Expert Article: Holistic Cancer Care - Awareness About Ayurvedic Treatment And Management Of Cancer

Cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide. As per the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, approximately 10 million deaths were reported due to the cancer. The commonest cancer types observed in 2020, the year of the pandemic's first stage, were breast cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, skin cancer and stomach cancer.

Let's take a look at what is cancer and what causes it, the types of cancer, and how to manage cancer through Ayurveda.

What is Cancer?

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of tissues in the body. The healthy cells get converted to cancerous tissues. Each and every cell has certain genes that are named as pro-oncogenes i.e. the gene that have potency of triggering the uncontrolled growth of the cells and eventually lead to lump or glandular enlargement. These genes can get converted in to oncogenes that lead to uncontrolled growth of body tissues. The gene is regulates various functions of the cell and reproduction is also the function of the genes also. When the genetic modification occurs i.e. the pro-oncogene gets converted to oncogenes by various factors they are collective known as mutants.

Is Cancer Curable?

Cancer is considered as incurable disease and fatal. As per Ayurveda, any disease is said to be cured if and only if the original status of the tissue i.e. Prakruti Sthapana is achieved. In the disease cancer as the reversion of oncogene to pro-oncogene is mostly not possible and hence scientifically specking the disease may not be considered as curable. This is observed as occurrence of metastasis even after radical removal of tumour.

Control and Management of Cancer

The control and management of cancer is possible through Ayurveda and would be dealt in this article. Tumour management is narrated in Ayurvedic classic that is done by medicinal management, para-surgical procedures, and surgical intervention. The present day management uses different cytotoxic agents for management of cancer. There is various risk of using these procedures and some problems may be even more abrasive then the disease itself.

Cancer.org narrates that the "Cancer cells tend to grow fast, and chemo drugs kill fast-growing cells. But because these drugs travel throughout the body, they can affect normal, healthy cells that are fast-growing, too. Damage to healthy cells causes side effects." [1]

What Causes Cancer?

There are multiple factors and their interaction of these factors leads to the dreaded disease. in 2015 a group of scientists even opined that getting the cancer is a matter of hard luck. But there are factors that cause irritation for long time leads disease. In simple words the conversion of pro-oncogene to oncogene i.e. mutation is the important change in the disease.

The factors that produce the mutations can be as follows:

Physical - radiation (x-ray, electro-magnetic radiation, UV radiation, etc.)
Chemical - alkylating agents and azides, etc.
Biological - virus, bacteria, etc.
Physiological factors & aging.

What is Mutation?

Mutation literally means change. The factors change the sequence in the chromosome or gene. These genes regulate formation of protein that eventually affects entire process of the organism. In reference to cancer the pro-oncogene that are found in all cells controls growth and reproduction and regulate them and proliferate and differentiate them to form tissues that maintains health of the organ. When these pro-oncogenes gets converted in oncogene the natural inhibition feature of the body tissue to stop the reproduction, growth, proliferate and differentiate stops. These cells go in to rapid reproduction and make a lump or mass. This mass is biological very active and so manifests with set of clinical presentations. Ancient Ayurvedic classic Sushruta Samhita opines that malignant tumours especially carcinomas are more likely to occur in individual those fond of eating flesh (प्रदुष्टमांसस्य नरस्य बाढमेतद्भवेन्मांसपरायणस्य).

Types of Cancer

Cancer or malignancy can be classified on the nature of tumour and also on the basis of the organ involved. On the basis of nature of tumour there are two basic classification i.e. carcinoma & sarcoma. Furthermore they are classified into leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, malenoma etc. Ancient ayurvedic text Sushruta Samhita narrated two basic classification of malignant mass viz. Mansarbuda and Raktarbuda.

1. Carcinoma or Mansarbuda

Carcinoma or Mansarbuda usually occurs in old age commonly affects epithelial cells (cells that makes lining of body organs like skin), these tumours can be outside or inside the body. Furthermore these may classified into adenocarcinoma (observed in epithelial cells that produce mucus like breast, colon, prostate, etc.), Basal cell Carcinoma (tissue that make base) like skin, epidermis, etc. Squamous cell carcinoma (squamous cells lie beneath the outer surface of skin) can occur commonly in stomach, intestine, lungs, kidney, etc. and lastly Transitional cell carcinoma commonly observed in bladder, ureter, kidney, etc. Ancient classic Sushruta Samhita described that these cancer lumps looks like a lump of flash and often occur in individual fond of eating flash (प्रदुष्टमांसस्य नरस्य बाढमेतद्भवेन्मांसपरायणस्य).

2. Sarcoma or Raktarbuda

Sarcoma are the malignant tumours of soft tissues or connective tissues. These tumours usually spread blood stream and this may be the reason ancient Ayurveda texts Sushruta Samhita narrates as Raktarbuda. These tumours make a big flash lump (मांसपिण्डं मांसाङ्कुरैराचितमाशुवृद्धिम्). This is usually observed in early life or middle age groups.

