Managing Cancer with Ayurveda

The Ayurvedic Perspective
The word ‘cancer’ may be new to the 5,000 year old Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda, which relies on natural substances for healing. But ancient Ayurvedic classics are aware of the clinical features, resembling cancer, with the names such as Apachi, Gulma, Granthi, and Arbuda. Following are names of some of the conditions mentioned in Ayurvedic classics that have relevance to cancer manifestations in modern medicine.

Modern Manifestations of Clinical Features Described in Ayurvedic Texts
Manifestations in Ayurveda	Manifestations in Modern Medicine
Charmakeel	Keloid
Pandu	Leukaemia
Apachi	Hodgkin's Disease
Stanarbuda/Agantuja Stanaroga	Breast Cancer
Raktagulma	Tumours of Uterus / Ovary
Rakta, Mamsaja, Medoja, Oshta Roga	Carcinoma of Lips
Kachchapa, Raktarbuda, Mamsa Sanghata	Carcinoma Palate
Swarabhanga	Tumours of Larynx
Raktapitta, Pandu	Various Type of Leukemia

Knowing More about Cancer
Cancer has largely remained incurable due to its complexity and its ability to spread rapidly and uncontrollably. It is a condition in which our own body cells turn hostile. Let us elaborate on the occurrence of cancer in human beings.

Cell division in the form of mitosis is an essential continuous process in our body that keeps the cells reproducing. Through cell division a mature cell divides itself into two daughter cells. This is responsible for keeping our constituent body parts alive and healthy. A daughter cell, thus produced, must be an exact replica of its mother. In case of an error in the duplication at the genetic level, the daughter cells might become mutated or modified. These mutated cells start duplicating themselves in an abnormal way, often giving rise to a situation where extra tissue is formed, which is antagonistic to the rest of the body cells. We call this disease cancer.

Sometimes, in worse situations, the mutations are such that they are carried away to another similar body organ located at a different place inside the body through the lymph fluid. This type of mutant cell is then said to exhibit ‘metastasis’. For example, in the case of metastatic renal cell carcinoma, mutant cells in the kidney can move to the lungs and then to the bone. Here, the patient might show symptoms of cancer of the kidney, lungs and bones.

Cancer usually spreads very fast and a patient can meet death in less than 6 months. Therefore, remedial measures need to be undertaken as soon as cancer is detected in the body.

Various remedies available for cancer either try to put a check on the duplicating process of the mutant cells at genetic level or kill the entire collection of affected cells. The process, whether done chemically or through radiation, always runs the risk of affecting the neighbouring normal cells. Further, there are always significant side effects involved, which include hair loss, skin rashes, body pain, loss of body weight, weakness and debility, loss of appetite, diarrhea, bleeding, impotence, etc.

Usually, when patients reach the final or terminal stage, doctors stop all remedies and ask patients to leave hospital for home. Patients then die a slow, miserable and painful death.

What Ayurveda Can Do
The excruciating experience of dying cancer patients can be ameliorated by making use of Ayurvedic principles. Ayurveda can be helpful in the management of cancer in many ways such as—prophylactic, palliative, curative and supportive. Ayurvedic medicines help to improve the quality of life of the patients as listed below:

1. Ayurvedic preparations can act as an adjuvant or a co-therapy along with chemotherapy or radiotherapy. It is also helpful in post-surgery care.

2. Ayurvedic medicines help to minimise the side effects of these therapies.

3. Ayurveda helps in reducing the therapeutic doze of the various drugs used as proved in some studies using cow urine.

4. They can be helpful in targeting the specific tissues as shown in some allopathic studies on nano-particles of gold.

5. Ayurvedic preparations help to slow the progress of cancer in cases where chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery is contra-indicated, due to some reasons and patients have no other choice.

6. Some Ayurvedic preparations can fight against tumours.

7. The cell-protective activity of drugs prescribed in Rasayana therapy helps to improve comfort and the quality of life of individuals with cancer.

Let me describe some of the above benefits of Ayurvedic drugs in cancer patients.

1. As an Adjuvant or Co-therapy Along With Chemotherapy or Radiation therapy:
   
   Chemotherapy is the first and significant medical modality of cancer remedy, which involves the introduction of strong chemicals. These chemicals target the fast-multiplying mutant cells. However, the toxicity they cause to normal tissues of the body proves as an obstacle.
   
   The use of antioxidants during chemotherapy enhances therapy by reducing the generation of aldehydes. Natural drugs, which are used as Rasayanas in Ayurveda, have also been proved to have antioxidant properties.
   
   

   Most commonly, all the drugs which are used in Rasayana therapy have the ability to reduce the three doshas or imbalances related to vaata, pitta and kapha. The most commonly prescribed Rasayana drugs are Triphala (Terminalia Chebula,

   Embellica officinale, and Terminalia ballarica), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifoia) and Punarnava (Bohhervia diffusa). According to clinical studies, such drugs have shown very impressive effects on protecting body from the side effects (of chemo and radio therapies) like alopecia, nausea, constipation, anorexia and vomiting. The patients who receive Ayurvedic treatment along with chemotherapy have shown more regularity in maintaining the chemotherapy cycles as the hematological levels can be maintained up to a normal state. More than 50 research studies on cancer carried out at various post-graduate institutes, have shown that Ayurvedic preparations are very effective as chemo-preventive and radio-preventive agents.
   

   
   Interestingly, Snehana, i.e., intake of various medicated oil preparations in a classical way a week or 10 days prior to the start of chemotherapy or radiotherapy, has been found to reduce the toxic effects of such therapies.

