Testicular cancer is a form of cancer that originates in the testicles. Much like any other form of the disease, abnormal cells develop within healthy tissue that may later metastasize into other areas of the body. While this form of cancer isn't as common as cancers of the prostate, colon, lung or breast, it's still readily treatable, responding quite positively to conventional methods of care, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Nevertheless, alternative treatments may also help combat this disease.
Nutrition Therapy
Due to the nature of cancer, it's extremely important to integrate complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practices alongside your standard treatment plans. One of the more common is nutrition therapy. With this mode of treatment, dietary changes are made to your eating habits not only to help fight the disease, but also minimize the side effects of both chemotherapy and radiation while optimizing your overall health.
In the treatment of testicular cancer, nutrition therapy is individualized from person to person, based on a number of factors, such as health, body fat, immune system, staging and medical history (to name a few). However, it usually involves an increase of fruits, vegetables and whole grains as well as yogurt, legumes, fish and poultry. These dietary changes are often coupled with nutritional supplementation of vitamins C and E, selenium, beta carotene and eicosapentaenoic acid, which is a form of omega-3 fatty acid.
Naturopathic Medicine
Another common complementary and alternative medicinal treatment is naturopathic medicine. With this methodology, the whole person is being treated for the disease, not just the cancer itself. Focus is also placed on the mind, the soul and the emotions, as each piece of your being is important to recovery.
Naturopathic medicine frequently entails a combination of nutritional changes, herbal supplementation, physical exercise, deep tissue massage, acupuncture, counseling, stress management, mediation and other alternative practices. These are used in conjunction with Western medicine, such as surgical removal of the tumor (or testicle), chemotherapy and radiation therapy. The variety of different applications doesn't neglect any facet of your person. It's essentially creating the healthiest environment, both internally and externally, so you can get well.
Pain Management
Though this form of treatment doesn't necessarily treat the cancer, pain management has become an important part of complementary and alternative medicine. This is largely due to the effect pain has on your system. As you go through standard treatments and live with testicular cancer, pain is a common side effect. This discomfort can hinder the process of recovery, since it may lead to fatigue, exhaustion, sleep deprivation, depression and anxiety.
Before pain management is applied, your pain is rated on a scale, including such factors as intensity, location, byproducts and effectiveness of previous pain management methods. A management plan is then established that not only incorporates prescription pain relievers, but also behavioral modifications, psychological interventions and even neurological treatments, such as surgery to lessen the pain.
