Hospital Sends Home Brain Cancer Victim

In treating people coping with cancer, homeopathic physicians often aim to stimulate immunity, lessen pain, and improve energy and overall wellbeing. Homeopathic remedies are also used to address the side effects of conventional cancer treatment, such as nausea, hot flashes, infections, and sores.

Those interested in complementing cancer care with homeopathy should first consult their oncologist about any potential health risks.

Research

Although there’s a lack of clinical trials on homeopathy and cancer, a pair of studies published in 2006 explored homeopathy’s effects on cancer growth. In one report, researchers found that homeopathic remedies appeared to slow the progression of cancer and reduce cancer incidence in rats injected with prostate cancer cells. However, the second study showed that homeopathic remedies failed to inhibit the growth of prostate and breast cancer cells.

Given this lack of evidence on the use of homeopathic remedies in people with cancer, it’s critical not to attempt to self-treat cancer with homeopathy.

In a research review published in 2009, scientists sized up eight studies on the use of homeopathic remedies in treatment of cancer-treatment-related side effects. One study showed that an ointment made of calendula (a flower said to possess skin-healing properties) relieved skin irritation resulting from radiation, while another report suggested that Traumeel® S (a mouth rinse containing several homeopathic medicines) may alleviate mouth sores caused by chemotherapy. However, the review’s authors also found that homeopathic remedies had no benefit over placebo in several of the other studies.