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stem, bark, flowers, and seeds. The Wild jujube works by causing apoptosis in cancer cells. The plant has an
acid within it called betulinic acid that selectively targets against a variety of tumor cell types. 8
CONCLUSION- COMPARING TRADITIONAL AND MODERN MEDICINE BENEFITS FOR
CANCER PATIENTS
It is true that both modern medicine approaches to cancer as well as those of traditional medicine are
valid and have their place in our modern day society. For instance, there is an overwhelming amount of
research and data to show that modern medicine is a true life saver and there are many people who will agree
that treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy have the ability to lengthen the life expectancy of
cancer patient. However, it is also true that these harsh forms of treatment are toxic to the human body in their
own unique ways. The long list of side effects, both short and long term, are less than appealing for patients,
but many of them feel as though they have no choice. The thought of trusting traditional medicine to aid in
such a serious ailment such as cancer can be quite scary. However, the benefits of plant based traditional
medicine are certainly promising. They almost eliminate side effects and the risk of secondary cancers as they
do not harm human genes in the same way that chemicals in chemotherapy do, for example. Especially when
the cancer patient is concerned about their quality of life both during and post treatments, traditional medicine
can provide them with piece of mind. Another possible issue for patient’s when they think about medicinal
plants as healers is that fact that even though people have been trusting these for hundreds of years, there is
still not an overwhelming amount of scientific research. Without one of their trusted voices telling them it will
100% work for them, many patients are simply not willing to take the jump. Ultimately, no matter the amount
of evidence supporting either side, the patient should have the right and power to make their own decisions for
their cancer treatment. The more knowledge they have about the subject, the more they will feel in control of
their disease.
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