2. As Agents to Slower the Progress of Cancer:
   There are many circumstances where chemotherapy, radiotherapy or surgery is contra-indicated or not prescribed. The reasons may include age factor, body resistance, severe side effects, location, etc. Such patients usually come to an Ayurvedic practitioner. Interestingly, the response of these patients to Ayurvedic treatments is very inspiring. Here, I would like to talk about a few cases where the patients underwent a positive experience.
   
   Atul was suffering from rectal cancer. He had a plethora of symptoms that made his life a living hell, including bleeding from the rectum, severe constipation, disturbed sleep, weight loss, constant tiredness, and occasional vomiting. Doctors estimated that he would die within 4-6 weeks. He came to us as a last-ditch attempt to see if there was anything Ayurveda could do to help him. We treated him with a special enema (Anuvaasana Basti) using the herb Ashwagandha Tailam. The results were excellent. The treatment reduced all his symptoms significantly, and enabled him to get sound rest. Atul surprised the other doctors by surviving for 6 months, but more importantly, his quality of life during his last months was remarkably better.
   

   
   A similar case occurred with Philip, who had Lung Cancer (Squamous Cell Carcinoma). This patient was suffering from severe weight loss, daily hemoptysis, and pain, radiating from the right arm. His ultrasound image showed metastatic changes in the liver. The allopathic doctors said that he would live no longer than 5–6 months, and the toxic effects of his treatment ensured that his remaining time would be spent in pain and misery. When Philip approached us, we prescribed drugs such as Aampachana vati, Sitopladi churan, Samir pannaga rasa, etc. He responded to them very well and the frequency of hemoptysis reduced to only once in a week. Not only that, he gained an additional 5 kg weight. With the help of Ayurvedic treatment, we were able to drastically reduce his pain and symptoms, and extend his life for over two years!
    

3. As Anti-Tumour Drugs:
   

   The Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow, India, started a programme in 1964 for screening plant extracts that showed activity towards cancer cells. CDRI has since then found out about 70 plants that show anti-cancer activity. Certain common ingredients in Ayurvedic medicines such as Ginger (Ardraka, Tagar, Antamoola, Bala, Sapotaparna, Shallaki) have been reported for their specific anti-tumour activities by various researchers.
   

    

4.  As Agents Performing Cell-protective Activity:
   There are many herbs which protect cells from toxic effects.
   Blood transfusions at regular intervals cause chronic iron overload in the body, which ultimately leads to many hazardous effects such as cirrhosis of the liver and even cardiac problems in cancer patients. In a study using two polyherbal compounds, the test drugs showed remarkable cell protection against toxicity. Such drugs are also useful for cell protection against detrimental effects of chemotherapy or radiation therapy.

Use of Ayurveda in the Treatment of Cancer
Every plant contains thousands of alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, terpenoids and other molecules with bioactivity. Ayurvedic preparations consist of extracts from many different plants. The presence of such a wide variety of ligands (charged or uncharged molecules) suggests that the preparation may be acting on a wide variety of tissues through a number of different mechanisms. Ayurvedic doctors prescribing drugs as a whole instead of specific derivatives have, therefore, gained success in treating cancer to some extent.

There are many important polyherbal and herbo-mineral compounds that have proven useful in curing various types of cancer at different stages.

Realising the Potential of Ayurveda

Conventional medicines are associated with a number of side effects. They do provide short-term relief but more often than not cause deleterious consequences. Ayurvedic medicines here can act as adjuvants to conventional medicines and therapies and reduce the associated side effects of the patients to add life to years.

Ayurvedic medicines build and restore the body’s immune system, and as such are well-suited for cancer patients. Ayurveda not only cures cancer but also drastically improves the quality of life in case of terminal stages. As a result, the patient is able to spend his last days in comparatively less pain amidst friends and relatives. In short, Ayurveda is useful in order to both—add years to life, and to add life to years!

Combining traditional Ayurvedic healthcare knowledge with conventional systems can help build a comprehensive health care setup and formidable defence against cancer. Our ancient legacy of natural medicine in the form of Ayurveda offers a multi-pronged approach to combat the deadly disease, cancer. The disease can be prevented and the bud can be nipped early if we lead a healthy lifestyle based on Ayurvedic principles. With sincere efforts and a multidisciplinary approach of devoted Ayurvedic physicians, oncologists, surgeons, pharmacologist and experimental biologists, an appropriate solution for the prevention and cure of cancer is not far away in the recent future.

Glossary

Aldehydes: Any of a class of highly reactive organic chemical compounds obtained by oxidation of primary alcohols, characterised by the common group CHO, and used in the manufacture of resins, dyes, and organic acids.

Hemoptysis: The expectoration of blood or bloody mucus from mouth and nose. Xerostomia: Dryness of the mouth caused by diminished function of the salivary glands due to aging, disease, drug reaction, etc.

Alkaloids: Any of various organic compounds normally with basic chemical properties occurring chiefly in many vascular plants and some fungi. Many alkaloids, such as nicotine, quinine, cocaine, and morphine, are known for their poisonous or medicinal attributes.

Flavonoids: Any of a large group of water-soluble plant pigments, including the anthocyanins that are beneficial to health.

Terpenoids: A large and diverse class of naturally-occurring organic chemicals similar to terpenes, derived from plants used extensively for their aromatic qualities.

Prognosis: A forecasting of the probable course and outcome of a disease, especially of the chances of recovery.

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