Bladder Cancer and its Alternative Treatments

Bladder cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer in the UK. However, it is markedly more common in men (where it is the fourth most common cancer) than in women (where it is the tenth most common cancer) according to Cancer UK. In the UK, over 10,000 people are diagnosed each year with bladder cancer, meaning we are constantly searching for new and improved methods of fighting this devastating disease.

The most common type of bladder cancer is known as transitional cell carcinoma (TCC), but there are many different types, including superficial bladder cancer, invasive bladder cancer, squamous cell bladder cancer and numerous others which are even more rare.

The Causes

There are a number of factors which are thought to aid the development and spread of bladder cancer, some of which we can avoid to decrease the likelihood of developing it. The most obvious of these is smoking, which has a negative impact on all cancers. However, bladder stones, a diet low in fruits and an early menopause in women can all lead to the condition.

It is sometimes possible to get bladder cancer from the after effects of treatments for other cancer, whereby radiotherapy can have a particularly negative effect. And the chemotherapy drug cyclophosphamide can also lead to the development of bladder cancer in rare cases. So, although we may try to lead a healthy lifestyle, bladder cancer can affect us all.

Symptoms

The most common symptom by far is the discovery of blood in the urine. This might be invisible to the eye and only reveal itself in tests, but it is thought that most bladder cancer sufferers have suffered from this symptom at some point.

Pain during urination, a sudden need to urinate, the need to urinate frequently and lower back pain are also common symptoms. However, these are also symptoms for far less serious conditions, so although we should never worry too much, we should always get it checked out by a doctor.

Standard Treatments

Superficial bladder tumors can be removed quite easily through surgery, but these types of tumor are the most likely to return. A common course of treatment involves six to eight weeks of chemotherapy treatment, which has varying degrees of success. Surprisingly, the BCG vaccine has also shown some success the treating of superficial cancers.

Invasive tumours are far worse to deal with, and will often involve treatments in surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy, and sometimes even a combination of all three. This is not a particularly pleasant type of treatment and the success rate is low when the cancer is more advanced.

Alternative Treatments

There are many alternative treatments for bladder cancer available now, which many of us prefer as they are far less invasive and have also been proven to have a higher success rate.

One of the most common alternative therapies is bio-photonic light therapy, whereby cells are energized by UV rays using a special machine, the idea being that through increasing the energy of individual cells they are more able to fight back against the cancer and the free radicals, which can work alongside other treatments to lead to positive results.

This can also be used alongside other forms of treatment for the best results, such as emotional freedom techniques (EFT). These can involve emotional re-mapping, whereby the negative effects resulting from past trauma are dealt with through therapy and various programmes revolving around emotional release. One of these involves sitting in a specially-designed chair and listening to soothing music amongst other activities, regular sessions of which will correct the chemistry of the brain which has gone awry.

The theory behind this is that highly stressful and traumatic experiences can often be behind the onset of cancer, and reversing the process and dealing with the trauma is a beneficial method of fighting the disease.

High body temperature therapy is another common alternative therapy that involves using an infra red sauna to generate sweat that is packed full of toxins, as opposed to standard sweat that has a higher percentage of water. Essentially, this is focused on the creation of an artificial fever which can dramatically affect the cancerous cells as it will enhance the power of the white blood cells.

Herbal blends can also be used in combination with the other alternative treatments, with such chemicals as plumbagin being proven to produce dramatic results. This can be used in combination with a wide variety of beneficial herbs and supplements to lead to the most effective treatments available for the treatment of bladder cancer.

Bladder cancer is a terrible disease that is often hard to treat using conventional methods. As such, we can employ the use of various natural and alternative therapies to not only provide a more pleasant and less invasive experience, but to also witness the possibility of dramatic results.

The Mariposas Clinic Spain is a wellness Center in Spain and cancer clinic based on the Costa del Sol Spain and can provide a wide range of alternative and natural treatments for Cancer and other serious illnesses including alternative treatments for bladder cancer. Please visit the site for further information.