This post is from Guest Blogger Taylor Dardan, you can reach him at dailydardan at gmail.com

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In recent years, there has been an increasing swing in the use of alternate and natural forms of cancer treatments, as opposed to the use of chemotherapy. This brings up a rather time old comparison of the traditional vs. alternative formats, in regards to treatment.  While chemotherapy has a proven track record in being successful, some holistic treatment has recently been proven successful, specifically with a few notable mesothelioma patients. 

Although chemo is often sometimes viewed in a negative light from outsiders, survivors of the treatment are often steadfast in their support of it. For the most part, it has a proven track record of helping many people survive cancer. Chemotherapy also provides some options wherein patients’ dosage can be altered for the desired effect, as well as usually being an outpatient procedure. It can also be applied in a number of different fashions, including creams, pills, and infusion.  Chemo is also flexible in the way that it can be used as a complimentary type of treatment.

As mentioned earlier, there have been some recent examples of the use of natural treatment in a rather positive light, specifically as complementary treatment through the use of supplements, herbs, rest, and a nutritious diet. This includes the consumption of organic fruits, vegetables, and natural juices.  The necessity and importance of a positive mental state within the approach is also important.  There are some excellent stories of survival with this type of treatment.

One great example of the natural treatment path working well is with mesothelioma survivor Paul Kraus. Kraus was diagnosed with this disease in 1997 and is still surviving today. This is a type of cancer in the lungs that has extremely severe life expectancy of a year and it’s also known for being a major litigation topic, as mesothelioma lawsuits have given a number of patient’s resources to pay their hospital bills. Paul Kraus used an alternative and complementary treatment strategy such as mediation, a daily vitamin regimen, nutrition, and spirituality as his driving forces to survive.

Chemo has a good track record of destroying harmful cells and diminishing tumors, while a holistic approach has been adopted by many as a complementary form of treatment. While these are usually two separate schools of opinion, there are certainly doctors and patients that are fusing traditional chemotherapy with some parts of the holistic approach, especially in the use of supplements in helping combat the side effects of chemo.