Cancer pain can crop from anything, either from the disease itself or the treatment.
Cancer pain, usually, cannot be treated with home remedies
HIGHLIGHTS
- Cancer pain can crop from from the disease itself or from the treatment
- Cancer pain can usually be treated with the help of medication
- The main causes of pain in cancer patients are two-fold
Pain can refer to any form of discomfort, minor or major. For cancer patients, the pain can either be non-existent or it can be excruciating. Not all cancer patients suffer from pain, but if cancer spreads to other parts of the body, the pain levels can increase to a great extent. It can be anything, dull, sharp, pinching or burning. And it could range from moderate to excruciating. So instead of waiting for things to get worse, it is advised for you to get access to treatment as soon as possible.
Cancer pain can crop from anything, either from the disease itself or the treatment. Some people experience the pain during the treatment and some experience after the disease has been cured. Thankfully, cancer pain can be treated most of the time. It is important for you to seek medical attention for such pain as soon as possible because early treatments are much more effective.
Also read: Your Body Shows Signs Of Cancer, Know Them
How to manage cancer pain?
Cancer pain can usually be treated with the help of medication. Or it can be treated with surgical removal of the tumor or perhaps with radiotherapy. Radiotherapy can shrink the size of the tumor, thereby reducing the amount of pain. In some cases, doctors may even give analgesics along with physical therapy. But besides these treatment methods, there are other techniques as well which can effectively treat cancer pain.
Oncologist Dr Gaurav Kharya says, "The main causes of pain in cancer patients are two-fold. The first form of pain takes place due to chemotherapy. Chemotherapy causes damage to the gut and other parts of the body which results in pain. For this, cancer patients must continue eating properly, take pain medication or a skin patch which can be a source of continuous pain relief."
"The second form of pain takes place majorly because of the disease. One form of pain takes place due to the tumor infiltrating the nerves. This one is an extreme form of pain. So for that, apart from the common medication, local nerve blocks are given. For instance, if the pain is in the right leg, the nerve which is supplying pain in that area is blocked. With this, the pain can be controlled. These are the major cancer-pain interventions used for patients," he added.
Also read: How To Deal With A Diagnosis Of Cancer
Cancer pain treatment with home remedies
Cancer pain, usually, cannot be treated with home remedies. According to Dr Kharya, home remedies are never even recommended for cancer patients. He said, "Natural remedies and home remedies are not used for cancer pain control. Rather, oncologists never recommend any home remedies to cancer patients or any patient who is on chemotherapy."
(Dr. Gaurav Kharya is a Senior Consultant and Head of the hemato-oncology and BMT at Artemis Hospital)
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