Whilst orthodox medicine has much to offer in the field of cancer treatment, there are huge numbers for whom mainstream approaches such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy are either not a viable option, or simply one that they do not wish to pursue. For these people there are a wide range of alternative treatments, some from other medical traditions, some very new developments, and some that are well established. European neighbours such as Germany and Switzerland have well established centres providing a broad, integrated approach that includes what we would term 'alternative' treatments. Huge numbers of cancer patients have received significant benefits from the best of these treatments.
Furthermore, there are many complementary therapies that can be used alongside conventional treatment - in what is called an 'integrated' approach - to support the immune sytem, to minimise side effects and protect organ damage from conventional treatment, to enhance the effectiveness of conventional treatment, and to increase overall wellbeing.
It is exceptionally difficult to obtain balanced information or advice to assist in making choices in this area, and all of these alternatives are difficult to obtain in the UK, despite the extremely variable results with orthodox methods.
Yes To Life Aims To:
- Improve access to, and acceptance of, alternative cancer treatments within the UK.
- Provide a point of contact for support.
- Promote an integrated approach to cancer care within the NHS.
- Provide information on alternative and complementary treatments, practitioners and suppliers.
To achieve this we are:
- Developing plans for direct provision of alternative cancer treatments within the UK.
- Developing a comprehensive 'one stop' web service to provide high quality information and to establish a live forum for sharing of information and treatment results.
- Working with the NHS to promote access to information, advice and support for alternative treatments.
