Samaranayake GVP, Pushpakumara AAJDepartment of Shalyashalakya, Gampaha Wickramarachchi
Ayurveda Institute, University of Kelaniya, Yakkala.
Abstract
Sri Lanka developed its own medical system based on a series of prescriptions handed down from generation to generation over a period of 3000 years. Indigenous medicine of Sri Lanka called "Deshiya Chikitsa" was originated before8000-10000 years ago. There are several ancestries in Sri Lanka which continue their special-field of "Deshiya Chikitsa" even today. Sri Lanka has its own special science of medical treatments since the ancient times which employs indigenous and rare herbs and substances derived from plants. These medications can be used internally and externally as a treatment for a number of illness as well as to prevent lethal diseases like cancer. Herbs offer great potential to stimulate the healing process and can even destroy cancer cells. The research explores whether some herbs or plants treatment used in traditional medicine could help to prevent or treat cancer and improve the quality of life of all cancer patients. There is very little published information on the herbal remedies used by traditional medical systems. In traditional medical books and ancient Ola leaf books, there is no direct definition for cancer. In indigenous texts cancer is described in many formswith signs and symptoms; for example, "Ala palaagateway", "Ata palaagateway", "Ila palaa gateway"ect. There is no any database or compilation of traditional medicinal formulas. Therefore, this kind of study is an important need of the era. The study is designed to refer the traditional indigenous medical texts to collect dataon medicinally valuable remedies and details of cancer. This research intends to carry outa literary review on traditional medical systems for cancer. Keywords:Ola leaf, Deshiya Chikitsa, Cancer Corresponding E-mail:prabashi185@gmail.com
Homeopathy is “a therapeutic method of using preparations of substances whose effects when administered to healthy subjects correspond to the manifestation of the disorder in the individual patient”. The discipline was developed by Samuel Hahnemann (1755–1843) about 200 years ago. Hahnemann postulated that
Homeopathy
Homeopathy is one of the most common complementary therapies used by people with cancer.
Although there have been many research studies into homeopathy there is no scientific or medical evidence that it can prevent cancer or work as a cancer treatment.
What is homeopathy?
Homeopathy is based on the theory of treating like with like. To treat an illness, a homeopathic therapist (homeopath) uses tiny doses of a substance that in large doses would actually cause the symptoms of the illness.
Homeopathic remedies are made from plant, mineral and animal substances. They are diluted in water and shaken until there is little, if any, of the original substance left.
Homeopaths
believe that the original substance somehow leaves a molecular
blueprint in the water that triggers your body's healing mechanisms.
They use the water to make drops, pills or creams.
Why people with cancer use homeopathy
As with most types of complementary therapy, people use it because it may help them feel better or more in control of their situation.
Some people choose homeopathy because it is a completely different type of treatment compared to conventional medicine.
It is used alongside conventional medicine. You should not have it instead of conventional cancer treatment.
Homeopaths believe that it can treat a wide range of symptoms and conditions.
Homeopathy for people with cancer is promoted as a natural way to help you:
relax
cope with stress, anxiety and depression
control symptoms and side effects such as pain, sickness and tiredness
People report that they feel better with homeopathy but there is no evidence to show that it helps with any health condition. It is thought that it may have a placebo effect. This is when people feel better if they believe they have taken something to make them feel better.
Research into homeopathy
Many clinical trials have looked at how well homeopathy works in treating various illnesses. None of them give any evidence that homeopathy can cure or prevent any type of disease, including cancer.
There has also been research looking at whether homeopathy can
reduce cancer symptoms or treatment side effects
boost the immune system
help children with cancer
other health conditions
In March 2015, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) in Australia published a report. A working group identified 57 systematic reviews that contained 176 individual studies. They compared groups of people who were given homeopathic treatment with similar groups of people who were not given homeopathic treatment (controlled studies).
The report concluded that there is no reliable evidence that homeopathy works for any health conditions.
The NHMRC recommends that homeopathy should not be used to treat health conditions that are chronic, serious, or could become serious.
What homeopathy involves
On your first visit, your homeopath will ask you general questions about your health, lifestyle, diet and medical history. They will probably ask about sleep patterns, your mood and emotions.
This information helps the homeopath decide on the best remedies to pick specifically for you. These are classed as unlicensed medicines.
The consultation usually lasts about 45 minutes. Further appointments may be shorter, perhaps only half an hour.
Homeopathic remedies come as tablets, granules, powders or liquid. You take them by mouth or as creams or drops. Your therapist will let you know how to take your remedies and how often.
