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CANCER PATIENTS LIVING WITH LYMPHOMA HAVE TWO VIABLE OPTIONS

OF TREATMENT: MODERN OR TRADITIONAL MEDICINES

ABSTRACT

Cancer, a disease that is caused by uncontrollable cellular proliferation, is the second leading cause of death

on Earth.8 Today, the promise of living a life after cancer treatment is higher than ever. However, the decision

of choosing the path of either modern medicine or traditional medicine is one that many patients do not feel

comfortable making themselves. Particularly in cancers such as Lymphomas, which attack the patient’s

lymphatic system, there is evidence of both positives and negatives on both sides of the spectrum including

the amount of research available and the quality of life each would provide.5 Ultimately, patients facing

cancers such as Lymphomas have the right to choose their course of treatment based on the knowledge we

currently have.

KEYWORDS: Cancer; Lymphoma; modern medicine; traditional medicine; medicinal plants.

INTRODUCTION- WHAT IS CANCER?

Cancer is considered to be the second leading cause of death around the world, only after

cardiovascular disease. Worldwide, 1 in 8 people will ultimately die of cancer and in the United States alone,

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1 in 4 people will die of the disease. In normal, healthy cells, a natural life cycle occurs that allows for the
cell to mature, divide by way of proliferation, and ultimately die due to either being old or due to damage, in a

process of programmed cellular death called apoptosis. Healthy levels of proliferation occur when the body is

in need of new cells, as the previous ones have died. Healthy cells proliferate to fill in the empty spaces, and

they are aware of when to stop and once the void has been filled. However, sometimes the cell is unable to

stop proliferating, causing excess cells to occur. These excess cells are called tumors, and this process of over

proliferation is called cancer. One body is made up of trillions of cells, and it only takes one cancerous cell to

create a tumor over time as it multiplies uncontrollably. These cancerous cells continue to divide when their

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