According to the Pharmacology, a branch of medical science which study how drugs
exert their effects on living systems on following principle, “What Drug acts
to the body &WhatBody acts to Drug”. It can also modifyas “What Food, Water
& Air acts to the body & What Body acts to Food, Water & Air”. The balance between these 3- elements keeps us healthy however,
imbalance give rise to Free Radicals or Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) these
cause damage to DNA, Proteins & Lipids, pathogenesis of Cancer, Diabetes
mellitus, Degenerative, Rheumatoid, Heart Diseases, Ageing and many more.
There are many things which are responsible to cause generation of such
free radicals. We had a predominantly Plant based diet and with
the advent of western life style we are moving towards a diet rich in Animal
proteins. This coupled with other habits like Smoking & Alcohol. Avoidance
of tobacco and alcohol is the most important preventive action against Mouth,
Throat and Lung cancers. Tobacco alone is responsible for about 40 - 50% of
cancers in Men & about 20% of cancers in Women.
In India the availability and
affordability of cancer treatment shows wide disparities. The majority of
patients come in late stages of the disease (80% are advanced) and this adds to
the already high morbidity, mortality & expenditure. The most common and
available curative treatment involves, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, hormone
therapy or some combination of these modalities.
Some of the major side effects of
current cancer therapy are Fatigue, Hair Loss, Neuropathy, Pain, Effects on
Sexual Organs and Sexuality, Sleep Problems, Nausea & Vomiting, Anemia,
Kidney and Bladder Effects, Diarrhea and Constipation, Memory or Concentration
Problems. Above all, the mental agony apart from these side effects
cannot be measured which makes the patient drop the treatment voluntarily.
The prime goal of current
treatment approach is to decrease Anxiety, Fear, Depression and Pain. The ideal
treatment approach should be designed to promote a sense of Emotional,
Physical, Spiritual well-being. Developing country like India which has
traditional medical heritage has multiple native traditional
practices/medicines assimilated into Indian culture. Such traditional medicines
recognized by the board of CAM, government of India are (AYUSH - Ayurveda,
yoga, unani, siddha and homeopathy).
Integrative oncology is a
combination of one where Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) with
conventional cancer treatment modalities is used to control side-effects,
improve the state of mental wellbeing, manage symptoms.
1. Alternative medical systems:Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Homeopathy)
2. Biologically based practices: Naturopathy that uses food, vitamins
& herbs
3. Energy medicine: Like - Reiki
4. Manipulative and body based practices: Ayurvedic massage –
Panchakarma
5. Mind-body medicine: Yoga & Meditation
In Ancient texts, the malignant tumors are described as ARBUDA and
considered as incurable that are considered as TRIDOSHIKA and ASADHYA. Some
(Appx. 30) herbs show anti-tumor activities these can be used as an adjuvant to
chemo/radio therapy in controlling the adverse effects & improving the
patient’s Quality of Life. Panchakarma is manipulative & body-based
practices that focus on musculo-skeletal system to reduce anxiety and pain in
cancer patients.
Homeopathy can
alleviate the stress and trauma of cancer patients and decrease the
side-effects of radio and chemo therapy. Acupuncture, is a non-Indian
traditional system can be used as an adjuvant in treating nausea, vomiting,
pain, xerostomia& effective in reducing lymphedema. However, Acupuncture
is contra-indicated in severe neutropenia or thrombocytopenia and at the
site of primary/metastatic tumor.
Yoga, the mind
- body medicine is a nondrug therapy which focuses on the interaction among
brain, mind, body and behavior to improve function, Health and Quality of Life.
It has proved to reduce anxiety, insomnia and stress.
The holistic approach must be
followed in designing cancer treatment must include Mechanistic studies,
Potential Herb drug interaction, Pharmacokinetics, Bio-availability &
Clinical trials in traditional drugs, Practices that are formulated with
dosage, Safety & efficacy with chemo-radiotherapy.
The mission of Integrated
Oncology should be to make the cancer patients Live and not just to Exist.
Akshat Deshpande
M. Pharm
M.D. Ojas
Rasashala