They’ll also let you know when to go back for a check up to see if your condition has improved. If you have a long lasting (chronic) condition they may suggest you go back a few times.
To make best use of these follow up appointments, your homeopath may ask you to keep a record of any changes in your symptoms or condition.
You can buy homeopathic remedies over the counter at the chemist or in health food shops to treat minor ailments. Remember though, that these remedies will not be specifically tailored for you.
You can also buy homeopathic remedies over the internet. We advise that you don't do this because there is no guarantee that you will receive the correct remedy or that it will be of good quality.
Side effects
Using homeopathic medicine is generally safe. Some homeopaths warn people that their symptoms could get slightly worse before they settle down and improve. But this doesn't happen very often. A Swiss meta analysis of homeopathy trials in 2006 found that homeopathy given appropriately by a trained homeopath was safe and had few side effects.
It is still very important to tell your cancer doctors before using any homeopathic remedy. Tell your homeopath that you are having cancer treatment too.
What homeopathy costs
The cost of a consultation with a homeopath is usually cost between £30 to £125.
Your remedy will usually be included in the consultation price, but do check this first. Homeopathic tablets or other products usually cost around £4 to £10 if you need to buy them separately.
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of medicine. It uses a wide range of treatments and techniques. There is no reliable evidence to support its use as a treatment for cancer.
Summary
Ayurvedic medicine uses a range of treatments and techniques
Some techniques might help with the symptoms of cancer or its treatment
Ayurvedic medicine as a treatment for cancer is not backed up by research
Some of the treatments might have severe side effects
What is Ayurvedic medicine?
Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of medicine which began about 5,000 years ago. It is not just one treatment. It is a way of diagnosing illness and using a wide range of treatments and techniques.
Ayurveda is an Indian word. Ayur means life and veda means knowledge.
Ayurvedic medicine can include:
advice on diet and special diets
taking specific Ayurvedic medications
herbal medicine
massage
meditation
yoga, breathing and relaxation techniques
bowel cleansing
An Ayurvedic practitioner might suggest any or all of these treatments. It will depend on your particular health problems.
Ayurvedic medicine believes that health problems happen when your mind, body and spirit are out of balance.
Ayurvedic practitioners believe we are made up of 3 elements known as doshas.
These are:
air and space (vata dosha) which allows movement
fire and water (pitta dosha) which allows for change and handles digestion and metabolism
water and earth (kapha dosha) which gives structure or cohesion
These 3 doshas let the body's organs work together in harmony. They also create your relationship with the environment and universe.
Ayurvedic practitioners believe that health depends on the correct balance of all 3. They claim that combinations of Ayurvedic medicine bring balance and harmony into the body. It helps to:
increase energy and wellbeing
decrease stress
prevent and cure disease
There is no scientific evidence to prove that Ayurvedic medicine can treat or cure cancer, or any other disease.
Why people with cancer use it
People with cancer often use touch therapies such as massage and aromatherapy. Many people say these therapies help them to cope better with cancer and its treatment.
Research is looking into whether some herbs or plant treatments used in Ayurvedic medicine could help to prevent or treat cancer.
But, we still don't know much about some of the treatments that are part of Ayurvedic medicine. These include treatments like special diets and herbal remedies.
These treatments could be harmful to your health or interfere with conventional treatment such as cancer drugs and radiotherapy.
How you have it
Your practitioner will aim to restore or maintain your health and well-being. They will do it by balancing many factors in your life.
To plan your treatment, they will take your medical history and assess your doshas.
They will examine your tongue, lips and nails, and look inside your eyes, ears, nostrils and mouth. They might also examine your back passage (rectum) and genital area. They will listen to your lungs and heart and take your pulse.
They will ask about your emotions and relationships with other people. They will even consider the time of day and what season it is.
Then they'll discuss which treatments they think will help you most.
Some practitioners might recommend getting rid of toxins. They might cleanse the bowel (intestines). They do it by putting liquid into your back passage (enemas). Or, they might suggest taking medicines to make the bowel work more quickly (laxatives).
Other ways of cleansing and detoxifying include:
forced vomiting
drawing blood from the body
These methods can be harmful. Most therapists don’t use them.
Some Ayurvedic methods are generally helpful for people with cancer. These include:
yoga
massage
relaxation
But others such as some herbal treatments, diets and bowel cleansing can be harmful.
Always check with your doctor first as some treatments can have serious side effects. Ask their advice if an Ayurvedic practitioner diagnoses you with a new medical condition.
Your relationship with your practitioner is important. They are responsible for creating a safe space for you to work together to decide on your treatment.
