Alternatives to Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is often a patient's first choice in their battle to cure cancer. But sometimes it is not effective at all, or even if it is effective, the patient is left so sick and miserable that they often wonder if there is a chemotherapy alternative. There have been many suggested cures over the years, ranging from hypnosis to prayer rituals. Some have been shown to be effective, some not so much.

Coley's Toxins

• Coley's Toxins, named for Dr. William Coley, an early 20th century cancer researcher, is a method of curing cancer in which the doctor gets the patient sick, usually with a high fever. Despite sounding implausible, this treatment may be a viable chemotherapy alternative. It met with great success by Dr. William Coley, who claimed to have cured many patients with it. Despite this, the treatment has never been subjected to clinical trials, and fell out of favor with the rise of chemotherapy. Only now are researchers and drug companies looking to revive it.

Macrobiotic Diet

• A macrobiotic diet is believed by some to cure cancer, or to increase longevity in people who have cancer. A macrobiotic diet is a diet that is rich in whole grains, vegetables and beans, and supplemented with lean meats. People on a macrobiotic diet are urged to stay away from fast foods, and highly processed foods. It is well established that this type of diet reduces the possibility of getting cancer, but there are very few clinical trials to suggest that it can actually cure cancer.

Vitamin C Megadosage

• A vitamin C megadose is exactly what it sounds like, an overly large dose of vitamin C. It has long been thought that humans may not get enough vitamin C, and in 1976 the Scottish doctor Evan Cameron suggested that such a megadose might cure cancer. There have been several clinical trials suggesting it may be a vial alternative to chemotherapy. In one trial, it reduced tumor growth by an average of 53 percent.