutic drug targeting a variety of liver cancers and tumors, which would act as an alternative to chemotherapy. The drug prevents both tumor proliferation and growth and, as of 2010, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to start Phase I human clinical trials.
Vitamin C Therapy
Cancer patients may opt to receive intravenous vitamin C as an alternative to chemotherapy. This treatment works by introducing high doses of vitamin C, which may oxidize tissues, mimicking the action of chemotherapy drugs. Patients receive daily treatments for a period of three weeks to attain plasma levels high enough to kill cancer cells. Side effects include fatigue and increased fluid accumulation in some patients. No scientific evidence exists to suggest the efficacy of this treatment.
