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Alternative Treatments for Malignant Melanoma

Malignant melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer, according to the National Cancer Institute (NCI). The institute estimates that nearly 54,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma each year. Although melanoma is diagnosed most often on the skin, it also can affect other tissue that is pigmented. Many melanoma patients resort to alternative modes of treatment although there is little or no scientific evidence of their effectiveness, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

  1. Alternative Therapies

    • Like millions of others, you may be somewhat confused about the meaning and nature of complementary and alternative therapies. The former, according to the ACS, are modes of treatment, such as massage, diet therapy and acupuncture, which are used in combination with mainstream medical treatments to fight your cancer. In contrast, alternative therapies are used in place of conventional medical treatment.

    Mainstream Views

    • Increasingly, mainstream medical practitioners are embracing the use of many complementary medical treatments to supplement conventional therapies, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation, that are used to fight your cancer. However, they are almost unanimous in their opposition to the use of some of these same therapies as the exclusive means of treatment for serious illnesses, of which cancer is a prime example.

    Gerson Therapy

    • Introduced in the 1930s by Dr. Max B. Gerson as a treatment for migraine, the Gerson therapy is a three-part alternative treatment program that relies on diet, supplementation and detoxification to fight cancer and other illnesses, according to the NCI. The therapy calls for you to drink 13 glasses of juice from organic fruits and/or vegetables daily and to eat a vegetarian diet limited to organically grown fruits, vegetables and whole grains. You must take a number of daily dietary supplements, including potassium; CoQ10 injected with vitamin B-12; flaxseed oil; vitamins A, B-3 and C; pepsin; pancreatic enzymes; and Lugol’s solution, a mixture of iodine, water and potassium iodide. You also must take coffee or chamomile enemas to detoxify the body.

    Cartilage Therapy

    • This alternative treatment uses cartilage from cattle or sharks to slow down the spread of cancer cells and to bolster your immune system in order to fight cancer, according to the NCI. Powdered cartilage or cartilage extract is given to patients orally, injected under the skin, applied to the skin or introduced via enema. Early studies indicate that this treatment may have some value, according to the NCI.

    Herbal Teas

    • Also used to battle melanoma and other cancers, according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, are herbal teas, such as Essiac and Flor*Essence. The NCI points out, however, that there is no scientific evidence that drinking these teas will cure your cancer. Essiac is a compound of burdock root, Indian rhubarb root, sheep sorrel and slippery elm, while Flor*Essence contains those four herbs plus watercress, blessed thistle, red clover and kelp.

    CoQ10

    • Also touted as an alternative therapy for melanoma is CoQ10, an enzyme that is said to boost your immune response, thus helping your body to fight off the effects of cancer. It generally is taken orally and has shown some promise as a complementary therapy for cancer treatment, according to the NCI.

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