The following article covers Holistic Treatments for Stomach Cancer.
Stomach (gastric) cancer starts with cancer cells forming in the stomach lining. With only a five-year relative survival rate of 33.3% — even with the latest advances in chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy — it’s essential for patients to consider holistic treatments for stomach cancer.
Whether patients choose to combine conventional stomach cancer treatments with natural treatment options or opt for an all-natural treatment on its own, holistic stomach cancer remedies are well worth investigating.
Furthermore, since stomach cancer risk factors include H. pylori bacterial infections, smoking, and genetic causes, people with those risk factors should also consider using non-toxic preventative treatments to lessen their risk.
Holistic Treatments for Stomach Cancer
These 10 holistic stomach cancer treatments and preventatives have emerged from rigorous scientific research worldwide.
1. Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)
Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) leverages stomach cancer’s need for a hypoxic (low-oxygen) environment to induce apoptosis (cell death) in gastric cancer cells. Combined with melatonin, HBOT provides a powerful yet natural weapon against stomach cancer, as a 2018 study discovered. While HBOT in conjunction with chemotherapy has proven effective in stopping metastasis and mutation into treatment-resistant genotypes, this study was the first to look at a combination of two natural treatment options. Hyperbaric oxygen treatments involve delivering oxygen to patients at greater than room air pressures, thus infusing more oxygen into the patients' bloodstream. This study subjected human gastric cancer cells to both hyperbaric oxygen and melatonin, finding that the treatment “induc[ed] a robust tumor suppressive apoptosis response.” Since the demise of cancer cells stops the spread into nearby tissue or metastasis into other parts of the body, HBOT and melatonin therapy looks to be a promising treatment for even advanced stomach cancer.
2. Localized Hyperthermia (Mag-Ray)
Stomach cancer is notoriously resistant to chemotherapy and other traditional remedies. However, localized (regional) hyperthermia, in which doctors raise the temperature of the affected area above normal body temperature, significantly improved the survival rate for patients who took part in a 2019 study. The study divided 118 advanced gastric cancer patients into two groups — one that received chemotherapy alone, and the other, chemotherapy in conjunction with localized hyperthermia. The results were stunning. Patients receiving both chemotherapy and regional hyperthermia treatments dramatically increased their survival rates. Those patients who received only chemotherapy had a 0% 3-year survival rate, while those who received chemotherapy and localized hyperthermia had an 11.4% 3-year survival rate. Stomach cancer patients searching for an effective complementary treatment should look into localized hyperthermia as a natural alternative to surgery or radiotherapy.
3. Natural Immunotherapy
With the failure of chemotherapy and other traditional cancer treatments to provide increased survival rates in gastric cancer, scientists have begun searching for treatments that use the body’s own immune system to defeat the disease. Natural immunotherapy, according to a 2014 medical literature review, has emerged as a promising candidate. The latest research, the study points out, has discovered using biomarkers to identify “appropriate subjects [for] immunotherapy.” Monoclonal antibodies have also emerged as promising natural treatment options for gastric cancer. Even more importantly, immunotherapy shows promise as a preventative for the root cause of most gastric cancers, H. pylori.
4. Nutritional Counseling
With H. pylori infection the most common driver of gastric cancer, nutrients that could inhibit these dangerous bacteria while boosting “good” bacteria in the gut should serve as an effective preventative. A 2020 literature review on anti-cancer phytochemicals found in several common foods discovered that these compounds not only induce prevention but also inhibit cancer cell proliferation, inducing cell death (apoptosis) and autophagy (the body’s own defenses destroying cancer cells). These plant-based foods include specific “fruits, vegetables, spices, soy, cereals, and edible macro-fungi,” the review found. Counseling that teaches gastric cancer patients and those at high risk to include more of these potent anti-cancer foods can help these patients find a path forward using the principles of holistic medicine.
5. Low-Intensity and High-Intensity PEMF
Integrative cancer treatments that use non-invasive approaches present attractive alternatives to disfiguring surgeries and toxic chemotherapies. A 2018 medical literature review showed that pulsed electromagnetic therapy (PEMF), both in its low-intensity and high-intensity versions, enhanced blood flow and anti-inflammatory cytokines. Since stomach cancer cells require both an inflammatory and hypoxic (low-oxygen) environment to reproduce and grow, PEMF provides patients with a viable non-toxic alternative. Additionally, magnetic fields induce oxidative stress, damaging cancer cells’ membranes and thus, causing cellular death. They also expand the size of the blood vessels that feed tumors, creating an oxygen-rich environment that stops tumor growth (since cancer needs a hypoxic environment to grow). Finally, these expanded blood vessels allow more natural killer (NK) cells inside the tumor, also leading to cellular death.
6. Alpha-Lipoic Acid IV Therapy
A powerful natural antioxidant, alpha-lipoic acid (ALA) has shown great promise in treating nearby tissue invasion and metastasis in gastric cancer, the main drivers of mortality, as a 2014 gastric cancer study published in 2019 shows. The study discovered that human gastric cancer tissues “strongly expressed” the MUC4 gene. Alpha-lipoic acid, the study found, suppressed MUC4 expression, reducing “proliferation and invasion” in those cancerous cells. Researchers then expanded their study into post-operative human subjects. Given stomach cancer’s high mortality rate, the results were astonishing. Out of 240 patients, only 12 passed away during the follow-up period — more than four years after the treatment.
