Non-Toxic Herbs Vs. Raidiation for Cancer

Many experts claim herbs have anti-cancer capabilities.

Cancer treatments have been developed as a means to control tumor outbreaks.
Although radiation and chemotherapy are the most common treatments for cancer, many people believe herbs are the best way to fight cancer. Radiation and herbal treatments both have advantages and disadvantages when used to treat cancer.

Cancer

Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of cells in the body. Cancer is also known as carcinoma and a malignant tumor. A benign tumor is considered non-cancerous. Cancer can affect nearly every part of the body and is a leading cause of death in people around the world. There are a number of things that cause cancer, including certain chemicals, tobacco, radiation and excessive sunlight. The most common cancers, include prostate cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer and colon cancer. Breast cancer mainly affects women while prostate cancer only affects men.

Benefits of Herbal Treatments

The most popular herbs used in cancer treatment are green tea and certain plants. Green tea contains compounds known as polyphenols and can be used to prevent many types of cancers. Polyphenols are outstanding antioxidants meaning they are excellent at removing harmful substances from the body. Specifically they target free radicals, agents that attack cell membranes and DNA. Milk thistle, a plant, can be consumed and has been shown to have antioxidant powers as well. In addition to the medicinal benefits herbs provide, they are very affordable. Green tea can be purchased at local supermarkets for very low prices and anti-cancer plants can even be taken or harvested directly from nature.

Disadvantages of Herbal Treatments

The first disadvantage of herbal treatments is that they do not actually fight cancer. Instead, they only prevent cancer. People with cancer will not be able to use herbal treatments to remove cancer from the body. The second major disadvantage of herbal treatments is that they have to be taken under the supervision of a medical professional. Herbs are known to trigger side effects that can be harmful to the body. On top of this, taking two different herbs at the same time has been shown to be harmful..

Benefits of Radiation Treatment

Radiation treatment can fight cancer while herbs can only prevent it.

The benefit of radiation treatment is that it actually fights cancer compared to herbal treatment, which only prevents cancer. Radiation is also very precise and accurate when fighting cancer. Medical professionals performing radiation treatment can aim the radiation directly at the tumor to reduce damage to surrounding cells. Also, unlike herbal treatments, radiation can be used with other cancer treatments such as chemotherapy without triggering harmful side effects.

Disadvantages of Radiation Treatment

The first disadvantage of radiation is that it can damage cells. Benign cells have no defense against radiation and have the potential to become malignant as well. The second disadvantage of radiation treatment is that it only fights the cancer targeted. If there is cancer in a patient's brain and radiation is only applied to cancer in the lungs, the brain cancer will persist. Finally, radiation is expensive when compared to herbal treatment. Radiation must be performed by medical professionals and require expensive, high-tech machines.

References

• University of Maryland, Medical Center: Cancer - Overview
• University of Maryland, Medical Center: Skin Cancer
• University of Maryland, Medical Center: Bone Cancer
• National Cancer Institute: Radiation Therapy for Cancer: Questions and Answers