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Alternative Mesothelioma Treatment Options

When medical care is not enough

The sad truth is that medical science has not yet developed treatments that can reliably cure mesothelioma. At best, immediate surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation may contain the disease when it is diagnosed at a very early stage of development. In the overwhelming majority of cases, however, mesothelioma leads to death in a few years or less, no matter how much medical care is mobilized to fight it.

The limitations of medicine to effectively treat mesothelioma have prompted both ongoing medical research and alternative non-medical mesothelioma treatment options. To date, there is only anecdotal evidence of the effectiveness of alternative mesothelioma treatment options. Nonetheless, they do provide some hope for mesothelioma patients and may be used to supplement medical mesothelioma therapy treatments.

Non-medical mesothelioma treatment options

Theoretically, alternative mesothelioma treatment options use the body’s own immune system to fight the malignancy’s development. Some patients who live longer than expected report using a combination of medical and non-medical treatments to stimulate their immune systems. Non-medical treatments alone are usually advised only for those who know they have been exposed to asbestos and want to take action to avoid getting mesothelioma.

Most alternative mesothelioma treatment options involve dietary changes and the taking of herbal and other supplements. This approach is based on the understanding that asbestos fibers lodged in the body are irritants that will overcome the body’s defenses, causing inflammation and growth of mesothelioma tumors.  Among the foods and supplements recommended are:

  • Organically grown and vine-ripened whole foods
  • High-fiber foods
  • Oatmeal
  • Zinc
  • Selenium
  • Citric acid
  • Sodium bicarbonate

Hope for help from aspirin

Results from a recent study at the Hawai’i Cancer Research Center funded by Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI), show that asbestos in the body results in inflammation that over many years leads to mesothelioma.  The doctors who are conducting the research think it may be possible to slow the growth of mesothelioma tumors.

“I am very hopeful about this discovery. Now that we know that the chronic inflammation caused by asbestos drives tumor growth, we can test different medicines that can suppress inflammation. Aspirin was shown to decrease the incidence of colon cancer, a tumor that like mesothelioma, is associated with chronic inflammation,” says Michele Carbone, MD one of the doctors who conducted the study.

Dr. Carbone is conducting a study in Turkey to which will help determine if aspirin can decrease the incidence of mesothelioma or if more other therapies are needed.

Pain relief

When medicine is unable to provide adequate relief from mesothelioma symptoms, some patients turn to alternative mesothelioma treatments to supplement medical care. Treatments that may prove effective in controlling mesothelioma pain include:

Proceed cautiously

Non-medical mesothelioma treatment options have not been studied rigorously and are not part of medical school curriculums. Valuable time can be wasted trusting these therapies to the exclusion of medical treatment. Mesothelioma is most effectively treated early and aggressively. Patients who use diet changes and supplements in conjunction with medical care should discuss everything they do and talk with their doctors to avoid negative interactions and achieve optimal care.