Naturopathic Integrative Oncology – An Emerging Discipline

Introduction:

Naturopathic Integrative Oncology attempts to integrate appropriate CAM therapies that are evidence-based, safe, and effective and synergistically complement conventional treatment, making the treatment as a whole all the more effective through improved or optimized clinical outcomes (especially QoL and OS) and reducing adverse events.

Holistically, it helps manage symptoms, control side-effects of ongoing treatment, enhance physical, mental, and spiritual well-being, and speed up recovery. An integrated approach to cancer treatment helps increase the number of days a patient can survive and contextually makes the person's life feasible.

What Has Raised the Need for Complementary Alternative Medicines?

Cancer is the most dreaded and complicated non-communicable disease. Some are cured, some get a prolonged life after treatment, and some cannot make it. Conventional cancer treatment can be prolonged, varies from individual to individual, and generally has many side effects that can adversely impact a cancer patient’s quality of life (QoL) and functional status.

There is an ever-increasing demand for complementary alternative medicines (CAM) that the majority of cancer patients worldwide resort to for:

• Reducing the side effects of conventional treatment.

• Enhance the quality of life (QoL).

• Improve overall survival (OS).

Apprehension of failure of any single line of treatment to effectively arrest or cure the disease prompts patients or caregivers to try multiple approaches, at times frantically, hoping to improve the treatment outlook (prognosis). Apart from conventional treatment, most patients also utilize meditation, prayer, yoga, acupuncture, herbal or botanical supplements, nutrition, special diets, exercise, homeopathy, other holistic practices, etc., to gain benefits.

Most patients need to disclose their CAM approaches to their primary physicians or oncologists. Any uncoordinated CAM intervention by the patients themselves enhances the risk of drug interactions and adverse events, which can jeopardize the chances of achieving the overall oncology treatment goals.

There is immense scope in the newly emerging field of naturopathic integrative oncology to enhance or optimize treatment outcomes and ensure a better quality of life for patients. However, the benefits of an integrative approach to cancer care are yet to be fully recognized and realized.

What Is Integrative Oncology?

Integrative Oncology is a medical treatment model for cancer that involves the use of conventional treatments together with some additional complementary treatments. Integrative oncology is aimed at increasing the efficacy of conventional cancer therapies, decreasing the side effects of therapies, and improving the quality of life in physical, emotional, and spiritual domains. Key components of integrative oncology include:

• Conventional Cancer Treatments: These are the main types of cancer therapies, which are surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and target therapies.

• Complementary Therapies: These comprise several activities and materials employed in combination with ordinary therapies.

Examples include:

• Acupuncture.

• Mind-body practices.

• Nutritional counseling.

• Herbal supplements and botanicals.

• Massage therapy.

• Personalized Care Plans: Integrative oncology focuses on the concept that the treatment regimens should be tailored to the needs of the patient and the type and stage of cancer. This comprises recommending the right type, frequency, and duration of CAMs as adjuncts to the conventional treatment plan.

• Patient-Centered Approach: This approach is patient-centered and allows the patient to be an active participant in deciding their care. It also incorporates the social, emotional, and spiritual healing dimensions.

What Is the Need for Naturopathic Oncology?

Naturopathic Oncology is a sub-discipline of naturopathic medicine that involves the treatment of patients diagnosed with cancer using natural medicine instead of conventional therapies. Naturopathic oncologists practice hand-in-hand with MD oncologists and offer an additional approach to patient treatment.

The need for naturopathic oncology arises from several factors:

• Holistic Care: Unlike any other conventional approach, naturopathic oncology focuses on the entire individual rather than on the illness. This method is particularly helpful in dealing with the unwanted effects of orthodox therapies, enhancing the client’s quality of life, and improving their health.

• Reduction of Side Effects: Most traditional cancer therapies are associated with several toxicities. These effects can be minimized using such treatments as dietary changes, herbs, and acupuncture that naturopathic doctors offer to make patients comfortable.

• Support for Immune Function: Naturopathic oncology is based on enhancing the body’s intrinsic healing capabilities. This is especially relevant in cancer care, where the patient's immunocompromised status may result from the disease or therapy.

• Nutritional Support: Cancer patients have significant dietary needs because of their fragile health status. They are advised on dietary changes and supplements that can potentially help support the body during the treatment process.

