Despite tremendous advances in cancer treatment, complementary therapies to mitigate pain and prolong life remain extremely relevant. Various disciplines of medicine have proven therapies towards the treatment of cancer. Very often they become the last hope for the patients suffering from incurable cancer.

There are several instances where ayurveda or homeopathy had saved human lives after doctors practicing modern medicine had given up. Since no doctor can guarantee cure for cancer, it is necessary to combine chemotherapy, radiotherapy and other standard therapies with other holistic approaches.

This was highlighted by speakers at an international seminar on Complementary Therapies in Cancer Management on the occasion of World Cancer Day in Hyderabad on Tuesday, February 4. The seminar was organised by AM (Alternative Medicine) Charitable Trust.

Inaugurating the seminar, Dr Rammohan Rao, Governor of Tamil Nadu, said since there was no scientific proof for its efficacy, the alternative medicine like ayurveda, siddha, homoeopathy and unani was considered as a gamble. But these systems had proved their usefulness from time immemorial in practice and even now people looked to these systems as a last hope.

Commenting on a book, The Joy of Cancer, written by a cancer patient, the Governor said the acceptance of the disease by the patient was very important. He should develop a positive attitude and adopt a proper line of treatment. He said the seminar was timely and hoped that it would bring to public knowledge the latest inventions and trends in alternative therapy.

Dr. Kakarla Subba Rao, Director and Vice-Chancellor of NIMS, said more than 60-70 per cent cancers could be prevented provided proper precautions were taken and appropriate measures were instituted. He said awareness of cancer and prevention by adopting hygienic methods should be focused upon. In medicine, ¡¥treating the cause was cure¡¦ and so also taking care of the causative factors in prevention were most important. He also stressed the importance of combination therapies in controlling cancer.

Since allopathy had no foolproof cure for the disease, traditional practices like yoga, ayurveda, unani and other systems of medicine should complement the modern medicine, he observed.

Dr. H R Nagendra, Director and Vice-Chancellor, University of Vivekananda Yoga Vidya Mahapeetham, Bangalore, advocated the use of yoga therapy as a psychotherapeutic intervention in reducing psychological morbidity, treatment toxicity and improving quality of life and anti-tumour immune responses in breast cancer patients undergoing conventional treatment for cancer. The use of yoga therapy as an adjuvant is augmenting the missing dimensions of treatment at the level of prana, mind, emotions and intellect.

Among the speakers who addressed the seminar were: Dr. Praful Desai, Professor Emeritus, Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, talked on “Cancer, a challenge in New Millennium¡”, Dr. Ramesh Nimmagadda, Head of Oncology Dept, Apollo Cancer Centre, Chennai, on “What is New in Diagnosis& Management of Cancer”, and Dr. Nalini Rao, Director, Bangalore Institute of Oncology, on “Improving Quality of Life of Cancer Patients Communication Skills.”

AM Charitable Trust was formed in March 1998 to explore the possibility of solutions to cancer using combination therapies (alternative therapies in combination with conventional therapies such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery as adjuvant therapies) or a combination of alternative therapies only. According to K S Madhavan, Managing Trustee, AMCT and Chairman Shingo Institute of Japanese Management, Hyderabad.