Tell your practitioner if you don’t feel comfortable with anything that they are doing.
Finding an Ayurvedic practitioner
No single professional organisation regulates Ayurvedic medicine in the UK. Therapists and practitioners can join several associations. There is no law to say that they have to.
Always choose a trained and qualified practitioner. Contact the Ayurvedic Practitioners Association (APA) first.
Aurvedic practitioners are qualified to diagnose diseases and conditions from an Ayurvedic perspective. They can prescribe and give Ayurvedic remedies and treatments. They can also give nutrition and lifestyle advice.
Ayurvedic therapists are not trained as practitioners. They do not have to finish any specific training. They can give Ayurvedic nutrition and lifestyle advice. They can also give hands-on treatment such as massage. But they can’t diagnose conditions or prescribe Ayurvedic remedies.
There are several places that people can train to become Ayurveda practitioners. There are also different levels of training. Many practitioners go to India to study as there are more than 180 Ayurveda training schools there. Some of the training in India can take up to 5 years to complete.
Some practitioners train in a specific treatment. It might be in massage or meditation, but not in others such as herbal treatments.
The incidence and mortality of various cancers are associated with sex-specific disparities. Sex differences in cancer epidemiology are one of the most significant findings. Men are more prone to die from cancer, particularly hematological malignancies. Sex difference in cancer incidence is attributed to regulation at the genetic/molecular level and sex hormones such as estrogen. At the genetic/molecular level, gene polymorphism and altered enzymes involving drug metabolism generate differences in cancer incidence between men and women. Sex hormones modulate gene expression in various cancers. Genetic or hormonal differences between men and women determine the effect of chemotherapy. Until today, animal studies and clinical trials investigating chemotherapy showed sex imbalance. Chemotherapy has been used without consideration of sex differences, resulting in disparity of efficacy and toxicity between sexes. Based on accumulating evidence supporting sex differences in chemotherapy, all clinical trials in cancer must incorporate sex differences for a better understanding of biological differences between men and women. In the present review, we summarized the sex differences in
(1) incidence and mortality of cancer,
(2) genetic and molecular basis of cancer,
(3) sex hormones in cancer incidence, and
(4) efficacy and toxicity of chemotherapy.
This review provides useful information for sex-based chemotherapy and development of personalized therapeutic strategies against cancer.
The gender difference in cancer susceptibility is one of the most consistent findings in cancer epidemiology. Hematologic malignancies are generally more common in males and this can be generalized to most other cancers. Similar gender differences in non-malignant diseases including autoimmunity, are attributed to hormonal or behavioral differences. Even in early childhood, however, where these differences would not apply, there are differences in cancer incidence between males and females. In childhood, few cancers are more common in females, but overall, males have higher susceptibility. In Hodgkin lymphoma, the gender ratio reverses toward adolescence. The pattern that autoimmune disorders are more common in females, but cancer and infections in males suggests that the known differences in immunity may be responsible for this dichotomy. Besides immune surveillance, genome surveillance mechanisms also differ in efficiency between males and females. Other obvious differences include hormonal ones and the number of X chromosomes. Some of the differences may even originate from exposures during prenatal development. This review will summarize well-documented examples of gender effect in cancer susceptibility, discuss methodological issues in exploration of gender differences, and present documented or speculated mechanisms. The gender differential in susceptibility can give important clues for the etiology of cancers and should be examined in all genetic and non-genetic association studies.
வைட்டமின் சி மற்றும் ஆன்டிபயோடிக் கலவை புற்றுநோய் செல்களை அழிக்க உதவக்கூடியது என்று புதிய ஆய்வில் தெரிந்துள்ளது. மேலும், இந்த கலவை புற்றுநோய் திரும்ப வராமல் தடுக்கவும், அதற்கான மருத்துவத்தை வாழ்நாள் முழுவதும் தொடர்வதை தவிர்க்கவும் உதவக்கூடியது என்று வெளியிட்டுள்ளது.
ஆய்வின் முடிவில், புற்றுநோயை குணப்படுத்த தற்போது உதவக்கூடிய 2-டிஜி முறையை விட வைட்டமின் சி மற்றும் ஆன்டிபயோடிக் கலவை 100 மடங்கு சிறந்தது என்று கண்டறியப்பட்டுள்ளது.
லண்டன் சல்ஃபோர்டு பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் உயிரிமருத்துவ ஆராய்ச்சி மையத்தின் ஆய்வு இணை-ஆசிரியர், பேராசிரியர் மைக்கேல் லேசானி மற்றும் சக ஊழியர்கள் அண்மையில் தங்கள் கண்டுபிடிப்புகளை பத்திரிகை ஒன்றில் வெளியிட்டனர்.