• Stress Reduction and Emotional Support: The time when a patient is diagnosed with cancer and goes through the treatment process is very challenging. The Naturopathic measures entail the use of stress management practices like meditation, yoga, and counseling because of their mental health benefits.

• Integration with Conventional Care: Naturopathic oncologists also consult with conventional oncologists because before administering any treatment, they have to make sure that the treatments we are giving do not interfere with each other and that any benefits that come with them are optimized.

Why Is Naturopathic Integrative Oncology Recommended?

Cancer is a highly complex disease, and its management presents an enormous challenge for the patient, physician, and caregivers. While the current standard of conventional care demonstrates high clinical efficacy, there still are treatment challenges owing to side effects, drug resistance, and unresponsiveness to traditional treatment of certain aggressive or advanced-stage cancers.

Hence, it requires a strategic, well-researched, and holistic encompassing or integrated approach to control the disease effectively and improve clinical outcomes, especially quality of life (QoL) and overall survival (OS). This approach thus facilitates patients' longer survival and better lives by enhancing treatment effectiveness and increasing patient satisfaction.

It allows a customized or individualized integrative treatment for each patient based on his socioeconomic status, clinical history, comorbidities, diagnosis, current treatment regime, cultural or spiritual belief, physical effects, adverse psychological effects, psychosocial, etc. The whole idea is about becoming “fighting fit cancer patients” who still have cancer but can fight the disease from a state of much better health, with generally improved quality of life (QoL) and overall survival (OS).

How and Where Can Naturopathic Integrative Oncology Help a Cancer Patient?

• Holistically improve a patient's physical, mental, spiritual, and psychosocially well-being.

• Ameliorate cancer symptoms and side effects of cancer therapies, enabling patients to live well through improved symptom control, lessened distress levels, and reduced suffering and favorably influence their overall survival (OS) as feasible contextually.

• To exemplify, symptoms like anxiety, depression, cancer-related pain, weakness, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, hiccups, diarrhea, gas or flatulence, mucositis, alopecia, constipation, anorexia, cough, sleep disturbance or insomnia, headache, anemia, peripheral neuropathy, etc., that can be managed effectively using integrative CAM therapies. Naturopathic integrative oncology, thus, not only enhances tolerance to the ongoing oncologic treatment, if any, but also the response thereof.

• Enhance the functional status or quality of life (QoL) and decrease the rate of complications.

• Facilitate recovery post-cancer treatment and reduce the chances of recurrence.

• In line with those mentioned earlier, naturopathic integrative care can be rendered anytime during a patient’s illness to help him feel comfortable.

• For advanced and intractable malignancies, patients may likely benefit from integrative care, which can improve their quality of life and add days to their lives.

• Apart from face-to-face patient consultation, naturopathic integrative oncology can be practiced online. It can immensely help improve access to patients who cannot attend integrative oncology sessions in person due to various social and economic reasons.

CAM Modalities in Naturopathic Integrative Cancer Treatment:

CAM modalities can be one or more of the following as appropriate contextually:

• Diet and Nutrition.

• Behavioral or lifestyle changes include regular exercise, de-stressing, relaxation, positive thinking and visualization, psycho-social interaction, yoga, meditation, etc.

• Botanical medicine.

• Nutraceuticals or dietary supplements.

• Massage.

• Reflexology.

• Acupressure.

• Acupuncture.

• Prayer or spiritual healing.

What Are the Requirements of Naturopathic Integration?

For the complementary alternative medicines one decides to integrate with the current conventional treatment regime, it is essential on the part of the integrative oncology practitioner to clearly understand the following for seamless and favorable naturopathic integration:

• The patient’s current status includes his clinical history, diagnosis, comorbidities, conventional cancer treatment regime, physical or psychological makeup, belief system, financial capability, and other explicit requirements.

• Evidence-based clinical efficacy and safety profile.

• Action mechanism, herb-drug interactions, side effects, and their impact on long-term health.

• Pharmacokinetics, dosage, mode of administration, etc.

• The naturopathic integrative oncology practitioner can choose the appropriate CAM modalities based on the patient’s assessed individual needs.

Conclusion:

Integrative oncology is a patient-centered, evidence-informed field of cancer that uses mind-body practices, lifestyle modifications, and natural products from various traditions in addition to conventional cancer treatments. Naturopathic integrative oncology is a multifactorial approach that helps improve the quality of life and lengthen the lives of cancer patients. Therefore, its use should be considered along with conventional cancer treatment to aid in better lifestyle modifications in cancer patients.