Imagine that you are a patient with stage four lymphoma, and the doctors tell you that chemotherapy is your only option to live. Knowing all of the side effects and symptoms of chemotherapy, would you opt for this treatment, or look for an alternative? This is where the controversy lies. Some patients say that chemotherapy is their only option, in which they will do whatever it takes to pull through. However, other patients believe that the treatment will hasten their death.

Doctors and scientists of today’s society have been searching for cure to cancer, however today chemotherapy remains the predominant treatment method. Chemotherapy takes an extremely large toll on its’ patients such as extreme defects in bodily functions and mental health, so go for an alternative treatment instead.

Patients that undergo chemotherapy are faced with many side effects. For example, the patients become extremely ill and begin to experience symptoms such as extreme nausea, hair loss, fatigue, etc. According to medical doctor, George Krucik, chemotherapy can affect the bodies’ ability to produce healthy blood platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. (Healthline, Krucik) Low blood cell counts can lead to numerous issues such as neutropenia or thrombocytopenia. Krucik also said that fatigue can interfere with things such as coordination, balance, and small motor functions. (Healthline, Krucik) This gives patients a hard time to perform day to day tasks, such as writing, reading, or even cooking dinner. Along with these other symptoms, Krucik noticed that chemo patients often suffer a loss of appetite. (Healthline, Krucik) The treatment can give patients mouth sores making it difficult to swallow or eat. Combining these symptoms with the nausea and vomiting, completely destroys a chemo patient’s will to eat. Since the body strives off of energy and food, even more bodily functions begin to deplete due to a lack in nutrients.

While the body itself begins to deteriorate due to the harsh medicine, it eventually takes a toll on the patient’s way of thinking, or rather their mental state. A doctoral study shows that patients on chemotherapy start having neurological issues. (AmericanCancerSociety.com) Their brain begins to deteriorate in a sense. Small motor functions begin to slow down, and patients easily forget things, and they also struggle with completing sentences. This takes a toll on the patients, in which they begin to experience psychological issues. A recent study shows that these losses of normality lead to extreme cases of distress and depression. (World Journal of Surgical Oncology) Patients undergoing chemotherapy that suffer from these psychological issues, lessen their ability to recover. The study proved that chemo-patients whom suffered these symptoms had 15.48% less ability to recover. (World Journal of Surgical Oncology) Clearly, chemotherapy not only affects the body, but the mind as well.

In order to avoid the use of chemotherapy, there are other alternative treatments. For example, a new drug was approved for clinical trials known as RNAi therapy. According to a recent study, the RNAi therapy uses a combination of other drugs with much less side effect which don’t kill the tumor or cancer cells, however, they do prevent them from developing and growing. (LiveStrong, Wolf) This could become an extremely reliable cancer treatment after trials can prove its success. Another alternative to chemotherapy that is completely natural could be the spice turmeric. Turmeric contains an ingredient known as curcumin, which results have proven that it inhibits lipid peroxide formation in liver, and breast cancer cells. (LiveStrong, Maier) These alternates to chemotherapy can save patients from the extreme symptoms that chemotherapy causes. They also have more natural effects, and have been proven to kill less healthy cells through the clinical trials.

On the other hand though, chemotherapy allows patients to elongate their lives and live happily. The Oxford Journals recently studied patients who went through chemotherapy, and while some say it wasn’t worth it, the majority of the patients live a much fuller and higher quality of life. (Oxford Journal) Chemotherapy is a very quick and successful way to put cancer patients into remission for long periods of time. The patients learned to appreciate every aspect of their lives, which is more than anyone can ask for.

While chemotherapy is an extremely effective way of treating cancer, there are better options that are currently being researched in order to save all the physical and mental defects that chemotherapy causes. Clearly, all the side effects take extreme tolls on the cancer patients, causing them an even longer time to recover. If doctors could find a better way to treat cancer with a more subtle side effect, would you rather have that than chemotherapy? Chemotherapy should only be a temporary treatment to cancer, and it should be replaced with more effective and more natural treatments to help the patients be comfortable when facing something as awful as cancer. It is bad enough that the patient has cancer, they shouldn’t have to suffer while trying to treat it as well.

Cited Sources
• Krucik, George. "Chemotherapy Effects." Healthline: Chemotherapy. Healthline, n.d. Web. 13 May 2015.
• "Chemo Brain." Chemo Brain. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2015.
• "Men's Fertility and Chemotherapy." Men's Fertility and Chemotherapy. Cancer Research UK, n.d. Web. 13 May 2015.
• Oktay, Kutluk. "Fertility After Chemotherapy." Breastcancer.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2015.
• "Sexuality and Reproductive Issues." National Cancer Institute. NCI, n.d. Web. 13 May 2015.
• "Annals of Oncology." Chemotherapy Improves Survival and Quality of Life in Advanced Pancreatic and Biliary Cancer. Oxford Journals, n.d. Web. 13 May 2015.
• Pandey, Manoj, Gangadharan P. Sarita, Nandkumar Devi, Bejoy C. Thomas, Badridien M. Hussain, and Rita Krishnan. "Distress, Anxiety, and Depression in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy." World Journal of Surgical Oncology. BioMed Central, n.d. Web. 21 May 2015.
• Wolf, Nicki. "Alternatives to Chemo." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 08 Sept. 2010. Web. 21 May 2015
• Maier, Karyn. "Natural Alternatives to Chemotherapy." LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 16 Aug. 2013. Web. 21 May 2015.