There are some basic things you should know about cancer and your body so that you can develop the approach that works best for you. The majority of cancers are caused by environmental and/or preventable influences. There is a small percentage that is linked to genetics. That doesn’t mean that you inherited cancer from a parent or grandparent, however. What it means is that something is wrong somewhere in the DNA that you inherited and the genes that it affects aren’t programmed to contribute to disease fighting the same way as if they naturally should be. There’s a huge scientific exploration effort underway to try to understand this. But here’s a little surprise.

We all have cancer. Or rather, we all have cancer cells in our body. They exist naturally and when our immune systems are healthy, the cancer cells are kept from multiplying and spreading. When something happens to cause our immune systems to become unhealthy, diseases such as cancer have an opportunity to run their natural course. Cancer tumors are usually formed in the areas of the body which normally host active growth processes, such as the skin and membranes, the glandular organs, such as the liver and pancreas or the glands of the stomach and intestinal tract. But first and foremost, you need to know that cancer can be beaten with a good balance of mental/emotional, physical wellness, and diet/nutrition.

There are two general medical approaches to treating cancer. One approach, which is typically associated with North American medical practices, focuses on treating the symptoms through invasive and destructive practices. The other approach, usually associated with many European and Eastern medical practices, focuses on treating the causes through more holistic practices. When considering what line of cancer treatment is right, you should be aware of all the options available.

More often than not, cancer patients are led down the conventional medical practice path of some combination of surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, or immunotherapy without being aware that there are alternative treatments that might also have positive impacts in their fight against cancer. Most doctors, who are products of a well-established education system, are quick to dismiss alternative cancer treatments that they don’t understand in favor of those practices that they were taught. A bit of research into the statistics around survival rates show the chances of complete remission in less than 7% of people who have undergone conventional treatments recommended by their doctors. Or put another way, 93% experience some sort of cancer recurrence or don’t live past 5 years after the treatments. That alone should make you want to find out if there is anything you can do to not become a conventional cancer treatment “statistic”.

You should be aware right up front that while many of the alternative treatments are based in natural food sources and physical and mental wellness practices, and accepted by many medical jurisdictions around the world, they are typically denounced by the North American medical establishment. In fact the use of non-natural, invasive and destructive treatments for cancer such is actually protected in law in some countries, particularly in the United States. Many consider these laws to have been put in place to protect the financial interests of the pharmaceutical and medical communities.

This isn’t too hard to believe when you consider that there has been hundreds of billions of dollars spent over the years on research and treatment of cancer without a “cure” yet being available. Just ask yourself, what would happen to all the large profit-driven pharmaceutical, medical supply, and research companies if the cure to cancer were found in something that exists in nature that you can pick off a tree or dig out of the ground; something that exists in nature that can’t be patented or sold for profit because you can grow it in your own back yard?

But before we go into any detail on the alternative cancer treatments, let's spend a bit of time on the next few articles understanding exactly what cancer is, and more specifically how the body deals with it. The human body and its immune system are an amazing thing. Read and learn...