7. Curcumin IV Therapy
Integrative medicine offers a wealth of nature-sourced treatments that have proven effective in treating gastric cancer. Curcumin is one of the most powerful of those treatments. Here’s why. The H. pylori bacteria that cause most stomach cancers create a hyper-acidic environment in the stomach, which, in turn, causes the cancer to progress. Curcumin, a 2017 gastric cancer study found, reduced gastric secretion, inhibiting cancer cell proliferation and driving cell apoptosis (cell death).
8. Antioxidant IV
Antioxidant, a tripeptide antioxidant that occurs naturally in most cells at high levels, suppresses gastric cancer cell growth, according to a 2017 study. In gastric cancer, the study pointed out, glutathione peroxidase 7 (GPX7), a form of glutathione, is downregulated. When the researchers reconstituted the GPX7 in gastric cancer cells, they discovered that the substance “significantly suppressed” cell growth and induced cell death in the tumor cells. Introducing glutathione back into the body through IV therapy is an effective way to provide patients with the cancer-fighting properties of this antioxidant.
9. High-Dose Vitamin C IV Therapy
Vitamin C's benefits extend way beyond its role in staving off the worst in colds and other respiratory infections. High-dose vitamin C therapy, delivered intravenously, can be an effective weapon against deadly gastric cancer. A 2002 study treated several stomach cancer cell lines and H. pylori strains with ascorbic acid (vitamin C) for about 72 hours. The researchers discovered that although the vitamin had no effect on H. pylori growth, it did induce cell cycle arrest and cell death in the cancer cells themselves.
10. Melatonin IV
Melatonin has proven to be an effective yet natural sleep aid for restless sleepers. However, this nature-sourced sleep remedy also has proved to be a powerful weapon in the battle against stomach cancer, a 2018 study found. An indoleamine (neurotransmitter) that the body synthesizes in the pineal gland, melatonin inhibits growth and induces cell death in cancer cells, the researchers discovered. Melatonin IV treatments, therefore, give patients yet another non-toxic alternative to traditional cancer treatments that offer little hope yet bring with them a slew of debilitating side effects.
At Brio-Medical, we offer stomach cancer patients a wealth of alternatives, including these 10 holistic treatments. If you have stomach cancer or have a loved one fighting the disease, there’s hope. Speak to one of our caring doctors to learn which treatments might work best for you. Schedule your free consultation today!
External references:
“Stomach (Gastric) Cancer—Patient Version.” National Cancer Institute, https://www.cancer.gov/types/stomach. Accessed August 19, 2022.
Wei, Xiang et al. “Hyperbaric oxygen treatment sensitizes gastric cancer cells to melatonin-induced apoptosis through multiple pathways.” Journal of cellular biochemistry vol. 119,8 (2018): 6723-6731. doi:10.1002/jcb.26864
Fang, Hongming et al. “Regional Hyperthermia Combined with Chemotherapy in Advanced Gastric Cancer.” Open Medicine (Warsaw, Poland) vol. 14 85-90. 20 Feb. 2019, doi:10.1515/med-2019-0012
Matsueda, Satoko, and David Y Graham. “Immunotherapy in gastric cancer.” World Journal of Gastroenterology vol. 20,7 (2014): 1657-66. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i7.1657
Mao, Qian-Qian et al. “Phytochemicals for the Prevention and Treatment of Gastric Cancer: Effects and Mechanisms.” International journal of molecular sciences vol. 21,2 570. 16 Jan. 2020, doi:10.3390/ijms21020570
Sengupta, Somoshree et al. “A review on the use of magnetic fields and ultrasound for non-invasive cancer treatment.” Journal of Advanced Research vol 14 (2018), 97-111. doi:10.1016/j.jare.2018.06.003
Yang, Yu et al. “The Antioxidant Alpha-Lipoic Acid Inhibits Proliferation and Invasion of Human Gastric Cancer Cells via Suppression of STAT3-Mediated MUC4 Gene Expression.” Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity vol. 2019 3643715. 13 Dec. 2019, doi:10.1155/2019/3643715
Zhou, Shufen et al. “Curcumin suppresses gastric cancer by inhibiting gastrin-mediated acid secretion.” FEBS open bio vol. 7,8 1078-1084. 21 Jun. 2017, doi:10.1002/2211-5463.12237
Pizzorno, Joseph. “Antioxidant!.” Integrative medicine (Encinitas, Calif.) vol. 13,1 (2014): 8-12.
Chen, Zheng et al. “Antioxidant peroxidase 7 suppresses cancer cell growth and is hypermethylated in gastric cancer.” Oncotarget vol. 8,33 54345-54356. 29 Apr. 2017, doi:10.18632/oncotarget.17527
Zhang, Z-W et al. “Effect of physiological concentrations of vitamin C on gastric cancer cells and Helicobacter pylori.” Gut vol. 50,2 (2002): 165-9. doi:10.1136/gut.50.2.165
Zhu, Chenyu et al. “Melatonin Inhibits the Proliferation of Gastric Cancer Cells Through Regulating the miR-16-5p-Smad3 Pathway.” DNA and cell biology vol. 37,3 (2018): 244-252. doi:10.1089/dna.2017.4040
