No one likes to think they could become the victim of a cancer diagnosis. However, it is a fact that roughly 1.9 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer each year. It comes in many forms and with many potential prognosis’, but it is always scary to learn that you have cancer. It is particularly disturbing to learn that you might have stomach cancer because it can be deadly if not discovered and treated early. In its most advanced stages, only about 20% of patients survive past the five-year mark. However, a stomach cancer diagnosis made early enough can be something that the patient battles back against. First, though, let’s take a look at what stomach cancer is and what some of the signs are that you might have it.
What is Stomach Cancer?
The University of Illinois Health Department paints a vivid picture of what stomach cancer is:
Stomach cancer — also called gastric cancer — occurs when cancerous cells begin to grow in the lining of the stomach. The stomach wall has multiple layers, including the serosal layer, the muscularis propria, and the mucosal layer. The mucosal layer is the innermost layer, and where malignant or cancerous cells begin to grow. The malignant cells then spread outward.
This means that cancerous cells can begin to grow in the lining of your stomach at virtually any time. It is a dangerous thing because most of us don’t necessarily spend a lot of time thinking about the lining of our stomach or our gastrointestinal health. However, maybe it is time that we all begin to rethink our lack of concern for this part of our body. After all, early detection of any form of cancer gives us the best hope of fighting back against it.
Signs That You May Have Stomach Cancer
Every patient is unique, and it is impossible to make blanket statements about the signs and symptoms that a patient will experience if they have stomach cancer. All we know is that certain signs are commonly experienced by those with stomach cancer. Some of these symptoms include the following:
- Poor appetite
- Uncontrolled weight loss
- Heartburn
- Feeling full after only eating a small meal
- Blood in your stool
- Feeling excessively weak or tired
- Swelling or fluid buildup in the abdomen
- Stomach pain
- Gastric ulcer
- Nausea
These symptoms and others may manifest in a patient in the early stomach cancer stages. Again, it is not a guarantee that they will, and not every patient will experience all of the same symptoms. However, these are all potential warning signs that should not be brushed off. If you experience these early stomach cancer symptoms, it is best to speak with your doctor right away about possible next steps to take to keep yourself safe. Your doctor can run tests and diagnosis you with whatever they can find is happening to your body from a scientific point of view.
Natural Treatment Options for Stomach Cancer
Western and traditional medicinal practices have provided our society with wonderful advances in health outcomes and life expectancy, but they are not the end all be all of medicine. Rather, many people prefer to take a multi-pronged approach to deal with something as heavy as stomach cancer. Thus, they seek out natural or alternative treatment options alongside traditional methods.
Today, we want to spend extra time looking at the natural treatments that one might consider for themselves as they contend with stomach cancer.
Herbal Treatments Show Promise
The use of various herbs to aid in the healing and treatment process is something that communities have used for thousands of years. Yet, for some reason they don’t always get the respect that they deserve within the modern medical community. However, this is beginning to change as more and more tests are conducted on how herbs may be used as a treatment alternative. A report from the National Library of Medicine states that there were 13 clinical trials conducted showing that respondents taking herbal treatment along with chemotherapy had a much higher survival rate than respondents that solely relied on chemotherapy.
There is already evidence that the following herbs and supplements may provide strong anti-inflammatory benefits for one’s GI system:
- Ginseng
- Fiber
- Garlic
- Grape Seed
- Green Tea
- Vitamin B9
The use of these for their anti-inflammatory properties alone makes a lot of sense to most people, and it gets even better when they understand that it is also possible that such herbs and supplements may lead to the prevention or reduction of stomach cancer. More research is still necessary, but there are hopeful signs that these herbs and supplements may be useful for combating stomach cancer.
Routine Exercise
Regular exercise is good for your body as you work on combating cancer or any other ailment you face. It helps reduce stress levels in your body, and it is good for your muscles as well. Getting out and exercising does take some discipline on the part of the patient, but it provides so many wonderful upsides as well.