ஸ்டெம் செல்கள் என்பது ஒரு செல்லின் வகையை மாற்றியமைக்கும் திறன் கொண்டது. மேலும், ஆய்வுகள் கூறுவது என்னவென்றால் புற்றுநோய் செல்களும் ஸ்டெம் செல்களை போன்று மற்ற செல்களை புற்றுநோய் செல்களாகவோ அல்லது புற்றுநோய் கட்டிகளாகவோ மாற்றவைக் கூடிய ஆற்றலை கொண்டது என்று குறிப்பிடுகிறது.
எனவே, புற்றுநோய் ஸ்டெம் செல்களை அடையாளம் காணவும், அழிக்கவும் புதிய சிகிச்சை முறைகள் அவசியமானவை என்று பேராசிரியர் லிசந்தி மற்றும் சக ஊழியர்கள் கூறுகின்றனர். புதிய ஆய்வில் ஆராய்ச்சியாளர்கள் புற்றுநோய் ஸ்டெம் செல்களை அழிக்கும் புதிய முறைகள் பற்றி கண்டறிந்துள்ளனர்.
புற்றுநோயை அழிக்க உதவும் வைட்டமின் சி :
இந்த ஆண்டு வெளிவந்த அறிக்கையில், பேராசிரியர். லிசந்தி மற்றும் குழுவின் மற்றொரு ஆய்வில், வைட்டமின் சி திறம்பட புற்றுநோய்களை எவ்வாறு தாக்குகிறது என்பதை வெளியிட்டிருந்தனர். இது குறித்து அவர்கள் மேற்கொண்ட ஆய்வில், டாக்ஸிசைக்ளிங் என்னும் முகப்பரு, நிமோனியா மற்றும் நோய் தொற்றுகளுக்கு உபயோகிக்கும் ஆன்டிபயோடிக்கை புற்றுநோய் ஸ்டெம் செல்களில் 3 மாதங்களுக்கு அளித்தனர்.
ஆன்டிபயாடிக் “வளர்சிதை மாற்ற நெகிழ்வுத்தன்மையை” தூண்டுகிறது என்று இந்த ஆய்வு குழு விளக்குகிறது. அதாவது, இது எரிபொருள் ஆதாரங்களை உயிர்வாழ்வதற்கான வழிகளாக மாற்றும் செல்களின் திறனைத் தடுக்கிறது. இதன் முடிவாக அந்த செல்கள் ஆற்றலின் ஒரு ஆதாரமாக குளுக்கோஸைக் கொண்டிருக்கும். ஆனால் ஆன்டி-பயாடிக்குடன் வைட்டமின் சி-யை எடுக்கும் போது, அது புற்றுநோய் ஸ்டெம் செல்களில் இருந்து க்ளுக்கோஸை நீக்கி, அந்த செல்களை அழித்துவிடும்.
இந்த சூழ்நிலையில், வைட்டமின் சி கிளைகோலைஸிஸின் தடுப்பானாக செயல்படுகிறது. இது மைட்டோகோண்ட்ரியாவில் எரிபொருள்களை உற்பத்தி செய்யும் செல்களின் ‘பவர் ஹவுஸ்’ ஆக செயல்படுகிறது என்று, சல்ஃபோர்டு பல்கலைக்கழகத்தில் உயிரிமருத்துவ ஆராய்ச்சி மையத்தின் இணை ஆசிரியரான டாக்டர் ஃபெடரிகா சோட்ஜியாவை விளக்குகிறார்.
2 டிஜியை விட 100 மடங்கு சக்தி வாய்ந்த புதிய தெரபி
முந்தைய ஆய்வில் புற்றுநோய் ஸ்டெம் செல்களை அழிப்பதில் 2 டிஜியை விட, வைட்டமின் சி உபயோகிப்பது மட்டும் 10 மடங்கு சிறந்ததாக கண்டறியப்பட்டது. ஆனால், அத்துடன் டாக்ஸிசைக்கிளினை சேர்க்கும் போது 100 மடங்கு சிறந்தது என்பது தெரியவந்துள்ளது.
“புற்றுநோய்க்கு எதிரான போராட்டத்தில் வைட்டமின் சி மற்றும் நச்சல்லாத கலவைகள் ஒரு முக்கிய பங்கு வகிக்கிறது என்பதற்கான சான்று” என பேராசிரியர் லசந்தி தெரிவிக்கிறார்.
