Alternative medicine

I'm sorry your cancer is progressing. Unfortunately if alternative treatments were really effective, we would all be standing in line and it wouldn't be an alternative! But I have heard that the Chinese medicine from a reputable source has shown positive effects for some folks for a time and is easier on the body than chemo. A friend told me about her brother that went this route who lived a few months longer than the doctors had predicted and felt better than when on chemo. The Chinese herbal specialists worked with his doctors so he could have radiation as needed too. He had exhausted his options with regular medical treatment at that point and his cancer was no longer controllable. With his oncologist's blessings he went to work with the Chinese medical community and at least felt better. By a reputable source, I don't mean a faceless internet or a Johnny-Come-Lately who just set up shop down the street and wants your money. I have heard that some university teaching hospitals are working with folks that deal in Chinese Medicine. Mine says it does so that they can research it and provide it to folks that desire it. They have also found it useful to combine with some folks receiving traditional cancer medicines. You can also find some dealers in cities with large Chinese populations, but I'm not sure how you would find the right person without having Chinese friends. The different herbs they use have been used for the last few centuries because they have various medical effects. Our asprin as we know it came from tea made from certain parts of the willow tree. We use asprin rather than tea because we can control the potency better in a pill. Future meds may be made from some of the herbs the Chinese use. Who knows? But talk to your oncologist and see if he or she can get you in touch with someone reliable if you go this route or you might just get some bad tasting brews and lose your money. You might also go for a second opinion with another lung cancer specialist to see if anything else can be done. If not, there is something called pallative treatment where everything is done to make life as livable as possible without doing everything as aggressively as possible to stop the cancer. At that point you need help, but not chemo. There are end-of-life specialists and I can only hope I can find one when I need one. No one should die in pain or discomfort that is treatable, but not all doctors know how to help in this area. Only you can decide what is best for you, but I urge you to talk with your doctors to see what options are out there that work. Alternative treatments are not the main treatments because they have not been shown in the research to cure cancer or effectively treat it.