3. Leukaemia or Blood Cancer

Leukaemia / Leukemia is also known as blood cancer this is presented with excessive rise of white blood cells in blood. This is further classified on the basis of their acuteness and type of WBC involved viz. acute and chronic and the second classification is myeloid and lymphoid. There is a characterised changes in the blood and marrow tissues and bleeding - ecchymosis - pitachae is often the first symptom to be presented. A disease condition described in ancient Ayurvedic classic Charaka Samhita Raktapitta where there is increased viscosity of the blood and this increased viscosity in leukaemia is due to excessive WBC in blood. Now a days the medical condition is also classified in hyper viscosity diseases.

4. Lymphoma

Malignant Lymphoma are the cancer tumours of the lymphatics. The enlarged lymph nodes can be found in practically whole body but commonest site were axilla, iliac, abdominal, etc. these are classified in two types viz. Hodgkin's & non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

5. Multiple Myeloma

Multiple Myeloma are the tumour of another type of immune cells i.e. plasma cells.

Clinical Presentation of Cancer

Clinical presentation of cancer may differ from the site of cancer. The common characteristic is the formation of lump may visible or invisible. The lump is palpable, painless, and stony hard and no characteristic colour changes (अवेदनं स्निग्धमनन्यवर्णमपाकमश्मोपममप्रचाल्यम् |) or flash lump (सास्रावमुन्नह्यति मांसपिण्डं मांसाङ्कुरैराचितमाशुवृद्धिम्) or it may have the characteristic of non-healing ulcers. There are constitutional symptoms of unexplained weight loss, feverishness, lassitude, loss of appetite and symptoms related to the organ involved in the disease. In lymphoma the patient would have formation of multiple lymph node enlargements.

Prevention of Cancer

Cancer is slow progressive disease and before occurrence of malignant mass there are many precancerous stage viz. mucus fibrosis before oral cancer, cervical erosion before cervical cancer, ulceration in colon (loss of hustings in colon xray) before rectal carcinoma, etc. this is characteristic change of the tissues known as hyperplasia.

This stage of the disease or morbid condition in a few cases is reversible or arrestable i.e. ongoing tissue changes can be slowed down so that probability of getting can be reduced. This is possible with the holistic ayurvedic management of Rasayana therapy. Rasayana therapy is primarily a preventive medicine but that can be used for treating disease and also helps to restore the original status of the tissues i.e. Prakruti - Sthapana.

Wholesome diet is the key for health and unwholesome diet is cause of disease. the same is applicable in cancer too. The use of processed food, different food additive, complex cooking process, use of animal products (especially made up of flash), irritant food, metabolic toxic & cytotoxic compounds like nicotine, etc. need to be avoided.

Periodical therapeutic purification or therapeutic purification process like Vaman, Virechana can help in preventing the disease by eliminating metabolic toxins, free radicals, intermediate product of metabolism from body.

Periodical and regular medical check-up and routine haematology can also be helpful to diagnose the disease in early stage only, which can be managed with medicinal management of minor surgical intervention.

Cancer Management Approach & Management Options in Ayurveda

Ayurveda has different modalities for managing malignant disease. Ayurvedic classics describes four fold management for managing malignant tumour viz. medicinal management, para-surgical management - kshra karma alkali and Agni karma and lastly surgical removal of malignant mass.

Medicinal herbs like Kanchanara, Varuna, Shigru Bhallatak, Ashwagandha, polyherbal decoction like Varunadi Kwath, Dashmula Kwath, poly herbal medication Trifala Gugglu, Kanchanara Gugglu, etc. The therapeutic procedures can be employed on individual basis and the site of cancer.

Tranquilizing techniques and breathing exercise with positive thinking and wholesome healthy diet composite the holistic health care.

Diet ought to include cow's ghee, honey, barely, brown rice, fruits like pomegranate, dates, grapes, sesame seed oil, etc.

Para surgical procedures like Agni and Kshra Karma is used if the medicinal management fails to control the progression of disease i.e. hyperplasia to cancer mass. This procedure is Kshra Karma. Kshara Karma may be performed as external or internal Kshra. External Kshara is applied directly applied on external tissues or external lump. The alkali destroy the morbid tissues, favour and initiate the healing process. The internal use of alkali are used internally for managing internal mass.

Cautery is the procedure burns the part of the body tissue; this procedure destroys the mass esp. muscular tissue/flash tissues and thus manages the mass. Radical surgery removes the cancer mass. This four procedures would be dealt in future.

Disclaimer

In this article basic information about Ayurveda and cancer is presented for creating awareness about using Ayurveda as adjuvant, complementary management and independent management of cancer. Author has managed good number of patient and observed good response with using Ayurvedic medicine alone or with conventional cancer management. For further queries and consultation do approach Ayurvedic physician or Ayurvedic hospital.

Representational image.