Some research shows that regular exercise may help cancer patients live longer than they otherwise might have. It is believed that exercise bolsters the immune system, and the immune system is used to fight off illness of all kinds within the body. Thus, it makes sense that people might turn to exercise as a supplemental treatment option for their stomach cancer diagnosis.
Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy
Increasing the amount of oxygen in one’s bloodstream may be an effective way of killing off cancer cells that are accustomed to a less oxygenized environment.
With hyperbaric oxygen therapy cancer treatment, the patient will breathe in pure 100% oxygen for a short period of time. They do so in a hyperbaric chamber where they are subjected to increased pressure. This is intended to make it easier for oxygen to flow throughout the bloodstream. When it does, the hope is that the increased oxygen will make it easier to kill off cancer cells that have made their way into the patient’s body.
Laser Cancer Therapy
The power of lasers is well-known and well-documented in the medical community. They are already used for procedures such as LASIK eye surgery. Now, patients can choose to go for laser cancer therapy as well.
The lasers used in laser cancer treatment are so powerful that they are said to be able to cut through the cancerous tissue that is within the body. It is commonly the case that surgeons will use lasers during surgery procedures because lasers are more precise in their cutting abilities than are other blunt instruments.
For the laser cancer care that we offer, three different types of lasers are used. They include:
- Carbon Dioxide Lasers – These are used to remove cancer at the skin’s surface when possible. They cut the least deep of all of the lasers that we use, but they can still be an effective tool in the fight.
- Argon Lasers – This laser is similar to the CO2 laser in that it is best used to go after things like skin cancer and other surface-level cancers that one might be dealing with.
- YAG Lasers – This type of laser can penetrate deep into the cancerous tissues and destroy the cancer that is within you. It is an extremely effective way of getting rid of some of the cancer issues that you might be experiencing.
Rife Machine Therapy
This machine is named after the American doctor who invented it, Dr. Rife. The usefulness of Rife Machine Therapy is in the electromagnetic waves generated throughout the patient’s body. These are low-level electromagnetic waves that are meant to enter the body and target areas where cancer cells are forming.
The theory behind this rife machine treatment for cancer is that cancer cells may emit certain frequencies that can best be combated by using electromagnetic waves that are set to another frequency. The idea is that when those frequencies meet, they cancel each other out, and the cancer cells are destroyed. Again, this is just a theory, but it has some scientifically-minded people standing behind it.
Dr. Rife believed that this therapy could be used to shrink cancerous tumors within patients.
Appreciating a Holistic Approach
Many of the treatment options mentioned here today may be new to you. It is very likely that you have not heard of them before, and you might have many questions about how these treatments work. It is perfectly understandable and commendable that you want to learn more.
At Immunity Therapy Center, we stand by the work that we do with cancer patients. It is our firm belief that providing them with a host of options for going after their cancer is the best way that we can serve the community. After all, not everyone responds perfectly to traditional treatment methods, and we believe in offering those individuals all of the alternative options that we can.
It is not clear what will work for a given cancer patient and what won’t. It often takes a considerable amount of time and trial and error to sort all of that out. However, cancer patients don’t always have as much time as they would like to. Given that fact, we believe in accepting a holistic approach to treatment and literally throwing everything we can at cancer until it is defeated. If that sounds like what you believe in as well, then we look forward to offering you any of our various alternative treatment options.
Written By: Dr. Adolfo Carrillo
Dr. Adolfo Carrillo is a Board Certified Medical Doctor from Universidad Autónoma de Baja California.
Dr. Carrillo has been collaborating with Dr. Bautista for over 5 years as a treating physician at the Immunity the Immunity Therapy Center. Dr. Carrillo is a charismatic Doctor whose knowledge and commitment to patient care and bringing healing to patients is a valuable asset to our center.
At Immunity Therapy Center, our goal is to provide objective, updated, and research-based information on all health-related topics. This article is based on scientific research and/or other scientific articles. All information has been fact-checked and reviewed by Dr. Carlos Bautista, a Board Certified Medical Doctor at Immunity Therapy Center. All information published on the site must undergo an extensive review process to ensure accuracy. This article contains trusted sources with all references hyperlinked for the reader's visibility.