Cure For Cancer: Understanding Herbal Claims Versus Chemotherapy

• Herbal Therapy Needs Further Examination, Clinical Trials-durosinmi-etti • Chemotherapy Cannot Differentiate Cancer Cells From Normal Ones-salako • Breast Cancer, Most Common In Nigeria

WHenroger Mccreath, was diagnosed with prostate cancer, his world nearly grinded to a stop, but he gave no room for that to come to pass. Instead, he battled the scourge using a cocktail of herbal and conventional treatments.

Roger, now a holistic health coach, and owner of Roger Mccreath Health, in the United States, who told Theguardian how he overcame cancer, said natural herbs and therapies can be used as supportive treatment options during cancer treatment. “Having lived through my own cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment, I can attest to a combined treatment regiment-conventional and holistic. I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and treated with radiation therapy, and I also utilised holistic herbs to support my treatment regimen.

“I used traditional herbs from the Maroons of Jamaica, such as chaney root, black nerve wys, sarasparilla, cayenne, myrrh, ginger, herbal bitters and turmeric,” he said. Mccreath continued: “In addition to the above, I practiced daily meditation to improve mindfulness and facilitate healing,” he said.

Although there has not been significant clinical trials to demonstrate the efficacy of herbal treatment, the cancer survivour advised the use of a combination of conventional and holistic treatment for best result. “There are many herbs that can be used to support a cancer treatment regimen. As holistic healers, we look at the whole person; the body, soul, mind...when we see a problem in the body, there is always going to be a problem in the mind, and it’s just our subconscious expressing itself...so, I believe that chemotherapy can cure to an extent, but true healing comes in treating the source,” Mccreath said.

He added: “When we talk about chemotherapy and radiation, the danger is the killing of good cells, because science has not perfected the treatment.”

Even though experts have warned that there is need to be cautious when using some herbs along with some chemotherapy drugs to avoid interactions, through clinical trials, some natural herbs have been found to have cancer killing properties, which is why the idea of complete healing, using these herbs, would sound like melody to cancer patients desperately searching for a cure.

Nowadays, the Internet is awash with claims of cure for cancer using natural herbs and other unconventional therapies. Interestingly, some of these claims condemn outright, chemotherapy and radiotherapy describing them as western scams and very harmful to the body.

But how true are claims that cancer sufferers can depend exclusively on herbs for cure, without recourse to chemotherapy and other conventional healing methods? A consultant in Clinical and Radiation Oncology, Professor Francis Durosinmi-etti, said chemotherapy is not a scam, but not all types of cancers respond to chemotherapy alone.

Durosinmi-etti, who is also Chairman, Cancer Aid Foundation (CAF) Nigeria, said some other additional types of treatment have to be given alongside chemotherapy, such as radiotherapy, surgery, hormone therapy, in order to eliminate the cancer cells completely.

The medical practitioner, who is also President, Cancer Education and Advocacy Foundation of Nigeria (CEAFON), added that some herbal therapies may complement conventional treatment.

He, however, warned that some herbs have been known to interact with some drugs, hence the need to always consult a physician when taking any herbal treatment. Explaining the use of herbs in cancer cure, Durosinmi-etti said, “Some of the chemotherapy drugs we currently use for treating cancer are derived from plants; flowers or even the bark of some trees. How- ever, herbal therapy as we know it in Nigeria needs to be further examined and clinical trials carried out. I have no doubt that we will be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of some of these herbs, though I have no personal experience of using our local herbs in treating cancer. We need to carry out proper studies to evaluate some of these herbs. Who knows whether the common green grass we trample upon everyday may provide the cure for cancer. We need to carry out studies and I am personally interested in collaborating with others, especially our local herbalists in this field of research.”

For cancer patients tinkering with the idea of abandoning chemotherapy and the conventional treatment completely for herbal cure, Dr. Durosinmi-etti, sounds a note of warning against taking such a dangerous route.

“I will not advise anyone to depend on herbal drugs as cure for cancer alone, because there’s no proven evidence yet regarding these herbs. This has often prevented patients from reporting early at the hospital. By the time they come around, it is already too late to manage. Nowadays, we have targeted therapies, which will find and block the pathways of the tumour, which is why patients need to present early for treatment,” he noted.

Clinical studies done on some common herbs and spices such as ginger, aloe vera, milk thistle, cloves and tumeric found them to contain substances that can help wrestle cancer.

One study done on licorice root (glycyrrhiza glbra), found that the root actually stopped the proliferation of breast cancer cells in humans. It was also said to provide protection from DNA damage often caused by carcinogens. Licorice root is said to contain polyphenols that encourage apoptosis (automatic death) in cancer cells. However, Licorice root has been linked to some side effects such as high blood pressure, and muscle weakness.

In hospitals today, chemotherapies are mainly used to attack cancer, alongside other treatments forms, such as radiotherapies and surgeries. Chemotherapy, which is the use of chemicals to destroy cancer cells has been found to have some side effects, which includes destroying some good cells in the body.

In spite of these limitations, a Consultant Radiation and Clinical Oncologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Dr. Omolola Salako, said chemotherapy is an effective and available treatment option in many cases of cancer such as breast cancer, cervical cancer, colon cancer, but the downside of chemotherapy is that it cannot differentiate cancer cells from normal cells. “Chemotherapy targets fast dividing cells, which is peculiar to both cancer cells and some normal cells, like the skin and blood cells. The effects of chemotherapy on the normal cells leads to side effects, such as hair loss, low blood levels, etc. However, if administered by a cancer specialist, these side effects can be controlled effectively. Many patients achieve control of their disease, and a few achieve complete cure because of chemotherapy,” she said. According to her, chemotherapy is often administered through many routes – by mouth, intravenously, etc, and is not a scam.

Asked if the herbal therapy can work against cancer, she said: “Chemotherapy drugs are made from natural plants. Natural herbs have shown promise in providing relief for symptoms, managing side effects, and helping with supportive care, but herbs as the sole option in cancer management has not been authenticated by scientific research; hence, it is not practiced in cancer treatment centres. A lot of research, investment, and collaborations are required to explore and establish the benefits of herbal/traditional medicine in cancer management.”